Growing up in rural Winchester, Slater Koekkoek was naturally two things: a hockey player and a leader.
In the tiny hamlet of Inkerman, Koekkoek spent recess at Inkerman Public School rallying his friends and classmates to build an ice rink in the playground.
While the school closed its doors many years ago, with only 60 children enrolled in its final year, Koekkoek took the teamwork, collaboration and hockey skills he learned there on his way to become an NHL defenceman.
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Zaahra Mehsen was three years into a biology degree at a local university when she realized she wanted to take a different path. “I realized that it’s not my thing,”
Koekkoek was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning, 10th overall, in the 2012 NHL entry draft and made his NHL debut with the Lightning on March 31, 2015. In 2020, he was signed to the Edmonton Oilers. Then, in February 2022, he took a step back from the game.
“I was experiencing some mental-health challenges, I had a lot of anxiety issues towards the game, so I decided to just dive into therapy,” explained Koekkoek, 29.
As he dedicated himself to therapy, Koekkoek said he began volunteering in his community and picking up casual shifts for an Ottawa renovation company. From there, the idea for his business, FFYLwork, was born.
“When I left the game, I had very low self-value,” said Koekkoek, comparing that to the feelings he had in his casual work.
“I was picking up shifts, showing up to random job sites and being accepted by my colleagues and really valued. I was carrying toilets from 1970s bungalows that needed a revamp and I felt better going back than playing an NHL game when I sat on the bench for the majority of the game,” he continued.
Koekkoek said he learned the impact of being valued for a job well done and the importance of flexible or casual work opportunities. He also became aware of the many students, retirees and other people looking for work but unable to commit to traditional, full-time jobs.
He participated in the Invest Ottawa Ignition Program, which he said “validated” and developed the business idea before bootstrapping FFYLwork, pronounced “fulfill work.”
Koekkoek also credits the creation of FFYLwork to the lessons he’s learned since marrying into a family business. His wife, Santana Campanele Koekkoek, is director of sales and marketing at Campanele Homes, which was co-founded by her father Vince and his brothers in 1979.
Being around the family-operated business and his in-laws’ entrepreneurial spirit boosted Koekkoek’s ideas, and he said he’s learned a lot from them.
“I had attempted businesses a few times, things like renting out land or cottages, but marrying into a second-generation family business has just been a blessing and a huge help.”
FFYLwork, which has been in operation for six months, connects employees with companies seeking help with casual, flexible shifts. Currently, many of the positions are designed for employees with labour or trades experience. The roster of workers has grown to about 70.
Businesses can sign up for FFYLwork’s services and the available positions are distributed to workers weekly, based on experience and skill level. Meanwhile, employees apply on the FFYLwork website by uploading their credentials and selecting what kinds of jobs they’re interested in.
From there, potential workers are vetted by Koekkoek before they are added to the roster, with ID verification, background checks and, perhaps most importantly, a trip to an Ottawa Senators game.
“I host them in a box and have been vetting them that way; it’s how I get to know them a bit,” laughed Koekkoek. “I let them pick the game, but the one rule is that they’re not allowed to wear a visiting team jersey.
“It’s going to get more formal coming into the new year, though, because there are so many workers now that the games are getting expensive.”
In its current business model, FFYLwork collects a percentage from businesses that sign up for the service, but sign-up and continued use is free for workers, Koekkoek said. “They’re strapped as it is; they don’t need to be paying me.”
Koekkoek also ensures that workers are paid same-day after a shift, based on the offered wage, and FFYLwork collects reimbursement and a 30-per-cent fee from the employer at a later date.
“Businesses can offer shifts at whatever rate they’re offering as long as it’s above minimum wage and sometimes it’s last minute, so that drives prices up. But FFYL will pay same-day,” he explained. “The workers need it right away and to be able to start using it.
“They’re paying grocery bills, they’re making ends meet, so they get it right away,” Koekkoek continued. “So I make nothing from the worker.”
The business model is attractive for companies seeking labour, Koekkoek said, who have changing hiring needs and are unable to hire for permanent or full-time positions.
There are no limits to how many — or how few — shifts that users must work, Koekkoek said, to ensure that the work is tailored to employee needs. The flexibility is key for workers to feel like they can contribute to their community and support themselves on their own schedule, he said.
“It’s been really interesting talking to retired folks, students and young people looking for flexible work, people who have left a career or position that still have all these skills on hand,” he continued. “There have been a lot of surprising signups, too, like people from the health-care industry who have left their position because full-time was too much and are looking to pick up random shifts that fit their life a lot better.”
Koekkoek works with businesses to create short training videos for their workers, explaining where to show up, what to wear and the task at hand, so that employees are prepared for the work day.
The shifts are strictly in-person, offering everything from snow removal and leaf-blowing, to landscaping and skilled trades. While the majority of jobs offered are currently in the trades or require general labour, Koekkoek said he is looking to expand into new industries in the near future.
So while Koekkoek may not be on the ice anymore, he’s still using the skills he learned in the schoolyard — and that he carried with him through his professional hockey career — every day to give back, lead and collaborate with his community.
“I didn’t think I’d be an entrepreneur, but I always viewed myself as a team leader. I was captain for two OHL teams, leading a team, and right now I’m just leading myself but also helping all these workers and businesses,” he explained.
“We have a serious loneliness epidemic happening right now. This way, people are able to get back into their community,” he explained. “Often it’s local businesses they’re helping out and it opens a lot of doors to full-time positions, friendships and networking and they’re really hands-on helping businesses.
“Putting in a day’s work, being valued by your coworkers, being valued for the job you’re doing … It has such an incredible impact on mental health. And I just want to provide an opportunity for others to feel that, too”
