Phil Arrata
CEO
MEC
Teresa Baker
Founder, The Pledge
About Phil: Phil believes passionately in MEC’s purpose to inspire and enable everyone to lead active outdoor lifestyles. Phil is a highly respected leader within the retail world. He has a strong operations background and a 20-year track record of delivering results and people-oriented strategies. Phil has worked as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer at Best Buy Canada and Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company and served on MEC’s Board of Directors from 2015-18. Phil teaches finance and strategy at UBC’s Sauder MBA program and serves on the Board of the BC’s Women’s Hospital Foundation. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Northwestern University.
The Basics
Company Name: Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC)
Location: Headquartered Vancouver, British Columbia, with stores across Canada
Founded: 1971
Full-Time Employees: 2700
Products: Apparel and equipment for camping, snowsports, watersports, cycling, climbing, hiking, running, yoga, travel and more.
Social: Website Instagram Facebook Twitter
Claim to Fame: MEC was the first Canadian apparel brand to launch a Factory Fair Trade™ Certified product line in 2014, and we’re the Canadian apparel brand with the largest assortment (92 Fair Trade Certified products last year).
The Culture
Demographics (Optional):
The best thing about working at MEC is: The people. MEC Staffers are hands-on, all-in enthusiasts. The stoke for the outdoors is contagious.
When we’re not working, we’re: Waking up with the sun, leaning into corners, breaking trail, climbing splitters, catching waves, tying knots, skiing the trees, rigging tarps, crossing finish lines.
What we’re reading:
What we’re listening to:
If they made a movie about our workplace, it would be called: The Outsiders
Inclusion in the outdoors matters because: The outdoors is for everyone.
Five years down the line, it’s our hope that: More Canadians are active and see themselves reflected in MEC’s brand.
The One-Year Goals
(What’s the company culture we wish to create?)
To be added later!