As you enter Barriefield Meat Market, you can sense that this is a caring establishment with quality services and products. Beyond the deli counter, you might find Tim Greenless, the owner, overseeing the daily operations behind his office window.
This family business, established in 1999, has been working with ACFOMI since 2013. They have been able to offer employment opportunities to our job seekers. In the last 8 years, 14 of our job seekers have found employment at Barriefield Meat Market. For some, it was a summer job and a chance to gain their first work experience. For others, it was an opportunity to integrate long-term in the workforce.
This is the case for Moïse, a young man who arrived in Canada in November 2020. He found his first Canadian work experience at the Barriefield Meat Market after participating in the Youth Job Connection Program. He says: “What I appreciate is that I started working right away. Tim came and showed me himself what to do. After a while, I started getting more and more responsibilities.” According to Moïse, Tim is a good employer because he is patient with his workers, even when they make mistakes. He adds that all the employees are really polite and that he feels respected by the team. He then explains that he learned so many skills in the past few months and that he is still learning!
For Tim, it is important for new employees to have a positive attitude and to be outgoing. “We can train the crew the business side, but we cannot train their personalities.” He adds that when there is a new employee, they make sure that one of the key employees trains them. That way they can share their passion for the business and its clients.
Tim knows that it’s not always easy to keep good employees in retail which is why he tries to accommodate his employees by providing flexibility with schedules and some of their work tasks. “We try to keep [employees] where they like to be.” This strategy seems to be successful since some of the employees have been working at the store for more than 10 years.
According to some, the employee discounts on products and meat are also a great benefit. After all, Barriefield Meat Market makes a point of offering quality local products. “95% of our meat comes from Ontario,” says Tim. So the next time that you come by, you can by lamb from Inverary or lettuce from Seeley’s Bay. And don’t forget to say “Hi” to Moïse while you visit!
Moïse at his job, at the Barriefield Meat Market.
