Gibsons Community Building Society, which operates Gibsons Public Market, has revealed their selection for the 2025 Darren Entwistle Community Builder Award.
Sunshine Coast former grocers Susan and Bob Hoy, who announced earlier this year that they had sold Gibsons IGA after 23 years of owning the franchise, were selected for the award “in recognition of their outstanding community leadership in helping to build a healthy, caring and vibrant community.”
Past inductees to the award include Gerry Zipursky, Wayne Rowe, Darren Entwistle and TELUS, Judy Rother and Errol Lipschitz, Brian Smith, the Reeves Family and Gibsons Building Supplies, Ed Hill and Lisa Hilton.
Susan and Bob bought Gibsons IGA in 2001 from Georgia Main Food Group –– but their history with the franchise ran much deeper. It was Bob’s parents who started the store back in 1991, with then 21-year-old Bob as store manager. Bob and Susan met at the store when Susan came to the Coast to train Bob on the till and office computer. After the senior Hoys retired and sold the store, in 2001, Bob and Susan, who had left the Coast in 1994 to own and run stories in Abbotsford and then Squamish, were given the opportunity to purchase it. The Hoys would also go on to own the Wilson Creek IGA from 2012 to 2019.
“Communities benefit greatly when multi-generational families own businesses,” says Pam Robertson, chair of the Gibsons Community Building Society board in a press release. “Bob and Susan understand their success is linked to the health of their community, they give back to support local organizations and they get involved in leading community building projects. On behalf of our Board of Directors, we are thrilled to honour them with this award.”
Gibsons IGA has won four consecutive People’s Choice Awards for best grocery store. “Over the years, IGA Gibsons has become well-known as a great place for young people to start their careers and as an important employer supporting families across the Coast. Bob enjoyed mentoring food entrepreneurs and was active in sourcing products grown and produced on the Sunshine Coast to help boost our local economy. They recognized the needs of mobility-challenged seniors and introduced the highly valued Volunteer Shopper program, a passion of Susan’s,” said the release.
“The Hoys have consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to a healthy, thriving and caring community, supporting youth sports, local school PACs, health and wellness initiatives, the arts and so much more. They raised thousands of dollars through their charitable gift card program connecting customers to their charities. Susan and Bob are proud of their partnership with local Food Banks where groceries and cash donations of more than $60,000 a year helped feed people in need.”
The Hoys also provided leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, notes the release. “Their decision to open their store early in the morning so immunocompromised people and seniors could shop when it was less crowded earned them Arcteryx’s Unsung Heroes award. MP Patrick Weiler also paid tribute to Susan and Bob’s leadership in the House of Commons.”
Bob’s passion for the grocery business continues as he turns to working as a consultant for Coast IGA stores as well as being a board member of Sunshine Coast Division of Family Practice and volunteering for the Sunshine Coast Foundation. Susan, having cared for her terminally ill brother during his final months, notes the release, is now volunteering for Sunshine Coast Hospice.
Tickets for the 2025 Gibsons Community Building Society gala on Oct. 4, where the Hoys will be honoured with the award, will go on sale in the summer.
