Mountain Equipment Co-op jobs

IDcard
Headquarters: Vancouver (British Columbia)
Year of creation: 1971
Type of company: private
Sector of activity: retail

Features
Mountain Equipment Co-op, or MEC, is a Canadian retail co-operative that sells outdoor recreation gear and clothing exclusively to its members who are also its owners. Members receive benefits such as purchasing quality items at preferred prices and access to rental gear. As well, 1% of every sale supports the outdoor community. A lifetime membership is $5.00, unchanged since 1971. Members are considered voting shareholders and can receive share redemptions. It is Canada’s largest co-op by membership. It has more than twenty stores located across British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Employees
MEC’s more than 800 employees are passionate outdoor enthusiasts. Whether functioning as project managers, store managers, bike mechanics or team leaders, amongst others, they participate in company activities such as cycling and running events, as well as summer barbecues and birthday celebrations. Employees also have access to internal social media, a suggestion box, an intranet site and music while working.

Working environment
MEC provides competitive compensation and a generous benefits package that includes health plans that may vary by position. Also available are life and disability insurance, a profit sharing plan, matching RSP, interest-free loans for bikes, boats and computers, product promotional deals, an employee assistance plan, maternity/ employee leave and flexible work hours. New employees receive two weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job. Additionally, it offers in-house training, leadership training and paid internships. MEC pays up to $1000 in tuition subsidies for job-related and non job-related courses per year. Employees also receive up to two days paid time off to volunteer.

Corporate culture
MEC’s ethos is driven by a desire to ethically serve both the environment and the community at large by building a community of outdoor enthusiasts. To this end, it partners with numerous groups across Canada building, for example, recreational trails or supporting at-risk youth through outdoor recreation and education programs. It believes in conserving and stewarding areas of ecological value (such as the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association) for sustainable, long-term recreational use. It also conducts annual employee-led “dumpster dives” in an effort to understand where a store is generating waste and what improvements can be made. It was one of the first retailers to eliminate the use of plastic bags in 2008. MEC was selected as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers (2018) and is one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers (2019).