We have barely had time to catch our breath since we arrived last Sunday in Toronto, yet we had an incredible week working with the crew at Steam Whistle Brewing. We were so warmly welcomed by everyone from the start and I can’t say enough about the kindness and generosity that was shown to us.
For example, on our first day at Steam Whistle, one of the co-founders, Cam Heaps, offered the use of his high-end video camera for the year after finding out that ours doesn’t support wireless microphones. And Greg and Sybil invited us up to their cottage for the weekend. It’s just a continual reminder with this project, of how many genuinely kind human beings there are in this world. This week, we were among some of the best.
People here like to work for this company and it is easy to see why after a few interactions with the company’s co-founders. I think the corporate culture they have managed to create is one of the major strengths of the Steam Whistle brand and one of the reasons that has allowed them to be so successful.
We were on Greg’s boat yesterday up at the cottage and I was speaking to one of the sales reps, Brian, about what he does for the company. He didn’t even consider himself in a specific position, as he feels more like family than an employee.
It was great to work in each department this week and see how everybody must work together as a team in order to achieve the company’s goals and objectives:
The company’s vision must be effectively conveyed to all the employees by co-founders Greg and Cam, the marketing department must take this vision and accurately express it in its marketing efforts to create awareness and generate interest in the product. This in turn helps the sales reps who must continually generate sales in order for the company to continue. The employees in retail must convey this vision in creating a positive experience, when customers come into the brewery for a tour.
And, of course, all this is irrelevant if you do not have a great product produced by the production team.
I will be in Toronto for the next couple of weeks – chances are you will be able to find Ian and I at the brewery a few more times when the steam whistle blows at 5pm. If you live in Toronto, hope to see you there!
Ian is working hard and the first episode of One Week Job will be released this Wednesday.
Stay tuned!
-Sean