Deborah Cannon
It was just before Christmas when Debbie realized that Reg, a regular customer, had not been in to the store for a while. Knowing that he was without family in the province, Debbie set out to find out what had happened. On Christmas Eve, Debbie discovered that Reg had fallen and would be in the hospital for an extended stay. Worried that he was alone, Debbie drove to the hospital, getting there just before visiting hours were over for the night. “As soon as he saw me, he had a huge smile on his face,” says Debbie. “I’ve never seen anyone so glad to see anybody. He talked my ear off for about an hour until the nurses kicked me out.” Once Debbie let everyone at the store know what had happened to Reg, her co-workers sent along his favourite dessert: strawberry shortcake. “It meant a lot to him,” says Debbie. “I felt so glad that I had gone to see him.”
Corey Chizick
Several years ago, Corey took it upon himself to lead the Christmas Cheer Board, a program to help less fortunate families. With the help of co-workers, Corey raises money throughout the year that goes toward creating hampers at Christmastime. “We fill them with lots of food and toys,” says Corey, who personally calls the families a few weeks before Christmas to discover what’s on their children’s wish lists. “It ranges from video games to Winnipeg Jets gear,” he says. “Whatever they want, we try and make sure it happens.” Helping out in this way is very gratifying, says Corey, who credits his father for teaching him core values in life. “I know hard it can be out there to make a living. I just try and do everything I can to make it a good Christmas for them.”
Jennifer Constant
Jennifer likes to remind her team that the RSC is the first link in the supply chain that leads directly to the customer. “Ultimately, our goal is to please the shoppers in the stores as well as the owners and franchisees, making sure that they get what they order and on time,” says Jennifer. “When one link in that chain is broken, everything just kind of falls apart.” Jennifer’s proudest moment in her career was becoming a supervisor, an accomplishment she credits to the work ethic instilled in her by her two dads whom she describes as hard-working men. “My parents divorced when I was very young and I was raised most of my life by my adopted father,” says Jennifer, her voice breaking with emotion. “He passed away before I could make it to a supervisor. I just think back to how proud he would be.”
Kathleen Couto
Kathleen has achieved a lot in the 12 short years she has been with Sobeys. Taking on roles where she can train and lead others is one of Kathleen’s favourite parts of her job. “When I was younger, I did want to be a teacher,” says Kathleen. “Just being here and coaching employees fulfills that aspect of me wanting to be a teacher.” Kathleen stepped up recently to take on the role of Store Process/Admin Clerk on top of her regular duties as HMR Manager, not once shying away from the extra duties by saying it wasn’t her department. “I’ve always been independent,” says Kathleen, who took on the role of Acting Assistant Store Manager for the first time this summer. “I like learning how things work so I can improve myself or help Sobeys as a whole improve.”
Christina Dalton
“I try to give each day 100 per cent,” says Christina. “After coffee of course!” Christina shows drive, enthusiasm and pride for her work while striving for excellence every day. She took on the challenge of extra training and, at times, was performing three separate jobs in cut fresh, floral and seafood departments, all the while maintaining a positive work attitude and exceptional customer service. When the seafood department manager had to leave work due to an injury, Christina willingly stepped in where she was needed, working overtime and on weekends while training a new employee. For Christina, the best part of her job is being given the opportunity and freedom to be creative with displays and she finds it rewarding to see her work come to life. “I like to be busy and jump in and help when I can,” says Christina.
Kelly Dawson
Kelly was acting bakery manager heading into a long weekend during barbecue season when the bun roller broke. Knowing how critical buns and rolls are to the bakery business, Kelly took it upon herself to devise a solution. Kelly arranged to have the buns and rolls made at a store in a neighbouring town. To make it all happen, Kelly had to drive back and forth, even on her day off, to package the buns, deliver more mixes and prepare more product. This sort of service, over and above what was expected, meant customers weren’t disappointed and sales were maintained. “I believe you should always take pride in everything that you do,” says Kelly. “I always put in 110 per cent.”
Angela Desloges
Making a connection with her community and her customers is what drives Angela to be the best she can be. “I work in the same city where I was born and raised so it’s literally close to home for me,” says Angela. “I love to get involved with my community so I try to really take an interest in my customers’ lives when they come through my till.” Even more than the day-to-day connections with customers, Angela loves to get involved in special community events. She runs the annual barbecue to raise money for epilepsy, participates in a bowling event to raise money for Big Brothers and Big Sisters and volunteers at the Octoberfest parade in support of the local food bank. Angela is proud to work for a company that emphasizes and recognizes community involvement. “It feels good to work in a job where I can give back to the community every single day,” says Angela.
Barbara Dewes
“I am always willing to help people, assist where I can, and try to make lives better.” says Barb. Barb demonstrated her caring nature during a recent workshop when one of her co-workers suffered an allergic reaction. Initially the co-worker took some Benadryl and tried to continue on with the workshop but when Barb noticed his reaction was becoming quite severe, she insisted on taking him to the hospital where he received treatment. “It was a little more of an ordeal than what he even envisioned,” says Barb. Helping people translates into Barb’s daily job as an executive assistant. “I like organizing schedules and calendars and making people’s lives easier and more efficient so they can focus on the things they need to focus on.” “I’m honoured to be nominated,” says Barb, “but I would hope that anybody would reach out and help somebody in need. To me that’s just common sense.”
Richard Allardyce
Richard’s spirit of giving back to the community comes from the heart. “Growing up, my sister had cancer,” says Richard, who spent a majority of his childhood with his family at Ronald McDonald House. When Richard and his team got the opportunity to cook a dinner at Ronald McDonald House, Richard took it one step further. Before the event, he organized a fundraiser with the intention of donating the money to several families. But at the dinner he met a family that reminded him of his own. “They had a daughter who had cancer like my sister’s and she had a brother back home in Newfoundland who they couldn’t afford to fly in,” says Richard. “They needed the money so I gave all of it to them.” The evening was emotional for Richard whose sister passed away just before her fifth birthday. “It was an honour to cook for the families, to see the happiness on their faces,” he says. “It was a phenomenal experience.”
James Boll
Although he is a full-time grocery clerk, Jim also coaches and trains all of the high school and community service co-op students. “My father taught me a great work ethic,” says Jim. Jim takes the co-op students under his wing, gives them his undivided attention and is very patient, making sure they get the most out of their time at Sobeys. “I have always liked helping and working with people,” says Jim. Recently, one of Jim’s co-op students was hired at Sobeys after their placement and another won an award from their school for improvement both academically and personally. Seeing members of his team succeed like that makes Jim proud. “It is very rewarding to know that I have helped someone.”
