Manitoba's Top Employers

6 Arctic Co-operatives Limited @ArcticCoopsLtd JOIN OUR TEAM! Explore career opportuni es within the Arc c Co-opera ves System. You'll find a variety of jobs, flexible schedules and a culture that's people focused. OUR VALUES • Rela onships • Accountability • Development • Diversity • Service & Support The Arctic Co-ops Polar Dragons entered their first Manitoba Dragon Boat Festival earlier this year and raised $8,604 for the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation and the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba. Arctic Co-ops is also a prime showcase of Indigenous and Inuit self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship. Comprised of 32 community-owned businesses employing 1,000 people across Canada's North, team members at Arctic Co-ops have been offering critically important services to remote communities since 1972. In the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, people rely on Arctic Co-ops services for everything from cable television, to retail stores, hotels and even fuel delivery. The support office, based in Winnipeg's Inkster Industrial Park with 100 employees, acts as a hub for Co-ops in the Arctic to pool their purchasing power and improve efficiencies in their businesses. "We centralize administrative work so Co-ops can spend more of their time and effort serving their local members," says CEO Rod Wilson. "Our primary purpose is to work together with Co-ops to build capacity and improve social and economic wellbeing for people and communities across the north." It is this sense of shared mission that inspires employees. "Our staff feel connected to a bigger purpose, and so it is an empowering environment," says Estelle Moore, Vice-President of Human Resources. "We also have a strong commitment to in-house training and development. We invest in our people and support their advancement." Arctic Co-ops also utilizes best practices in offering employees solid health, dental, vacation and pension benefits. Co-ops differ from the private sector in that each member has an equal vote. An elected board reports back annually to all members at a general assembly, so staff feel a genuine connection to their leadership. There is a strong focus on relationship-building, which mirrors the traditional sharing cultures of the Inuit and Indigenous peoples. Nurturing a sense of teamwork extends past work hours with fun activities initiated by Arctic Co-op employees. This summer staff organized a softball team and a dragon boat team that raised money for cancer research. They also have a craft club, yoga classes and access to a ping-pong table. "That sense of personal staff engagement is something we are proud of and we are finding new ways to network with each other," says Lacey Chyz, Manager of Marketing and Communications. Over the past year, Chyz explains, a social media push has seen Arctic Co-op create an active Facebook community, where news and events can be shared. The social media platform recently announced its intentions to start translating parts of Facebook into Inuktut, a combination of Inuinnaqtun and Inuktitut dialects. "Many people in the North rely on Facebook for essential communications. It is also an important way for us to get feedback from Co-op members, and to recruit new people, from truck drivers to cashiers," she says. This past year, Arctic Co-ops ran a popular online favourite calendar photo contest and more than 400 submission came in from members, featuring spectacularly beautiful places from across the territories. Thirteen were selected for the company calendar. In addition to supporting essential services across the North, Arctic Co-ops has also been instrumental in sharing the beauty and mystery of the region through art for more than 50 years. Inuit and First Nations art is popular throughout the world and includes prints, carvings, beadwork, wall hangings, cards and jewelry. The co-ops model ensures the artists involved receive a fair price for their work. Northern Images, the retail art marketing arm of Arctic Co-ops, supports and promotes northern artists and their products by marketing Inuit and First Nations art and crafts in their Yellowknife store, Iqaluit airport gift shop and through the Northern Images website. The benefits of the sales of art are returned to the member owners and to the communities in Canada's north. Find out more about Arctic Co- operatives at arcticco-op.com/index. htm and on Facebook at: facebook. com/ArcticCoopsLtd/ Information about Northern Images is available at northernimages.ca and facebook.com/ NorthernImagesArt. ARCTIC CO-OPS PROUD TO SERVE CANADA'S NORTH BY DIANE POULIN For the third consecutive year, Arctic Co-operatives Limited has earned a spot among Manitoba's Top Employer by creating a workplace culture that values diversity, inclusion, innovation, and a healthy dose of fun.

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