LEGACY: Sharing Our Story with Kelowna

Carolyn & Kyle Nixon on stage with David Kemp of JCI Kelowna.

We were honoured to be part of the very first LEGACY: Telling Kelowna’s Iconic Stories speaker series, hosted by @jcikelowna. It was a meaningful night of reflection, storytelling, and connection—and we were proud to contribute our family’s chapter to Kelowna’s evolving story.

Carolyn and Kyle Nixon, alongside Kyle’s father Jim Nixon, took the stage to share how our hospitality journey began—not with BNA, but decades earlier, in the ski chalets and small-town pubs of the Okanagan.

From the Red Onion and Whiskey Jack’s at Big White in the 1980s to Black Mountain Brewery and Café in the 1990s, these were the places where we cut our teeth, learned the ropes, and built the foundation for what would one day become Nixon Hospitality.

We talked about those early years, equal parts chaos and creativity, and how the lessons we learned then continue to guide our values today: integrity, community, quality, and care. We shared what it means to us to build something lasting in a city we love, and how our family’s journey has always been rooted in people first.

Kelowna, thank you for listening, and thank you for your continued support. You’ve allowed us to grow alongside this incredible city and helped shape every concept we’ve built—from BNA Brewing and Skinny Duke’s to Hello Darlin’, Bernie's, and beyond.

We're proud to be part of Kelowna’s story, past, present, and future.