The Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the finalists for its 2013 Community Awards to be presented at a special gala event to be held on Wednesday, February 19th at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre.
Each year, the chamber honours individuals and businesses for their contribution to the community following a nomination period during which residents and visitors are encouraged to nominate those they consider deserving of recognition.
The evening begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by with dinner at 6:30 p.m.
The keynote speaker this year will be Jeff Gunther, a gifted entrepreneurial leader and strategist. His many business interests include restaurants, hotels, ski areas, sales and management training, professional practice management, retail franchising, international development, and general management consulting. He personally owns and develops a large portfolio of single and multi-family properties in Alberta.
To reserve for dinner and the awards presentations call 250-752-0960. Cost is $37.50 per person.
This a special year, because a few of those people being honoured were so supported by the community, that they were nominated in more than one area. The nominees for the 2013 Qualicum Beach Community Awards are (for more on each nominee, see the chamber’s full news release at www.pqbnews.com):
Community Builder of the Year
• Qualicum Cat Rescue
• Qualicum Beach Streamkeepers Society
• Newcomer’s Club
Outstanding Customer Service
• Bailey’s in the Village
• Bank of Montreal – Joanne Rankin
• Pharmasave
Newsmaker of the Year
• Michelle Stilwell
•Qualicum Beach Memorial Golf Clubs 100th Anniversary
• Craig Dutton:
Citizen of the Year:
• Wendy Maurer
• Marilynn Sims
Volunteer of the Year:
•David James
• Don Innes
• Paul Walkey
New Business of the Year:
• Samudra Weight Loss Health and Wellness
• Cafe Brie
• Threads and Treasures
Business of the Year
• Faye’s Gifts
• Mid-Island Mortgage & Savings
• Qualicum Foods
Lifetime Achievement Award
• Georgia McLean
— Submitted by Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce
(Editor’s note: here’s the longer version of the news release above, unedited and submitted by the Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce):
Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce Announces
Community Awards Finalists
The Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the finalists for its 2013 Community Awards to be presented at a special gala event to be held on Wednesday, February 19th at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre. Each year the Chamber honours individuals and businesses for their contribution to the community following a nomination period during which residents and visitors are encouraged to nominate those they consider deserving of recognition.
This a special year, because a few of those people being honoured were so supported by the community, that they were nominated in more than one area. The nominees for the 2013 Qualicum Beach Community Awards are:
Community Builder of the Year
Qualicum Cat Rescue
Qualicum Cat Rescue started as a charitable society in 2005 after years of adopting cats and kittens for the SPCA.
In the past 9 years Qualicum Cat Rescue has adopted out over 1620 cats and kittens. Sending them to their forever homes, tested for feline leukemia vaccinated, treated for worms & fleas and most importantly spayed and neutering and tattooing. Over the years Qualicum Cat Rescue has grown to include offering FREE spay & neuter certificates to the public. Targeting low income areas and the family’s that live there, helping them to see that their cats Qualicum Cat Rescue is generously supported in Qualicum Beach, though donations and though fund raising efforts.
The Qualicum Cat Rescue Board of Directors is composed of Deb Maddocks, Barb Ashmead, Barb Clark, Barb McLaughlin, Dr. Hanna Safekow and Laurie Haley.
Qualicum Beach Streamkeepers Society
The mission of the Qualicum Beach Streamkeepers Society is to be “dedicated to protecting and restoring wild fish habitat”. Since its inception seventeen years ago, Streamkeepers volunteers have carried out dozens of projects in local streams and watersheds. Much of the work is carried out on our two local streams, Grandon Creek and Beach Creek, where hundreds of trees have been planted, stream banks stabilized with bioengineering, and fish removed to safety during stream clearing projects.
In 2013, one of the major projects involved the creation of three new spawning pools at the lower end of Grandon Creek, in partnership with the Town of Qualicum Beach and the Pacific Salmon Foundation.
Newcomer’s Club
The Qualicum Beach Newcomer’s Club’s purpose is to serve as a connecting point for newcomers to Qualicum Beach. The purpose is realized through social activities that are designed to help newcomers connect socially. The Club organizes special events at least once a month and organizes small activity clubs like, cycling, hiking, kayaking, bridge, golfing, photography, tennis, wine-tasting, etc.
The Qualicum Beach club also involved in providing organized monthly help to the Salvation Army and SOS. As well, the Newcomer’s Club introduces members to the community, by inviting various speakers to talk about what the community offers.
