The Team Creating The Cottages on Osoyoos Lake

To create a successful real-estate development one needs a team of dedicated people.

Eric Van Maren is the Managing Partner of The Cottages on Osoyoos Lake. Eric and his brother, Bernie, started their construction and development career over 43 years ago. Together they have been involved in the design, construction, and development of over 20,000 homes in BC, Washington State, and California. Notable development projects include Halcyon Meadows, a 224-home development in Chilliwack; Winfield Farms, a 500-home development in Abbotsford; and the Chilliwack Five Corners Public Private Partnership for which they won a gold medal in 2002. In addition to Osoyoos Cottages, they recently completed a 50 acre industrial park in Maple Ridge, as well as numerous single-family subdivisions in Alberta and Ontario. The Cottages is far and away the most exciting project Eric has ever been involved in, and Eric enjoys spending time at the site and meeting with the rest of the team as well as owners and prospective owners. Eric’s office is located in Chilliwack, where he can be reached at 604.847.0702 or ericv@vanmarengroup.com For more information visit www.VanMarenGroup.com
Blair Neels is a partner in The Cottages project and he’s also the project manager. He’s the guy who works with the design team; negotiates all the subcontractor and supplier agreements; gives direction to our site superintendent Steve Sara and project coordinator Rachel Buskie; works with homeowners during the construction process; solves problems, and generally takes care of the many details that must be take care of. Blair obtained a Civil & Structural Engineering Diploma and has taken many Construction Management courses at BCIT prior to joining the Van Maren Group in 2004. During his 12 years with Van Maren, Blair has built over 500 custom homes in 5 different developments. Blair spends 1 or 2 days a week at the site meeting with the construction staff and homeowners dealing with the many issues that come up. The rest of the work week he’s at his office in Chilliwack where he can be reached at 604.847.9057 or blairn@VanMarenGroup.com
Rachel Buskie is our Project Coordinator at The Cottages. Rachel’s job is to coordinate the construction process, organizing contractors and suppliers to make sure homes are completed on time, and meeting our quality requirements. Rachel is a registered Project Management Professional (PMP) and her career spans 16 years, leading New Zealand, Australian and Canadian project teams in the design and implementation of asset management plans for the stewardship of public assets. Rachel chose to step into construction in 2014, taking on a Site Superintendent role during her time in Scotland and enjoying the fast paced highly practical environment of the construction industry. Rachel can be reached at: 250-498-7341 or rachelb@VanMarenGroup.com
Steve Sara is our construction superintendent. He is responsible for all aspects of the on-site construction. Steve is a third-generation carpenter who started his career in 1996 doing framing, foundations and finishing, all in the South Okanagan. Steve joined our team in 2012 and he’s proud of the quality work he’s responsible for. Steve lives in nearby Penticton. He can be reached at 1.250.488.4940 or steves@VanMarenGroup.com
Jody Curnow heads up our sales team, and she lives on site with her husband, Greg. In addition to her sales and marketing activities, Jody helps our owners get settled into our community and acts as the developer’s representative on the board of directors of the Stelkia Homeowners Corporation. Jody can be reached at 1.855.742.5555 or info@OsoyoosCottages.com
Ruth Walton is second member of our sales team and she assists homeowners during the design, construction and turnover process. Ruth and her husband, Leith, are full-time homeowners at The Cottages. Ruth can be reached at 1.855.742.5555 or ruthw@VanMarenGroup.com
Cindy Penner is the Project Coordinator for the Cottages on Osoyoos Lake. She works with Blair and the homeowners to customize each home. She’s always available during the building process and helps to answer any questions or concerns owners may have along the way. With her years of administrative experience, she strives to provide an organized and thorough yet enjoyable building process for each homeowner. Cindy lives in Chilliwack and can be reached at 1.604.847.0700 or cindyp@VanMarenGroup.com
Greg Curnow is the operator of the Sewer and Water Treatment plant at The Cottages as well as taking care of swimming pool maintenance, the boat docks, and other Stelkia Homeowners Corporation assets. Greg and his wife, Jody, are fulltime homeowners at The Cottages. Greg can be reached at 250.315.8248 or sandw@OsoyoosCottages.com
Sandeep Sekhon is the project accountant. She records the project’s income and expenses and tracks the various construction and sales contracts. She can be reached at 604.847.0700 or sandeeps@vanmarengroup.com