BUSINESS EXCELLENCE – LARGE AWARD
A PLACE TO GRAB A BITE AND WATCH A GAME Joe Beeverz wins Business Excellence Large Award at the Chamber’s Business Achievement Awards
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f you’re looking for great Canadian pub fare, then look no fur ther than Joe Beeverz.
Originally opened in 2011 in Brandon, the restaurant now has locations in Yorkton, Sask., a seasonal location in Wasagaming, and a food truck. The concept came about after owner/operator Chad Wallin moved back to Brandon from Toronto to open a Mon tana’s BBQ & Bar franchise. Wallin had previously gone to Saskatch ewan Polytechnic (formerly SIAST Kelsey) in Saskatoon and gradu ated from the Hotel and Restaurant Management program. From there, he landed a job with Kelseys Original Roadhouse and eventu ally went on to open a few Kelseys and Montana’s franchises across Canada before coming back to Brandon. “Joe Beeverz started going back to my hotel and restaurant school ing where we had a class project where we had to come up with our own business and concept. We had to develop and design a restau rant. That’s where I first got the idea,” says Wallin, who was born in Minnedosa but grew up in Saskatchewan. “It sat in the back of my head simmering for the whole time and never really fleeted from my brain. I learned a lot in the chain environment, but it was always something I wanted to do, to come up with my own concept and do my own brand.” The restaurant specializes in what Wallin calls classic Canadian com fort food. They offer classic dishes like poutine, burgers and fries, wings, sandwiches, etc. and took their own spin on it. When they first opened, there weren’t a lot of restaurants that celebrated Cana dian cuisine, making the concept unique.
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Plant: 918 McTavish Avenue E. • Office: 4801 Victoria Avenue E. Brandon, MB R7A 7L2 • Phone: 204-725-5600 • Fax: 204-725-5606
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••• Brandon Business Review ••• 2021
Joe Beeverz was the recipient of the 2021 Business Excellence Large Award at the Brandon Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Awards. Joe Beeverz was the recipient of the 2021 Business Excellence Large Award at the Brandon Chamber of Commerce Business Achieve ment Awards. In a typical year, they employ over 40 staff, but dur ing the pandemic they have been running a lean crew of around 18 people. Seeing as how this past year has been very difficult for res taurants, Joe Beeverz has had to think outside the box and expand their offerings to stay current and relevant. Wallin says that they tried to find different opportunities which allowed them to keep the lights on and the doors open. This included a retail grocery outlet concept which they started in March 2020 and still do today. They have 500 people on their grocery list, which gets delivered every second week. They also do meal kits and cater for other businesses to keep staff motivated. “It’s a very humbling experience to get nominated and selected from your peers and other business people. I’m very proud that we have taken this little wee brand with a goofy name and over the last 10 years have expanded into different markets,” says Wallin. “I’m very proud of own team and we were fortunate enough to win this back in 2009 with Montana’s [as well]. The one constant thing we had, as part of my team other than family, is a couple of managers. My chef Dave has been with me for that whole duration, as well as my assis tant manager Brett. We’ve grown up together and they’ve been by my side this whole time, so it’s a pretty neat feeling to be awarded, and twice with two different restaurants.” Joe Beeverz has been a Chamber member since their inception. Wallin says that he has always strongly believed in the Chamber, and even more so now with the COVID-19 pandemic. As a small busi ness, he says it’s been hard to keep up with all the information and programs that the government has been offering and the Chamber has been a great resource for advocating for small businesses. “We relied on the Chamber to help us with that and to advocate for small businesses, whether it be a reopening plan or subsidies, or things of that nature,” says Wallin. “They’ve been a tremendous resource for not only the last 10 years, but certainly the last 15 or 16 months. They’ve been a godsend to us and we wouldn’t have been able to figure out all this stuff on our own without their help.” ¢