It is important to note that the Newcomer’s Club membership is limited to two years, after which members graduate and become members of sister organizations into the future. Almost a 1,000 people from the Qualicum Beach area continue to participate in all of the activities that started with the Newcomers Club.
Outstanding Customer Service
Bailey’s in the Village
Len and Cindy Thomson took charge of Bailey’s in the Village in February 2011. According to Trip Advisor, “Bailey’s has the best muffins in the world and excellent coffee as well; Bailey’s is also known for its excellent service and great lunches.”
According to Yelp.ca one recommendation reads, “…Bailey’s in the Village has great coffee/Full Bakery/fresh baked goodies baked on the premises, Homemade Bread, Fresh Roasted Turkey, their muffins truly are the best.”
A satisfied nominator stated, “Len creates a warm welcoming, relaxed upbeat atmosphere. His always-smiling face sets the tone and his staff, are always kind and helpful.”
Joanne Rankin
Joanne has worked for the Bank of Montreal for 32 years with the last 20 years in the Qualicum Branch and is one of the original staff members when the branch was first opened. Joanne’s job is to manage and oversee the day to day operations of the branch which she performs with a customer centric focus. She is skilled in building rapport with both colleagues and customers. Bank of Montreal is proud to have Joanne on the team and congratulate her on her nomination.
Pharmasave
Pharmasave has been locally owned & operated for over 30 years and is much more than a conventional drugstore. The heart of the business delivers the traditional services of a pharmacy, with modern advantages such as Compounding Prescriptions, Medication Reviews and more recently, Vaccinations.
Owners Sandy Conn & John Beever are passionate about providing individual care to each customer and acknowledge their employees for any recognition in exceptional customer service. The Pharmasave staff really are like one big family, many for over 10 and 20 years, they love what they do and genuinely care about customers. So whether you need support for your health, product information, a laugh or a hug, Pharmasave really is your neighbourhood drugstore and so much more!
Newsmaker of the Year
Michelle Stilwell Michelle Stilwell is the Government Caucus Chair and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health for Healthy Living. She is also a member of the Treasury Board, the Cabinet Committee on Secure Tomorrow, and the Cabinet Working Group on Core Review.
Prior to being elected to the Legislative Assembly, Michelle was a motivational speaker and community advocate for persons with disabilities and children with special needs. Michelle is also an ambassador for ActNow BC and the Rick Hansen Foundation, and she worked on the B.C. governments 10 by 10 Challenge to increase employment for persons with disabilities.
Michelle has been nominated as Newsmaker of the year for her election as MLA for Parksville-Qualicum on May 14, 2013.
Qualicum Beach Memorial Golf Clubs 100th Anniversary
The 100th Anniversary of the Qualicum Beach Memorial Golf Club was definitely a memorable event in 2013!
The event was yearlong beginning with the publishing of an excellent historical book, written by Claude Buchanan and Wendy Shaw. Throughout the year, events were put on by a remarkable team of golf club volunteers and staff. There were golf games played with clubs which were 100 years old, strawberry teas and hat making in the style of 1913. Memorial plaques were unveiled, cairns dedicated.
The town thanks all of you who recognized how lucky we have been in the past and how lucky we still are, to enjoy this beautiful asset we have in our town.
Craig Dutton:
Craig was born in Redvers Saskatchewan in 1955. He graduated from University in Brandon with BA in Political Science in 1980. In 1998 received a BBL from the University of Saskatchewan.
The Dutton family Company has owned Pheasant Glen since 1997. Craig’s parents Bill and Donna have lived here since 1999. Craig and his wife Lynn moved to Vancouver Island in August of 2007 and have four children; Brandi and her daughter Eva of Qualicum Beach, Mila of Qualicum Beach, Abbey of Vancouver and William of Calgary.
“In a year in which my father became an NHL owner and my son became an Olympian and was named as one of the hottest Canadian Olympians by Huffington Post and buzzword.com, I feel quite surprised to be nominated as the Qualicum Beach news maker of the year. I’m not even the family news maker of the week”.
Best regards to all at the dinner, from all of us, as we arrive in Sochi to watch William compete in his first Olympics.
Citizen of the Year:
Wendy Maurer
Wendy grew up in a family where community service was part of family life. She was introduced to our community through a variety of volunteer activities.
