Joan Williams
Joan loves helping other people, both inside and outside of the workplace. “I am who I am and I take pride in my work and love to help people,” she says. When she began her career at Sobeys, she brought this attitude with her. Joan works as a cashier, and in grocery and general merchandise departments. Her managers and colleagues love that she is always ready to serve customers with an upbeat personality and smile. On one evening, a legally blind woman came in the store and needed help. The front-end staff pitched in to cover her cash so Joan could help the customer. Joan walked her up and down the aisles and helped her get her monthly groceries. The customer was so impressed with Joan’s kindness and patience that she sent in a letter to the store’s management to say she had been “treated like a queen.”
Rachel Zwicker
Rachel Zwicker believes “you should treat everybody as if they’re family.” On a day when she recognized the signs of a child in the midst of a meltdown typical of extroverted autistic children, the cashier at a Halifax Sobeys was able to act on that philosophy. “I have two autistic children of my own, so I recognized the signs and I saw a mom in need, and I just went over and asked if she needed a hand,” Rachel recalls, her voice wavering with emotion. The grateful mother later emailed Sobeys to thank Rachel “for her exceptional customer service.” “The customer was so happy and impressed with Rachel’s actions that she actually went home and cried thinking about how sincere and caring Rachel was,” reads her nomination form. Rachel says she simply “treated her as I would want anyone to treat me. I’ve been the mom on the other side in the grocery store, when my kid’s having a meltdown. If you’re able to help out, you should help.”
Josée Poirier
If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing with passion and integrity, is a phrase that could be Josée Poirier’s motto. “In life,” she says, “everything happens for a reason,” and so she feels that she is a natural fit for her work at Sobeys, a position she worked steadily towards over many years. “I love my work,” she says, “which allows me to advise and help all my colleagues.” But Josée doesn’t just do her job. She consistently exceeds expectations, and she fulfills requests that aren’t part of her job. She does so with the same level of enthusiasm, professionalism, and attention to detail that she brings to everything she does. For her, it’s only natural; Sobeys has become like a second family to Josée, a family she cares deeply about.
Catherine Moretti St-Jean
Catherine agreed to take up the challenge of working in a brand new Rachelle-Béry store, and has enjoyed witnessing the development of the store and the staff. Capable of performing any task in the store, she loves to teach new skills to others. “I love to do development work, I love showing people all that I know.” She feels at home in these smaller stores, each with approximately 45- 50 employees. She also likes their ecologically oriented concept, with natural, organic and health-conscious products. She is proud of the role she is playing in the enhancement of this community- oriented store, and says that “getting it done with passion and integrity” means considering the entire store as her own. It’s caring about the employees, the bottom line, margins, sales targets, everything. “My Sobeys is a company in constant improvement and it allows all employees to grow with it.”
Elfi Morin
Elfi’s motto in life is “work hard, play hard,” and her dedication carries over to her work, where she has built a dynamic team of passionate people who are eager to meet challenges and to serve all Sobeys clients. After working for various agencies for 10 years, she was excited to discover a new and stimulating environment at Sobeys, where she has thrived. Creativity, variety and collaboration are always on the daily menu. She is valued for the speed and quality of her work and for always going beyond the call of duty to find innovative solutions to satisfy clients’ requirements. “My Sobeys is a place that enables people to strive to explore the limits of who they truly are. I believe that if one has the will and the ambition to bring the company further along, there is room for them to grow in a business like that.”
John Muns
John Muns’ managers know he is a top employee, and trust him to expertly train new meat cutters. But it’s not just the managers who appreciate his talents. One customer has followed him from store to store in order to ensure her meat purchases are just so. She now shops at his Oakville store, even though it’s 25 kilometres from her home. “John does such a great job helping her with her meat needs and custom cuts. She has to drive by literally dozens of other grocery stores to see John,” wrote a manager. John says customer service is in his blood. “I’ve been customer-oriented since I was delivering papers at 14. I really enjoy interacting with them. I always try to remember what they bought and ask them if they enjoyed it.” He says he’s flattered that customers have followed him to his current store. “It makes me feel proud; I know I’m doing it right.”
Chad Murphy
When he was told there was a medical emergency in his store, Chad leapt to action. As a leader and manager, he didn’t think twice about helping a man who was bleeding heavily in the produce area. Chad grabbed a first- aid kit and proceeded to take the man to the washroom. The customer, who suffered with a pre-existing condition, had bumped his leg getting out of his car and he had a gaping wound. Chad, who is the grocery manager, and who was manager in charge on this day, directed an employee to call an ambulance, bandaged the wound and applied pressure. Chad spent 20 minutes kneeling on the floor while comforting the injured man. An ambulance attendant said Chad handled the situation very well. During his years at Sobeys, Chadhas always put the customer first. Combining his work ethic with his motto, “be kind,” Chad is an exemplary employee who considers his team a family.
Robert Murphy
Rob always places the customer first, but he also gives a high priority to serving Sobeys. During the recent new store opening in Saskatoon, Rob was always available to help, even outside of reasonable working hours. He found solutions to many problems and when necessary, he had the contact information for people the store needed. Even though he worked remotely on the morning of the grand opening, he was in constant communication. Rob placed the store first and showed great leadership. “He was a pleasure to work with and assisted whenever we needed him!” said a colleague who recommended him for a Value Champion award. Some of Rob’s proudest moments have been when Sobeys gives back to the community, such as during the Fort McMurray wildfires and the tragic bus accident in Humboldt, Sask. “My Sobeys is constantly evolving and finding better ways to serve our customers and give back to our communities,” says Rob.
Michelle Oliver-White
Michelle, who has worked for Sobeys for 35 years, fondly remembers her first day on the job. As a diminutive 18-year-old, she was worried about being overshadowed by the towering checkout counter. “I remember thinking will anybody even be able to see me here?'” Michelle was nominated as a Value Champion because of her community work. For the past two years she has helped with a Food Bank event, raising several thousands of dollars worth of food and, with the group, being named Community Heroes in the process. “I was really proud of that. Sobeys does so much and it’s nice to be recognized as a company.” Michelle is the first to acknowledge that being able to give back to the community is thanks to the entire team. “I would not be able to do a tenth of what I do … without the support of the company and the other team members,” says Michelle. “We’re all a big community, working for the community. That’s our people. That’s our customers. That’s who shops here.”
Bill Owens
From the moment Bill Owens walked through the door at Stadium Safeway in Calgary, the rookie clerk felt like he was home. “They made me feel like part of the family.” That welcoming feeling has stayed with him for more than three decades; now, he’s recreating those same warm sentiments as store manager at Aspen Landing Safeway in Calgary. “The best part of my job is actually training other people,” Bill says of instilling those same welcoming instincts in his employees. “Seeing them grow.” Bill isn’t just a leader at this own store, which has become a showcase franchise. He was also called upon to get the new Canmore store up and running, and so far, his homey vibe appears to be working there, too. “I really feel like you create a town feel,” Bill describes. “People (get to) feel very comfortable … and that gets contagious.”
