Darcey Johnson
A team player who sees her co-workers as family, Darcey Johnson loves teaching, and is happiest when she is able to help colleagues reach their full potential. “I love training someone to do something they’re terrified to learn, and then you see that spark in their eyes when they get it — that’s my proudest moment,” she said, adding that these proud moments keep her positive and putting her best foot forward. Supporting the growth and success of others is why Darcey is successful herself, and why she has the respect of her team. Darcey’s colleagues credit her work ethic and exceptional diplomacy skills when creating a fair and thoughtful schedule for more than 50 people. “Treat everyone fairly,” she said. “We can’t do our job unless everybody is doing theirs.” To foster engagement with customers at the store, Darcey is influential in organizing events such as a children’s Easter egg hunt, and loves to share recipes in Food Shares to inspire interest in trying new grocery items and meals.
Carlie Jones
Her personal motto is “a small gesture can make a big difference,” and Carlie Jones takes that ideal seriously, volunteering with community organizations such as Aboriginal Day and Pride Parades in Vancouver. With her infectious smile and enthusiasm, Carlie’s passion for giving back shines through when she speaks about her work with Girl Guides. She says that her parents instilled in her the drive to help others as much as possible. “Mentoring Girl Guides is a super cool experience,” she said. “Being a girl at that age is tough, and giving them an outlet where we focus on helping our community together is really rewarding to me.” With many international employees, Carlie sees her Safeway work family as a surrogate for those new Canadians. “For some it’s not just a new job, it’s introducing them to a new country, customs, and how things work.” “My Sobeys is a Safeway and it has been a great place to work, to grow, to develop, and to meet new people,” she said.
André Lalonde
“Bad days exist so we can better appreciate the good days,” said André Lalonde, who was nominated for a Value Champion award thanks to his positive attitude and willingness to rise to any challenge. Inspired by the perseverance and success of those who have built something from nothing, André goes the extra mile to see that a job is done right. Working on a large, national project for Sobeys, André’s hard work was noticed by his colleagues. “The quick follow- ups, quick fixes, flexibility, support, and dedication Andre has shown are inspiring.” For André, promoting local products is important, because it creates jobs in the community where he lives. “We are a family feeding families, and we are a team that wants to work as a team,” he said. “At Sobeys, we are like a family,” said André. “We’re all together, we work together, so we’re all working toward the same goal. Helping the company succeed motivates us day after day.”
Donna Leaman
As a self-described “people person,” Sobeys manager Donna Leaman couldn’t have found a better career. “My favourite part of the job is interacting with customers and employees. I guess that’s why I’ve been here for 30 years,” she said. “I thrive on that.” Always proud to serve her community, Donna has been nominated for a Value Champion award three times and she says being involved is a great feeling. She helps her store’s fundraising for charities such as Run for the Cure, Bowling for Big Brothers Big Sisters, and they use their Jeans Day donations for many organizations. Affected by a little girl who had done a lot of fundraising for families of cancer patients before passing away from her own battle with the disease, Donna decided to take up the cause, running the girl’s lemonade stand at the store with her daughter one Friday night after her shift. “There were a lot of tears but it was a really nice experience,” said Donna.
Sylvie Lévesque
Seafood lovers know that finding a good fishmonger is important, which is why Sylvie Lévesque’s loyal fans have followed her to her IGA outside of Montreal. “Not a week goes by that we don’t have five or six customers tell us about Sylvie’s excellent service,” said her manager. “Sylvie exemplifies of our ideal employee in terms of customer service and sales culture.” For Sylvie, she is not just serving customers, she is serving her neighbours. “My passion for customer service comes from knowing the people of Mascouche really well,” she said. “I’ve been here for 30 years and so I eat local, buy local, everything local.” From helping her customers find the perfect fish to proposing unique and delicious recipe ideas, Sylvie clearly loves what she does. “Customers in Mascouche are like my family,” she said. “They ask me questions, some even call me to prepare things in advance for them. Trusting your fishmonger is the same as trusting your hairdresser.”
