January Newsletter
(Left to right: Glenn Ponka, V.P. Finlandia Co-op, YES client from the Empower You(th) program: Raven, YES Employment Service (ES) Client: Tanya, Hoito Restaurant Manager and YES Client: Paula Talarico, YES Employment Coordinator-Outreach: Annie Pepin, YES ES Client: Iran, Original Hoito Restaurant Cook: Teena, and YES ES client: Leila.)
When we caught up with Paula Talarico at the new Hoito location at Goods and Co. Market, she agreed to take a few minutes to finally sit down. She is a go-getter. She likes to be busy, and managing the Hoito Restaurant at the Thunder Bay Country Market and getting the new location staffed and up and running is definitely keeping her busy.
Prior to working for the Hoito, Paula was a client at YES. She had been unemployed for some time before she connected with Employment Coordinator – Outreach, Annie Pepin. “We clicked right away”, Paula said “I really felt listened to and had hope that I could find my place in the community again”. She was at a low point, not sure where to go next and she needed someone to believe in her. When Annie heard her story, she was confident that she could find an opportunity that would engage Paula and re-ignite her passion for the restaurant industry.
Before returning to Thunder Bay, Paula had been living in Kenya with her husband and son. While she was there she opened three restaurants. From inception to design, to staffing, to opening, Paula launched these restaurants and her efforts resulted in tremendous success for her and her family. Then COVID hit. There was no escaping the devastating effect that this had on everyone in the restaurant business. After some time, she decided that returning to Thunder Bay was the right decision.
Starting over was difficult, but as she sat in Annie’s office at YES, she was optimistic. There were some related opportunities that Paula considered, but then the right job came along. Our Employer Relations Coordinators work with local employers to help them recruit qualified staff, so clients at YES have access to positions that may not even be advertised anywhere else. These jobs are shared with our team to see if any of their clients fit the requirements. When a management position at the Hoito was brought in by our team, Annie immediately shared it with Paula. She was excited to apply and Annie forwarded her resume.
After a 2-hour interview, the team at the Finlandia Co-operative of Thunder Bay knew that Paula was the person to take on the task of spearheading the new Hoito location and managing the current one. Paula’s resilience, extensive experience and energy impressed Finlandia Co-operative V.P., Glenn Ponka and Board Member Paula Haapanen, and she was hired on. She got to work right away and within a month, she had the new location up and running at Goods and Co. Market. This was no small task, particularly because she had to hire additional staff to make it happen.
Paula maintained her relationship with YES and trusted our team to help with her hiring. In total, she took on five of our clients. We have clients of all ages and skill levels coming in to YES. Some people are looking for career changes, some are looking to find another job in their field, and some are looking for jobs to help them make ends meet while they move to the next step in their lives. We meet people where they are and assist them with what they need to reach their goals.
Again, Paula felt listened to as she explained her diverse hiring needs. She worked with the Employer Relations and Employment Coordinator teams to find and interview clients who were suitable. In all, she ended up successfully finding 5 new staff members from our organization. “Working with YES really helped me recruit quickly and efficiently” Paula explained.
Raven is from YES’s Empower You(th) program. This program includes pre-employment training and certification to help young people connect to their first job. “I’m so glad I hired her” Paula explained, “She is excellent with the computers and is a pro with our POS (Point of Sales) program.
Tanya, another YES client in our Employment Service (ES) program had a lot of experience working as a supply clerk in a hospital setting. Paula has found her experience and organizational skills to be invaluable. Tanya has helped with creative ideas for the new location in her role as cashier. Her keen interest in the restaurant industry makes her a great fit for the role.
Leila is a newcomer to Canada and another client in the ES program. She has a great deal of cooking experience from her home country and appreciates the opportunity to use her skills to support herself and her son here in Thunder Bay. Paula is grateful for her expertise in the kitchen.
Paula was able to fill two dishwashing positions with YES clients as well. Iran, another newcomer to Thunder Bay, was eager to find a job locally and has proved to be a reliable and dedicated employee. Paula also took on YES client Jake, (not working the day the photo was taken), who has culinary aspirations himself. Paula is introducing him to other aspects of the business during his dishwashing shifts.
In addition to the new clients from YES, Paula is also grateful to have Saku Pinta as the head cook at the new location. Saku worked on and off for the original Hoito from 1994 to 2006 and his mother, Kaija worked as the head cook at the original Hoito until her retirement in 2008. Paula is thrilled to also have Teena on her team, who has also been a cook with the Hoito since it was at its original location.
It is not often that we work so intensely with a business and successfully secure so many positions in so short a time, so we truly value this partnership. Working with the Hoito has been a pleasure and seeing the success and purpose our clients have in their new jobs is so rewarding.
Congratulations to Paula and her new team. We wish you great success with the grand opening of the Goods and Co. Market location on January 24th. Thank you so much to Glenn Ponka and his team at the Finlandia Co-operative of Thunder Bay for putting faith in the YES team. Happy New Year to you all!
YES is so grateful to the local businesses who partner with us! Over the holiday season, we showed our appreciation with a gift and gratitude. Thanks so much to Curtis Bagnall, CEO & President of Toodaloo Pest & Wildlife Services, Dean Kowalchuk, President of KAM Industrial Supply Ltd., Brianna McRae, Assistant Manager at Central Car Wash, Ryan Shalley, General Manager and Franchisee at Boston Pizza, Shayla MacLean, Production Manager Mining Division at AGAT, Colin Campbell, Quick Lube Advisor, and the team at Dominion Motors, Paula Talarico, Manager of the The Hoito Restaurant and Glenn Ponka, Vice President of the Finlandia Cooperative, Jesse Haveman, at Dykstra Knight Roofing and Renovations, and Michelle Lane, Manager at Little Caesars on Arthur Street. We appreciate you trusting us to help you fill positions and for providing meaningful work to our clients throughout the year. We look forward to carrying our partnership into 2026. Happy New Year!
YES continued its tradition of filling holiday hampers for our clients during the 2025 Christmas season. Staff members and leadership donated special items for Christmas dinner, treats, toiletries and non-perishable goods to fill four holiday hampers. One hamper was awarded to a client in each of our programs and one was given away to those entering in our Resource Area. Congratulations to Dane (left), the winner from our Empower You(th) program. River (centre) was our hamper winner from the IM&M program and Mitchell (right) was one of our IES program winners.
Testimonial alert. We are so grateful for all of the local businesses who recognize the value of the programs we deliver. Read Rose’s full testimonial on our Employer’s page.