Inn at the Quay may have missed out on a 30-year anniversary celebration, but it couldn’t miss out on a milestone for longtime general manager Kathy MacKerricher.
About 70 people attended a recent surprise party in honour of MacKerricher’s 30th anniversary with the hotel on New Westminster’s waterfront.
“The hotel opened 30 years ago in August. I have been with the hotel since it opened,” she told the Record. “The team here did a surprise 30th anniversary party for me. I thought I was going up into the Hyack Room to check out the outdoor patio and walked into a room full of people. It was very much a surprise. I had no clue.”
Current and past employees, community members, members of the management team at head office, as well as some of MacKerricher’s family and friends attended the party – and managed to keep it a surprise. And just why has MacKerricher stayed on the job for so long?
“Good owners. Good management company. Great team. It allowed me to have a career and a family. It’s all just worked well,” she said. “There have been rough times, changes with owners and management can be difficult but for the most part it just keeps ticking along.”
Stay tuned for some other news regarding MacKerricher’s bash in an upcoming issue of The Record.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school opens in Sapperton
Since Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu Jitsu opened its doors in New Westminster last month, owner Raz Chan has welcomed more than 80 students into his Sapperton business.
Inspired by a childhood and life dedicated to martial arts, Chan has been an award-winning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) competitor and an entrepreneur in the competitive fitness industry locally for more than a decade, running a successful women’s kickboxing boot camp and offering private training to BJJ athletes. He spent numerous years with the Gracie Barra family in Vancouver before deciding to start a franchise of his own.
Chan’s father, James Chan, founded one of Canada’s first martial arts school in the 1960s in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was one of many businesses that the Chan family had, which dipped between highs and lows.
“What I didn’t know then was how martial arts would become my therapy,” said Chan, 49, in a press release. “Martial arts as a way of life has made me more resilient and instilled in me discipline, self-confidence, and an appreciation of how to approach life’s challenges.”
Chan, a Burnaby resident, has written two books on personal development, and was recognized as one of Shaw Communications’ Top 50 Outstanding Canadians in 2017. For some students, attending BJJ has become a family affair, as family memberships make up almost 30 per cent of Chan’s current sales. Children’s programs and women’s self-defence seminars are just some of the offerings at Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, 482 East Columbia St.
For more information on upcoming programs, visit https://gbnewwest.com.
Gemini Rising
A local vintage clothing store was excited to see one of its outfits grace the small screen.
Gemini Rising, located at 43 Sixth St., recently posted a photo on Instagram after spotting actor Kristin Chenoweth (as Lavinia) wearing “a killer 70’s jumpsuit” on Trial and Error.
“Keeping our eyes peeled for the other pieces we’ve sold to the local film industry including Riverdale, and looking forward to The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina airing on Netflix …. (shot here in #newwest).
