Jeffrey Min opened his first Korean supermarket in North York in 2003. In that short time, he has:
Mastered the “subtle language of business”
Come to understand and reconcile the differences between Canadian and Korean cultures
Built a prosperous businesses through fair and generous business practices with the local community
Jeffrey now owns and manages two Galleria Supermarkets (the original one at Yonge and Steeles and a new one at Don Mills and York Mills), each one with 120 employees. The Galleria Supermarket has been featured in the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers magazine. Galleria Supermarket has also won “Grocer of the Year” Award from the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers two years in a row, 2009 and 2010.
Jeffrey’s other business ventures include a outdoor media inc, which deals with online shopping and produces programs in-house to feature on AllTV Network in Toronto.
His business innovations include: developing a CRM (customer relationship management) system that allows customers to submit their comments directly to the distributor in Korea; creating a communications system that reports sales every two hours; allowing customers to observe the process as food is produced at the supermarket; and implementing a point of sales inventory control system linked directly to the warehouse.
It is clear that Jeffrey cares about and gives back to his customers, employees and community. Jeffrey ensures that his employees have a chance to learn and grow on the job. He offers staff job and language training opportunities and gives senior management the chance to visit Korea to find out more about their suppliers and Korean business practices. He promotes teamwork by providing each department with its own budget for team parties and fosters loyalty and motivation by offering insurance benefits and sharing profits with employees. Staff who have worked for one, three or five years receive an ounce of gold for each year worked.
Jeffrey Min believes that he must give back to the community. As well as employing new immigrants in his business, he donates generously to various local charities and has established a number of programs. In the supermarket, he created a “Share the Love Donation Tree,” which allows customers to choose the charity they wish to support; the supermarket will then donate 0.2% of the amount the customer paid for purchases to the charity selected. He provides free access to a centre within the Galleria Supermarket, which the community can use for gatherings, cooking and language classes, information sessions and small business forums. He established and continues to operate an annual local area clean-up program. He has set up a scholarship program for students in the community. Jeffrey’s business acumen and community contributions have been recognized. In 2009, he received the Business Leader of Character Community Award for York Region and in 2008; he was honoured with the Ontario Newcomer Champion Award.
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