Tuesday, September 10, 2013 • 1

September 2013

NEWS& pviewsviews

WE HAVE SOMETHING WE WE HAVE SOMETHING WE WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU...WITH YOU...Our profitsOur profits

Ian Flatt Retires After 32 years with Otter Co-op

Friday, August 30th was a day of mixed emotion as staff and customers shared a farewell cake for Ian Flatt as he retired from Otter Co-op after thirty-two years.

Ian started with Otter in April of 1981 in the Sporting Goods Department. At that time the Hardware and Agro Departments were separate and Ian started on the Hardware side. Eventually the two departments merged and Ian was promoted to Hardware Supervisor and eventually to Hardware Manager.

Never a request too large – be it from a customer or staff member – Ian was always willing to help and dedicated to making his department a success.

Ian and his wife Lois live in Abbotsford; have two grown sons, one daughter-in-law and two grandsons. From everyone at Otter Co-op we wish

Ian and Lois a long and happy well deserved

retirement.

Congratulations!

Otter Co-op WelcomesTim MarshallOtter Co-op is excited to announce the appointment of Tim Marshall as our Nutritionist/Technical Service Manager. Tim will bring a wealth of expertise and knowledge to our group with his 32 years of service in the feed industry. His expertise in nutrition, purchasing, technical service and sales will be instrumental in our growth and progress for future. We are looking forward to his positive contribution to our already growing business.

David PeckhamHeads off to the InteriorDavid Peckham joined the Otter Co-op Feed sales team in December of 1992 at our Aldergrove location. David has recently made the move to join the Armstrong operation to serve our dairy customers in the interior as well as to expand our sales in dairy feeds and Value Added products in the region. His experience and expertise in hay and silage management and herd knowledge will be a true asset to our customers as we grow our service in the Armstrong and surrounding areas. We wish David and his family much happiness and success in their new adventure.

Join us on Thursday September 19, Friday September 20, or Saturday September 21 and pick up your Equity Cheque in front of the Retail Centre. If you are not able to pick up your cheque on one of these dates we will be mailing them to you the following week.

During these three days you can also take advantage of the Member Appreciation Scratch Sale - 10-50% off on GROCERIES (excluding tobacco, lottery, dairy and prescriptions), HARDWARE (excluding agricultural chemicals), FASHIONS, SACKED FEED, PETFOOD, LUBES & OILS (in feed store excluding fuels, case lot oil & 20 litre pails of oil, tanks & pumps)

Chicken Barbecue will be held on Friday, September 20, 4:30-7:00 (or the fi rst 1200 customers). Chicken Dinner is $5.00 and includes barbecued chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad, bun, dessert and a drink.

We hope to see you then!

Did you know? If you don’t yet have a membership it is a onetime fee of $10 to become a lifetime member. Next year you too could be sharing in the profi ts. Get your membership today at any of our locations.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013 • 32 • Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Blueberries and Ice-Cream, Bluegrass music by Backspin/ High Rise Lonesome, Aldergrove and Langley Artists displaying their art work, pottery and jewelry were all part of the Otter Co-op B.C. Day Social. Also included were representatives from Langley Meals on Wheels and Langley Seniors Recreation and Resource Centre with an information table. The total received in donations was $630.40 which was presented to Matthew’s House in Abbotsford. Thank you to everyone that came out and supported our B.C. Day Celebration.

PICTURED HERE John Jackman and Ron Morris members of the Vintage Car Club of Canada (middle l. to r.) presented Otter Co-op representatives (outside l. to r.) Merilee McAuley and Bev Dornan with a plaque of appreciation on the success of the First Annual Car Show.

NEWS&President’s Message:

As I am writing my report, I realize that Fall is upon us: leaves falling off trees, dark mornings, and much cooler days. It is so nice to live in a place where we can experience the changing seasons. So too at the Retail Center, where we are shifting to Fall and Winter clothing, replacing barbeques with snow shovels, and more of us meeting up with friends in the coffee shop.

