nis Wednesday, February 12, 1992 Denoff named as province’s negotiator The B.C. government named Eric Denhoff chief ne- gotiator in upcoming talks ith the federal government ona financing agreement for the $700-million KAON pro- ject. Denhoff has served as the province’s chief land claims negotiator and deputy minis- ter of aboriginal affairs since 1989. Appointed by Premier Mike Harcourt and reporting to Fi- nance Minister Glen Clark, Denhoff’s task will be to con- clude the cost-sharing negoti- ations with Ottawa for the KAON project. The project is expected to create 17,000 person-years of employment and. generate $1.1 billion in economic activ- ity. So far, the federal govern- ment has offered one-third of capital costs to $236 million. Meanwhile, Doug McArt- hur has been appointed deputy minister in the depart- ments of northern Saska- tchewan and agriculture, and as president of that province’s Crown Investments Corp. McArthur was elected to the Saskatchewan legislature in 1978 and served as minis- ter of education and minister of continuing education from 1979 to 1982. Brides-To-Be {lf your wedding is three months or more away, you will want to attend. Welcome Wagon. Bridal P, Admission is FREE, but by invitation only. To obtain your personal invitation for you and your mother or guest, please give us a call. Phone 367-6635 or 364-2600 Crown Point Hotel Doors Open 1 p.m. March 8 Look what Welcome Wagon has in store for you. ¢ Demonstrations ¢ Special Displays « Exciting Gifts for Every . Bride * Numerous Door Prizes Brian L. Brown. CERTIFIED GENERAL ACCOUNTANT 270 Columbia Avenue Castlegar ¢ 365-2151 NEVINS EQUIPMENT * LAND DEVELOPING * SUBDIVISION SERVICING Hourly Rates & Contract Prices Available! FREE Estimates! R.R. 1, Site 31, Comp. 4 Castlegar, B.C. V1N 3H7 Telephone: (604) 365-2398 Cellular: (604) 492-1662 » CONST, RENOVATIONS = 365-3410 CASTLEGAR SfEEL A Better Way to Build ease Steel * Buildings - COMMERCIAL - INDUSTRIAL + AGRICULTURAL For more information, call your Authorized Garco Builder Midwest Construction Services Ltd. 365-8410 Box 1633, Creston, B.C. AY Fen MASONRY DESIGN & INSTALLATIONS e Fireplacts © Patios e Walls, etc. "Use Real Stone - It Will Last Forever” FREE ESTIMATES Phone 365-7051 _ BOARDWALK 399-4769 FAX 390-4760 Ramisrialirpapunteneetd 2 Guniy Motetishe a Werteoe rain a line of Skylights & Vinyt Watch for our sign 5 Doct and SAVE $$$ Castogaron ena Bid SCHARF CARPENTRY E Ans + CONTRACTING + FINISH CARPENTRY 3 aah + FRAMING in Ve. BINETS + CLOSET fe} VIZERS + DECK "FREE ESTIMATES" Phone Chris at 365-7718 Morrison Painting & Insulation ¢ Blown Insulation + Batts & Poly - DUNCAN MORRISON 650-5th Avenue 365-5255 CASTLEGAR FUNERAL CHAPEL COMPLETE FUNERAL SERVICE ‘Cremation, Traditional Burial and Pre-Arrangement Plan Available Cee eres Cee eres CARPET CLEANERS ¢ Most ‘Advanced System Gets more sone. soil than any other cleaning me' . Upholeery Cleaning Too ~ SATISFACTION GUARANTEED — Why Not Call Us Today! FREE ESTIMATES PH. 365-6969 5 ae Your Lung Association HARDWARE tet FOR ALL YOUR BUILDING. REQUIREME + Free Building Estimates * Delivery to Castlegar & Call Toll Free From: Castlegar - 365-0213 Nelson - 354-4137 Trail- 364-1311 “OO Waneta —) ha rciwa re ae building c envueLeun B.C. ARROW LAKES AIR CONDITIONING & MECHANICAL SYSTEMS ¢ Plumbing © Air Conditioning © Refrigeration o Furnace Service & Installation ¢ Controls 24-HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE 365-2485 THE PLUMBING + REPAIRS & RENOVATIONS + COMMERCIAL, RESIDENTIAL PLUMBING 24 Hour Emergency Service Ph. 399-4762 GENERAL CONSTRUCTION “Ci . py -ranenedtss Rates - Free Estimates Services CALL 362-9558 CASTLEGAR - PLUMBING & HEATING For all your plumbing needs and supplies ~ ROOFING — * Guaranteed Work ¢ Fair Prices ¢ 40 Years in Business ¢ Free Estimates JAMES SWANSON AND SONS Ph. 367-7680 SERVICE & REPAIR HERCULES HEATING & PLUMBING 365-4948 CASTLEGAR STORAGE CENTER MINI-WAREHOUSE UNITS * YOU STORE * YOU LOCK « YOU KEEP THE KEY! PHONE: 365-6734 815 Hwy. 22 Castlegar (Next to Ernie’sTowing) LIZ ores b sora Utd. 18 Branches in 8.C., Alberta & Sask. 2337-6th Avenue, Castlegar Invite you to call them for a free moving estimate. Let our representative tell you about the many services which have made Williams the most respected name in the moving business. Ph. 365-3328 Collect COLEMAN COUNTRY BOY SERVICE Sump & Septic Tank Pumping Phone 365-5013 3400-4th Avenue Castlegar Sore feet? 10 iL! Foot problems? se We'll help you solve them at LYON'S SHOE STORE 553 Baker Street, Nelson 352-3034 TRAIL STAGES "Charter for groups Anytime, Anywhere!" 