Justin began his career with Canadian Tire in Barrie at the age of 12 as a bagger and eventually as an automotive parts clerk. Justin would continue to work at Canadian Tire as he attended High School and University.

Justin’s career was interrupted at the age of 16 when he was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, the most common form of bone cancer and the same disease which claimed the life of Terry Fox. Due to advances in medicine which Justin attributes to the efforts of Terry Fox and those who continued his work, his chances for survival were 50%. Justin says that he never saw death as an option and although he lost a leg to the disease he survived with a new perceptive on life.

Justin attended the University of Western Ontario in London to study economics and at the age of 23 he became the Manager of the London Auto Centre Canadian Tire store.

After a few years Justin transferred with his Dealer from the London store to Steinbach, Manitoba where he became the General Manager. Justin worked there until the age of 29 at which time he joined Canadian Tire Corporation as the Regional Support Manager for Western Canada and was responsible for working with the stores and acting as corporate liaison.

In 2001 Justin applied and was accepted by Canadian Tire to become a dealer. Justin’s first store as a dealer was in Thompson, Manitoba. It was while they lived in Manitoba that Justin and his wife Shelley welcomed their first son in 2002. Their son was diagnosed with a life threatening illness and Justin and Shelley moved back east to be near family in Sudbury. Justin transferred to the Canadian Tire store in the city of Espanola in 2004. Tragically their son passed away in 2005, the same year their second son was born.

In 2006 Justin was offered a unique opportunity to start the building of a store from the ground up. From a lifestyle perspective, Waterloo offered Justin and Shelley wonderful educational institutions, extracurricular activities for children, access to Toronto and a small town feel with large town services. From a business perspective Justin saw a dynamic, growing community with many young people who could join the Canadian Tire family and start careers.

Justin moved his family to Waterloo along with several other families from the Espanola, Thompson and Scarborough stores. Justin says he hopes that in some way he and his wife Shelley, who is a chartered accountant and Controller for the company, can make a difference in the lives of his staff, customers and the community. To this end, Justin has been an avid supporter of the Clair Hills Community Association (CHCA) and its fund raising efforts since he arrived in the area. He and his staff made it possible for CHCA to hold a BBQ fund raiser during the opening weekend of the store which was CHCA’s most successful fund raising event to date.

This year Justin and Shelley welcomed another son to their family and they spend their free time together enjoying all of the amenities that the KW region has to offer. When not at the store or with his family, you may see Justin at the gym or walking his golden retriever.

Justin is not only a business man doing business in our community he is also a resident. His and Shelley’s vision for our community mirrors what most of us would like to see for the future. A community which will thrive and be connected through mutual concerns such as safety, security, a healthy lifestyle for our children, environmental awareness and which is populated by community-minded neighbours and business people.

Justin looks forward to meeting his customers as they shop at the store and he encourages everyone to seek out either himself, Dwayne Mackey (General Manager) or Mike Steger (Store Manager) should they have questions or concerns regarding their experiences with the store.