- Story by Kathy Michaels Photography by Darren Hull

Craig Mohr looks at the three old houses he bought on Groves Avenue and sees more than the remnants of KelownaB次元官网网址檚 small-town history.

He sees 450 Parc, a six-storey condo building B次元官网网址� tucked between behemoth development SOPA square and a quaint, treed-in playground B次元官网网址� that would be just as well-suited to Manhattan as it is to whatB次元官网网址檚 become one of KelownaB次元官网网址檚 most coveted neighbourhoods.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 going to be a mixture of steel accents, brick and limestone,B次元官网网址� said Craig, the owner of Vineyard Developments, one day in late spring as he gestured to phantom features of the soon-to-be-built development just off Pandosy Street.

B次元官网网址淎 lot of what you see in old town Manhattan, when you have both old and new co-existing, that will be here.B次元官网网址�

The project is going to offer its residents high-end condo living without the shackles of dealing with a large strata.

On each of the six levels, there will be four 1,450-to-1,700-square-foot units. Each will have front to back views. And each will be of penthouse quality. ItB次元官网网址檚 unique for the city, but Craig has seen the demand for this kind of high-end housing among his dadB次元官网网址檚 friends, and thinks he found just the right place to make his vision come to life.

The development is also the culmination of nearly two decades of work and with its completion, Craig sees a personal turning point.

HeB次元官网网址檚 a fifth generation builder, but he didnB次元官网网址檛 fall into the family business. Where his predecessors saw deadlines, budgets and other practical matters, he saw shapes and colour, beauty and balance.

B次元官网网址淲hen I was around 19 years old, my dad asked me if I wanted to take over the family business and I was like, B次元官网网址榳hy would I ever want to do that?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

At the time, he was working in retail in Edmonton and he liked it B次元官网网址� the money was decent, he felt fulfilled and was having fun. His parents had their concerns, however, and they pushed him to enroll in the Northern Alberta Institute of TechnologyB次元官网网址檚 business program, so he acquiesced.

B次元官网网址淚t actually went pretty well,B次元官网网址� he said.

He completed some business and marketing programs and came out knowing one thing for sure B次元官网网址� he didnB次元官网网址檛 want the type of job that would entail getting dirty.

B次元官网网址淚 wanted to wear a suit and tie to work,B次元官网网址� he said, laughing. B次元官网网址淚 got a job at Western Star (in Kelowna) and worked there for five years.B次元官网网址�

It was at the peak of the companyB次元官网网址檚 success, which meant Craig was just a footnote in a huge employee roster.

B次元官网网址淚 realized then I wasnB次元官网网址檛 going to do well in a large corporate environment,B次元官网网址� he said.

Still young, and with adventure calling his name, he left Kelowna and went to Vancouver for a couple of years and then, when his bills started to outpace his income, he travelled north to work on oil rigs. Two years into that very dirty work, which was 17 years ago, he had an epiphany B次元官网网址� the past offered the clearest path to a successful future.

B次元官网网址淚t was pretty cold and around Christmas and I called my dad. We were having a nice conversation and I said I was thinking of starting a construction company in Kelowna and B次元官网网址榳ould you consider helping me?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� he recalled. B次元官网网址淭here was dead silence on the other side of the phone and I could tell he was thinking. Then he said, B次元官网网址榳ell how serious are you?B次元官网网址� I was dirty, cold and tired and I said, B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檓 pretty serious.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

And that was it. He stopped floating and found purpose.

CraigB次元官网网址檚 dad was helping First Lutheran find a location for its new school and church, and that offered an opportunity for him to start his first multifamily development.

A parcel of land, near the Capital B次元官网网址 Centre was designated for townhouses and Craig and his dad took it on as a project.

B次元官网网址淚 was responsible for most of the work, working with the architect. I priced the development, selected interior design finishes, managed the construction, sold all the units, managed the clients and did the preceding service work,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚 personally sat in the sales centre and sold the units on the weekend and did construction during the week.B次元官网网址�

For several years it was B次元官网网址渟ink or swim.B次元官网网址�

The project did well and there were more for Craig. In the years that followed, he worked on high-end custom homes. HeB次元官网网址檚 created signature homes in the Upper Mission and multifamily dwellings in Penticton and Kelowna. HeB次元官网网址檚 weathered a real estate crash and made it out a success.

B次元官网网址淎ll of it has been a huge learning experience,B次元官网网址� he said.

ThatB次元官网网址檚 not to say heB次元官网网址檚 done. Now, having learned the ropes and honed his craft, Craig sees himself developing as a communicator and as a person.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 not a day that goes by where thereB次元官网网址檚 not more to learn,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淵ou make mistakes and learn from it and keep pushing forwardB次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 been really great to be able to do that.B次元官网网址�

HeB次元官网网址檚 done it without compromising who he is. HeB次元官网网址檚 still someone who sees shapes and colours, beauty and balance. And with his work popping up around the Okanagan, so too can the people who live in the valley.