Thor Froslev
Citizen of the Year
鈥泪t鈥檚 been 47 years,鈥� says Thor Froslev. 鈥泪 never thought I would reach Man of the Year.鈥�
Froslev, 83, said he started planning the Brackendale Art Gallery in 1969, when he was enjoying coffee and pumpkin pie at a caf茅 in Brackendale with a friend and saw half an acre of industrial land for sale. He bought the property in January 1970 and began building his dream with the help of friends and neighbours caught up in the excitement. Froslev spent long hours building the gallery, which also includes residences, artist studios, a theatre and a teahouse.
鈥泪 was so charged up that I didn鈥檛 know if it was Sunday or what day it was,鈥� he recalls of the early years.
His commitment has never waned. 鈥淟ong hours 鈥� that鈥檚 what it takes to run your own business,鈥� says Froslev.
鈥淲ho the heck wants to build an art gallery? You have to be crazy.鈥�
Although many businesspeople view 鈥渓ocation, location, location鈥� as critical, Froslev said he has never understood that. 鈥泪t doesn鈥檛 matter where you put it. If you do a good job, they will find you.鈥�
The gallery hosts a wide range of art exhibits, theatre productions, concerts and festivals, and it鈥檚 the place where the idea of an eagle reserve was hatched. Froslev helps organize the annual eagle count as well as the Brackendale Fall Fair.
In an interview Friday after receiving his Squamish Chamber of Commerce Award at the Executive Suites on May 4, Froslev gave the credit for the gallery鈥檚 success to his wife, Dorte. 鈥泪 tell you, without my wife, I wouldn鈥檛 have made it.鈥�
He also credits his volunteers and small staff, including Pat Middlemann, who has worked at the gallery for 30 years.
Froslev has also won a provincial award, the 2016 Community Achievement award, to be presented by Premier Christy Clark in Victoria on May 25.
In nominating him for the chamber鈥檚 Bill Manson Citizen of the Year award, member Kirsten Clausen noted Froslev had created a 鈥渕uch-loved cultural and social gathering centre in the Brackendale Art Gallery鈥� as well as being 鈥渁n ardent environmentalist,鈥� an arts supporter and someone who 鈥渓oves the community wholeheartedly.鈥�
Sean Daly
Business Person of the Year
Nesters Market
Service Excellence Award 鈥� Large Business
Sean Daly bubbles with enthusiasm when asked how he feels about winning two of the Squamish Chamber of Commerce鈥檚 major awards for 2016.
鈥泪 was totally surprised and thrilled,鈥� says the Nesters Market store manager. 鈥淲e won Large Business last year as well 鈥撀爐his is the third time in nine years.鈥�
The awards reflect how much Nesters supports groups in Squamish, which has been Daly鈥檚 policy since he began as manager in 2006.
鈥淗e is so engaged with the community,鈥� says 小蓝视频 publisher Darren Roberts, who presented the award during the May 4 ceremony. Roberts calls Daly 鈥渁 ferocious supporter of community causes within Squamish 鈥� including support for the food bank, Test of Metal, Squamish Hospital Foundation, 小蓝视频 Biathlon 鈥� the list goes on and on.鈥�
In fact, Daly says Nesters also supports most sports events including soccer, hockey and skiing, arts and theatre, schools, the homeless shelter and more. 鈥淥ur goal is not to throw out any product,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nything edible goes to the food bank or Helping Hands. It鈥檚 good business practice, too 鈥� less work, less expense.鈥�
Nesters has 140 employees, and Daly is quick to credit his team.
鈥淭he award for me doesn鈥檛 mean as much as the award for the store. It鈥檚 really all of us. It means my staff are making me look good. I have a really good group of people who work for me.鈥�
Aside from Nesters鈥� 鈥渁mazing core of staff,鈥� the grocery store also employs many students. 鈥泪t鈥檚 a town that seems to be churning out young people who are extraordinary鈥� young people who are doing cool things and on their way to doing cool things, and a lot of them work here on their way. I am blessed.鈥�
Daly and his wife, who works at the Squamish RCMP detachment, have two sons, ages 10 and 11, who attend Brackendale Elementary School. When he鈥檚 not at work, Daly enjoys mountain biking as well as 鈥渉anging out with the kids.鈥澛�
At work, he most enjoys meeting customers and community people who come in to ask for support.
