One of the most successful companies in the country, Tim Hortons, isn't perfect and continues to try to be better, says its vice-president of corporate affairs, Scott Bonikowsky.
The company is always learning, always adapting, and customer trust has to be built every day, he said.
“We believe we are a good company; we strive to be a great company...If you are not reinventing yourself every five years, you might as well pack it in,” Bonikowsky told the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce Sept. 27 at a business breakfast.
Since the chain was founded in 1964 in Hamilton by Ron Joyce, a police officer, and NHL hockey player Tim Horton, it has become part of the Canadian culture and serves 80 per cent of the coffee poured outside the home. Forty per cent of customers visit a Tim Hortons at least four times a week, said the vice-president.
Bonikowsky, who joined the company five years ago after a successful career as a vice-president at Canadian Tire Corporation, said he would never imagine the chain known for coffee and doughnuts would today be serving fruit smoothies, beef lasagna and panini sandwiches.
The vice-president said community involvement, whether it is sponsoring hockey teams or free ice skating, is part of the company's success.
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