Three summer events, the Board Barbeque, held in June, our July 1st Raspberry Social, and the August 5th BC Day Blueberry

Social were all well attended and donations collected were given respectively to the Otter Staff Community Group, the Langley Hospice Society, and Matthew’s House in Abbotsford. All very worthy community involved groups with Otter Co-op donating in excess of $100,000 yearly to these and many other organizations in our trading area. Our next big donation will be to Langley Meals-on-Wheels whom the Board of Directors has chosen to be the recipient of our Co-op sponsored chicken barbeque on September 20th.

It seems that we are welcoming at least 250 new members each month who are paying their $10.00 lifetime membership to take advantage of our cash-back and equity which the Co-op proudly offers. For the fi scal year that ended March 2, 2013, our cash-back and equity totals $5.88 million. A member needed only to spend $270.00 in the last fi scal year to receive a cheque.

And that brings me to our upcoming “Equity Days” being held on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, September 19th – 21st starting at 9:00 a.m. each day where members can come to the Retail Center to pick up their cheque. On Friday, September 20th we will be hosting the chicken barbeque starting at 4:30 p.m. with a cost of $5.00 per person. Why not join us?

And remember, when you shop local you are supporting many people … your neighbors, your friends, or even your friend’s children.

If you haven’t been to the Retail Center come on over and check us out … you will be surprised.

On behalf of the Board of Directors I wish you a bountiful harvest season.

Dorothy AndersonOTTER CO-OP BOARD PRESIDENT

Jack Nicholson General Manager

General Manager’s Message

Wow, summer is over and fall is on its way this month! I hope you had some time to enjoy the fantastic weather we experienced throughout the summer, with some great temperatures and sun in July and August.

Here at Otter, we are just over half way through our fi scal year, and time continues to fl y by too quickly.

We are excited to be preparing for our Equity Days being held at the Retail Centre on September 19 through 21, where we have the privilege of providing our members with their cash and equity allocation from the 2012 fi scal year; which amounts to over $5.88 million! We had a fantastic record year last year, and are proud to share the profi ts with our membership, which forms one of the great Membership Benefi ts of being a Co-op member. We would not be able to share these profi ts without your continued great support and patronage of our business lines.

I am able to report that at the end of Period #6, Otter overall sales were 1.5% ahead of last year at this same time. Not a great increase, but defi nitely something we are proud of with the tight economy, increased competition, and rise in cross-border shopping. Sales increases have been seen in our feed, pharmacy, and general merchandise divisions. Our bulk petroleum division has seen a nice increase in bulk delivered litres to farm and commercial business, but we have seen a signifi cant decrease in litres delivered to reseller gas bars. And with the increase in cross border shopping, our food and gas bar divisions have both seen a decline in sales this past summer. Hopefully with everyone over their vacations, the kids back in school, and the line ups at the border getting longer, this trend will even out and people will spend more time shopping at home. Sales decreases in these divisions are defi nitely affecting our bottom line so far this year, and we are off of last years’ savings at this time by over 50%.

Some exciting events at Otter the fi rst half of our 2013 year include the purchase of a feed mill operation in Armstrong, and the planning of a new bulk plant, cardlock, gas bar, convenience store and offi ce space in Chilliwack. Our sales continue to grow in the interior, and we are pleased to announce that our Chilliwack project is going to tender this month, with plans to begin construction in October. The Chilliwack site is projected to add in excess of $35 million a year in sales, and is a great fi t to our trading area and the customers we already serve there.

We continue to work towards an upgrade at our 248th cardlock and gas bar site, and plans continue on a gas bar and convenience store on Highway 11 between Abbotsford and Mission. Your Co-op board, management and staff continue to work diligently on keeping Otter a growing, diverse and profi table business for our members, and we look forward to serving you the rest of the year. I’d like to take this opportunity to again thank our members for their continued support, as well as all of our great team members here for their continued work in making Otter the great place to shop, whether it be for petroleum, feed, general merchandise, pharmacy or food. Stop by during Equity Days, say hello, and share in your portion of the $5.88 million going back to members based on their purchases in 2012; we hope to see you here at the Co-op!

Jack NicholsonGENERAL MANAGER

CUSTOMER WINNER Pictured here (l. to r.): Thrilled winner Jackie Godin along with her son and mother.

