- 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 Kelowna91裸聊视频檚 small-town history.

He sees 450 Parc, a six-storey condo building 91裸聊视频� tucked between behemoth development SOPA square and a quaint, treed-in playground 91裸聊视频� that would be just as well-suited to Manhattan as it is to what91裸聊视频檚 become one of Kelowna91裸聊视频檚 most coveted neighbourhoods.

91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 going to be a mixture of steel accents, brick and limestone,91裸聊视频� 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.

91裸聊视频淎 lot of what you see in old town Manhattan, when you have both old and new co-existing, that will be here.91裸聊视频�

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. It91裸聊视频檚 unique for the city, but Craig has seen the demand for this kind of high-end housing among his dad91裸聊视频檚 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.

He91裸聊视频檚 a fifth generation builder, but he didn91裸聊视频檛 fall into the family business. Where his predecessors saw deadlines, budgets and other practical matters, he saw shapes and colour, beauty and balance.

91裸聊视频淲hen I was around 19 years old, my dad asked me if I wanted to take over the family business and I was like, 91裸聊视频榳hy would I ever want to do that?91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

At the time, he was working in retail in Edmonton and he liked it 91裸聊视频� 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 Technology91裸聊视频檚 business program, so he acquiesced.

91裸聊视频淚t actually went pretty well,91裸聊视频� he said.

He completed some business and marketing programs and came out knowing one thing for sure 91裸聊视频� he didn91裸聊视频檛 want the type of job that would entail getting dirty.

91裸聊视频淚 wanted to wear a suit and tie to work,91裸聊视频� he said, laughing. 91裸聊视频淚 got a job at Western Star (in Kelowna) and worked there for five years.91裸聊视频�

It was at the peak of the company91裸聊视频檚 success, which meant Craig was just a footnote in a huge employee roster.

91裸聊视频淚 realized then I wasn91裸聊视频檛 going to do well in a large corporate environment,91裸聊视频� 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 91裸聊视频� the past offered the clearest path to a successful future.

91裸聊视频淚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 91裸聊视频榳ould you consider helping me?91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� he recalled. 91裸聊视频淭here was dead silence on the other side of the phone and I could tell he was thinking. Then he said, 91裸聊视频榳ell how serious are you?91裸聊视频� I was dirty, cold and tired and I said, 91裸聊视频業91裸聊视频檓 pretty serious.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

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

Craig91裸聊视频檚 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 News Centre was designated for townhouses and Craig and his dad took it on as a project.

91裸聊视频淚 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,91裸聊视频� he said.

91裸聊视频淚 personally sat in the sales centre and sold the units on the weekend and did construction during the week.91裸聊视频�

For several years it was 91裸聊视频渟ink or swim.91裸聊视频�

The project did well and there were more for Craig. In the years that followed, he worked on high-end custom homes. He91裸聊视频檚 created signature homes in the Upper Mission and multifamily dwellings in Penticton and Kelowna. He91裸聊视频檚 weathered a real estate crash and made it out a success.

91裸聊视频淎ll of it has been a huge learning experience,91裸聊视频� he said.

That91裸聊视频檚 not to say he91裸聊视频檚 done. Now, having learned the ropes and honed his craft, Craig sees himself developing as a communicator and as a person.

91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 not a day that goes by where there91裸聊视频檚 not more to learn,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淵ou make mistakes and learn from it and keep pushing forward91裸聊视频� it91裸聊视频檚 been really great to be able to do that.91裸聊视频�

He91裸聊视频檚 done it without compromising who he is. He91裸聊视频檚 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.