Like Father Like Son
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A family affair: Fathers and sons come together to build community businesses.
SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 2017
Like Father Like Son
Small and medium sized businesses are the backbone and core of every community in Canada and that is certainly true of the North Shore. These businesses are often family run and operated. Today in the spirit of celebrating Father’s Day, we take time to highlight some of the businesses who are successfully run as a father and son team right here on the North Shore. These family-run businesses employ members from our community, offer a wide range of goods and services and pay significant taxes that help drive our local economy. Many sponsor events and not-forprofit-organizations that we cherish. Their generosity and support to our community is significant and deep. Simply put, they add tremendous value to the quality of life that we all enjoy here in our community. As a father of three boys myself, I know the importance of being a leader and offering support as they grow into productive business members of our community. I applaud the businesses who are able to offer a family-run business environment as I am sure it can be both challenging and rewarding. In the following pages, we celebrate the father and son teams that do business successfully here on the North Shore. We hope you take time to not only read all about them, but also support them. They are working hard to compete in today’s digitally disrupted marketplace. They need our support so that they can continue to support our communities and the quality of life we all enjoy.
FATHER AND SON PETER & ADAM BLACK
Loblaws City Market Park Royal: Peter & Adam Black In West Vancouver, the last name Black is synonymous with quality meats and butchery. Peter’s dad immigrated from Scotland in 1948 and set up a family butcher shop in Kerrisdale. His son, Peter, started working at the store when he was six years old. Growing up, he worked alongside his dad, a master butcher, learning the family business until his dad retired. That’s when Peter started his own butcher business in Ambleside. It wasn’t long before his own son, Adam was working behind the meat counter with his dad. “He was very, very young when he started working there,” Peter recalls. Eventually Peter Black and Sons moved to Park Royal and the family business operated for three decades before it closed in 2013. His son Adam continued on in the butcher business and recently began managing the meat department at the new Loblaws City Market at Park Royal. Not long after, Adam asked his dad if he would come to work at the market-style grocery store and make their sausages. Seeing father and son back together behind the meat counter is a welcome sight for North Shore shoppers. “Working with Adam and the staff at the store gives me much satisfaction as I see the young butchers learning their trade not only from me but from Adam,” says Peter. When reflecting about his own dad, Peter says he gave him some good advice through the years but this always stuck with him: “Be honest and keep my sense of humour.” The Black family also shares a huge sense of community spirit and pride.
Peter Kvarnstrom Publisher, North Shore News
A SPECIAL FEATURE OF
“One of my many community involvement’s was starting the Ambleside Tiddlycove Lions Club 42 years ago, and I am a life member of Lions Clubs International,” says Peter, who is also board director on the BC Lions Society For Children with Disabilities and member of the District of West Vancouver’s Awards Committee. When Peter thinks about Father’s Day he has many special memories shared with his family. “My favourite Father’s Day memory was my two sons and daughter in laws, and five grandchildren, and my lovely wife of 50 years Helen, gathering together for an amazing Father’s Day at Ambleside, sharing jokes and memories of our 69 years in the butchery business,” says Peter.
What’s the best part about working together? PETER: “Working with Adam again is
wonderful, and I also love the atmosphere and staff here at City Market. The store is an unbelievable shopping experience and I’m proud to be a part of such a great team.”
845 PARK ROYAL NORTH WEST VANCOUVER 604-922-1902 LOBLAWS.CA
SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 2017
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Like Father Like Son
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What’s your Father’s Day tradition? WADE: “These days we typically all get together for a visit at our parents, but we have to go around dad’s fishing schedule on that day. It is very low-key and we don’t make too much of a fuss.”
What’s the best part about working with your family?
FATHER JOHN WITH SONS WADE & BRENT BARTOK, AND BRENT’S SON TYLER & BRENT’S SON-IN-LAW RYAN BARTOK
Elite Body Shop: The Bartoks
Elite Body Shop is a fine-tuned third generation family-run business in North Vancouver.
John Bartok opened the collision repair business with two other partners in 1966 and then moved it to Fell Avenue in 1974 – where it’s been serving North Shore customers ever since.
