How one associate turned an observation in the market into a culture building opportunity

During a routine visit to Franchise Bottle Partner Arctic Beverages, Jason Lemaich, Retail Sales Director, had an eye-opening experience that led him to delve deeper into the lives of Canada's Indigenous communities. Reflecting on his journey back to Toronto, he realized the extent of his lack of knowledge about Indigenous culture and heritage. Eager to bridge this gap, Jason embarked on a personal mission to gain a more profound understanding of Indigenous history and the communities supported by Arctic Beverages.

Driven by his experience, Jason advocated for the establishment of a Canadian chapter of the PepsiCo Employee Resource Group (ERG), RISE. In the United States, RISE has been instrumental in creating and sustaining meaningful relationships between PepsiCo and Native American tribes and communities. Founded in 2021, the Canadian chapter of RISE aimed to foster and sustain meaningful connections between PepsiCo and Indigenous associates, business partners, and communities across Canada.

Despite RISE being in its infancy as an Employee Resource Group, Jason expresses immense pride in the achievements to date.

"I feel incredibly proud of all we have achieved to date, and I’m inspired for the future of RISE as we continue to build our member base and engage our PepsiCo colleagues across Canada and share our rich Indigenous history in Canada."

The RISE ERG has flourished, organizing PepsiCo community events such as the Book Club, National Indigenous Peoples Day, and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. These initiatives are catalysts for building bridges between PepsiCo and local Indigenous groups, fostering positive change and promoting cultural understanding.

"The purpose of our RISE book club is to foster meaningful conversations on Indigenous topics through the power of literature. I really look forward to our book club meetings, as they provide a unique chance for me to connect with colleagues from across Canada whom I might not have the opportunity to engage with otherwise."

Creating a space to have inclusive, thoughtful conversations has helped associates build empathy and understanding. The book club focused on the history of Canadian Indigenous communities and other relevant topics. Even virtually, the conversations have proven one step in creating a more inclusive culture at PepsiCo Canada.