Molson in the Community

For the second year in a row, our team in Moncton has teamed up with the food banks of New Brunswick to collaborate on Hunger Awareness Week fundraising efforts. This year our team came together to host a barbeque for more than 350 people, while offering brewery tours, hosting a live radio broadcast, and having members of the Moncton Wildcats hockey team onsite to sign autographs!

Hosted over the lunch hour, the event saw support from dozens of companies in the local business park, including many who donated corporately for the opportunity to host an NHL Playoff viewing party at the brewery during this year’s playoffs.

New this year, we added a Molson Give-R event hosted at Overtime Sports. That event also saw C103 broadcasting live, as well as a sampling of some of our new products. The night ended with a draw – done in collaboration with Food Depot Alimentaire – to send a lucky winner to Montreal next season to see the Canadiens host the Maple Leafs.

By the end of it, our team ended up raising more than $9,000 to support the local food banks!

Marjolaine Deslauriers et moi-même avons eu le plaisir d’assister hier soir à la soirée des Prix Estim de la Chambre de commerce de l’Est de Montréal où Andrew Molson a reçu le prix Orchidée. Le prix Orchidée est remis annuellement à une personne afin de reconnaître leur apport remarquable au développement économique et social de l’Est de Montréal. Une phrase provenant du programme souvenir explique bien pourquoi ce prix lui a été décerné: ‘M. Molson est un homme accessible, généreux, attentif et qui redonne dans sa communauté. Merci de votre engagement!’ 

Il est photographié en train de recevoir de Mme Carole Bellon, Présidente du conseil d’administration de la Chambre de commerce de l’Est de Montréal, le prix Orchidée. 

Au nom de tous les employés de Molson Coors, félicitations Andrew!

Marjolaine Deslauriers and I were honored to attend an event last night organized by the Montreal East Chamber of Commerce where Andrew Molson received the “Orchidée” award. The “Orchidée” award is presented annually to an individual in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the economic and social development of Montreal East. A quote from the souvenir program explains well the reason why he received this award: “Mr. Molson is accessible, generous, attentive and gives back to the community. Thank you for your commitment!”

Andrew is pictured receiving the “Orchidée” award from Carole Bellon, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Montreal East Chamber of Commerce. 

On behalf of the Molson Coors employees, congratulations Andrew!

The sound of morning birds high in the trees singing their early morning calls…toss and turn at 453 am…dog out to do it’s business…coffee on and i thought, “why not sit down and write a spring blog”. After all, three days of 20 degree + celsius and it actually feels like spring has sprung in Toronto. I must also admit that some other factors contribute to this overwhelming shift in season for me. Obviously with the NHL playoffs commencing this week, after what might have been a lost season, the city is truly excited. I was blown away by the sea of blue and white downtown and on the subway on Wednesday night. Love to see the community spirit. As a partner with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens we actually celebrated a little playoff BBQ at our head office on Tuesday, just to get the team in the spirit of spring playoffs. Our President Stewart Glendinning and Chief Legal and People Officer Kelly Brown and fellow leadership team members helped host staff over the lunch hour…a little competitive spirit added of course. And we can’t forget our third sponsored club in the first round of playoffs of course - Ottawa Senators.

Stewart and Kelly hosting

And then of course there is the return of the summer rep. Gosh, 32 years ago I sat in a similar seat as a young representative from northwestern Ontario. It was the summer of the Jeux Canada Games in Thunder Bay. What a grounding experience that has carried friends and memories for me across my entire 29 career at Molson Coors. A toast to our returning summer reps and those who have just joined us. I know that they will represent us well at events and promotions coast to coast to coast and always flying the responsible choices banner as they go about their business.

Another sign of spring is the annual Randstad awards night. Randstad does a great job at reaching out to 7000 prospective employees across the country to assess the attractiveness of 150 employees. Proudly Molson Coors ranked eleventh this year. A special treat this year was Debbie Travis presenting her “ten commandments” for success. Inspiring and entertaining to say the least !

A toast to our employees and all that they do to carry the passion, commitment and drive for our business…over the past 227 years. Now that’s heritage. Naturally we are nothing without those who carry our products to market and the beer drinkers who support us at the taps, retail store or your favourite drinking occasion. We appreciate and value your business.

And of course the beer business and all that we face in regulations, taxes, mark ups. Provincial budgets are another sign of spring and the Ontario budget was filed yesterday by the Wynne government in Ontario. Good news for beer drinkers and customers in Ontario is that there is not any increase in the beer taxes. Now that’s worth a toast on a sunny day at the legislature with blossoms in bloom at the memorial to Queen Victoria !

Another sign of spring is the renewed commitments to community. Across this great land we engage with community leaders in so many ways. Whether they are local festivals and events designed to instill community spirit and celebrate the arts, local sports events and team get togethers or support for a charity or not for profit of choice. The Beer Store in Ontario will be undertaking their annual drive for Leukemia. Hats off to them and their union membership and Beer Store customers who donate their empties and the difference that they make in our community. May 25th and 26th please donate your empty deposit refunds.

Perhaps you have a thought on spring being sprung. I hope you’ll share it. A toast to you and yours this spring weekend. No doubt we’ll all be seeking a patio, a television screen to watch playoffs and some great quality time with family and friends as the weather warms. Cheers to a great wrap to the week and start to the weekend. @MolsonFerg

Last week our employees in St John’s Newfoundland participated in the group’s Shave for the Brave fundraiser for the 2nd consecutive year, a program which raises funds for Young Adult Cancer Canada. YACC is a national organization which works to build a community of young adults diagnosed with cancer that provides information, support, skills and opportunity.

