MEC Mountain Equipment Company Ltd.

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887 Great Northern Way, Suite 101
Vancouver, BC V5T 4T5
MEC Mountain Equipment Company Ltd. is a specialized retailer of outdoor gear for a range of activities including hiking, climbing, cycling, running, camping, fitness, yoga, snowsports, watersports and travel.

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MEC Mountain Equipment Company Ltd.
Employees at MEC   (Photo credit: Will Saunders)

Recognized as one of BC's Top Employers (2025):

By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Feb 11, 2025)

Here are some of the reasons why MEC Mountain Equipment Company Ltd. was selected as one of BC's Top Employers (2025):

  • MEC helps employees achieve their professional goals through in-house career planning, opportunities for formal mentoring, and leadership development programs
  • MEC supports parents-to-be with maternity and parental leave top-up for all full-time employees, to 75 per cent of salary for 17 weeks for mothers, and 75 per cent of salary for 11 weeks for fathers and adoptive parents
  • Additionally, the retailer offers the unique MEC Care Day Program, providing protection for employees facing income loss due to illness, family care, employee wellness, or personal needs (full-time employees receive up to 12 paid Care Days per year)
A MEC employee attends an avalanche skills training course  

    Highlights

    Industry Retail stores
    Established in Canada 1971
    Parent company Kingswood Capital Management, LP
    Parent company head office Los Angeles, CA, United States
    Major Canadian locations Mississauga ON, Ottawa ON, Kelowna BC, Langley BC, Edmonton AB, Vancouver BC, Victoria BC, Calgary AB, North Vancouver BC, London ON, Winnipeg MB, Toronto ON, Montréal QC, Longueuil QC, Barrie ON, Kitchener ON, Laval QC, North York ON
    Full-time employees in Canada 634
    Part-time employees in Canada 954
    Average age of employees in Canada 33 years
    Longest serving employee 39 years
    Benefits note MEC has multiple employee groups, the following programs and policies may vary by position
    Flexible work options hybrid work option, telecommuting
    Long-term savings matching RSP
    Health plan premium as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 75% of the premiums
    Mental health practitioner benefit up to $700 each year
    Maternity top-up (mothers) up to 75% of salary for 17 weeks
    Parental top-up (mothers) up to 75% of salary for 11 weeks
    Parental top-up (fathers) up to 75% of salary for 11 weeks
    Adoption top-up up to 75% of salary for 11 weeks
    Vacation allowance new employees receive 2 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job
    Employee performance reviews employees receive individual performance reviews every 6 months
    In-house training initiatives apprenticeship/skilled trades programs, in-house training, online training, mentoring, leadership development programs, paid internships
    Related tuition subsidies employer covers up to 100% of tuition per year
    Employee charitable involvement employees are involved in selection of charities, employees receive paid time off to volunteer, (up to 1 paid day)

    Recognized as one of Canada's Greenest Employers (2025):

    By Richard Yerema and Chantel Watkins, and Sonja Verpoort, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Apr 21, 2025)

    Here are some of the reasons why MEC Mountain Equipment Company Ltd. was selected as one of Canada's Greenest Employers (2025):

    • Each MEC retail location has a Store Sustainability Ambassador (SSA) who is responsible for implementing green practices at a store level -- SSAs engage directly with employees and customers to promote sustainability initiatives through training, product knowledge, and access to environmental resources
    • MEC has taken a leadership role in reducing plastic across its operations -- from eliminating single-use shopping bags in 2008 to introducing "sushi-roll" packaging for MEC-branded gear and using reusable shipping crates (which now account for approximately 75 per cent of BC shipments)
    • MEC was an early adopter of green building standards in its retail construction -- its portfolio of buildings boasts numerous environmental features, including green roofs, reclaimed materials, solar panels, rainwater collection systems, geothermal heating and cooling, secure bicycle parking, and more
    MEC employees coordinate with a climbing ambassador at Murrin Provincial Park in Squamish, BC  

      Highlights

      Industry Retail stores
      Major Canadian locations Mississauga ON, Ottawa ON, Kelowna BC, Langley BC, Edmonton AB, Vancouver BC, Victoria BC, Calgary AB, North Vancouver BC, London ON, Winnipeg MB, Toronto ON, Montréal QC, Longueuil QC, Barrie ON, Kitchener ON, Laval QC, North York ON
      Full-time employees in Canada 634
      Part-time employees in Canada 954
      Employee green team Store Sustainability Ambassadors
      Senior executive who oversees initiatives Senior Legal Counsel
      Formal strategy/policy name business sustainability strategy
      Publishes sustainability report yes
      Green highlights employee training and education initiatives, equipment rental program (from canoes to snowshoes), ongoing programs to work with designers and product managers to source more environmentally preferred materials for MEC-branded products (goal to have 100% Bluesign materials in its products, use of recycled materials, PVC-free products, and organically grown cotton, to name a few initiatives), encourages suppliers to use Bluesign materials, and established 2025 as a goal year where every product sold has at least one sustainable attribute
      Noteworthy initiatives eliminated single-use shopping bags back in 2008, the use of a "sushi-roll" packaging technique for MEC-branded gear has eliminated approximately 140 tonnes of plastic since 2010, conducted an internal audit of greenhouse gas emissions (2022) to identify the activities that create the biggest GHG emissions
      Building footprint includes PV solar panels, rainwater collection, green roof, geothermal heating/cooling, electric vehicle charging stations, hosts building tours to educate the public about green building features
      Extended recycling battery, bike tires and tubes, pallet, and e-waste recycling stations at each store location, reuse program for shipping boxes and crates
      Commuter amenities Bike to Work Week, free secure bike storage and tire pumps at select retail locations, walk to public transit, secure/sheltered bicycle parking
      Community partnerships Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Avalanche Canada, Alpine Club of Canada, Leave No Trace Canada, Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, Parks Canada, Protect Our Winters Canada, Parkbus

      The Career Directory

      MEC Mountain Equipment Company Ltd. has been selected for The Career Directory, our guide to entry-level recruitment for recent college and university graduates.

      Highlights for New Grads

      Industry Retail stores
      Full-time employees in Canada 501 to 750
      Parent company Kingswood Capital Management, LP
      Parent company head office Los Angeles, CA, United States
      Major Canadian locations Mississauga ON, Ottawa ON, Kelowna BC, Langley BC, Edmonton AB, Vancouver BC, Victoria BC, Calgary AB, North Vancouver BC, London ON, Winnipeg MB, Toronto ON, Montréal QC, Longueuil QC, Barrie ON, Kitchener ON, Laval QC, North York ON
      Student opportunities paid internships, summer jobs
      Training subsidies for professional accreditation, orientation program, online training, in-house training, mentoring, in-house career planning services
      Tuition subsidies (related to job) yes
      Typical new grad positions Store Advisor, Analyst, Administration
      Starting salary $30K to $40K
      Work benefits health benefits for new employees, telecommuting, employees receive paid time off to volunteer
      Vacation allowance new employees receive 2 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job

      Academic fields recruited

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