Employees at Hot Chocolates and the Cakebread Artisan Bakery pulled their weight and then some through a tough year for Jorden Marshall, co-owner of the Courtenay establishments.
Their efforts paid off with Business of the Year honours at the Chamber of Commerce 2010 Community Awards on the weekend.
Last year Marshall lost his wife Sherry Marshall-Bruce, who succumbed to cancer. Sherry, along with her mother Deanna Stewart, started the chocolate business in 1986. The bakery opened in 2006.
Marshall entered the picture in 1992.
“For the last two years I was caring for Sherry,” Marshall said Saturday at the Florence Filberg Centre. “Her journey with breast cancer started in 2008 in February.
“We were able to leave the business pretty much in the hands of the employees. Very fortunately I came back out the other side and the business had held strong. Sherry and her mom developed many strong systems that they were able to continue with in our absence.”
During his time of difficulty Marshall said he could not offer much in terms of pep talks to his staff, which fluctuates between 40 and 60 employees.
“They just kept coming to work and taking care of the business,” said Marshall, who also owns Uranus Greetings & Gifts on the same block at 356 Fifth St. “They went well beyond.”
Naturally, the award is a bittersweet honour for Marshall, who is “not yet looking back with much happiness about the journey of losing Sherry.”
His wife was nominated posthumously in the Professional Merit category.
Donna Schmidt, an interior designer, has created a display with photos and stories chronicling the 25th anniversary of Hot Chocolates. It will be on display this month at the Ryan Road Credit Union.
Hot Chocolates features handmade Belgian chocolate, truffles and fudge, along with 24 flavours of gelato and sorbetto. There is also a cappuccino bar.
The business provides chocolate bars and totes to help sports teams, schools and non-profit organizations with fundraising efforts. It also provides custom-shaped bars, coins and other Belgian chocolate shapes for corporate events and business promotions.
Hot Chocolates supplies outlets in Victoria, Nanaimo and Vancouver. It can also be found on most major BC Ferry routes.
More award winner photos, page 4.
reporter@comoxvalleyrecord.com