Jaime Montejo has been working in grocery stores for over a decade. First starting as a grocery clerk at Ottawa’s Brierley’s Independent, he worked his way up to eventually becoming the store manager.

Last year, Montejo found himself wanting to move into an ownership position. He applied for a franchisee program through Loblaws, which put him on track to own his own store. A few weeks ago he officially took over operations of Shawville Valu-mart, which was owned by Joanne Dumouchel for over a decade.

His first order of business will be to get promotional items on display, right where people can see them.

“Trying to make sure that our displays are looking nice, that they’re looking full, so people can see it and [ . . . ] see that they will find good value,” he said of his main priority.

He said for him the step up to ownership is a natural one. As a clerk, he worked for a few great — and some not-so-great — bosses, and in his new role he wants to make sure he’s the former.

“It was something that I really wanted to challenge myself with because I consider myself to be a good leader,” he said.

Under the franchisee program, he spent about a week last November working at Joanne’s Valu-mart.

His first impressions of Shawville were that it’s smaller than he’s used to, but what he enjoyed the most were the people.

“The people here were always very welcoming and very nice.”

When the store came up for sale, Montejo saw it as a good opportunity to move into ownership while also being close enough to Ottawa, where he, his parents and siblings call home.

“I wanted to stay somewhere relatively close so that I’m not too isolated from them. And this one happened to pop up and it’s still within [ . . . ] my radius.”

Montejo said he had never really considered himself a leader, but he has always enjoyed working under good leaders and decided he wanted to be one too.

He said the style of leadership that always resonated the most with him as a grocery clerk was more of a hands-on approach.

“You’re always there side-by-side with them. You’re on the floor, you’re doing work, you’re not just standing up or sitting in an office and telling people what to do,” he said.

“You lead by example, and that’s something I’ve always appreciated when I’ve had that.”

He said the customer service aspect of working retail has always meant a lot to him, and in his first few weeks he’s been making an effort to get to know his customers and hear their feedback.

“You get those repeat customers, the ones that are here almost every day. You get to know them. You get to talk with them and you kind of learn a lot about each other.”

He has been listening to the customers’ concerns. “The biggest one is the one I have very little control over, which is pricing,” he said, adding he knows prices are high but there’s only so much control Loblaws allows local stores to have over them.

He said he wants to try to make up for the prices by having the shelves full of fresh produce.

“We’re ensuring we have the best and freshest as possible,” he said, acknowledging he has to work within certain limitations being in a more isolated rural location.

He said getting regular shipments is an issue because stores in more populated areas seem to get deliveries first.

“Because we’re a smaller scale in terms of when loads show up and how often they show up, it’s not easy. Sometimes we get our fresh maybe three times a week, but some stores can get it every day.”
One way around this dependence on relatively infrequent shipments, he said, is to work with local vendors, adding that he’s very open to carrying local products as it helps local businesses.

Montejo said he is community-minded and is aware of the involvement Valu-mart has traditionally had in the community. He said he wants to keep that tradition alive by donating to local organizations and causes, but since he is new to the region he is still looking for ways to get involved.

“People have reached out. I have tried doing donations and things like that [ . . . ] I’ve really just gotta figure out where it’s needed and try to do my best to help.”

Montejo said he is looking forward to growing the business and giving locals a welcoming environment with great products.

“I want to make this place the destination that people go to [ . . . ] I want to drive the community aspect, the customer service aspect. I want this to be a place that people feel welcome to shop at,” he said.
Montejo added that while he comes from a Guatemalan background where his name is pronounced more like “Hi-May,” the English pronunciation of “Jamie” is just fine.

Outside of Valu-mart, Montejo said he enjoys tennis, camping and hiking and is looking forward to getting outdoors and exploring the Pontiac’s beautiful landscape.