Irfan Afzal
After struggling to find meaningful work in Canada, Irfan feels lucky to have found a home away from home at Sobeys. Along with navigating a new country with his family, this move also meant a new industry; he’s now using project management skills honed in the engineering field in the Middle East. Quickly earning full-time status and promotions in three years, Irfan sees a lot of promise and opportunity at Sobeys, and is happy to work for a Canadian company that cares. “Sobeys considers us family, that’s why I’m still here. I am going back to my field within my company,” he said. Earning high praise from his managers for his professionalism, they appreciate his attention to detail, good organizational and communication skills, and drive for excellence. But Irfan doesn’t take all the credit. “It’s all about working as a team, and everybody works the same way,” he said. “The culture of family nurturing families isn’t just a saying at Sobeys. I am a part of it.”
Naomi Babineau
Placing customers first is always a priority at Sobeys, but Naomi Babineau truly took that value to heart, saving the lives of two customers in the span of three weeks. The pharmacist, who was six months pregnant at the time, reacted quickly when a man collapsed in the meat department, cracking his head open and losing consciousness. She performed CPR and had him breathing again by the time the paramedics arrived. “He later came back and he was very thankful,” said Naomi. The next incident saw her administer an EpiPen to a girl who was having an anaphylactic reaction in the store, earning the gratitude of her mother. “We always place the customer first; in the pharmacy our patients’ care and safety are my highest priority,” said Naomi, who has worked for Sobeys for 10 years. “I always treat people the way I would want my family treated.”
Janet Barr
It’s the sense of community that Janet Barr loves most about Sobeys, where she has worked for 19 years. “My co-workers have helped me through a lot, they’re great friends,” she said. “We’re like family.” But the Sobeys community also extends to customers and the many organizations that the store supports. As the Community room coordinator, Janet has turned in-store cooking classes into sold-out events, and plans many charitable activities including parades, visiting retirement homes to play bingo and distribute flowers, and donations to local schools and the food bank. She also gives back on an individual basis, having witnessed the greater potential of an employee with a learning disability and recruiting her to help with seniors’ luncheons. Janet is happy to have Hannah working with her at these events. “She knows everybody’s birthdays and sings to them and has really opened up. She’s there for them and they love her,” said Janet. “She’s so proud to work here and we’re proud to have her; she has become a friend.”
Brenda Bastarache
If there’s an event happening at Sobeys in Shediac, Brenda Bastarache is usually the leader, planning and rallying her staff to help. But it’s not just fun and games for this team, even though they often find a way to enjoy their work and take any opportunity to give back to their community. Last year was a terrible one for Brenda. She lost the three people closest to her within a few months. Still reeling from these losses, she went back to work soon after, knowing she’d find comfort at work surrounded by her friends. “They supported me in the good times and bad,” said Brenda, who recently retired after 39 years. “My Sobeys is like my second family. I adore working here; I’ve been at this store for 10 years and I always love coming in. “Brenda is truly loved and respected. Many of us look up to her as a source of strength and inspiration,” said her nomination letter.
Maude Bellerose-Battaglini
With its focus on local, natural and organic products, Rachelle Béry is a perfect fit for Maude Battaglini. “I compost and ride my bike constantly to reduce my ecological footprint,” said Maude. “I try to live naturally at home and that is reflected in my work.” She also loves that her co-workers share her passion for healthy, eco-friendly food, and finds that being happy at work is contagious. “I’m trying to be as cheerful as possible to encourage others to be in a good mood too,” she said. “We’re like a big family, we help each other and we have fun.” Proud to have participated in the grand openings of two Rachelle Béry stores, Maude is excited by the possibilities the store has to offer, and lives her personal motto, “focus on the positive,” every day. Maude takes inspiration from Harry Potter, having grown up alongside the literary character. She admires his ability to overcome obstacles to achieve great things, and has every intention of following in his footsteps.
Charles Beaulieu
Charles Beaulieu is a lucky guy; he found his second home at Sobeys while he was still in high school. He still remembers getting off the bus for his first shift with his trainer and has been dedicated to his job ever since. His nomination letter sings his praises, commenting on how his co- workers and customers appreciate his dedication to the job. “He is a very hard working and devoted employee who is kind, always pleasant, and takes a great amount of pride in every task he encounters,” the letter states. Always keen to help, Charles takes the extra steps to ensure customers are cared for such as taking groceries to their cars even in snow storms. Charles also finds time to train for the Special Olympics and has participated in many sports including floor hockey and bowling. Charles says his personal motto is “do my best every day.” It has served him well.
David Beaupré
For David Beaupré, “a job worth doing is a job worth doing well.” This motto was passed down from his father, who he says is his biggest inspiration. Over the past 25 years with Sobeys, David’s commitment to excellence has taken him from working the floor at the Montreal-North Sobeys to an operations coordinator role with the team at the Terrebonne distribution centre. Whether he’s finding distribution efficiencies, supporting committees, or helping his team solve any number of challenges, David is known as a determined man who does his work cheerfully and with enthusiasm. “Not being afraid to ask for help to improve yourself is a great quality of leader,” wrote a colleague about David’s results-driven, collaborative management style. For David, Sobeys is a family that has allowed him to thrive and grow as a man over the years, one he hopes to be part of for many years to come. “My Sobeys really is a family for me,” he says proudly.
Patrick Belleau
Described as a “force of nature” by colleagues, Patrick Belleau is the very definition of what it means to get it done with passion and integrity. As a Produce specialist, he continues to pursue a passion he first developed as a teenager. “What I love the most about my work are the interactions with managers, employees, and clients, as well as the variety and the colors of the fruits and vegetables displays,” he said. “We work in partnership with our stores. The merchants are the heart of the business and we count on them,” he said. “After pursuing other studies, life eventually brought me back to food,” said Patrick, who now mentors other employees. “I love training, and what makes me most proud is when I succeed in helping someone who doesn’t know much about the business to eventually become an excellent store manager.” Above all, Patrick values his Sobeys family. “My colleagues are like a second family,” he says with pride. “Our team is very close.”
Kyle Bennett
Kyle Bennett says he loves his job because his co-workers are friendly and happy, and he has a similarly great attitude towards his store’s customers. “It’s important to treat everybody like family, with care, trust and respect,” said Kyle. Taking that ideal to heart, he goes above and beyond for one customer who asks for him by name. With a visual impairment it’s difficult to shop, so Kyle escorts this gentleman around the store picking up his order, helping him through the cash and then into a waiting car. But Kyle doesn’t see this as going above and beyond. “Always place the customer first means doing my job, because I feel like my job is to help the customer,” he said. “Kyle is very patient when dealing with his customers, he takes advantage of every opportunity to coach his fellow employees and he treats everyone with the utmost respect,” said his nomination letter. “If you look up Value Champion in the dictionary, you just may see Kyle’s picture.”
Stéphanie Binette
Stéphanie Binette is a woman of action. She is always learning, always growing, always looking for ways to do things better. After 12 years with Sobeys, she says she still loves coming to work every day because of the amazing culture and camaraderie, and because she enjoys the challenges that each new day brings. “Just because we have done something the same way for 10 years doesn’t mean it’s the best way,” she says. “What can we do better today?” is her motto. Sobeys welcomes this kind of initiative, she says, which is why she likens the company to a school of professional development that always encourages and allows its employees to excel. She certainly has. Over the past year, Stéphanie has been an integral member of the team implementing a new system for planning distribution routes. Her incredible and contagious energy devoted to understanding this new system and helping her colleagues make the most of it have made her a true Value Champion who gets her work done with passion and integrity.