ViewsViewsThe fall season is upon us! Otter Co-op’s Operations

Dorothy AndersonBoard President

PICTURED HERE (l. to r.): Otter Co-op General Manager Jack Nicholson presenting Langley Hospice Society representative Shannon Todd Booth with a cheque from donations received at the Raspberry Social.

blueberry socialblueberry socialBC DAY CANADA DAYraspberry socialraspberry social

CUSTOMER WINNER Pi t d hSTAFF WINNER Pictured here on the right is a very

surprised Carolyn Strobel (Family Fashions Department)

winner of the Staff Backyard BBQ Contest. Also in photo

is Dorothy Nielsen (family fashions dept.) sharing in

Carolyn’s excitement.

COMMUNITYCOMMUNITY serving our BACKYARD BBQ CONTESTWinners!Winners!

There was a great turn out for the Canada Day Raspberry Social at Otter Co-op. Approximately 700 people stopped by for the celebration and enjoyed the Raspberry Shortcake, music by Gracie & the Guys and a display put on by The BC Pioneer Truck Society. There were $968.41 received in donations which we were very happy to be able to present to The Langley Hospice Society.

Ed KlassenEd KlassenCONGRATULATIONS

Ed Klassen came to work for Otter Co-op in 1985 in the Hardware Department.

He used to say “I’m just working here until I decide what I want to do.”

Here it is twenty-eight years later and he is retiring from Otter Co-op. Not sure if he never fi gured it out or if Otter

was such a great place to work he decided not to leave. We wish Ed and his wife Elaine many years of happy retirement enjoying the grandchildren, climbing mountains and just doing all the things that bring joy to your life.

All the Best!

Drop off completed puzzle to any of our locations to be entered into a draw for a chance to win one of four $25 Co-op Gift Cards.

NAME: ____________________________________________________. PHONE # _________________________

gas bar winnersgas bar winnersCUSTOMER

APPRECIATION

During the summer our fi ve gas bars each held a Customer Appreciation Day. They served free hot dogs, cookies and refreshments. There was also lot of prizes to be won including the Grand Prize of a $500 Co-op Gift Card at each of the Gas Bars. Thank you to everyone that stopped by to partake in our Customer Appreciation Celebrations.

WINNERS OF THE $500 GIFT CARDSGloucester Gas Bar – Jessica Wightman

Ladner Gas Bar – Brian Horne248th Street Gas Bar – Sandy SullRoss Road Gas Bar – Rudy Braun

Fraser Heights Gas Bar – Brent Woodward

appreciationappreciationPLAQUE OF

Tuesday, September 10, 2013 • 32 • Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Blueberries and Ice-Cream, Bluegrass music by Backspin/ High Rise Lonesome, Aldergrove and Langley Artists displaying their art work, pottery and jewelry were all part of the Otter Co-op B.C. Day Social. Also included were representatives from Langley Meals on Wheels and Langley Seniors Recreation and Resource Centre with an information table. The total received in donations was $630.40 which was presented to Matthew’s House in Abbotsford. Thank you to everyone that came out and supported our B.C. Day Celebration.

PICTURED HERE John Jackman and Ron Morris members of the Vintage Car Club of Canada (middle l. to r.) presented Otter Co-op representatives (outside l. to r.) Merilee McAuley and Bev Dornan with a plaque of appreciation on the success of the First Annual Car Show.

NEWS&President’s Message:

As I am writing my report, I realize that Fall is upon us: leaves falling off trees, dark mornings, and much cooler days. It is so nice to live in a place where we can experience the changing seasons. So too at the Retail Center, where we are shifting to Fall and Winter clothing, replacing barbeques with snow shovels, and more of us meeting up with friends in the coffee shop.

Three summer events, the Board Barbeque, held in June, our July 1st Raspberry Social, and the August 5th BC Day Blueberry

Social were all well attended and donations collected were given respectively to the Otter Staff Community Group, the Langley Hospice Society, and Matthew’s House in Abbotsford. All very worthy community involved groups with Otter Co-op donating in excess of $100,000 yearly to these and many other organizations in our trading area. Our next big donation will be to Langley Meals-on-Wheels whom the Board of Directors has chosen to be the recipient of our Co-op sponsored chicken barbeque on September 20th.