Maureen Mackell of Squamish Helping Hands Society is effusive in her praise for Daly on the award nomination form. 鈥淗e is the most generous, community-minded person I know,鈥� she writes. 鈥淗is answer whenever you need him to contribute, participate or support is always 鈥榶es.鈥欌�澛�
Sea to Sky Air
Service Excellence Award 鈥� Small Business
Have you seen the Coast Mountains and Squamish from the air? David Eastwood, pilot and sales and marketing manager for Sea to Sky Air, says the view 鈥渢akes your breath away鈥� 鈥� and his goal is to get as many people as possible airborne to see it.
Most of the small company鈥檚 customers are 鈥渟peechless鈥� after flying and drinking in the scenery. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the biggest reaction, quite honestly. People are really in awe of the scenery.鈥�
Eastwood accepted the Service Excellence Award for Small Business on behalf of company owner Carlo Galvani at the Squamish Chamber of Commerce ceremony last week. The three-person staff also includes pilot Eric Lightfoot.
鈥泪t was a fantastic honour to be recognized for the small part we play in the Squamish community here,鈥� says Eastwood.
Sea to Sky Air has been in business since 2003, and Galvani became the owner in 2011.
鈥淥ur main goal is to get as many people up into the Coast Mountains as possible and give them an appreciation of the sheer beauty,鈥� says Eastwood, who is originally from England and lives in Whistler.
Customers come from all over the world, including many tourists from England and Germany, and Eastwood has noticed more Americans in the past 12 months, a factor he attributes to Destination 小蓝视频 advertising and the exchange rate.聽
Local people book sightseeing flights when they have friends or family visiting.
The most popular tours, Eastwood says, are a Whistler back-country air safari over Garibaldi Park, a floatplane experience at Phantom Lake and an introductory flight experience when guests get to handle the controls of a Cessna 172.
G-Van Catering
Innovation Award
Sometimes, when innovating, the results can be surprising.
Gregg Van Hierden, owner of G-Van Catering, introduced a new meal service in 2014 to allow busy families to pick up fresh-cooked meals so they can enjoy dinnertime together despite having to rush to soccer or hockey practices. It was to be a healthy alternative to fast food or pizza.
The service has been a success 鈥� but his main clientele has been couples and single adults, not families.
鈥泪 am not hitting my demographic the way I thought I would. It鈥檚 a much more diverse demographic,鈥� he explains. Customers include 鈥減eople who like to eat in restaurants but don鈥檛 feel like getting dressed up or buying wine there鈥� as well as 鈥減eople who are alone and find it too much to cook for one.鈥�
Van Hierden, who also offers a regular event catering service, prepares the hot meals with his staff to be ready for pickup.
The married father of two grown children recalls the reason he became a chef.
鈥泪t鈥檚 the only business I know. I actually got into it to meet girls. I took cooking classes because all the cooking classes were full of girls.鈥�
When he moved to Squamish 20 years ago to enjoy golfing, skiing and mountain biking, he commuted to restaurant jobs in Whistler and Vancouver and later ran the kitchen at the Woodfibre pulp mill for five years. When it closed, he concentrated on his local catering business.
Being in business is 鈥渃hallenging, especially in a small place like Squamish,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut if you are a hard-working person鈥� you eventually get recognized for it.鈥�
Van Hierden employs one full-time person and has many on-call staff for catering events. He says business people in Squamish are all innovative and any could have won the award. 鈥淭o have a small business, you always have to be innovative. You always have to be fresh.鈥�
Squamish Helping Hands
Non-profit Excellence Award
Helping Hands is 鈥渘ot just a mat on the floor and food in their bellies鈥� for the homeless of Squamish, says executive director Maureen Mackell.
The society, which received the Non-Profit Service Excellence Award last week, has an 鈥渁mazing group of volunteers who work alongside staff,鈥� the executive director notes. About 40 to 50 volunteers help out, as well as a staff of 20 to 25 people working at different levels, from casual to full-time, Mackell says.
Together, they are working on how to help their clients in a long-term way by finding housing and growing food together with them in mini-greenhouses.
