Okanagan Business Excellence

Who We Are

About Us

Okanagan Business Excellence (OBE) is a group of Okanagan business people, representing businesses you can rely on with confidence.

We hold ourselves accountable to the public, as well as to our membership, to provide excellence in products and services.

Established in 1999, our mission has developed to extend to the economic prosperity and well being of our membership and community. We host an annual charity golf tournament, supporting a local charity, and sponsor an event at Westside Daze, and we are “partners for life” with Canadian Blood Services.

We ensure positive relationships between our members by allowing only one business person to represent each business category, thereby eliminating competition between members.

We build and maintain strong relationships by meeting weekly to share ideas and support each other in our common goal.   

Our history

Since its inception in 1999, Okanagan Business Excellence (OBE) has evolved from a typical business referral group, focussed solely on passing referral business to each other, to one that mandates excellence. Our mission now extends beyond the profit focus of our own members, to the economic prosperity and well being of our community.

Business referral groups have been around for years. Our uniqueness has led to tremendous growth and success. Typically, such groups have membership numbers in the 10-20 range. OBE consistently has 30-40 members.

The true founding member of our organization was Bob Knoblick, who in 1999 was the manager of the new Canada Trust branch (now TD Canada Trust) in Westbank. Having the foresight to see the potential of such a group, he partnered up with a handful of other business people and OBE (then Business n’ Breakfast) was born.

The “charter” of our organization was roughly modelled on that of a business group in Alberta that was graciously provided to us by a relative of Dr. David Manns of Westbank Chiropractic, our group’s Chiropractors. Over the years the format of our meetings, executive structure, and Charter underwent major changes to the point that our group today bears little resemblance to its humble beginnings.
Instead of meeting around a restaurant booth, our membership now meets at the West Kelowna Yacht Club.

We have a well established and effective Charter, an 8 member Executive, this web site (OKBE.CA), we support an event at Westside Daze and an annual golf tournament, supporting a local charity. As well as being a member of the Greater Westside Board of Trade.
We have accomplished a lot and the visionaries in our group see room for even greater strides into the future.

award-winning business excellence

Okanagan Business Excellence is consistently well represented at the Greater Westside Board of Trade Key Business Awards.

These awards recognize businesses, organizations & persons working or living on the Westside, who have achieved excellence in the community through their own abilities, efforts and initiative.