People of SFU: Meet Peter Lisiecki, SFU Spirit Shop supervisor

Few people embody SFU's welcoming spirit as fully as Peter Lisiecki. You've seen him out at events on campus, forging face-to-face relationships with students and faculty that shine through in his dedication to making our Spirit Shop the best, most accessible service it can be. With a winning smile and a unique position between SFU's administrative and student communities, Peter is poised to make a huge difference in campus life.

A history at SFU 

Lisiecki’s passion for SFU shines through whenever he speaks about his time on campus, which began long before the founding of the Spirit Shop. In 1994, when the Bookstore was still inside the library, he joined up as an in-store marketer and put his Visual Merchandising degree to use for 10 years, helping to grow the Bookstore and Spirit Shop into their present form. He eventually left to start his own business, but found himself drawn back to SFU as a buyer—a position that evolved into his present supervisor role, where he handles merchandising, buying, outreach and more.

Beyond the bookstore

Lisiecki stays busy championing a variety of projects, each of which highlights his passion for SFU. 

Lisiecki is a member of the Re-Use for Good Committee, working with Ancillary Services to overhaul SFU’s reliance on single-use plastic products. He collaborated with the Disability and Neurodiversity Alliance and Ban the Bottle to find disposable plastic water bottle alternatives for our stores and vending machines. 

Speaking of the environment, Lisiecki also collaborates with SFU's Sustainability and Fair Trade initiatives. He eliminated plastic bags and renewed the Spirit Shop's commitment to stocking fair trade and locally-sourced goods at every opportunity. Lisiecki explained his community-forward mindset with trademark enthusiasm:

“I really feel the Bookstore should be a part of these initiatives—we’re all SFU! We represent the spirit of the university, so I feel we need to be proactive.”  

Lisiecki’s proactive nature shines in his third project, #MadeBySFU. The Spirit Shop partnered with Coast Capital Savings Venture Connection to host a competition for SFU-based entrepreneurs, with winners merchandised through the Spirit Shop directly. One of those successes, MalaTheBrand, now sells its soy-based candles in Indigo and Nordstrom.

Looking forward

Of course, the pandemic presented its share of challenges. For Lisiecki, that meant innovating at record speed: within weeks, the Bookstore and Spirit Shop had upgraded to a Shopify storefront that facilitated faster, more efficient ordering and allowed them to entirely rebuild their online component. Busier than ever, they now ship as far as China and Bombay!

Lisiecki closed our interview with the same trademark optimism and enthusiasm he brings to the Bookstore and Spirit Shop every day:

“I really love being on campus, it’s great to be a part of it. We’re coming out of the last two years a better, more diverse operation. I’m very grateful—it motivated a lot of change, technologically and logistically. We’re still in uncharted territory, but I’m excited!”