Andrea D’Andrea
Still learning the ropes after a year as bakery manager, Andrea D’Andrea feels it’s part of her job to know her staff, and this caring attitude may have saved an employee’s life. Concerned when a reliable, long-time baker didn’t show up for work, Andrea tried repeatedly to contact her, knowing that the woman lived alone. Andrea then escalated the issue, arranging for a call to the woman’s cousin, her emergency contact. The cousin visited her home and discovered her almost unconscious due to a carbon monoxide leak. “There was something nagging at me that there was something wrong, and I’m so grateful I listened,” said Andrea. “It’s a little overwhelming and I still think about it,” she said, adding that the woman’s cousin later called in tears to thank them on behalf of the entire family. After a few weeks, the baker was fully recovered and back at work. Andrea is inspired by her mother, who was always brave, kind, and compassionate. “The person I always strive to be.”
Alexandru Costea
When he started working as a grocery clerk in high school, Chris didn’t plan to stay at Sobeys for his career, but “slowly I became part of a very good team,” he said. A team player himself, Chris readily took on more responsibility during a colleague’s family emergency, and even had his aunt bake a Hungarian/ Romanian apple cake for the man when they realized they had a similar family background. Known for being trustworthy, approachable and genuine, Chris is very knowledgeable about store operations and is always happy to share his wealth of knowledge. “I always try to understand colleagues and to deliver a message as clearly as possible, so people can take that message and be successful with it,” he said. “I treat others how we would want to be treated.” “Not every manager is a leader and not every leader is a manager, Chris is both,” wrote his manager in his nomination letter. “He realizes that the store can’t be successful without the people on the team.”
Gabrielle Crôteau
Gabrielle appreciates the culture of innovation at Sobeys and makes it a point to bring that focus to every role she undertakes. “I love interacting with different departments to find new ways of doing things,” she said. “I love interacting with different departments to find new ways of doing things,” she said, adding that she appreciates this culture of innovation at Sobeys. “Gabrielle helps her managers to excel by always taking the time to communicate effectively and share knowledge, always focusing on the positive attributes of each employee,” wrote her supervisor. A manager who leads with humility and respect, she laughed while explaining how surprised she was when she opened a box addressed to her and discovered a letter that read “Congratulations, one of your employees has been nominated as a Value Champion.” Realizing that she was the nominee, she called her supervisor. “I think there has been a mistake,” she said to him with a smile. “I have always done my work because I love working. Knowing that there are people who nominated me for this touches me enormously.”
Erwin Del Rosario
As the meat manager at his Brampton store, Erwin Del Rosario has worked hard to make his department something to be proud of. “The meat department is always in great shape, and I train my guys to do it the same way I do,” said Erwin. “If I’m off, I know my department will still be in great shape.” He thinks of his department as a family that works together, once organizing a fun basketball game because a team member enjoyed the sport. Erwin, whose hobby is restoring Corvettes, doesn’t just make sure the meat department is perfect, he’s known for doing repairs all over the store. “I see something broken and it bugs me, I’ve got to fix it,” he said. “If something needs to be fixed, everyone knows to go to Erwin first to see if he can solve the problem and nine times out of 10 he can. He does it to save money, and often does this on his own time,” said his manager.
Sarvjit Dhami
For Sarvjit Dhami, her 17 years with Sobeys have been about helping others. Through her work with the pharmacy group, she organizes clinic days, health awareness days, and for the last three years, she has taken ownership of injection refresher events, a significant company initiative. These educational events are held annually to refresh pharmacists about the principles of safe vaccine administration. Sarvjit works with a pharmacist to develop the content for this session. She ensures that there is a large local audience at the venue, and she ensures this session is videotaped for posting to the internal portal for all pharmacists to view. “I love finding ways for pharmacy teams to develop professionally and provide better overall health outcomes for patients, not just prescriptions,” said Sarvjit. Working with passion and integrity means continually finding ways to make processes better, and using all available resources to help our pharmacists help our customers, she said. “Whatever I do, I do it with pride.”