It seems that we are welcoming at least 250 new members each month who are paying their $10.00 lifetime membership to take advantage of our cash-back and equity which the Co-op proudly offers. For the fi scal year that ended March 2, 2013, our cash-back and equity totals $5.88 million. A member needed only to spend $270.00 in the last fi scal year to receive a cheque.

And that brings me to our upcoming “Equity Days” being held on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, September 19th – 21st starting at 9:00 a.m. each day where members can come to the Retail Center to pick up their cheque. On Friday, September 20th we will be hosting the chicken barbeque starting at 4:30 p.m. with a cost of $5.00 per person. Why not join us?

And remember, when you shop local you are supporting many people … your neighbors, your friends, or even your friend’s children.

If you haven’t been to the Retail Center come on over and check us out … you will be surprised.

On behalf of the Board of Directors I wish you a bountiful harvest season.

Dorothy AndersonOTTER CO-OP BOARD PRESIDENT

Jack Nicholson General Manager

General Manager’s Message

Wow, summer is over and fall is on its way this month! I hope you had some time to enjoy the fantastic weather we experienced throughout the summer, with some great temperatures and sun in July and August.

Here at Otter, we are just over half way through our fi scal year, and time continues to fl y by too quickly.

We are excited to be preparing for our Equity Days being held at the Retail Centre on September 19 through 21, where we have the privilege of providing our members with their cash and equity allocation from the 2012 fi scal year; which amounts to over $5.88 million! We had a fantastic record year last year, and are proud to share the profi ts with our membership, which forms one of the great Membership Benefi ts of being a Co-op member. We would not be able to share these profi ts without your continued great support and patronage of our business lines.

I am able to report that at the end of Period #6, Otter overall sales were 1.5% ahead of last year at this same time. Not a great increase, but defi nitely something we are proud of with the tight economy, increased competition, and rise in cross-border shopping. Sales increases have been seen in our feed, pharmacy, and general merchandise divisions. Our bulk petroleum division has seen a nice increase in bulk delivered litres to farm and commercial business, but we have seen a signifi cant decrease in litres delivered to reseller gas bars. And with the increase in cross border shopping, our food and gas bar divisions have both seen a decline in sales this past summer. Hopefully with everyone over their vacations, the kids back in school, and the line ups at the border getting longer, this trend will even out and people will spend more time shopping at home. Sales decreases in these divisions are defi nitely affecting our bottom line so far this year, and we are off of last years’ savings at this time by over 50%.

Some exciting events at Otter the fi rst half of our 2013 year include the purchase of a feed mill operation in Armstrong, and the planning of a new bulk plant, cardlock, gas bar, convenience store and offi ce space in Chilliwack. Our sales continue to grow in the interior, and we are pleased to announce that our Chilliwack project is going to tender this month, with plans to begin construction in October. The Chilliwack site is projected to add in excess of $35 million a year in sales, and is a great fi t to our trading area and the customers we already serve there.

We continue to work towards an upgrade at our 248th cardlock and gas bar site, and plans continue on a gas bar and convenience store on Highway 11 between Abbotsford and Mission. Your Co-op board, management and staff continue to work diligently on keeping Otter a growing, diverse and profi table business for our members, and we look forward to serving you the rest of the year. I’d like to take this opportunity to again thank our members for their continued support, as well as all of our great team members here for their continued work in making Otter the great place to shop, whether it be for petroleum, feed, general merchandise, pharmacy or food. Stop by during Equity Days, say hello, and share in your portion of the $5.88 million going back to members based on their purchases in 2012; we hope to see you here at the Co-op!

Jack NicholsonGENERAL MANAGER

CUSTOMER WINNER Pictured here (l. to r.): Thrilled winner Jackie Godin along with her son and mother.

