Glen Korstrom

Entrepreneur Susan Adams’ many ventures all have one thing in common: food.

The 50-something Whistler resident never dreamed that she would become a serial entrepreneur when she left her native Sydney, Australia, to travel the world in the late 1960s.

Vancouver was the first stop on what she intended to be a year-long journey.

“Two things happened. I got an exceptional occupational therapy position, a really exciting job in my field, and then I met my future husband,” she explained.

That confluence of events made it difficult to leave.

She and her hubby founded their first venture, a pyrogy restaurant, in 1970.

Both initially treated the enterprise as a side venture to their day jobs, but Adams soon accepted the challenge to become the New Westminster-based Ukranian bistro’s general manager.

Once bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, the rest was history.

Sure, the duo took a one-year break in the late 1970s after they sold their Pyrogy House Restaurant.

But in 1980, they were back in the restaurant game. They founded Oak Street’s Amorous Oyster and followed it up the next year with West Broadway’s Contented Sole.

Amorous Oyster spawned a catering division that was so successful in the lead-up and during Expo ’86 that Adams realized that she needed to hive-off the venture.

She co-founded Culinary Capers Catering soon after Vancouver’s world’s fair ended and was a part owner until 1990.

She and Bob had moved to Whistler in 1988 to pursue their resort-lifestyle dream, and she had no time to spare for a Vancouver-based caterer.

Their Bevendale Enterprises Inc. bought a 5,200-square-foot grocery store across from the B.C. liquor store in central Whistler Village, and business was so good that they doubled sales in the first three years.

They invested profit into a warehouse complex in Whistler’s Function Junction neighbourhood and built a commissary kitchen, a catering division and a small café.

Then, in 1998, the duo built a commercial building in nearby Pemberton to house an 8,000-square-foot grocery store that they still operate.

“It has wildly exceeded our expectations. Revenues have tripled since Day 1,” Adams said.

Outside of exemplifying business prowess, Adams has dedicated time to her community.

She is vice-chair of North Shore Credit Union’s board of directors and is a member of the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company’s board of governors.

She is completing her second year chairing the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival and has agreed to stay on to chair a third year in 2008.

She founded a branch of the Western Businesswomen’s Association in the late 1980s and steered it through its transformation into the Women of Whistler business network.

Outside of all those activities, she finds time to mentor high school students through the YWCA’s mentorship program.

What professional achievement are you most proud of?

Visioning and executing a successful restaurant concept in the early ’80s in Vancouver. The restaurant, the Amorous Oyster, operated by a very dedicated and creative staff (mostly women), continued its success and following until it was sold in 1999. From this small enterprise and the experience it provided, many of the staff and certainly Bob and I were able to grow and build other businesses.

What’s the greatest barrier that you’ve had to overcome in your career?

Maybe I have just been lucky, but I can’t think of anything that I wanted to do that I wasn’t able to accomplish. Sometimes the course might have had to change and adapt on the journey, but I did not see this as a barrier but an opportunity to learn.

Who’s had the biggest influence on your career?

From business executives in a networking or boardroom situation to the newest hire on the job in my own businesses, every day I learn something from every interaction or observation.

What network or organization has helped you most in your career?

My membership and opportunity to serve on the executive of the Western Businesswomen’s Association, through the mid-1980s and into the mid-1990s, provided a valuable networking opportunity.

What was your toughest decision?

We purchased the grocery store as a thriving and successful business with a dedicated staff. However, as the resort grew to the fantastic international four-season destination that we know today, we had to adapt to doing business in a different way. I finally realized that with the current team we were not going to reach our goals. Replacing the executive team completely was a stressful and painful experience, but I knew if we were to maintain a successful business the change had to take place.

What book are you reading?

Personal History by Katherine Graham.

What is your favourite movie?