Laura Pitman
Laura Pitman calls her workplace “the real deal,” but her Lawtons colleagues and customers feel the same way about Laura. In fact, her nomination form says the number of times she has received employee of the month honours likely can’t be counted. Comments about how this friendly and knowledgeable licensed practical nurse helps others keep rolling into the store, and unsurprisingly, those are also too numerous to list. “Laura has been recognized for taking an interest in a very troubled, elderly couple,” reads one statement. “Your words may very well help to guide them to a better quality of life.” For Laura, her daily goal is simple: “being able to help people.” Laura just wants to help ensure community members get and stay healthy, whether that’s by raising funds for cancer research or giving sandbags to customers for use on icy sidewalks to prevent falls. That’s just Laura, keeping Lawtons real.
Jacynthe Poulin
Always full of energy, Jacynthe is a positive force on her team. With an expert hand and boundless enthusiasm, she has guided the difficult conversion and redevelopment of 17 Shell Select stores to the Shell Voisin banner, and she is now in the process of transforming 66 more into Boni-Soir stores. “What I like most about my work is being able to help, being able to guide others, to make an innovation, to find a way of doing things that will save time,” she says. Working evenings and weekends whenever needed, she makes grand openings a party with balloons, food tastings, music, and targeted marketing, all designed to impress customers. The results speak for themselves, with prepared-food sales far exceeding past results. She is most proud of “being there for people in hard times and having the strength and courage to support them through those hardships.”
Lisa Proksch
Lisa has this Maya Angelou quote hanging by her desk: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Her work as an abilities specialist at the service management office in Winnipeg is proof positive that she lives by this motto every day. The company’s employees are Lisa’s customers. She ensures that employees who suffer from injury or illness are given the resources they need to recover and return to work. Whether it’s “short-term, long-term or medical leave,” Lisa is the one working with case managers and insurers to help get employees back on the job, happy and healthy. Normally a two-person operation, Lisa has been the sole member of the integrated health management team for Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Northwestern Ontario since July 2017. Despite hundreds of claims on her desk, Lisa always goes above and beyond, making her co-workers – her customers – feel cared for and confident.
Matthew Purdy
For Matthew, his Sobeys employees are like family. “You spend as much time with your co-workers as you do with your real family, and I’d do anything for my team,” says Matt, who worked his way up from grocery clerk in Pictou, N.S., to store manager of the Queen Street location in Halifax. His actions reflect his words, with one recent example standing out. Last year his store experienced a 36-hour power outage. Matt rushed to the store to provide guidance and help staff on site, staying put until he knew power would be restored. “I was (there) for over 30 hours straight just making sure that we didn’t lose any product and kept everything organized,” Matt recalls. He gives credit to his co-workers for their hard work. “It was the whole team that made it happen,” he says. “We’re one team, and there’s no i’ in team.’ “
Nancy Reed
Nancy is the type of cashier who makes personal connections with her customers, and knows many of them by name. That includes elderly members of her community who use the weekly delivery service provided by North London Sobeys. “I call them every Sunday, have a little chat and get their order of the week.” Nancy looks forward to those weekly chit-chats as much, if not more, than her loyal customers. During those talks, she goes through the flyer with each customer, patiently helping them decide on their groceries. “If I didn’t talk all day, I’d suffocate,” she says of her conversations with both those she serves and those she works alongside at Sobeys #863. “We have a good time at work.” For the six years she has been with Sobeys, Nancy’s friendly demeanour and sincerity in serving have earned her rave reviews from co-workers and customers.
Janine Rivest
“I care very much about helping my patients feel better and understand their medications. They are the reason I love my job and meeting their needs is one of my top priorities.” Janine gives flu shots at her Sobeys and also off-site and, in fact, she and her team provided vaccinations to over 700 clients last year in the Brandon community. She also serves as a Certified Respiratory Educator, and has provided clinic services for patients who suffer from asthma and COPD to help them understand their medications and any devices they may use. With the support of her store team and the Chronic Disease Education Centre, Janine has used the Sobeys Extra community room to give presentations on heart health and osteoporosis. Janine is a dedicated health-care professional and is focused on promoting the health and wellness of those she serves. She credits her hard-working parents for her success. “I wouldn’t be the caring, community- minded person I am without them.”
Caralee Robinson
Knowing that it could make a difference in someone’s day, Caralee greets every customer with a smile and makes eye contact. In fact, friendly interaction with customers, colleagues and community members have kept her coming back to work for the past three and a half decades. “I am in my element when I am out in the community visiting with people,” says Caralee, who started off as a cashier working a busy Saturday shift at Safeway in Edmonton. Caralee is happiest when she’s out visiting physicians’ offices, connecting with community groups, working with manufacturers, helping pharmacy team members, leading health education events or just making small talk with regular customers. “I truly believe in treating people the way that I would like to be treated,” Caralee says. “Somebody could be having a really bad day and all they need is a nice smile and a hello’ and that could be the lift that they needed.”
Simon St-Pierre
Extremely calm and thoughtful, Simon inspires a great level of confidence in both employees and executives alike. He is not afraid to speak his mind, but it’s always done in a manner that is respectful of others and their ideas. This fits with his personal philosophy: “If you are going to work, do it right and with joy.” He makes decisions that include the whole team, since “when all co-workers think about the problem, the work is well done and everyone wins and is the stronger for it.” Simon is most proud of his participation in the startup and operation of the Terrebonne distribution centre, and of the community he has built at Sobeys. “We make a difference for our franchisees who in Québec are often owners; we fit the bill for our franchisees with our system,” he says. “My Sobeys is my family and my living space. When you work all week with the same people and for the same company, they’re like your second family.”
Dennis Sato
Dennis knows the value of hard work and the importance of giving back to the community and he works every day to instil those values in his children. “I want to show them that you can’t just take. There’s always someone they can help.” With a passion for hockey, Dennis became a minor hockey coach but quickly saw the need to offer more. He joined the executive, helped out with tournaments and fundraising and was eventually asked to manage part of the regional league. Getting involved with volunteering has been good for both Dennis and the players. “It was an opportunity when my son was playing to not only help my son but help all the other kids and help families,” says Dennis, who worked most of his career at Safeway #138. “I just like to be in that environment watching kids have fun, teaching them how to play, watching them have success and just improving and developing and growing. It gives me satisfaction to think that I’ve had a little part in making some kid’s life a little better.”
Kathy Pottle
When a co-worker came up with the idea to raise money to send a local boy with cerebral palsy to Walt Disney World, Kathy didn’t hesitate to join in. “It is close to my heart because I have a daughter with cerebral palsy.” Kathy stresses that it was the entire store – and not just herself – that raised $10,000 in just 10 weeks. “It was amazing to hand that money over to him,” says Kathy. “It was the most rewarding thing I’ve done in my life.” Getting involved was an opportunity to give back, she says. “Someone did it for us once. When you are the family of someone with a disability, oftentimes you don’t get treated normally because there’s really not a whole lot of normal in your life.” Kathy has always relied on her co- workers for their support while facing her child’s illness. “Without my Sobeys family, I’m not really sure we would have got through it.”