Today Wendy chairs the Qualicum Beach Historical & Museum Society, is happy to work with Ducks Unlimited and spends one week each year as a volunteer with Parks Canada providing interpretive services on Russell Island, part of the Gulf Island National Park Preserve where she talks about Hawaiian settlement in BC.
By profession, Wendy was an administrator working for a variety of non-profit organizations such as Chamber Manager for several years, then researcher at “Linking Island Leaders” for VIEA.
Wendy then shifted her focus to the art of creating glass beads and now works full time at her business “Beads of Joy”. She has a home based studio open to the public “by appointment or chance” – which accommodates her volunteer schedule. She thrives on networking and is a passionate advocate of collaboration.
Marilynn Sims
Marilynn has volunteered with both the Family Day Committee and the Fire and Ice committee helping revitalize both important events in Qualicum Beach. She was also a member of the Making Culture Count Committee and she continues to collaborate with Building Learning Together (BLT) and SD69 on programs including Munchkinland and intergenerational programs.
Since moving to Qualicum Beach Marilynn has received a number of awards including: The Champions for Children Community Spirit Award (2009&2012), Qualicum Beach Volunteer of the Year (2009). Association for Community Education in BC Appreciation Award in recognition of her contribution to community education (2010), Ministry of Children and Family Development: in recognition of her contribution as a founding member of the council and appreciation for service to the children, youth and families of the Vancouver Island Region (2010) and the Qualicum Beach Above and Beyond Award (2011)
Volunteer of the Year:
David James
David is a member of the Boards of Directors of Qualicum Beach Streamkeepers (2010 to present), the Select Committee on Beach Day (2012 to present) and the Fire and Ice Street Festival (2013 to present). He was a member of the Select Committee for the 2013 Communities in Bloom. He also volunteers with Broombusters and the Mid Vancouver Island Habitat Enhancement Society.
Don Innes
On Wednesdays and most Saturday mornings Don Innes helps stock the shelves at the S.O.S. Thrift Store. At Christmas time he also assists with the setting up and closing down of the S.O.S. Christmas program and picks up Angel Tree donations.
Don served on the executive of The Qualicum Beach Family History Society and helped organize social events. At the Qualicum Beach Family Research Centre he assists people doing their genealogical research on the computers and writes historical articles for the Family History Journal.
Paul Walkey
Since moving to Qualicum Beach in 2010 Paul has been very busy serving the Qualicum Beach community. Along with running the Qualicum Beach Funeral Centre, Paul plays piano at the local nursing homes in both Qualicum Beach and Parksville and enjoys keeping the seniors entertained. Paul is a member of the Rotary Club of Qualicum Beach Sunrise and is the Chair of Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce. Paul volunteers his cooking skills to the Senior Centre in town.
He can be found playing piano for the RCMP as they make their rounds of Christmas caroling at the local nursing homes. He is busy in his church, playing piano, on the church council, and assisting with the upgrades to the music system. If you’re looking for a volunteer who is always there with a smile on their face, it’s Paul Walkey.
New Business of the Year:
Samudra Weight Loss Health and Wellness
Kristin Bjarnason, Samudra’s owner has always been a person interested in health and wellness and someone who is known to love to share. Following personal success with a well-researched medically designed weight loss approach she opened the doors to Samudra Weight Loss Health and Wellness in Courtenay, BC in March of 2011. In August of 2013 she opened a second Samudra Weight Loss Health and Wellness Studio in Qualicum Beach.
It is important to the Samudra team for clients to feel welcome and safe as they share their struggles with weight as well as their goals and aspirations. At Samudra they focus on clients in a holistic way and take into account challenges that they may be facing.
Cafe Brie
Café Brie is located inside Carriage Lane on Second Avenue. The cafe is beautifully furnished with antique furniture, with an old European feel serving breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea. Owners Samantha and Leanne recently relocated to the island to follow in their families footsteps of cafe ownership. Both women gained their experience from culinary school as well as Samantha’s family’s cafe and also running their own successful catering business on the mainland. They provided craft services for various music video and movie sets, as well as catered many weddings including dessert needs wedding cakes, cupcake towers and decadent sweet buffets.
Threads and Treasures
Cathy Van Herwaarden grew up in West Vancouver and moved to Vancouver Island in 1977 for her first teaching job in Qualicum Beach. After 34 years of teaching at various elementary schools throughout Qualicum School District, Cathy retired from teaching in June of 2011.
On January 15th, 2013, Threads and Treasures Emporium Inc. opened their doors at 742 Memorial Avenue in Qualicum Beach.