ViewsViewsThe fall season is upon us! Otter Co-op’s Operations

Dorothy AndersonBoard President

PICTURED HERE (l. to r.): Otter Co-op General Manager Jack Nicholson presenting Langley Hospice Society representative Shannon Todd Booth with a cheque from donations received at the Raspberry Social.

blueberry socialblueberry socialBC DAY CANADA DAYraspberry socialraspberry social

CUSTOMER WINNER Pi t d hSTAFF WINNER Pictured here on the right is a very

surprised Carolyn Strobel (Family Fashions Department)

winner of the Staff Backyard BBQ Contest. Also in photo

is Dorothy Nielsen (family fashions dept.) sharing in

Carolyn’s excitement.

COMMUNITYCOMMUNITY serving our BACKYARD BBQ CONTESTWinners!Winners!

There was a great turn out for the Canada Day Raspberry Social at Otter Co-op. Approximately 700 people stopped by for the celebration and enjoyed the Raspberry Shortcake, music by Gracie & the Guys and a display put on by The BC Pioneer Truck Society. There were $968.41 received in donations which we were very happy to be able to present to The Langley Hospice Society.

Ed KlassenEd KlassenCONGRATULATIONS

Ed Klassen came to work for Otter Co-op in 1985 in the Hardware Department.

He used to say “I’m just working here until I decide what I want to do.”

Here it is twenty-eight years later and he is retiring from Otter Co-op. Not sure if he never fi gured it out or if Otter

was such a great place to work he decided not to leave. We wish Ed and his wife Elaine many years of happy retirement enjoying the grandchildren, climbing mountains and just doing all the things that bring joy to your life.

All the Best!

Drop off completed puzzle to any of our locations to be entered into a draw for a chance to win one of four $25 Co-op Gift Cards.

NAME: ____________________________________________________. PHONE # _________________________

gas bar winnersgas bar winnersCUSTOMER

APPRECIATION

During the summer our fi ve gas bars each held a Customer Appreciation Day. They served free hot dogs, cookies and refreshments. There was also lot of prizes to be won including the Grand Prize of a $500 Co-op Gift Card at each of the Gas Bars. Thank you to everyone that stopped by to partake in our Customer Appreciation Celebrations.

WINNERS OF THE $500 GIFT CARDSGloucester Gas Bar – Jessica Wightman

Ladner Gas Bar – Brian Horne248th Street Gas Bar – Sandy SullRoss Road Gas Bar – Rudy Braun

Fraser Heights Gas Bar – Brent Woodward

appreciationappreciationPLAQUE OF

4 • Tuesday, September 10, 2013

NEWS& viewsviews

Did you know you can bypass the switchboard and dial direct to the

following departments?Administration 604 856 2517

Petroleum: 604 607 6912 Feed: 604 607 6901

Hardware: 604 607 6909 Bakery: 604 607 6920

Café/Deli: 604 607 6921Produce: 604 607 6919

Meat: 604 607 6918 Grocery: 604 607 6936

Pharmacy: 604 607 6934

ottercoop.com

• FULL TIME POSITIONSFull Time - Sr. Administration ClerkFull Time - Bulk Petroleum Manager

• PART TIME POSITIONSPart Time Pharmacy Technician

Part Time Glen Mountain Produce Clerk

job vacancies

RETAIL CENTRE3650 248 StAldergrove

(604) 856 2517Hours:

Sun-Sat 8am-8pmMost Statutory Holidays

9am-6pmAdministration

Hours:Mon-Sat 8am-6pm

Closed SundayPost Office

Hours:Mon-Sat 8am-5:30pm

Closed SundayPharmacy

Mon-Fri 9am-7pmSat 9am-5pm

Sunday 11am-5pm

FEED STOREPETROLEUM3548 248 St

Aldergrove, BCFeed Store Phone:(604) 607 6901

Petroleum Phone:(604) 607 6912Hours: Mon-Sat

8am-5:30pmSunday 9am-5pm

Closed Stat Holidays

GAS BARS:248 Street Gas Bar24795 Fraser Hwy

Aldergrove, BC(604) 856 7011

Ross Road Gas Bar29622 Fraser Hwy

Abbotsford

(604) 856 0030Ladner Gas Bar

6420 Ladner Trunk RdLadner, BC

(604) 940-1322Gas Bar Hours:

Mon-Fri 5am-11pmSat/Sun/Stat Hols

6am-11pmGloucester Gas BarWith a Tim Hortons

26474 56th Ave, Aldergrove, B.C. (604) 856 6676

Hours:5am-11pm 7 Days/ Week

incl Stat HolidaysFraser Heights

Gas Bar16788 104 Ave.

