Nick Honour

(President)

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Nick Honour is a dedicated Realtor serving Greater Victoria, West Shore, Malahat, and the Peninsula. With over 15 years of experience in the real estate industry, Nick has established himself as a trusted professional in the local market. Having been raised in Victoria, he possesses an intimate knowledge of the area and a deep understanding of its unique neighborhoods and communities.

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Specializing in residential properties and investment opportunities, Nick's passion for real estate extends beyond the transactional aspects of the business. He thrives on the opportunity to work with a diverse range of clients and property types and is constantly seeking new challenges and ways to serve his clients better.

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Outside of the real estate world, Nick enjoys restoring motorcycles and you can find him riding them along Victoria's scenic routes. He also enjoys family time with his wife and three daughters. Nick is an involved member of the Harbourside Rotary Club which brings people together to make a difference in their community and around the world.

Sukhmani Virk

(Vice President)

Century21 Queenswood Realty Ltd.

​​​​WSukhamani is a Real Estate Professional, she is dedicated to providing her clients with the highest quality service possible, She understands that buying and selling a home is a personal and important milestone, which impacts emotions & personal finances. Her goal is to make it as easy and stress free an event as possible. Her commitment to providing an exceltional service to her clients is what has always been her to priority. She demonstrates strong communications skills. Is fluent in English, Punjabi, and Hindi

Michael Marshall 

(Immediate Past President) 

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Michael holds a BFA from the University of Victoria and both Graphic Design and Fine Art Certificates from the Kootenay School of Art. An Accredited Graphic Designer, he worked for 30 years in the design and advertising sectors before changing to the floral industry for four years.

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Now “sitting on the other side of the creative desk”, Michael is back in the visual communications industry as a sales representative for Digital Direct Printing. DDP is the largest sheet fed printer on Vancouver Island.  If it’s important for you to support a local business with strong community environmental conscience, search no further, DDP is Victoria owned and operated and it supports many local charities and events, and lastly but least important it is FSC and Carbon Neutral certified, so Michael welcomes your calls!

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Well known in the Victoria marketplace, he is also a longtime community sport volunteer - as a soccer and softball coach, Executive member with the Cordova Bay Soccer Club and Coordinator of the popular World Cups Youth Soccer Festival. Now "retired" as a sport volunteer, Michael is still a member of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, which awarded him the Honorific of Fellow in recognition for founding the Vancouver Island Chapter and for his work on the National Executive team.

Richard Toop 

(Membership & Brand Ambassador) 

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After retiring in 2008, in 2015 Richard accepted a

part-time position with Orbus Business Networks to help increase membership and brand awareness in Victoria, British Columbia. Richard is active supporting Orbus with both the Victoria and

Westshore Chambers of Commerce, Victoria Think

Local First, DVBA (Downtown Victoria Business

Association) and Victoria Entrepreneurs Power of

Connection meetings.

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Richard is a graduate of the Faculty of Commerce

at UBC with a focus on Sales and Marketing and a

second year graduate of the Faculty of Commerce

at SFU. He is also a graduate of MTI where he

studied semi-conductor and wireless radio

frequency theory for three years.

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Most of Richard's working career was in the

wireless voice and data industry for Motorola

Canada Limited. He worked directly for Motorola in northern British Columbia in the direct distribution sector prior to working indirect distribution in southwestern British Columbia. Richard sat as one of the members of the indirect distribution counsel for Motorola Canada Limited where he represented Western Canada assisting with the transition of Motorola from a direct distribution sales platform to a national indirect distribution program. During his association with Motorola Canada, he had the privilege of traveling to Schaumburg, Chicago with the president of Motorola Canada to visit Motorola's worldwide headquarters.

His other experiences

included a short study at Motorola's University in

Plantation Florida. Richard's last project was as an

independent contractor for Motorola Canada

Limited working on the design and installation of a

wireless voice and data communications system for a new multibillion-dollar nickel mine on the Island of Madagascar in 2008, traveling there in order to oversee the installation.

After this project Richard retired until 2015. Richard had a short tenure on the Board of Directors for HeadWay Victoria Epilepsy & Parkinson’s Centre and has historically volunteered to be a member of the Parkinson’s Society British Columbia planning committee for SuperWalk Victoria. Richard also hosted the Victoria Power of Connection Meetup group for eight years up to 2024 prior to it amalgamating with the Victoria Entrepreneurs Meetup which he still attends.

Sarina Hoi, BA, MA, RCIC

(Director / Past President)

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Ocean Pacific Immigration Associates Ltd.

Sarina is a Certified Immigration Consultant and a member of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants. She heads the immigration section and is the director of immigration services of the Ocean Pacific Immigration Associates Ltd. Her goals is to help people from around the world to live, work, visit or study. She also welcomes the opportunity to help families to improve their lives and sometimes "escaping" from persecution or situations where they have slim chances to build a better future in their part of the world.

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She completed her Immigration Certificate at UBC and graduated from California State University, Fullerton with her Masters Degree in Communications (Public Relations). She is fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Si Yi With a strong background in administration and marketing, she is an asset to her clients.

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In her spare time (if there is any) she is also a composer and pianist which accounts for her strong communications and listening skills. As a musician, she studied in Canada and the United Kingdom and completed her BA in music. She is also an artist/painter in her other spare moments. Her artistic background brings attention to detail which skill is beneficial to both her business and her clients.

