Bailey’s wins LocaLEE Grown Award
Bailey’s General Store was presented with the LocaLEE Grown Award Aug. 25. The ceremony was held at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point and was hosted by the Lee County Economic Development Office and the Horizon Council. The award is given to a company that was founded in Lee County and displays operational success.
“We were completely surprised and excited. The Horizon Council did a fantastic job keeping the secret, which drove us a little nuts. Overall, we are overjoyed to have won, grateful the Horizon Council picked us for such an esteemed award and appreciative of the opportunity to be recognized within the community,” said Calli Johnson, project manager at Bailey’s General Store.
To recognize all the hard work Bailey’s has put forth in the community, Mayor Kevin Ruane and the Sanibel City Council will pay tribute to Richard and Mead Johnson, owners of Bailey’s General Store, Saturday, Sept. 10 at 10:30 a.m. at City Council Chambers (Mackenzie Hall) 800 Dunlop Road. The public is welcome to attend the presentation.
Johnson says that putting their customers first has played a huge role in their success over the last 117 years. One of her favorite aspects about the company is their strong ties to the community and the staff, which makes up the backbone of the store.
“We have an amazing ‘extended Bailey’s family’ that provide unparalleled levels of service to our guests. Without the folks working with us, we wouldn’t be able to run this business, so this award is for everyone at the store. Our staff, community and customers are what make us who we are,” Johnson said.
In addition to their commitment to keeping customers happy, Bailey’s is very serious about “going green.” On Sept. 6, they began the first installation of their solar panel project.
“In the works is our overall ‘greening’ of Bailey’s; this includes our solar panel project and our LED lighting project. These two energy-saving measures will significantly impact our energy usage. With a grocery store’s worth of cooling to do, that is a big deal for us. Rough estimates of energy savings from these projects could reduce our energy demands up to 30 percent,” Johnson said.
Once completed, the solar panel project will be one of the largest on Sanibel. Bailey’s plans to save 10 percent or more on their energy use.
In the past, Bailey’s established a drug free work environment and a safe work environment. Now, they are encouraging their staff to make healthy lifestyle choices.
“Our focus is now on a healthy work environment to help staff make smarter choices in regards to eating, drinking water, exercising and cutting down on tobacco use. The program includes cost covering for tobacco cessation as well as rewards for pledging healthier behavior such as Fitbits, gym memberships, massages, mani-pedis, kayak and paddleboard tours, yoga sessions, meals at the Sprout, bicycles and more,” Johnson said.
For more information on Bailey’s General Store, go to baileys-sanibel.com.