Surrey, BC

(604) 582-2517Hours:

Mon-Fri 5am-11pmSat/Sun/Stat Hols

6am-11pm

PITT MEADOWS 12343 Harris Road

Pitt Meadows(604) 465 5651

Hours:Mon-Fri

9am-5:30pmSaturday 9am-5pm Sunday 10am-4pmClosed on Statutory

Holidays

GLEN MOUNTAIN PRODUCE

2618 McMillan Road

Abbotsford(604) 851 9636

HoursMon-Sat 9am-8pmSunday 10am-6pm

GLEN MOUNTAIN PHARMACY

2596 McMillan RoadAbbotsford

(604) 851 9654 Hours

Mon-Fri 10am-6pmSaturday 10am-5pmClosed Sundays &

HolidaysARMSTRONG

FEEDMILL100 Udy Place Armstrong

(250) 546 8117

Food & Friends• Resumes the 2nd & 4th Monday of the month - September 9 & 23

Equity Days • Sept 19-20-21

Equity Days Chicken BBQ • Friday September 20 - 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm

Fashions BOGO Sale• Friday & Saturday, September 27 – 28

Thanksgiving 1 Day Scratch & Save Hardware & Fashions• Saturday, October 12Fashions BOGO Sale

• Friday & Saturday, October 18 – 19Kids’ Club Halloween Party

• Sunday, October 27 10:00 am – 2:00 pmLadies Night

• Saturday, November 2 (Tickets on sale October 15)3 Day Scratch & Save Hardware and Fashions

• November 14 – 16Seniors Shopping Day and Turkey Dinner

• Tuesday, November 26 (Tickets on sale November 12)3 Day Scratch & Save Hardware and Fashions

• November 28 – 29 – 30Fashions BOGO Sale• December 6 – 7 – 8

2 Day Scratch Hardware & Fashions• December 13 – 14

Breakfast with Santa• Saturday December 7 & 14, 2 sittings at each (Tickets on sale Nov. 12)

Kids’ Club Christmas Skating Party• December 22 10:15 am –12:15 pm (Twin Rinks Langley Red Rink)

coming events

Did you know?

• Full Prescription Service• Full line of vitamin supplements

• Ostomy Supplies • Home Health Care• Free blood pressure testing

• Free blister packing • Vaccinations• True Rewards: Become a Co-op Member today & participate in the dividend program

OTTER CO-OP PHARMACY & GLEN MOUNTAIN PHARMACYWe for your health needs

Otter Co-op Board Members:Dorothy Anderson – President

Frank Hauzer – 1st Vice PresidentDick Mayer – 2nd Vice President

Susan Dodd – SecretaryJohn Watt

Frank BraunLarry Jantzen

Angie McDougallMaria Pucek

Watch for upcoming Clinics & Flu Shots

Every Thursday from 11:30-4:00 our Bakery Department will be making fresh mini donuts out in

front of the retail centre.

Otter Co-op Retail Centre has a variety of

FRESH IN-STORE MADE

cakes with our own unique recipes. We have cakes for Birthdays

and all your Special Occasions, Come in and check

our selection or order one today at

604 607 6920.

FREE DELIVERY

Glen Mountain Pharmacy604 851 9654

Otter Co-op Pharmacy604 607 6934

Otter Pharmacy Glen Mountain Pharmacist Kin Ng

PHARMACIESHAAAAARRRRMAAAAACCCCCIIEESHHHHAAAAARRRRRMMAAAACCCCCIIIIEEEES

PICTURED HERE (l. to r.) Bakery Manager Dave Forward and Demo Guy Rick Addison also little Gavin Davis stops by to test the donuts. So Good!

IT ONLY COSTS YOU A ONETIME FEE OF $10 TO BE A

LIFETIME MEMBER

OF OTTER CO-OP?

Did you know?

You’ll find us here: