Sidney’s Save-on-Foods grocery store is the latest stop for a young leader looking to make his mark on the industry.
Justin McGregor, who joined the Sidney store’s management team in February of this year, received Canadian Grocer’s Generation Next award at a ceremony in Toronto in late November.
The award, presented by the industry publication, is for leaders in the industry who are under 40 and who demonstrate innovation and commitment to the business.
McGregor started his career with the Overwaitea Food Group while he was still in high school — 11 years ago. He admits that it was his first job and he was out for a little spending money.
“It was my first job but I realized quickly that I loved it and wanted to be a part of the industry.”
He rose from bag boy to management in a short eight years. His last manager’s position prior to Sidney was in Prince Rupert.
He said the Generation Next award looks at new and exciting initiatives being done by people across the country. Locally, he said he works with his team at Save-on-Foods to come up with ideas — such as raising money for sick children to working with suppliers, sourcing more locally-produced grocery items.
“This is a team win,” he said of the award.
Looking ahead, McGregor said he’s challenging his team to challenge themselves every day, to improve and to be competitive in a busy grocery market.
For him, he hopes to continue to move up within the company and is enjoying his role at the store in Sidney.