Lowe’s Canada builds talent to serve their communities

In early March 2020, Melissa St-Pierre was satisfied that Lowe’s Canada was well prepared for the April 2020 launch of one of its major annual fundraising campaigns. Since 2018, the home improvement retailer has partnered with the Children’s Miracle Network and Opération Enfant Soleil to raise money for 14 children’s hospitals nationwide.

The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, meant the in-store activities that employees throughout Canada had organized to collect donations had to be cancelled. Instead, Lowe’s Canada quickly transitioned the campaign online, says St-Pierre, senior adviser, community relations. “We really wanted to be there for our non-profit partners at a time when so many of them are experiencing difficulties.”

Isabelle Laliberté, regional vice-president of operations, notes that Lowe’s Canada has always been committed to building stronger communities. “It’s part of who we are,” she says. “We’ve adopted different strategies this year, but our natural instinct to help our associates and our communities is now more important than ever.”

To that end, the organization made an $800,000 corporate donation to another of its major campaigns, Lowe’s Canada’s Heroes, in which associates support a local non-profit organization or public school of their choice. This was in addition to an earlier $1-million philanthropic investment which included funding earmarked for each corporate store to set up a $1,000 food pantry so associates facing difficulties could help themselves.

With more than 470 corporate and affiliated dealer stores operating under the Lowe's, RONA, Reno-Depot and Dick's Lumber banners, plus several distribution and store support centres, Lowe’s Canada offers a wide range of career paths. In addition to its friendly, team-oriented environment, it offers employees training and development opportunities and a benefits package that can be tailored to each individual’s needs.

Considered an essential service, the stores kept serving their customers throughout the pandemic with all appropriate health and safety protocols in place. They’ve been so busy, in fact, that Lowe’s Canada has continued to hire via virtual job fairs. “With so many Canadians working from home, customers are looking to us to help make their space more functional and comfortable,” Laliberté explains.

Like others in the Boucherville head office, St-Pierre has been working from home over the past few months. Throughout all the changes 2020 brought, the supportive workplace culture that Lowe’s Canada has always offered remained as real as ever, she says. “All the proper tools are in place to keep us engaged and continue to make a difference in people’s dayto-day lives.”