NOVEMBER 24, 2021

Community partnerships, targeted waste reduction, and…beekeeping? Social responsibility is more than a buzzy catch-phrase at Primco; it’s an essential component of company culture. Cam and Tyler introduce Primco’s social responsibility team and its efforts to serve communities in which the company operates.

“Social responsibility [means] giving back in the communities that we raise our families in and live in, not only me as the owner,” Cam says, “but everybody that works for Primco.” That deep commitment to social and environmental stewardship is nothing new. It extends back seven decades to Primco’s founder, Mr. Barker. What is new is the company’s social responsibility team. The committee, formed in early 2021, is charged with transforming company values into tangible actions, creating a legacy of good works throughout Western Canada, all the places where Primco lives, breathes, eats, and does business.

From ambitious capital improvement considerations to strategic beautification projects, the committee already has an extensive list of goals on which to focus––think solar power at the corporate offices and pollinator-friendly plantings at each location. Additionally, the committee is exploring innovative partnerships with both global and hyper-local charitable organizations. Primco’s current affiliations include well-known non-profits Ronald McDonald House and Habitat for Humanity and Calgary-based homeless advocacy The Mustard Seed. “You partner up with some people who want to do good in the marketplace,” Cam says, “and good things happen.”

Big names and sweeping changes garner a lot of attention. Still, Tyler says the company’s less flashy green initiatives, such as reducing waste and repurposing deadstock, set ripples of goodwill in motion throughout the community. “When you see Primco as a company internally take [these] on, hopefully [businesses] notice it, and they start to think ‘what can we do differently?’” For its part, Primco is enthusiastically exploring many innovative options, including playing host to a beehive on company grounds for the honey (of course!) and the opportunity to support Canada’s fragile ecosystem.

As ambitious and motivated as Primco’s social responsibility team is, Cam says that the parade only marches as fast as its leader. “If the leader is setting an example, then good people will follow them.” No worries there; Cam and the committee are in sync with each other and their communities.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Movember
The Mustard Seed
The Lighthouse
Youth Centres Of Calgary
CDL Carpet & Floor Centre, LTD
Ronald McDonald House
Habitat for Humanity ReStore
QUOTES

“I want people to know that when they spend a dollar or hundreds of thousands of dollars with Primco, that money is staying in Western Canada.” – Cam

“What can I do to give back? What can I do to make this planet we live on better today than it was yesterday for future generations coming down the road?” – Cam

“Think about the decisions you make as a leader and how does that influence those that maybe are around you and look up to you.” – Cam

“It’s not about the $200,000 donations. I mean, hey, those are there too, but it’s the little things that you could do every day, right? They add up, and as we do those as a company, I think they filter down.” – Tyler

“No matter who you are and the size of your store––and it’s not about, again, shelling out a ton of cash, it’s not about that––start somewhere. Just pick something that you want to try.” – Tyler

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Know Where You Stand is produced and edited by The Creative Impostor Studios.

To learn more about topics we discuss, visit https://primco.ca/ or contact your local sales rep.

We know where we stand, so you know where you stand.