His two sons, Brent and Wade, later joined the family business in the late 1970s and mid-1980s. And soon, more family members would join the business. Brent’s sons Jay and Tyler, his son-in-law Ryan, and Kyle and Jenna, Wade’s kids, have all worked at the shop – either as full-time employees or picking up occasional shifts. Growing up, John, who retired from the business in 2011, had some fatherly advice for his boys that was passed along to him from his own father, Frank, a Second World War veteran who saw some heavy fighting in Italy and Germany.
“At the time the military told Canadian soldiers to pick three things you will die for. When grandad got back from service he picked three civilian things – these formed his principles. He told his son: don’t let anyone touch your tooth brush, your razor or your wife.”
“These days we typically all get together for a visit at our parents’ house, but we have to go around dad’s fishing schedule on that day. It is very low-key and we don’t make too much of a fuss,” says Wade. Through the years the Bartoks have worked hard and had a few laughs along the way at the shop. “We laugh at a lot of the things that happened in the old days, like when dad was welding a motorcycle tank and the fumes in the tank ignited and blew him backwards so hard he got hung up on the wall on a tool rack. His clothes and hair were smouldering and he couldn’t quite reach some of the hot spots because of the way the hooks had his arms pinned. The guys at the shop were all laughing and quickly pulled him down and they put out the fire. They had a laugh and went back to work,” recalls Wade.
ALL IN THE FAMILY Elite Body Shops Family Roster: John ! late 1950s - 2011 Brent ! 1979 - current Wade ! 1985 - current Tyler ! 2005 - current Jay ! 2011 - one-year stint Ryan (married to Kristen) ! 2016 - current Kyle and Jenna ! spot work
What’s the best part about being a family that works together?
Simple: “We can pick each other up when we see things aren’t right; you can trust your family; and we remain close.”
He asked John to do the same and the tradition continues, the kids explain.
Of course, you don’t have to have the last name Bartok to be considered part of the family at Elite Body Shop.
“Dad’s three things were treat your wife well and she will do the same, treat your employees well and they will do the same, and everyone is a little different, that is what makes the world go around.”
“We think of all the people working here as family. That is the reason for our longevity and success,” says Wade.
While the Bartoks don’t make a big deal about Father’s Day, they always get together as a family to celebrate.
WADE: “We can pick each other up when we see things aren’t right; you can trust your family; and we remain close. We think of all the people working here as family. That is the reason for our longevity and success.”
“Our Fell Avenue store is now serving its fourth generation of customers. We do not have a large square footage but our processes have been fine-tuned for 50 years, so we have worked out the kinks.”
142 FELL AVENUE NORTH VANCOUVER 604-987-4408 ELITEBODYSHOP.CA
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Father-son teams reveal the secrets to managing business relations
FATHER AND SON JONG SEOL SUNNY & DAE YOUNG DANNY KIM
FATHER AND SON LYLE & STEVE MORREY
Sunny Kim Taekwondo: Jong Seol Sunny & Dae Young Danny Kim
Morrey Mazda of the North Shore: Lyle & Steve Morrey
Grandmaster Jong Seol “Sunny” Kim first started his taekwondo school in West Vancouver in 1997 and later moved it to North Vancouver.
The Morrey family and cars go way back.
Master Dae Young “Danny” Kim, a 5th degree blackbelt, joined his father at the family taekwondo school starting 2001 and he’s now the main instructor and manager of the dojang (school). In January 2016, the family-run business moved into a brand-new building with a space that was specifically designed for taekwondo training.
Sunny Kim Taekwondo offers martial arts programs for all ages and fitness levels, as well as diverse choices of martial arts-related fitness such as taekwon dance, basic weaponry, and performance martial arts.
Earlier this year father and son celebrated the school’s 20-year anniversary. Two decades is a major milestone for any small business.
“It’s definitely my father’s dedication and commitment to this martial art and this way of life,” said Master Danny, when asked about the school’s success and longevity. Grandmaster Sunny Kim (9th degree black belt) still teaches at the school.
“My father received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 for his contributions to the West Vancouver and North Vancouver community through his instructions of taekwondo and its martial art values,” said Master Danny.
When asked what’s the best piece of advice his father has ever given him, Master Danny replied: “Opportunity comes to those who are prepared.” The tight-knit family always makes a point of celebrating Father’s Day together.
“One year, my father, mother and I played a round of golf and arranged between my father and I that the victor would choose the restaurant and the loser would pay for family dinner,” recalls Master Danny.
