Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC)

Purpose Canada’s largest retail co-operative sells clothing and gear for outdoor- and wilderness-oriented activities.
Size The Calgary location’s staff fluctuates seasonally between 160 and 200; 11 senior management positions.

Employees at Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) are like kids in a candy store with access to all of the treats.

At the outdoor adventure retailer, the relationship between employer and employee is symbiotic. Adventuring workers get to have fun and gain experience using equipment they might not otherwise, and MEC fosters a workforce with
the first-hand knowledge its customers demand.

MEC’s Employee Development Program includes a toy box of gear for staff to test out on their days off. The company also offers more than 50 field courses annually to help staff beef up their sporting knowledge. This past spring, employees bouldered, orienteered, paddled, scrambled and rock-climbed their way through the Alberta wilderness.

Some of MEC’s more expensive goodies are sold to employees through an interest-free loan program that can be used for boats, bikes and computers (not sold at MEC, but handy for planning excursions).

Behind the scenes of the 38,000-square-foot retail space on 10th Avenue S.W., the work-hard, play-hard staff take advantage of indoor locked bike storage, showers, a full kitchen and a quiet room for chilling out.

For Kathy Besserer, a 13-year employee who has dabbled in positions from accounting to member services, working for MEC is a lifestyle choice. “The company has a lot of the same values as I have in terms of sustainable living,” she says.

The Emerald Award-winning Calgary location is 100-percent wind powered. It also diverts 92 percent of its waste from the landfill through initiatives such as composting, a program Besserer suggested and helped see to fruition.

“The staff is constantly raising the bar by pushing for growth and improvement,” says manager Glenda Rowley, who counts not having to wear mascara among the perks of her job.

Rowley hosts bimonthly open forums for staff to anonymously raise any concerns. Everything from management style and worker morale, to composting and reintroducing the quiet room after it was removed during renovations, has been discussed.

“It’s a challenge to keep up, but it’s also a really great thing,” says Rowley. “We are seriously focused on doing everything we do excellently.”

mec.ca

Key employee benefits
Access to gear and flexible schedules to test it out; outdoor field courses; RRSP matching; health care.

Why it’s the Best Place to Work
Encourages and allows employees to live the healthy outdoor lifestyle the company sells and provides them with the resources to make that lifestyle happen. Solicits input from staff on topics ranging from where to allocate fundraising dollars to how to improve training.

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