Joseph MacDonald
When Joey MacDonald moved to Miramichi more than 20 years ago, he felt immediately that it was a tight-knit community where people help each other. “In a town of fewer than 18,000 people, you know everybody when you work at Sobeys,” he said. As a store manager, he says his job is to keep a clean, well-stocked store, and talk to customers to find out what Sobeys can do for them. “I love it, that’s why I do it,” he said. Joey knows first hand that Sobeys touches the whole community. Over the years he has watched toddlers in carts grow up to become students, then employees looking for first jobs. When confronted with a terrible tragedy involving four teens on Easter weekend, Joey quickly loaded his truck with water and snacks to bring to local schools, knowing that counsellors would be there to help students cope with their loss. “Thanks Joey for having a huge heart and for just being the caring guy you are,” read his nomination letter.
Véronique Maillet
For Véronique Maillet, the greatest reward as a health professional is making a difference in peoples’ health and helping them achieve a better version of themselves. To do this, you must first understand the customer’s goals and the goals they want to achieve, she explains. Recently she was able to assist a diabetic customer who was in desperate need of a lifestyle change. Along with a Live Well coach, Véronique taught the woman to read nutrition labels, conducted one-on-one sessions to track her progress, and supplied nutrition resources to kick start her journey back to health. They were so successful that the customer’s doctor postponed previously needed surgery. Véronique says her proudest moment was launching the nutrition program at Sobeys when she was fresh out of school. “I could not wait to start building what is now a successful program across Canada.” Eighteen years later, Véronique is now part of a team of Sobeys dietitians across Canada. “After all these years, it’s still my dream job.”
Cathleen Malley
When Cathleen and her husband moved to Saint John, they left their extended families and friends behind in Miramichi, N.B. But Cathleen quickly fit in at her new store. In fact, when Cathleen was in the hospital having her second baby, it was her coworkers who looked after her daughter. “More than coworkers, they are my friends, they are my family,” she said. “When we come to work and we’re happy to see each other, that shows in our faces and in our attitude, and customers know we’re happy and it shows in everything we do.” Cathleen also plays a large part in creating that warm family atmosphere in the store. She spearheads many staff engagement activities, often on her own time, as well as events and parties outside of work. She also organizes many charitable and outreach events, from BBQ fundraisers to elementary class visits to visits to a seniors home. “Cathleen truly embodies the value Get it Done with Passion and Integrity,” said her colleagues.
Joel McDonald
When Joel McDonald moved from Moncton to be the manager of the Sobeys in Newcastle, N.B., he quickly got involved in the town’s community. This year the Special Olympics N.B. Winter Games were held in the Miramichi region. On opening day Joel attended the flag raising and then invited coaches and athletes back to the store for welcoming cake and coffee. Joel was available during the event, helping with anything that the committee needed to make the event memorable for all of the athletes. “The new manager at the Newcastle location was amazing and went over the top to help us,” wrote the executive director of the organization. “The employees here are like a family, and we help customers take care of their families. “We’re there when they most need us,” said Joel. “Leading by example means that I always put myself in the other person’s shoes — whether it’s customers or employees — and treat them how I would want to be treated.”
Pauline McNally
Many Sobeys employees go the extra mile for their customers, and Pauline McNally is no exception. She makes a point of always acknowledging customers, having a quick word or helping someone who needs help filling their order, “because as a customer that’s what I would want,” she said. But one day, Pauline literally went the extra mile to help a customer. After finishing her shift, she realized a man in the parking lot was in trouble. It was a hot day, and his two-year-old daughter had locked the door as he loaded the groceries in the trunk. Panicked and unwilling to leave the car with his child trapped inside, he asked Pauline to drive to his house to pick up the spare key from his wife. They quickly rescued the girl, much to the family’s relief. Pauline says she would always help anybody at any time. “My Sobeys is a family, pure and simple. They’re always there to listen and help. I can truly say I do love my job.”
