The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor With one of the oddest placenames in the country, Flin Flon is known by millions of Canadians from coast to coast. But Aaron Macanuel admits he was in the dark about the city when it first surfaced as his potential new home. "I had never heard of Flin Flon before," he says with a smile. Macanuel is sure glad he did. Fresh off his one-year anniversary as co-owner (along with wife Sarah Lewis) of Flin Flon's Canadian Tire store, he has come to adore the community. "People here are extremely friendly," he says. "We've had no trouble adapting and being welcomed into the community." Originally from Toronto, Macanuel left behind a marketing career to apply to own a Canadian Tire store. The iconic retailer had become the family business. His grandfather owned a store, his uncle managed one and his father worked as a real estate director for the company's home office. "I kind of grew up in a Canadian Tire family, so it was something that I always kind of wanted to do," says Macanuel. In 2006, he and his wife were selected to own and manage the Canadian Tire in Digby, a small town in Nova Scotia. The experience allowed them to work their way up the ladder to the point where they could apply to own a bigger store. That's when Flin Flon came into the picture. "When this one came up, we kind of looked at it and said, 'Okay, bigger store, let's go for it,'" Macanuel recalls. The hours are long and the tasks diverse, but the couple harbours no regrets about the move. Canadian Tire, whether in Digby or Flin Flon, is where they belong. Clich "Not to use a clich, but it is very much no day is like the day before, and tomorrow will be very different from today," Macanuel says in explaining his passion for the business. "And there's always that variety, whether it's dealing with customers, dealing with employees, new challenges, different challenges, everyday you kind of have to evolve. And when you own your own business, you have to be everything Ð you're an accountant, you're a lawyer, you're a doctor, you're an expert of labour law, you're a merchandiser unloading trucks, figuring out service problems. Every day, you're continuing to evolve in your own knowledge, and that's what's always excited me about it." But there are other perks of the job. As the parents of two young children, Emily and Wyatt, Macanuel and Lewis can bring their kids to work as needed. Another benefit is the satisfaction of being able to give back to the community. Between this year and last, the store has donated almost $20,000 to worthwhile causes. While he is likely to move on to another store as time marches on, Macanuel said it is important to try and leave the store Ð and the community Ð in better shape than when he arrived.
