by Betty Bardswich
MINDEMOYA—The owners, staff and customers of Island Foodland in Mindemoya celebrated the store’s 15th anniversary on October 25.
Island Foodland co-owner Mike Bondi addressed the employees at the celebration saying, “We have had great staff right from the beginning and we want to thank you for your hard work and dedication. We really appreciate our staff and we wouldn’t be here for this long without you.”
Mr. Bondi went on to tell the employees and onlookers that Island Foodland was one of the approximately 1,000 stores that Sobey’s had 15 years ago and half of those stores were independently owned. “Today,” he said, “we are one of only six stores that are family owned. The rest are corporate stores. We have survived for 15 years and we take pride in the fact that we are still a family store with family values and we attribute that to our staff.”
Mr. Bondi also had special thanks for store manager Carol Patterson saying, “She has been here for several years. Carol started as a produce clerk and then became the produce manager and is now store manager. She’s changed the atmosphere in the store and our staff love to work for her. She is a hands on person and the staff respects her and her hard work and that translates into a very positive atmosphere for our loyal customers.”
Mr. Bondi, along with his sister and co-owner Michelle Hart, served cake and coffee to staff members and customers in celebration of the store’s 15-year history.
