Team Welcome to the team

Country

Grocer

a trio of Human Resources professionals to the South Island team

BY JENNIFER BLYTH

Country Grocer has welcomed three new human resources team members to serve their south Island stores.

With Paula Bernard at the helm as Human Resources Manager, David Lilly is the HR Advisor and Tiffany Hewlin is the new team Recruiter.

The trio will serve the Island grocer’s South Island stores – Esquimalt, Royal Oak and Cobble Hill.

The fact that Country Grocer is an Island-grown, family owned-and-operated company was a key feature for the new team members.

“I was attracted to the fact that it’s a family business,” Paula says.

From an HR perspective, the level of interest in the team members is significant, something she appreciates when working directly with people –her favourite part of the job.

“I love the people connection – finding new and exciting ways to keep our people engaged and finding the right place for them in the organization,” Paula says.

She looks forward to working on special projects and bringing fresh ideas to the company and its team.

“I’m really looking forward to the growth of the Country Grocer family, participating in that, and bringing my experience and fresh ideas to the company.”

As an HR Advisor, David is excited to learn and gain new experiences to take him forward in his HR career.

“I’m really excited at the fact that Country Grocer is local and the Royal Oak store was my store growing up!” David says. “And I absolutely love the team and the culture here.”

As he explores the possibilities of human resources, David is especially interested in what the future of work looks like, as society moves past the pandemic and all the necessary changes that experience brought.

The third member of the team, supporting Country Grocer’s South Island recruiting needs, is Tiffany Hewlin (meet her sidekick Moose on page 23).

Originally from Newfoundland, Tiffany had lived in B.C. briefly in 2017 and loved the experience.

In addition to taking some human resource courses while at Bow Valley College in Calgary, Tiffany also worked in the service industry for a time, so understands what attracts candidates to a new position.

As she pursues her own future goals, she appreciates the flexibility of her part-time role as a recruiter. And then there’s the friendly pooches who roam the halls of the south Island administration offices.

“As soon as I came to the office and I saw the dogs, I was sold,” Tiffany says with a laugh.

Beyond that, the opportunity to help Country Grocer with their recruiting needs is rewarding in itself.

“I really like the versatility and that no two days are the same,” Tiffany says. “It can go from zero to 100 really quickly and it keeps me on my toes!”

Tiffany encourages anyone looking for a rewarding career with a great team – full-time or part-time – to reach out to recruitment@countrygrocer.com.

Positions are available in a variety of departments across the Royal Oak, Esquimalt and Cobble Hill stores.