Brandyn Gauthier, owner of Shawville’s Giant Tiger, received a company-wide community service award on Oct. 2 at the EY Centre in Ottawa. The award is presented to a store that does exemplary work with its community.
“Whether it’s volunteering for the local fall fair, stepping in as an unexpected hockey coach, or supporting a family after a house fire, Brandyn Gauthier consistently shows up for his team and his customers, always willing to lend a hand, and is actively making a difference in the community he proudly serves,” Jessica Charbonneau, manager for external communications at Giant Tiger, wrote in a statement to THE EQUITY.
Gauthier, who started managing the store four years ago and bought it two years later, said that the award came as a surprise to him.
“It’s quite nice to be recognized in front of your peers, but I don’t do it for that,” Gauthier said. “I do it because it’s the right thing to do and when you’re a part of your community, you want to see it succeed so every little bit makes a difference.”
He said that while it’s part of Giant Tiger’s business model to support the community, it’s also his personal approach, one he developed while managing Giant Tigers in Northern Ontario.
Among the many ways Gauthier supports the local community, including hiring local youth to help them develop important life skills and volunteering to help coach his son’s hockey team, he said his store’s support of Campbell’s Bay food bank Bouffe Pontiac is the initiative of which he’s most proud.
The money raised from donations and purchases of seasonal Giant Tiger merchandise is donated to the food bank, to be used to buy food from Giant Tiger for its shelves.
“Every little bit that you can do, it goes a long way for these charities,” Gauthier said. “There’s not a lot of money going around so when you can help them be successful, that’s what I’m most proud of.”
Along with the award, Gauthier received $2,000 to be donated to the community charity of his choice, which he will be giving to Angel Tree Pontiac.