Ellie Doggett
For Ellie, being a dietitian means helping people nurture themselves and their families. She runs classes for customers on health and wellness topics and also works one-on-one with customers to educate them on ways to manage their diet to become healthier. Coming from a military family, Ellie loves to give back to the military community; in her four-week Eat Better program for the Canadian Forces Base in Gagetown, participants were introduced to new products and a recipe demonstration each week. “She is wonderful! She is full of great, realistic advice,” wrote one participant. Ellie has also collaborated with Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services to offer a hands-on healthy cooking workshop. Customers raved about the opportunity to learn to cook healthy meals and shop on a budget and the program was repeated thanks to high demand. “Having this resource for Sobeys’ customers is wonderful, and helping them find food that works with their health needs is very rewarding,” said Ellie. “My Sobeys is a place to help healthy communities flourish.”
Jeffrey Downes
After more than 36 years in the grocery business, Jeff Downes still says that interacting with customers makes coming to work enjoyable and fun. “Recognizing their needs and making sure they get what they came in for, that’s what we do,” Jeff said. Occasionally, Jeff helps customers with more than finding the best fruit and vegetables. Over the years he has boosted cars for stranded shoppers, and recently he drove a woman home when her backpack was stolen and she had no way to carry her groceries. Another day Jeff witnessed a minor car accident, and the subsequent theft of the same car. He identified the thief a few days later at a nearby train station and called police, who found the vehicle and returned it to its elderly owner. “Jeff is never shy to jump in and help when other departments need him. He has a can do attitude and each and every day makes a difference in the lives of those around him,” wrote his manager.
Geneviève Dugré
A born leader who pulls no punches, Geneviève Dugré has made a name for herself as a driven, results-oriented woman who truly delivers. After seven years as a successful business consultant, she joined the operations team at Sobeys in 2015. She has a natural ability to listen, question, and think about projects strategically, pushing them forward successfully while working collaboratively with her peers. “It is rewarding and enjoyable to work with such people,” wrote her colleague. “Staying real means not hesitating to express your opinions, even if they’re different from the majority,” said Geneviève. “But it’s equally important to be warm and open with others, because it creates an atmosphere of confidence. When we have confidence, we want to do better.” Always happy to give credit to others, her management style allows others to have autonomy to do their best work. “What I love the most about my work is giving latitude to my store managers so that they can succeed in making a difference in each of their stores,” said Geneviève.
Susan Dunkel
When Susan Dunkel started working in 1973, she could purchase a hotdog, fries and a drink for $1, which was just less than her hourly wage. She still loves working at Sobeys, and also spends many hours volunteering in her community. “It’s really my hobby; it’s how I choose to spend my time,” she said. She loves to help at events such as food bank fundraisers and Basketeers, where she and other volunteers collect items to help women’s shelters. Susan now brings her grandchildren along to share her family’s values. Explaining where she gets her drive to help these organizations plus Easter Seals, Kitchener Rangers, Family and Children’s services, KidsPark, Empty Bowls and others, Susan says, “I get it from my Dad; he was a very giving person, and I think I inherited that from him.” For Susan, Proudly Serving Our Communities means giving back to people who aren’t as fortunate, and helping wherever you can. “Every little bit helps,” she said. “I just love doing it.”
Guillaume Durocher
When Guillaume Durocher was just 15 years old, his love affair with fruits and vegetables began. A veteran grocer and co-worker named Norman recognized his talent, delaying his retirement by a year to mentor him. “My passion for running a department, from sourcing the freshest produce, to meeting with suppliers, and interacting with long-term clients, developed over the years thanks to him,” said Guillaume. Combining his passion for fruits and vegetables with his passion for innovation in his work at Sobeys, Guillaume has spearheaded several successful initiatives in Quebec. A new vegan section in Sobeys stores has been a resounding success, in keeping with the new Canada food guide’s recommendation that consumers should eat more vegetable-based proteins. A line of reusable produce bags made of recycled plastic has been so successful it will be introduced nationally. “I am extremely proud of this project,” he said. “We want to attract families to our stores,” said Guillaume. “For me, family is most important, and my Sobeys colleagues are my second family.”
