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Teamwork Makes the Dream Work 

Author: Devan Mighton
Photographer: Anthony Sheardown
1 week ago
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Three local companies discuss how they cultivate workplace culture!

There is no “I” in TEAM as the old cliche goes, and today’s employers are tasked with cultivating and calibrating the right workplace culture to make their company’s engine purr. This is often no easy task, so we have reached out to three local employers to ask how they work with their employees to make their company operate at peak efficiency. 

Amico - CCS - Waynes

CCS - Carl Bernat, President

With three divisions, CCS Engineering & Construction in Tecumseh, CCS Millwork & Cabinetry in Windsor, and CCS Interior & Design in Oakville, CCS, as a business dealing in the skilled trades, works to balance the lives of 40 employees. 

“Our company thrives on a vibrant, open, and fun culture where teamwork is at the heart of everything we do,” explains President Carl Bernat. “We encourage collaboration, creativity, and diverse perspectives, allowing every employee to contribute in meaningful ways. With a focus on transparency, support, and recognition, we ensure that everyone feels empowered, valued, and excited to be part of a team that celebrates innovation and growth.” 

Bernat has many words to describe the workplace culture at CCS, including: exciting, laid back, open, caring, bonkers, borderline inappropriate, vibrant, dynamic, collaborative, engaging, supportive, and positive. 

To help their employees thrive in the workplace, the company engages is a series of different team building activities to keep the work flowing, including office dogs for morale, Dale Carnagie Personal and Professional Development, lunch question games, Pilates at lunch, team events, benefits, flexible schedules, and by supporting work/life balance. 

Mastronardi Produce - Paul Mastronardi, President/CEO

As the largest producer and distributor of greenhouse-grown produce in North America, Mastronardi Produce features over 3,500 employees in Canada, United States, Mexico, and the Netherlands. They have been named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for 15 years in a row and are recognized as a Platinum Member. 

“We are trailblazers, driven by our pursuit of flavour, we’re always innovating to grow and deliver high-quality, non-GMO produce,” states President/CEO Paul Mastronardi. “Our culture is dynamic and entrepreneurial. Our team members are empowered to make a difference and to be creative to help keep us ahead of the competition.” 

They see investing in their employees as extremely “valuable and essential” and have long positioned themselves as a leader in prioritizing skill development, training, and professional growth opportunities to help build lifelong careers. 

To help their employees thrive, Mastronardi believes that inspiring healthy living through “WOW Flavour Experiences” is important. Each week, employees receive a fresh produce box with a selection of fruits and vegetables to take home with them. They offer the Rewarding Employee Engagement Program (REEP) to promote team spirit, community support, healthy lifestyles, the environment, and increase employee engagement throughout the year. They encourage and empower team members, by pursuing professional development programs that are paid for by the company. They offer a tuition reimbursement program, covering up to 50 per cent of academic course fees for postgraduate education. Also, they help their employees by supporting their local communities through fundraisers, produce donations, races, and through their employee engagement program. 

“At Mastronardi Produce, we want our team members to see this as a place where they can grow, build lifelong careers, and make a difference,” explains Mastronardi. “Our talented team has brought us to where we are today, and we are proud to support employee growth in any way we can.” 

Amico - Craig Sofley, Head of Human Resources

Based in Oldcastle, Amico is a vertically integrated construction and property development company, operating across South and Central Ontario with over 900 employees and three offices. 

“Amico has always been a family-run business where the employees are the bedrock of the business,” explains HR Head Craig Sofley. “That’s why we’ve always sought, as we’ve grown over the years, to retain something of the close and caring community that bound the group of founding employees. Amico has always understood that having access to fun, recreational facilities and social events can greatly contribute to bringing people together and Amico works hard to promote a balanced culture of work and play. We know that our staff appreciate it.” 

Perhaps even more importantly, in their view, is a belief that workplace happiness comes from participating in an ”enterprise whose corporate values reflect your own.” Sofley breaks these down into four core principles: integrity, ethicality, accountability, and resourcefulness; innovation, intellectual flexibility, and collegiality that inspires and promotes synergies; embracing inclusivity; and supporting sustainability. 

To promote the health and happiness of their employees, Amico uses a series of different programs to promote a safety-first culture, which is paramount to their company philosophy. In 2024, Amico rolled out a new Performance Review process which gave them insight into their employees’ future aspirations, helping them, as a company, to identify new leaders, and to show their employees that they are engaged and listening to them. They have also worked to close communication gaps with their employees through a monthly publication, Intranet, and rapidly growing social media presence to help their employees follow developments within their company. 

Amico has implemented guidance programs to promote healthier lifestyles in mental health and wellness, and, starting in 2025, field operatives will start every day with stretching exercises to mitigate the risks of strains and pulls. 

“As much as the employees work hard for our clients and projects, we like to balance their work-life experience with a healthy amount of fun!” states Sofley. “To that end, we host several social events all year long, including epic tailgate parties at our Windsor and Toronto offices, where we welcome our employees, local stakeholders and clients to connect, build, and foster relationships. We’re always experimenting with new events, looking for ways to engage our staff on a more casual, recreational basis.” 

Sofley says that Amico’s approach to teamwork can be summed up by how it embraces inclusion, by welcoming a diversity of people, perspectives, approaches, and points of view. 

“Time and again we’ve learned that a conflux of diverse opinions and approaches is essential to innovation and the resulting pride of accomplishment. In this respect, the notion of “teamwork” is thoroughly baked into every aspect of our culture and is a key driver of our motto: “Never Stop Building.” 

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