Chamber member Denise Evans says she nominated Helping Hands because of 鈥渢he amazing support they give not only the homeless population of Squamish, but also to the working poor with all of their family-focused food programs and to the community with food rescue. They are constantly growing and innovating.鈥�
On Friday, the shelter on Third Avenue behind the Squamish Public Library was a hive of activity as cooks prepared lunch in front of a group of homeless men at the shelter. Up to 15 adults can sleep at the shelter each night, and in winter, an extreme weather shelter doubles the capacity. Transitional shelter is also available at Home Instead, and Helping Hands also has a food program for families.
聽鈥泪鈥檓 just really proud of our organization and the work that we do,鈥� Mackell said after receiving the award. 鈥泪t鈥檚 pretty nice for us to be acknowledged in that way, and it gives us enthusiasm to keep going.鈥澛�
Gillespie鈥檚 Fine Spirits
Green Business Award
Less than two years after starting their business, owners Kelly Woods and John McLellan are thrilled that Gillespie鈥檚 Fine Spirits has won the Green Business Award.
鈥淲e are so honoured, especially since we make such an effort to be sustainable,鈥� says Woods.
The couple, who have a four-month-old baby, live five minutes from their distillery and walk to work, don鈥檛 use straws in their drinks, use repurposed equipment, use only 小蓝视频 farm products to produce the spirits and even bought used furniture for their cocktail lounge. 鈥淓verything is shabby-chic and repurposed,鈥� she says.
The decision not to use straws is considered innovative and reduces plastic waste. 鈥淪traws are superfluous,鈥� Woods explained.聽
Gillespie鈥檚 also partners with other local businesses as part of the buy-local movement that also motivates some of their customers, who prefer a vodka or gin made in Squamish to one shipped from Russia or Sweden.
Woods was raised as an environmentalist. 鈥泪 grew up on a farm in the woods. I was always a do-it-yourselfer. My mom would bring plastic bags back to the store to be reused,鈥� she recalls, adding that at the time, it embarrassed her.
Now, she and McLellan are pleased to receive the green award.聽
It鈥檚 been an award-winning year for Gillespie鈥檚, whose lemoncello won best aperitif digestif in 小蓝视频 this year and whose aphro won second place in the flavoured vodka category at the 小蓝视频 Distilled event.
鈥淲e have been lucky,鈥� says Woods. 鈥淲e have our heads down and we are doing it right.鈥�
The company has hired part-time staff and soon plans to introduce new products. Gillespie鈥檚 also offers cocktail classes, and Woods writes a regular food and drinks column in The 小蓝视频.
She says she loves working with McLellan. 鈥淲e鈥檙e partners in life, partners in the business. When we were dating, we decided to go into business together. It could have gone all kinds of ways but it keeps deepening鈥�. I don鈥檛 have to plan date night. We really love what we do.鈥�
Foyer Art Gallery
Arts and Culture Award
Tears well up in curator Toby Jaxon鈥檚 eyes when she talks about the Foyer Art Gallery winning the 2016 Arts and Culture Award.
Jaxon is passionate about the art space at the entrance to the Squamish Public Library, where each month, a new exhibit goes up for library patrons and the general public.
鈥泪 was thrilled that the Foyer Gallery has become an integral part of the arts and culture scene in Squamish and that鈥檚 it鈥檚 known enough to be nominated and given the award,鈥� says Jaxon, who has lived in Squamish since 1997 and had her first exhibit at the gallery in 2005.
鈥泪t was a big catalyst in my personal art career,鈥� recalls the acrylic painter.聽
Few artists make a living from art, she says, but the gallery provides them an opportunity to grow as artists and to sell their work. 鈥泪t鈥檚 a grassroots gallery,鈥� she explains. 鈥淧retty much anybody who wants to have a show here could. I jury it, but it鈥檚 not high level, so it provides an opportunity for upcoming artists or established artists and everyone in between.鈥�
This month鈥檚 exhibit by Squamish Nation artist Karen Goodfellow includes high-end artwork, some of which has already sold, as well as girl guides鈥� photos for the Young@Art wall.
Every month, the curator and some volunteers hang a new exhibit, which can also include three-dimensional works in the cases. 鈥泪t鈥檚 pretty awesome to be the curator鈥�. I try to have the coolest exhibits,鈥� says Jaxon.