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On the community services side, she is currently on board of the Victoria Chinese Commerce Association and Victoria Hoi Ping Association. She is also a member of Rotary Club of Victoria, mentor of UVic Business students and representative of Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association. She was on the selection committee of Leadership Victoria from 2006 to 2010 and a volunteer for the Bridges for Women Society to train participants on interviews skills, key official in Resource Management for the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival, etc.

Genevieve Pinard

(Member)

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Gary was born in Vancouver, but raised in Victoria, BC. He graduated from the University of Victoria in 2014 with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics. He spent 8 years in Banking, primarily with CIBC and Scotiabank. Gary has won many awards at both banks with the majority in mortgages. 

Gary opened his Mortgage Broker business in February, 2025. In his spare time, he enjoys boxing, running and spending time with family and friends. He is also an avid reader with an interest in Religion, history and politics.

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(Member)

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I am Eddie Isted and I am the Account Executive for Executive Programs at the Gustavson School of Business, the University of Victoria. I am responsible for business development and marketing for the department and for managing the promotion of all the international and domestic custom and open enrolment programs.

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Connect with me at epcoord@uvic.ca

Kristina Foerster

(Member)

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Acera Insurance

Kristina is a Commercial Client Executive at Acera Insurance with nearly a decade of experience in the insurance industry. Over the years, she has gained broad exposure by working across several departments, which has given her a well-rounded perspective and strong adaptability in a constantly evolving field. Kristina thrives on the dynamic nature of insurance, finding motivation in its daily challenges and variety.

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She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Media and Cultural Studies and is currently working toward her Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) designation. Originally from Germany, Kristina now calls Canada home and loves exploring the country’s natural beauty whenever she can.

Rosalind Scott 

(Member)

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Better Business Bureau

Rosalind Scott, CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Vancouver Island, has strong roots in the Vancouver Island business community. For the past 25 years she has been actively supporting business and community development both professionally and on a volunteer basis.

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As an employment consultant with WCG International, Ros advised employers on Human Resource best practices, hiring
and retention issues. In her role as Executive Director of the West Shore Chamber of Commerce, she provided business planning information, hiring guidance and demographic advice to new and established business owners.

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Ros has had prominent roles on many boards including the Victoria Rotary Club, and the Sales and Marketing Executives. She represents Canada on the BBB international Excellence Committee and currently is on the Membership Engagement Group for the Downtown Business Association.

Sinclair Mar, JD

(Director)

Manhas Mar Lawyers

The firm of Manhas Mar, Lawyers has provided services for over 25 years in Victoria, Canada and internationally. Services in Business Law, Contracts, Corporate Law, Civil Litigation, Estate Litigation, Personal Injury, Immigration, Real Estate,& Mortgages, Probate and Estates & Wills,  and Construction & Builders Lien claims are provided.

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Sinclair has a history of community service for over 25 years. As President of Victoria - Chinese Commerce Association, Sinclair introduced the  dragon boat racing to Victoria as a demonstration sport during the 1994 Commonwealth Games. The following year he formed a committee to bring the first dragon boat races to Victoria's Inner Harbour. With the help of the Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival organizers, dragon boating was born in Victoria. Since those early days, he has worked in various capacities to build a first-class event for the dragon boater, a cultural festival that exemplifies the community spirit and goodwill underlying the festival's origins.

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By profession a lawyer, Sinclair also serves and has served on many organizations and boards in our community. These include serving as President, Director, Counsel, Chair, and member of the Board of Advisors of the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival Society. He has also served as founding President and Director of the Victoria Chinese Commerce Association, as Director and Vice-President of the Victoria Chinatown Community Care Foundation. and as Director of Knowledge Network, BC’s public educational and commercial free television station which has become 24/7 programming and fully digital in the past few years. It has also revamped its programs and has made significant inroads into “broadcasting” via other media platforms and you can check it all out online.

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In addition, he has been variously a member, a director, an officer or counsel of or for: the Victoria Chinatown Lions Club, the Victoria-Hong Kong Overseas Chinese Association, the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association, the Intercultural Association of Greater Victoria, Vancouver Island Memorial Society, Victoria Hoy Sun Association, People’s Memorial Society of British Columbia and Victoria Hoi Ping Association.​

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As a member of many of the organizations, Sinclair has raised funds for numerous charities, through many events. Sinclair also has a special interest in promoting music in schools. Over the years he has raised funds for music programs at Esquimalt, Colquitz, and Spectrum schools in Victoria, organizing fundraising events, and has assisted the professional development of many individual up and coming musicians. He has also sponsored numerous youth sports teams and assisted in fundraising for athletic training.

Steven He

(Associate Member)

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Steven is 

Karen Iturbide

(Member)

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Think Local First

Think local is a platform to champion local businesses and community organizations. Think Local First strengthens the local economy by connecting, promoting, and advocating for locally owned businesses across Lower Vancouver Island.

CORE VALUES (How We Work)
Relationship-Focused Community
We foster authentic relationships among local business owners and community partners.

Purpose-Driven Champion
We actively advocate for the importance and economic impact of supporting local businesses.

Integrity-Based Collaboration
We operate with honesty, transparency, and collaboration that strengthens the local ecosystem.