ThirdQuarter News Stories
Mixing Experience and Youth
We're not really looking at ThirdQuarter as a young-person replacement. We're looking at it as a way to supplement the skills that our young workforce has.
Matt Bialek
Blast-Off Fireworks President
Selkirk, Manitoba
Matt and Ryan Bialek may be young entrepreneurs, but they're wise enough to know experience is an ingredient for success.
The brothers and co-owners of Blast-Off Fireworks in Selkirk, Man., have been hiring staff more than twice their age through the ThirdQuarter program and couldn't be happier with the additions.
"We look to the older population, the semi-retired individuals, because I believe they have evaluation of service," said Matt, Blast-Off's 29-year-old president.
"They know what it means to receive and provide good service."
Blast-Off started in 2000 and has become Western Canada's largest wholesale distributor of fireworks. Ryan, 22, is president of its retail division Red Bomb Fireworks.
The company employs 10 people year-round and boosts the number up to 25 during the peak summer season. It was named Manitoba's outstanding small business in 2009.
Three ThirdQuarters have been hired part-time as a merchandiser, customer service representative and truck driver.
"Our (staff) demographic is very young," Matt said. "We probably have a median age that I think would be high 20s, low 30s.
"The (ThirdQuarter) program gave us a pool of talent with experience, and some of the people we recruit from this pool we were hoping would be mentors for our younger staff."
George Smith, 67, was hired through ThirdQuarter in early May as a merchandiser. He travels around central and southern Manitoba delivering product and putting it on the shelves of retail outlets.
"I was just looking for something to do and I wanted something part-time, one or two days a week," said Smith, who was a travelling salesman (footwear, clothing and sporting goods) for more than 40 years.
"It's a young company with young men and women in it and they're a lot of fun, all very pleasant and very nice."
He likes the extra income, but said it wasn't the reason he entered the workforce again after retiring in 2009. He wanted to get out of the house and do work that was flexible and wouldn't interfere with the trips down south he and his wife take in the winter.
He also found a volunteer job through ThirdQuarter as a marshal for golf tournaments at a local course.
Being able to find those positions online was a bonus.
"Rather than walking around from building to building and applying for a job, a fellow like myself can get on the computer and you've got seven or eight or nine jobs listed occasionally," Smith said.
"When it's that convenient for you, it's really nice."
The Bialeks plans to continue posting job openings on the website.
"I have a lot more confidence in that demographics in terms of meeting people, in terms of providing service than I would in a young person who might not have that skill set because they haven't had the chance to acquire that in their life yet," Matt said.
"We're not really looking at ThirdQuarter as a young-person replacement. We're looking at it as a way to supplement the skills that our young workforce has."
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Archives
November 2011
October 2011
- ThirdQuarter is a Great Resource
- National Seniors Council Report to Federal Government Promotes ThirdQuarter
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
- ThirdQuarter Presents Inaugural Employer Recognition Certificate
- ThirdQuarter Launches in Portage la Prairie
May 2011
- ThirdQuarter Fills Hiring Needs
- ThirdQuarters Are Reliable and Flexible
- ThirdQuarter Fills a Niche and Needs
- You Talked. We Acted.
- Portage la Prairie Launch Postponed
- ThirdQuarter 2.0 to be released May 17
April 2011
- ThirdQuarters Have Talent for Tutoring
- A Refreshing Change
- Bill Denyar - President - Atlantic Chambers of Canada
March 2011
- When Jim King talks about transferable skills, he speaks from experience
- Wanting a ThirdQuarter Encore
February 2011
- ThirdQuarter Hires Make an Impact
- ThirdQuarter Hires Make an Impact
- Steve McLellan - CEO - Saskatchewan Chambers of Commerce
- Don Anderson found his perfect match in ThirdQuarter
January 2011
- Office of Literacy and Essential Skills
Bureau de l'alphabétisation et des compétences essentielles
