The produce department's Larry Berner in a vintage photo of him from 1981 when he started at the store when it was still on Centre Street. (Extra Food Meadow Lake Facebook)

By Angela Brown

Long-term commitment

ML Extra Foods’ Berner celebrates 42 years with company

Mar 2, 2023 | 2:13 PM

Forty-two years. That’s quite a commitment many people wouldn’t make to one company today.

But when Larry Berner rolled up his sleeves and started at the store that would eventually be known as Extra Foods in Meadow Lake in the early 1980s, he was in it for the long haul.

He recently celebrated his milestone anniversary with the company.

Berner used to be the produce department manager but stepped down this year to a part-time role.

“I’m just going to go two days a week until I get tired of working,” he said.

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Originally from Regina, Berner has been living in Meadow Lake since the early 1970s.

Once he started working at the store, it just became his home away from home, getting to know the staff and all the customers over the years.

“I’ve been doing it so long, I don’t have to change,” Berner said of his work. “And it’s a good group. It’s friendly. And a lot of new people. They come and they go.”

He knows most of the customers, and has seen many grow up.

“I used to be a milkman first, so I met them when they were born,” Berner said. “Now I know how old they are.”

Married with two grown children, when he isn’t working, he says, “I live on golf and fishing.”

While most people don’t spend most of their lives working for one company, for Berner it was the right choice.

“At the time there was nothing else open. So I just stayed, and I never left,” he said.

Berner advises young people to stick with it when they find a job that’s the right fit for them.

“Keep trying it until you find something you like,” he said.

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angela.brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @meadowlakeNOW