At Sunny Kim Taekwondo, it’s not just father and son contributing to the success of the business. Master Danny’s mother, Ruby, handles the administration at Sunny Kim Taekwondo and also teaches Korean language classes at the school on the weekends. “We truly are a family-run business,” he says.
What’s the best part about working together as a family?
“Sharing the special moments and building unforgettable memories created by witnessing the physical, mental, and spiritual developments of our students regardless of their age,” says Master Danny. “Sharing the passion of taekwondo and martial art instruction with the diverse communities and age groups in the North Shore, Kitsilano Community Centre, and Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre.”
Do you have any special Father’s Day traditions? MASTER DANNY: “Going away on a day
family trip, having family dinner, playing a round of golf or all of the above. We also enjoy discussions and conversations about the future of the family.”
#101, 102 - 1209 WEST 16TH ST. (AT PEMBERTON AVE)
NORTH VANCOUVER 604-990-1331 SUNNYKIMTKD.COM
The family’s automotive business started as a Shell service station in the Marpole area of Vancouver at 65th Avenue and Granville Street, right across from the original White Spot Restaurant. The station was named White Spot Service and started by Syd Morrey, whose two sons, Lyle and Gary Morrey, soon joined their father’s business. In 1965 Lyle and Gary acquired one of the first Datsun franchises in Canada. Eventually Lyle and Gary would mentor their own sons to become the third generation of Morrey’s to run the operation – and now, there’s a fourth generation of Morrey’s starting out working in the business. Established 50 years ago, the Morrey Auto Group now includes four dealerships in Coquitlam, Burnaby, and North Vancouver. Representing with pride the Nissan, Mazda, and Infiniti brands, the Morrey Group has built its reputation on customer service and passion for the new and pre-owned vehicles they offer, as well as unwavering commitment to after-sales services. Morrey Mazda of the North Shore is run by father Lyle and son Steve. Steve started working in the family business in his teens, when he would clean up the shop and wash cars on the weekend. While in university, he would attend his classes and then go to work at the family dealership selling Datsuns. “In 1984 I finished university and joined the business full time. I’ve been at it ever since,” says Steve, who works right alongside his dad and other family members. Steve says one of the most valuable lessons his father has taught him through the years was the importance of family time. “It is so easy in a family like ours to talk shop when getting together outside of work. We have, for the most part, been able to keep shop talk to a minimum when outside of the work day,” he says. The Morrey family also makes sure to spend Father’s Day together. “Just being able to spend time with the boys and their families, usually a round of golf then a barbecue at one of their homes,” says Lyle. Steve has enjoyed being able to work alongside his dad for so many years and appreciates the fact that he’s able to bounce ideas off his dad. “There isn’t much he hasn’t had to deal with and I count on his experience to help guide me to make good decisions.”
What’s the best piece of advice your dad has given you? STEVE: ”The importance of family time, it is
so easy in a family like ours to talk shop when getting together outside of work. We have, for the most part, been able to keep shop talk to a minimum when outside of the work day.”
818 AUTOMALL DRIVE NORTH VANCOUVER 604-984-9211 MORREYAUTO.COM
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Like Father Like Son
Father-son teams reveal the secrets to managing business relations
What inspires your love of construction? GEORGE: “There is something
incredibly rewarding about taking seemingly simple materials and making something significant and memorable with your hands, in helping to create the spaces where families gather at the end of a long day, laugh, share, grow and make memories. Building is in our DNA, starting with dad “borrowing” tools everyday after school from granddad’s engineering company to attempt his very own DIY projects at home - it was only natural that I followed suit.”
FATHER AND SON MIKE & GEORGE
RenovateMe! Design and Construction: Mike & George
At renovateme! design and construction, we pride ourselves on being a North Shore-based, family-owned and operated design/build company that provides our clients with a fully integrated home renovation service from concept to completion.
This integrated design/build strategy is central to our team’s success and working as a family drives our ability to deliver time-sensitive, budget-friendly and fuss-free home renovation experiences of the finest order.
Our years of hands on construction, design and styling savvy, quality craftsmanship and acumen for on-site troubleshooting, innovation and problem solving are reflected in every aspect of the renovation process.
Combined with a genuine love of all things design and construction and a quest for “knowing how things work,” our father and son duo, Mike and George, blend years of experience and know-how with youthful energy, fresh construction perspective and passion to create successful projects time after time.
