Well it’s been in the making for a while now but Tim Hortons Black Diamond is now open, and we went to meet the owners – so don’t go in asking for “Tim”!
[Tweet “Smell the Welcoming Aroma of Black Diamond at the new Tim’s”]
Brad and Jeff Woolcott, two brothers from Okotoks, are the proud owners and come with a ton of experience. Sixteen years ago Brad opened the Tim Hortons Okotoks next to Wendy’s, followed by the smaller location just north of BMO (and substantiated rumour has it there will be another one coming next year over by Costco!)
While the brothers are not immediate ‘locals’ they do live in Okotoks and do own the store independently – it’s definitely not owned by some chain in Brazil. They also understand local economic development and are very committed to our locals.
100% of the staff hired for the Tim Hortons in Black Diamond are local people, many garnering their first ever job. Any non-locals you may have been helped by are there temporarily to help with training and smoothing out the launch. This is a huge benefit for our High School students who are experiencing just what it means to be responsible and answer to a ‘boss’ – from what we saw, Brad and Jeff couldn’t be better people to have for a first boss. They are patient, understanding and lenient. Not to mention that they hand out a few ‘perks’ here and there too.
[Tweet “100% of the staff at Black Diamond Tim’s are locals!”]
We chatted with one young lady, Solena Thibodeau, who’s been enjoying her first experience of having a job, and asked her what having a job means to her and what she plans to do with the money she earns.
“The primary reason I got a job is because I’m very interested in travelling, and I’m hoping to save enough money to go to London, UK or Japan, or both would be even better! So getting this job was really exciting because it’s one step closer to me reaching my goals.”
When asked how hard the learning experience/training has been Solena said, “I work with food at home, I took the Foods Program at Oilfields last year and I’m enrolled in the Culinary Arts Program at FCHS this year, so that aspect of the job has been pretty easy for me to pick up. I’m also a naturally upbeat person, so greeting people and helping with orders hasn’t been a problem. I haven’t used the till much yet and it’s got a LOT of buttons, but everyone is really good about helping each other out, so I feel really supported which makes it a bit less scary.”
Jennie Goeson said, “I haven’t work for quite a few years now and I’m finding this is a great place to work.”
[Tweet “Did you know the new Tim’s is going to be open 24/7?”]
Another plus for locals and shift workers is that the Tim Hortons Black Diamond drive-thru will be open 24/7. That’s a double whammy – nowhere else in town offers a drive-thru or 24/7 service.
Sponsorship is another big important focus with Brad in particular. He’s a hockey dad that can relate to the costs of running a tournament and when your local Tim’s sponsors a tournament they sponsor it one hundred per cent. Brad and Jeff will be getting into hockey, baseball, and soccer sponsorships – another bonus for the local youth. They focus on the non-competitive level of sports, like Brad said, “the fun stuff!” so it really helps kids to get active and try things out without it breaking the bank for the parents.
As is normal for the opening of a business like this, they have started with a quiet launch while they work out the inevitable kinks that go along with any business. Though as many locals have seen, it’s already been a busy place.
Brad and Jeff hope to have their official grand opening within a few weeks and will certainly be letting the community know once the dates are set.[break]
[break]In true Alberta style the new Tim Hortons Black Diamond was welcomed on opening day by Justin Jones and Mike Bishop as their first ride-through customers.
Justin, is on Sonny Boy, a Suffield Mustang pinto. He’s the riding instructor at DJ Ranch and riding through the Tim’s drive-thrus has become something of a trademark for him lol. Mike Bishop, on MJ the palomino, boards his horse at DJ Ranch, so the pair of them decided to go for a little ride to welcome the new Tim’s – Alberta style!
[Tweet “In true Alberta style the new Tim Hortons was welcomed into Black Diamond on opening day”]