The good works of Prince George car lot owner Brent Marshall have been recognized by the Canadian Auto Dealers Association (CADA).
Best known for raising $1.2 million to support the pediatric ward at University Hospital of Northern B.C., Marshall was named a finalist in the ambassadorship category for extraordinary service to the community and the industry in the CADA's Laureate Dealer Recognition Program.
The acknowledgment left the owner of the Northland Auto Group "excited" and "fairly humbled."
A dealer in Toronto won the category, but Marshall, 39, said even to be nominated "was quite something," particularly because the awards generally go to people who've been in the industry for decades.
Helping out the hospital was something near and dear to Marshall. He had worked with special needs children for a time and his two children needed special care at different times during their younger years.
In 2005, he launched a campaign to raise $1 million within five years to purchase equipment for the ward by donating $100 for every vehicle sold along with proceeds from other events like an annual golf tournament and the goal was reached with six months to spare.
And by the time the campaign had finished, the pediatric wing was renamed the Northland Dodge Paediatric Ward.
Marshall and his employees and customers continue to give back to the community, getting behind a local cause on a monthly basis. In October, they invited local notables to carve pumpkins and give them to sick children at the hospital and to the elderly.
And on Friday evening, Marshall will present 8,000 food items to the Salvation Army, much of it collected by the players on the hockey teams Northland sponsors.
"Once we wrap this up, I'll be on to something else," Marshall said. "Every month to six weeks, we do something for the community - it's just part of a business philosophy we have."