1355 Bay Ave., Trail” OR CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-332-0282 Planning a Wedding We Sell Distinctive . . . Invitations, Napkins etc. 197 Columbia Ave. @ Wednesday, February 12, 1992 Nine toOFIVE GROWING WEALTHY Five years after tisking their cash on a venture - ”tiainy viewed with cynicism, B.C, ginseng growers can point smugly to their thriving bank accounts. Al Smith, president of the Associated Ginseng Growers of B.C., said B.C. growers are harvesting an average profit of more than $90,000 a hectare from the sale of the oriental medicinal root. ON THE PLUS SIDE_ Time Warner Inc. reported a fourth- quarter Monday profit, its first quarter in the black since the deal that created the huge entertainment and media conglomerate two years ago. Time Warner earned $45 million in the three months ended Dec. 31 in contrast to a loss of $34 million in the same period in 1990. PROFIT DEFLATING Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. said its profits fell 12 per cent in 1991, mainly because of the recession and increased competition. The Toronto-based corporation said profit for the year ended Dec. 28 was $127.1 million or $1.41 a share, compared with $144.4 million or $1.60 a share a year ago. Revenue was $2.99 billion, down from $3.06 billion. WorkPLACE Gerry Hoodicoff turns high school interest into a satisfying career Jonathan Green NEWS REPORTER Turning his back on the Okanagan, Gerry Hoodicoff came home four years ago — to pursue a dream. “I quit my job,” he said. “I got fed up with Stee Originally from Castlegar, he walked away from selling major appliances at Woodward’s in Penticton and returned home in 1988 for one reason. “To open up a gym, because there wasn’t one here”, he said. “I liked weight training so much.” For the last four years, Hoodicoff has been the man behind Hooter’s Fitness Parlor, tucked away in the Fireside Inn. When he set up shop, Hoodicoff was working in what was once known as Burns Gym. “It was just a dump,” he said. “No atmosphere at all.” Since opening for business, Hooter’s has undergone three expansions, increasing in size from 1500 to 2800 square feet. Hoodicoff, who has lifted weights since the mid-1970s, has seen life in both the big city and the small town. Like a growing number of people, he doesn’t miss the bright lights. “The people here are so “euch more supportive,” he said. “Everybody helps each other out here, emotionally and physically.” And it’s through that support that Hoodicoff notices a general mood among his 175 to 250 clients. “Everyone who comes in here is so positive,” he said. “They’re all nice people.” Over the last few years, steroid use in athletics has become a major concern, and Hoodicoff says it has given the sport of weightlifting a black eye. “As soon as you mention the word ‘gym’, people think of steroids,” he said. “People assume that if you use weights, you use steroids. “That's just not true.” -Using professional wrestlers as an example, Hoodicoff. says that steroid use is still practiced in the sports world, though times are changing. “People are starting to realize the dangers,” he said. “The sport is becoming cleaner and cleaner.” Once considered a male-only sport, Hoodicoff says that the face of bodybuilding is changing, as more women and older people get into the sport. “It’s a good mix of people,” he said, adding that his oldest client is a woman in her 70s. “There are more females than before.” ; Hoodicoff blames the weightlifter stereotype as the main reason why women Gerry Hoodicoff has turned his bodybuilding hobby into a full-time career. For four years, Hoodicoff has been the man behind Castlegar’s Hooter’s Fitness Parlour — the city’s only fitness gym. News photo by Jonathan Green have waited so long to start. “People have the idea its just a bunch of big, sweaty body-builders,” he said. “Just because you lift weights, it doesn’t mean you’ll be muscle-bound and masculine looking. “Tt all depends on how much you lift.” In a region where year-round sport is possible, Hoodicoff says that a lot of people are discovering the benefits of combining weight-training with their regular activities. : “It seems to really improve their other sports because they’re stronger,” he said. Since he began lifting weights 16 years ago, Hoodicoff says that the world of bodybuilding has changed. “The diet is probably the one thing that has changed the most,” he said, adding that muscle definition rather than bulk is the look that bodybuilders ‘now strive for. With memberships ranging in length from one week to one year, Hoodicoff says Hooter’s is affordable to both the casual and serious bodybuilder, though he admits to hearing different. “People think it’s too expensive,” he said, pausing to put things into perspective. “But I’ve seen some people spend more in one night at the bar than they would fora one- month membership.” Open seven days a week, Hooter’s offers racquetball, tanning and a well-stocked ~ juice bar. “Everybody can work out here, not just the big bodybuilder,” he said. former Mr. Kelowna, Hoodicoff is preparing for a May competition in Prince George. He admits that he is still finding out about the world of weightlifting. “Sixteen a and still learning,” he said. “I love this sport.” ARSE napa attire