Burns Lake Overwaitea store manager Dan Hansen recently received a leadership excellence store award.
The announcement was first made at the annual Overwaitea Food Group's leadership conference in Richmond this month and then again in front of applauding customers and staff at the Burns Lake store last week by visiting Overwaitea officials.
Hansen received the award for his innovative approach to customers and community initiatives, Officials said the award is only presented to individuals who display outstanding leadership qualities and achieve distinguished results.
Since arriving in Burns Lake early last year from Golden, Hansen and his Overwaitea team have elevated the store to number two in B.C. as calculated by customer ratings.
Hansen said to Lakes District News that the customer ratings are calculated using the results of secret shopper reviews and customer satisfaction surveys.
He said that the secret shopper reviews look closely at staff performance and customer service and are often very critical when scoring performance, so he is pleased with the results.
Hansen has worked for Overwaitea for a total of nine years and was the assistant manager at the Golden store before taking up a management position at the Burns Lake Overwaitea store.
"I love it here, I love living in Burns Lake and have enjoyed getting involved in community events," he said.
Since Hansen has taken over the local management position at the store he has enjoyed participating in the village Christmas parade and handing out bags of candies to the public, organizing Easter egg hunts and a Canada Day parade float with his staff.
"I think this is why I was presented with the award," he said
He went on to say, "The staff and I are a team. It is great to get out and about in the community with the staff, the award is not just because of me, but because of all the efforts of the staff in these community events," he said.
Since arriving in Burns Lake Hansen has also been voted in as the president of the Burns Lake and District Chamber of Commerce and volunteered his time at many community events cooking BBQs and handing out watermelon and candies to locals.
In a press release issued by Overwaitea officials regarding the award, they credit Hansen as a leader who is very motivated and is backed by a winning team of staff.
"Dan’s leadership style is held in very high regard by his team and colleagues. Whether it’s the Burns Lake and District Chamber of Commerce or a neighbourhood BBQ, Dan rolls up his sleeves and takes on a role as ambassador, inspiring his staff and his customers to become an active part of the community," said officials.
"With a focus on continuous improvement and team member development, Dan inspires his team to embrace the Overwaitea Food Group spirit and he is committed to doing what’s right for his customers."
Humbly, Hansen said the achieving the award would not have been possible without the great team of staff he has in Burns Lake.