Labatt Breweries named to Canada's Top 100 Employers list for 2014
TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2013 /CNW/ - Labatt Breweries of Canada today announced it has been named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers for 2014. This is the first year Labatt has entered the prestigious competition, which annually recognizes Canada's best places to work.
"Labatt is extremely honoured to be named as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers for 2014," says Agostino De Gasperis, Vice President of People, Labatt Breweries of Canada. "This is a tribute to the thousands of men and women who have made Labatt one of Canada's great success stories. It takes high quality people to make high quality beer and build a high quality company."
In 1847, Labatt's first brewery in London, Ontario produced close to 1,000 bottles of beer a year. Today, its 3,000 Canadian employees in six breweries, four Beer Institutes, 15 sales offices, a head office in Toronto, and 23 warehouses and distribution centres together brew and market 60 of Canada's favourite brands.
"Over the course of our 166 year brewing heritage, Labatt has evolved into a truly national brewer because our employees have never lost sight of the fact that we're here to serve the people who enjoy our beer and make a positive difference wherever we do business," said Charlie Angelakos, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Labatt Breweries of Canada. "From coast to coast, we are the brewers in Canada's backyard, and unequivocally committed to our communities."
Labatt aims to be The Best Beer Company in a Better World by promoting responsible drinking, protecting the environment and supporting local causes wherever it sees a need. Among the brewer's many Canada-wide initiatives in 2013, Labatt employees hosted public forums and organized local cleanups for World Environment Day, and took to the streets in hundreds to encourage Canadians to celebrate the role of designated drivers in the community.
Under the Labatt Volunteer Program, employees also volunteer for a host of other worthy causes of their own choosing - from building houses in third world countries to stocking shelves of local food banks. This past summer, when storm surges flooded southern Alberta, Labatt flew a team of employees from across the country to help with the relief effort on the ground and donated thousands of cans of Labatt-produced safe drinking water under the company's Disaster Relief Program.
Remarked De Gasperis, "Our Top 100 Employers win demonstrates that we are continuing to add to our 166-year legacy of being a positive role model for Canadian business. It comes down to our culture of giving back and our commitment to quality in everything we do."
For the past century, Labatt has been a leader in employee benefits and support. Labatt was among Canada's first companies to offer paid statutory holidays, paid annual vacations, and a group insurance plan. It was also a pioneer in establishing Safety Committees to promote accident prevention. Historical records and artifacts related to these Canadian firsts are contained in the Labatt Material Culture Collection and The Labatt Brewing Company Archival Collection, which Labatt donated to Museum London and University of Western Ontario in 2011 and are together valued at $8.3 million.
Canada's Top 100 Employers are selected by the editors of Mediacorp, the nation's largest publisher of employment-related periodicals and online directories. The competition aims to identify the companies and organizations that lead their industries in attracting and retaining employees by evaluating entrants in eight key areas: (1) Physical Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement.
About Labatt Breweries of Canada
Labatt Breweries is one of Canada's founding businesses and oldest brewers. Founded by John Kinder Labatt in London Ontario in 1847, Labatt today has more than 3,000 employees and six breweries across the country and a portfolio of 60 quality beers. The company's regional brands and iconic Canadian favourites include Alexander Keith's, Kokanee, Labatt Blue (Bleue in Quebec), Budweiser and Bud Light. As an integral part of Anheuser-Busch InBev, Labatt also sells world-renowned beers such as Stella Artois and Beck's to consumers across Canada. AB InBev is the world's leading brewer, and recognized as first in the beverage industry on Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies list in 2013.
SOURCE: Labatt Breweries of Canada
Briar Wells
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