Led by our brewery Packaging Operator Paul Gulliver, employees raised funds by selling tickets within and outside of the Brewery for beer prizes (donated by employees themselves) as well as sponsorships for a group head-shaving at the end of the production shift on March 28th. In conjunction with the monthly Give’r promotion, the Brewery raised $3,881 in support of YACC and their excellent work!

If you’re in Newfoundland and would like to join us at one of our Give’r fundraisers in support of charities, check out the Molson Coors Newfoundland & Labrador Facebook page for details on an upcoming event!

Ah, back at it after an Easter weekend break with family and friends. Easter sometimes is that true bridge to spring; not quite this year in Toronto, given our below zero temperatures continuing. Enough of that…

Easter is also a time of year when one (this one anyway) reflects on all the great things that we have as we celebrate with family and friends around us. After 29 years in the beer business I’ve come to realize that this industry of ours is one of deep community roots and involvement.

When I look back at my early years as a summer representative in Northern Ontario my whole focus was on community. From visiting tourist resorts along wooded gravel roads, to slo pitch and fast ball tournaments with men and women across the northwest of Ontario, to the Jeux Canada Games in Thunder Bay in 1981 and again in Sherbrooke in 2103,  to door prizes for local charitable events…it was all about supporting our community.

Beer in Canada is part of our social fabric (it likely is where you are too but I can really only speak with authority on Canada). Molson Coors has continued to play our part in supporting events, festivals, entertainment and sports related events big and small from coast to coast to coast.

The range of community action is broad and deep, large and small. From proud official beer supplier of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver, to a Red Leaf project park in Calgary, to the Mayor’s Ball for the Arts in Edmonton or support of CFL clubs across the country including the Saskatchewan Rough Riders – Calgary Stampeders – Edmonton Eskimos, or a responsible choice initiative like free New Years buses in Winnipeg, to our partnered NHL clubs Edmonton Oilers – Toronto Maple Leafs – Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens and the NHL overall in North America, to the families of our fallen military and the True Patriot Love committee, to community festivals speckled across Quebec or the Pointe-A-Caillieer museum project in Old Montreal, the Maison de Jeunes de Dieppe, the amateur hockey movement in Prince Edward Island, the Halifax Oval or scholarships at Memorial University in St. John’s, to slo-pitch and local sports or perhaps a snapshot of your favourite moment in the great provincial territories that crown this country in Molson Canadian’s “make your mark” contest.

We are also proud to support our employees and the difference that they continue to make in their communities. We match their donations through our Molson Coors Donations Fund and will “double match” when they play an executive role for charity or not for profit organization. We also afford our employees with the opportunity to share their passion with fellow employees by posting their efforts in our internal social Cheers network on yammer. We have a long roster of employees committed to various charitable causes.

So, all this said, Molson Coors folks are part of an industry that continues to play a big part in our community. It is core to our business. When people come together to celebrate or make a difference in their community they can also toast their efforts with a nice cold Molson Coors. Proudly, it all dates back to our founder John Molson who was quoted while speaking to employees saying, “we are all members of a larger community, which depends on everyone playing a part.”

So cheers to beer folks across this great land that continue to play their part in our community. It’s a big part of who we are and a big part of what we love doing in the beer business. Cheers ! @MolsonFerg

Greetings to you and yours on this early Sunday morning (ET) of what is known in three provinces in Canada as “Family Day Weekend”. Tomorrow is a day granted as a statuatory holiday to spend time with family, recharge batteries, take in the art gallery, museum, local fascination that you’ve never seen before. Since I’m in Detroit at a hockey tournament with my son’s Midget Junior team I note that it is also “President’s Day” tomorrow, being the third Monday of February and marking a holiday in the US. Like in Canada it is perhaps one of those days to just be home to spend time with family and friends and enjoy the day in what ever special way you might have in mind for you and the family. Some may travel, some may catch up, some may get their place straightened out in aniticipation of spring around the corner. Regardless it is a reminder for us (for me anyway) that all we do is really about family. So a toast to you and yours on this family day weekend in Ontario Canada. May you enjoy being with those around you or just connecting with those in your family that may be distant but just a phone call or click away. Cheers…and how will you be spending your family day weekend ? @MolsonFerg

Le samedi 15 décembre dernier, 15 employés du service de la Distribution participaient à la 72^e campagne de jouets des pompiers de la Ville de Sherbrooke. Les employés de Molson Coors de Sherbrooke participent à cette cause depuis plus de 40 ans. Grâce à cette campagne de jouets, plus de 700 enfants de 400 familles ont reçu un cadeau à Noël.

Félicitations à Daniel Tisdel pour avoir organisé l’activité de cette année ainsi qu’à Gervais Nolet, Jeff Voggen Reiter, Olivier-Paul St-Germain, Josée Lortie, Denis Desmarais, Yan Audet, Pierre Berthiaume, Bernard Turcotte et Ben Price pour leur participation à cette belle initiative!

On Saturday, December 15, 15 employees from the Distribution department participated in Sherbrooke city firemen’s 72^nd toy campaign. Molson Coors employees in Sherbrooke have been taking part in this cause for over 40 years. Thanks to this toy campaign, more than 700 children from 400 families have received a gift at Christmas.

Congratulations to Daniel Tisdel for having orgaized this year’s activity, and to Gervais Nolet, Jeff Voggen Reiter, Olivier-Paul St-Germain, Josée Lortie, Denis Desmarais, Yan Audet, Pierre Berthiaume, Bernard Turcotte and Ben Price for their participation in this great initiative!