A RECENT CLIENT’S THOUGHTS:
“
Mike and George, father and son team, and what a team! I could not help but notice, and it is infectious, the harmonious relationship between the two. It carries through to their work attitude – measured, detailed, even temperament – which eases a lot of the stress one goes through when a renovation is going on. They are very aware of and conscientious about complying with strata rules applicable to contractors/trades. Mike keeps me
well informed on progress of the day and expected work for the next. Whenever there is a problem, deviation from the plan, or special requests from me, Mike will make suggestions and/or make every effort to find what I am looking for. There is a feeling of collaboration. They are considerate, clean up the work area inside the apartment each day before they leave. Considerable preventive measures, such as protective boards on my hallway floor, plastic barrier to cordon off (a very small) work area to avoid infringing as much as possible my living space.
They take ownership and pride in their work. It shows. In the end, I have a beautiful kitchen/study exactly the way I wanted it and, most important, no bad memory associated with the process of getting there. Above all, I feel like my friends, albeit very skilled and knowledgeable friends, had done a real professional job for me. I highly recommend renovateme.
”
J.H., WEST VANCOUVER
Why choose a fully integrated design/ build company, like renovateme? MIKE: “The greatest benefit of working with a company like renovateme! is the ability to collaborate with the same people from start to finish - there is no revolving door of people coming through your home. More importantly, having those responsible for the estimating, planning, design, construction and finishing of your renovation be able to seamlessly and consistently communicate, coordinate and follow through on each detail of the renovation process is priceless. The goal is to avoid passing undue stress and fuss onto the homeowner while ensuring the project moves forward in an efficient and budget-conscious manner.”
WEST VANCOUVER 604-761-2421 RENOVATEME.CA
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Like Father Like Son
SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 2017
DISAPPOINTED AGAIN?
FATHER AND SON DICK & JACOB LAU
CALLING ALL DADS!
Cam Clark Ford Lincoln: Dick & Jacob Lau
Jacob Lau of Cam Clark Ford Lincoln says it’s particularly fitting to talk about a Ford dealership on Father’s Day. “This is a company that has been built on families and has been passed down from Henry Ford through the generations to his great-great grandchildren,” he explains.
Jacob joined his father Dick in the automotive industry in 2002, when they opened Cam Clark Ford Lincoln in North Vancouver after taking over the former Dave Buck Ford location.
The North Vancouver dealership’s services include automobile sales, parts and service, and body shop repairs specializing in Ford and Lincoln products. “Today, we are more in the people business. People buy from people they like; it is not as product driven as the industry used to be. Building and maintaining relationships is most of what we do now,” explains Dick, who has been in the automobile industry for 40 years.
Since Jacob joined the family business 15 years ago, the father and son team has been working side by side.
“My father has given me a lot of advice over the years, especially when it comes to the business. If I had to pick one thing though, the best piece of advice my dad has given me is to not be afraid to take risks.”
Dick and Jacob don’t have any special Father’s Day traditions – they just try to make a point of the entire family being together to celebrate and honour dad. “Every Father’s Day memory is a good one,” says Jacob.
“The luckiest thing for me is that I am so grateful to be a father and to be able to celebrate Father’s Day,” adds Dick.
Working together has been an incredible bonding experience for father and son – and each brings something special to the dealership. “I help my son with some of my experience, and my son keeps me current,” says Dick.
Jacob adds, “The best part of working together is being able to share the experience together. The auto industry has been a large part of our lives for so long. My father had been working in it since before I was born – it is great to be able to share that part of our lives. It allows me to better understand and appreciate all that my father did to support our family when I was growing up and to give my brother and I the best lives that he could.”
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What’s the best part about working together? DICK: ”The best part of working together
is being able to help each other grow in our industry. I help my son with some of my experience, and my son keeps me current.”
JACOB: ”The best part of working together is being able to share the experience together. The auto industry has been a large part of our lives for so long. My father had been working in it since before I was born – it is great to be able to share that part of our lives.”
833 AUTOMALL DRIVE NORTH VANCOUVER 604-980-2411 CAMCLARKFORDLINCOLN.COM
VISIT US TODAY AT 1089 Marine Drive, North Vancouver, or at VintageSportsImages.com • 604-770-3747