Whistler’s Sue Adams was honoured over the weekend for her service in the arts and business communities with a Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Adams said on Tuesday (Nov. 27) receiving the honour at a ceremony on Saturday (Nov. 24) was a privilege.
“I was rather overwhelmed when I was notified, it is a huge honour,” she said.
Adams owns The Grocery Store along with her husband Bob, who were honoured as business people of the year by the Chamber of Commerce in 2001, while in 2009 the Whistler Arts Council bestowed her with the business and the arts award.
“I guess I have been at it for a while,” said Adams, who has lived in Whistler for 24 years.
The medals are being presented to 60,000 Canadians this year to mark 60 years of Queen Elizabeth II on the throne.
Adams received the medal alongside three other Sea to Sky residents, including Pemberton’s Mark Blundell and Squamish’s Sheri Davis.
Medals are being awarded to individuals who “have made a significant contribution to a province, territory, region or community within Canada, or an achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada.”
Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden noted Adams is a very accomplished community member that casts a broader net outside Whistler.
“My experience with her is she is very conscientious, she takes her volunteer work seriously and she does a very good job,” said the mayor.
Adams is a director of the Woman’s Enterprise Centre, is on the provincial small business round table, is on the Whistler Arts Council board, is the fundraising chair for the Whistler Health Care Foundation, chairs the Festivals Events and Animation oversight committee, is involved with the Alliance for Cultural Tourism, has been involved in the Chamber of Commerce and served on the board of the North Shore Credit Union, to name a few.
The Jubilee recognition is a result of her involvement in the business community, including mentoring small business owners, and her strong passion for developing the arts community as an economic driver for the resort.
“We have a developing arts and culture sector and wonderful things happening here and we understand people do travel because of cultural institutions, so we strongly feel Whistler has a great opportunity to diversify our community through arts and culture,” she said.
Dave Davenport nominated Adams for the award once he realized he could put her name forward.
“They are designed for people who give great contributions to community,” Davenport said. “In my experience, Whistler is filled with people who give to the community, but Sue stands out as a prolific one and she does it in a number of areas whether it is health, culture or business.”
He said he has worked with Adams on a number of projects and she is very good at delegating and organizing the efforts of large groups.
“And she runs a very successful business at the same time,” Davenport added.