So…if you’re looking for a venue to sell your artsy-craftsy items, or you’re wishing for some ‘mad money’ from the sale of women’s fashions, or maybe you’re just looking for a good old-fashioned bargain…come to Threads and Treasures: The Re-Love It Store where Cathy and her staff put some fun into up-cycling and re-purposing while giving back to our community!
Business of the Year
Faye’s Gifts
Faye’s Gifts opened in September 2005. This little gift shop has evolved into a go to place for locals and tourists alike. Faye’s specializes in “Made in Canada” items such as baby clothes, jewellery, native gifts, soaps and lotions and more. Here you will find a gift for every occasion with friendly, helpful staff giving you a pleasurable buying experience. Faye moved to Qualicum Beach in 1997 and became an active member of the community right away. She is active in several committees and a large supporter of the town.
In 2011 Faye’s daughter Katherine joined her in the business. Katherine brings many years of management experience along with a drive to provide excellent customer service.
Mid-Island Mortgage & Savings
In 1988 Stuart Gautier relocated to Qualicum Beach with his wife and two children. That same year he opened the doors of Mid-Island Mortgage & Savings (Qualicum Beach) Ltd. At that time, there was only one other broker between North Nanaimo and North Vancouver Island.
While mortgage rules and regulations have changed significantly since Stuart opened his doors for business, what remains constant is the excellent service and dedication that Mid-Island Mortgage & Savings (Qualicum Beach) Ltd., provides to its clients. In 2009 Stuart’s daughter Margaret O’Connor joined the team and together with their staff they continue to run Mid-Island Mortgage with the same values of efficiency and integrity that Stuart brought with him 26 years ago.
Qualicum Foods
1982 Ken Schley, John Briuolo and Noel Hayward, all in their mid-twenties, discovered the present Qualicum Beach location and soon after, Qualicum Foods opened. Then in 1986, the addition of partner Bruce Robertson resulted in the first Quality Foods store in Parksville. As a leader in community activities, people turn to QF to help in a variety of ways, says Ken. “In many cases we actually roll up our sleeves and help out at an event! In fact the QF Children’s Sandcastle Competition each summer is a good example; the entire event is run by QF volunteers.”
Lifetime Achievement Award
Georgia McLean
Georgia’s decision to come to Qualicum Beach to be near family and friends was a stroke of luck for this community. An island girl, she had grown up in Campbell River where her parents owned Painter’s Lodge for some years and from where she went off to Queen’s University to obtain her BA degree. Upon her first retirement, she decided to return to Vancouver Island.
Georgia was hired as the General Manager of the Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce. Along with Marlys Diamond, she helped enter Qualicum Beach in the Communities in Bloom competition where we have been a consistent award winner. With a committee headed by Donna Furneaux, they helped get the Qualicum Beach Farmer’s Market established, which is now a mainstay in this community. One highlight of this period was assisting the Town in creating the Town Crier position and talking Len Mustard into taking on the role.
Georgia’s organizational hand was in Fire and Ice, the original year of Bard to Broadway and the Father’s Day Car Show. During her tenure, as Chamber GM, she sat on the boards of the Tourism Association of Vancouver Island (TAVI) and Milner Gardens & Woodland.
As she retired for a second time, she became involved part time at Glengarry, now Pheasant Glen Golf Resort with tournaments and helping to increase the membership for their club. The Rotary Club of Qualicum Beach and its activities has become the focus in more recent years, with involvement in the Rotary Chamber Gala, and various literacy projects including project s in Guatemala, our local libraries and the Words on Wheels (WOW) bus.
Never one to sit idly by, we have been able to count on Georgia to get involved in the quality of life and business in our community. The Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce thanks Georgia MacLean for her tireless dedication to the Qualicum Beach area and congratulate her on being chosen as this year’s recipient of the Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award.
This very special awards evening on Wednesday February 19th begins with a reception at 5:30 with dinner at 6:30.
Our keynote will be Jeff Gunther. Jeff is a gifted entrepreneurial leader and strategist. His many business interests include restaurants, hotels, ski areas, sales and management training, professional practice management, retail franchising, international development, and general management consulting. He personally owns and develops a large portfolio of single and multi-family properties in Alberta.
To reserve for dinner and the awards presentations call 250-752-0960. Cost is $37.50 per person.
For Further Information Contact: Evelyn Clark at 250-752-0960
— Submitted by Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce
