By Andrew Catney, Resource Planning Manager

Kevin began his ASP journey in 2021 when he joined the Security Specialist team at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Following that, Kevin was assigned the role of Acting Operations Manager at Calgary Airport. Thereafter, Kevin joined the Resource Planning team in Burlington in December 2022.

Kevin Hepburn was just honored by the Respite Centre security team with the Peer Recognition Award for his outstanding contributions and dedication. This award is a testament to his hard work and the high regard in which his colleagues hold him.

Kevin’s peers unanimously selected him for this recognition due to his consistent commitment to excellence, his willlingness to go above and beyond to support the team, and his positive attitude that uplifts everyone around him. Kevin’s contributions have not only enhanced our productivity but have also created a more enjoyable work environment for all of us.

The Peer Recognition Award is a symbol of our collective appreciation for Kevin’s efforts and a token of our gratitude for his unwavering support.

We value Kevin’s presence on the team and look forward to witnessing his continued success and growth in the future.

Once again, congratulations to Kevin on this well- earned recognition. His contributions make a significant difference, and we are fortunate to have him as a part of our team.

Best Resource Planner –  
Kevin Hepburn

By Shine Mathew, Service Delivery Coordinator

The RES/CIC division was honoured to present the Respite Employee Choice Award for 2023. The best employees in each category were selected by guards via survey. Congratulations to all our winners and a big thank you to the guards who participated in the survey.

Best Respite Supervisor – Manjot Singh
Best Respite Supervisor – Manjot Singh
Best Respite Supervisor – Maninder Kaur
Best Respite Supervisor – Maninder Kaur
Best Respite Rapid Response – 
Saikrishna Penjarla
Best Respite Rapid Response – Saikrishna Penjarla
Best Respite Supervisor – Komaldeep Kaur
Best Respite Supervisor – Komaldeep Kaur
(Award distribution picture – Ops Manger Kat Szumacher, Komaldeep
Kaur, Dixon Hall Team lead – Praneeth De Silva)

Best Mobile Patrol Supervisor – Manish Munukuntla
(Award distribution picture – Ops Manger Kat Szumacher
and Manish Munukuntla)

By Debbie Ciccotelli, VP Strategic Initiatives

Offering outstanding customer service is ASP’s key differentiator and what enables us to not only retain existing clients, but also attract new clients. Our customers are the lifeblood of our business, so it’s crucial that they always feel valued, assisted, listened to, and confident when they interact with us.

Our reputation precedes us. The better our business reputation, the higher our existing customers will think of us and (perhaps just as importantly) the more other clients will want to work with us — both of which are incredibly important for retaining clients and growing our business.

In today’s competition-driven marketplace, our focus must be on our customers and each of you is crucial to achieving this goal.

Front-line employees are the face and brand ambassadors of both ASP and our clients – it is our employees who make sure the job gets done on time and above expectations. They interact with customers every day and each interaction reflect the value, culture and vision of the company.

Employees impact the business environment through the ways in which they interact with each other as well as how they respond to customers.

Sometimes, employees interact with each other in the presence of clients. If they are helping each other to meet customer needs, they are creating a positive image; if, however they are bickering or acting territorial on the floor, they are fostering a negative image of the company.

To deliver exceptional value and service, employees must be committed, motivated, and inspired to serve and support our clients and their customers.

Understanding how to become and maintain a customer- oriented mindset can help us establish a brand as an industry leader for quality and service.

It is important that every employee understands how valuable their role is in relation to customer service and client retention, which is of great importance to both the present and future of the company.

Simply put, motivated, and engaged employees create satisfied customers. When we commit to going above and beyond for our customers, three things will happen:

Here are some tips:

  • Always maintain a professional, polite, friendly, and helpful demeanor
  • Project a professional image and adhere to uniform policy and/or dress code
  • Make every effort to exceed client/customer expectations
  • Follow Post Orders and Standard Operating Procedures
  • Build rapport with customers which can help to anticipate their needs and preferences
  • Put yourself in the customer’s shoes – actively listen, empathize with each customer’s unique situation and needs
  • Smile, greet/welcome, maintain eye contact and assist
  • Communicate effectively – transmit clear and concise information – answer questions, address issues, describe services and provide direction or guidance
  • Pay close attention to your tone, volume, and manner of speaking
  • Pay attention to your body language – gestures, facial expressions and posture can make an impression e.g., if you stand by the entrance in a hunched position and a wrinkled brow, it may give the impression you are unalert or lazy. But if you are standing straight, with alertness in your eyes, politely smiling upon entrance, it would suggest that you are approachable and aware of your surroundings simultaneously. See the difference?
  • Be supportive of other team members
  • Resolve tension or issues and create positive solutions by using effective conflict resolution skills
  • They will become more loyal because they know that we care about their business
  • They will become champions for ASP within their organization
  • Most importantly, they will share their experience with their colleagues and friends

Sarah Miller, Operations Manager, School Crossing Guard Division

Acritical part of our role as security professionals is to conduct patrols. Depending on where we work, those patrols could be conducted on foot, by vehicle, with a bicycle, or even remotely through security cameras!

Each method is meant to achieve the same purpose – to keep us aware of what is happening at our sites, make us available for responses to incidents, and act as a deterrent to crime and disorder.

When we are doing patrols, it is important to apply our training, experience, and senses to meaningfully observe our environments. Some key things to consider include but are not limited to:

What Do You See?

  • Flooding or spills
  • Doors propped open
  • Property damage
  • Burnt out lights
  • Trip and fall risks
  • Trespassers
  • Fire or fire hazards
  • Suspicious activity
  • Video recording in unauthorized areas
  • Confidential information in plain sight

What Do You Smell?

  • Smoke
  • Chemicals
  • Cigarettes or marijuana in non-smoking areas
  • Gas leak
  • Urine

What Do You Hear?

  • Yelling
  • Crying
  • Activity in areas that are closed
  • Hot work (construction) without a permit
  • Alarms

What Do You Feel?

  • Cold (heating failure)
  • Air (broken window)
  • Dampness (leak)
  • Hot (air conditioning failure)

When we encounter these concerns while on patrol, we should report them promptly based on the escalation procedures at our assigned sites and respond according to our post orders. Reports should be accurate, timely, and include all relevant details. A great tip to remember is the 4 W’s – who, what, when, and where. Another helpful tip is to describe the problem and share what the resolution was.


Do you have any other suggestions about what to look out for while on patrol or how to patrol with purpose? Please send an email to Operations Manager Sarah Miller at smiller@security-asp.com

The best tips will be included in the next issue of ASP’s quarterly newsletter with a special shout-out to the contributor. We look forward to receiving your submissions!


By Sarah Miller, Operations Manager, Crossing Guards

Sonia Mehta & Doug Ford

Sonia Mehta & Doug Ford

ASP Security was delighted to have Premier Doug Ford visit a group of our fantastic school crossing guards in Toronto on May 12th. His kind words about how much he values their contribution to keeping the City of Toronto safe were greatly appreciated!

Phil Marinelli

Please join us in congratulating Phil Marinelli on his promotion in May to the Toronto RES/CIC Mobile Patrol Supervisor team.

Phil Marinelli

ASP celebrated its frst School Crossing Guard Appreciation Day this year on March 24th!

George Papachristos (left), Dean Lovric (middle), Sarah Miller (right)

George Papachristos (left), Dean Lovric (middle),
Sarah Miller (right)

On April 13th School Crossing Guard Division Mobile Patrol Supervisor George (GQ) Papachristos received ASP’s CEO Award for Leadership Excellence, presented to him by Operations Manager Sarah Miller and Director of Operations John Stolte.

Congratulations, GQ!

Lola Abraham

Lola Abraham joined ASP in April 2022 as a recruiter for the School Crossing Guard Division in Toronto. She brings a wealth of experience in human resources, customer service, and recruiting.

Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Economics and she is currently enrolled in the Human Resources Management diploma program at Seneca College.

Lola Abraham
Lucy Nguyen

Lucy Nguyen

Please join us in welcoming Lucy Nguyen as the new Front Office Coordinator for Toronto as of May 30th. Lucy’s experience in customer service, human resources, and business management make her a great asset to the team.

Welcome to ASP, Lucy!

Sarah Miller

On May 5th Operations Manager Sarah Miller APP, PST,SAS (center) presented at the ASIS Toronto Best Practices Seminar about the impacts of COVID-19 on security operations for an audience of 200+ security leaders from across Canada.

Sarah currently oversees the School Crossing Guard Division in Toronto

Sarah Miller
Sarah Miller

Kadina McKenzie & Jay Ritchie

Congratulations to Toronto Training Coordinators Kadina McKenzie (left) and Jay Ritchie (right),seen here with National Training Manager David Ramlagan (middle),for becoming certifed in May as StaySafe Use of Force instructors and in April as Rescue 7 First Aid/CPR instructors.

Juleisha Sinclair

The School Crossing Guard Division would like to recognize Juleisha Sinclair for her enthusiasm, positivity, and compassion while crossing pedestrians at her intersection. Juliesha has a glowing personality and is always smiling.

She never forgets anyone’s names and even waves at passing motorists who also honk their horns when they see her.

Thank you Juleisha for your continuing excellence within the team!

Juleisha Sinclair

Toronto star

On April 21st one of ASP’s longest serving crossing guards, Karl Bruckmueller, was featured in a Toronto Star article.

Karl has been supporting children at the Fenside Drive and Lynedock Crescent crosswalk in Toronto for seven years and is well-loved by his community. Thank you for the great work you do, Karl!

Read the article at:
https://www.thestar.com/local-toronto-north-york/ news/2022/04/21/now-86-north-york-crossing-guard- still-loves-his-job.html


Sarah Miller, Operations Manager, Crossing Guards

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration

Page 6Security MattersTM The North York office had a lot of fun on March 17, 2022, by dressing up in green for St. Patrick’s Day.

Back row from left to right:

David Ramlagan, Sarah Miller, Sarah Northrup, Dave Harris, George Papachristos

Front row from left to right:

Kadina McKenzie, Amy Strachan, Keba Walters, Ramakrishna Malkapuram


By Kim Hefferman, Service Delivery Manager

Working in respites is nothing short of unpredictable and Tuesday May 3rd at the Willowdale Welcome Center (5800 Yonge Street) was an example of just how quickly a situation can unfold.

ASP Security Shift Supervisor Scott Maidens, Security Guard Emily Parkinson and Security Guard Jasmeet Singh were only 30 minutes into their shift when a violent situation developed.

A service user grabbed a shelter staff member and held a knife to the person’s neck. The ASP team instinctively leapt into action, utilizing their training and experience to intervene and safely disarm the individual.

The quick actions and level of professionalism displayed by Scott, Emily and Jasmeet were nothing less than heroic and without a doubt prevented a potentially tragic event from happening.

As a result of their actions on this day, the City of Toronto has recommended all three ASP security staff for a Cause for Applause award.

A Cause for Applause is awarded to employees or teams that have gone above and beyond their day-to-day responsibilities.

Nominees include employees or teams that have achieved extraordinary work with a positive impact to internal clients, residents and/or business.

The entire management team at ASP would like to recognize and thank Scott, Emily and Jasmeet for their exemplary actions in the face of danger and we are extremely proud to have ASP represented in such a positive and professional manner!

Thank you for going above and beyond in the face of crisis and continuing to do what you do on a daily basis.

ASP Heros

By Rama Malkapuram, Manager, Acting Operations Manager

Monique Radway has been with ASP since March 2021. She originally joined the ASP team as a crossing guard. Prior to joining ASP, she successfully completed a certificate program in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the University of Technology in Jamaica. She has 2 years experience in customer service and 1 year of office administration experience. She is very professional while discharging her duty and always followed proper procedures as mandated by the City of Toronto. In October 2021, she temporarily moved into the role of Administrator at our North York office to assist with the Crossing Guard operations. Her role primarily was to answer phone calls from the Crossing Guards. She demonstrated a positive attitude in adapting herself to the new environment. In a short period of time, she learned about the X Guard App and started managing temporary punch ins, assigning and unassigning guards on the App with minimal support. She also started assisting with other administrative functions such as monthly uniform inventory counts, issuing ASP jackets and vests to the new hires and existing crossing guards. She became an integral part of the Crossing Guard team. Her dedication and commitment towards her job were recognized by the entire ASP team. I would like to thank her profoundly, for all the good work she put forth in last couple of months. Great job, Monique

Thank you, Roberto!

Please join our ASP Crossing Guard team in wishing a happy retirement to Roberto (Rudy) Soriano. Rudy has worked as a dedicated full-time member of the ASP School Crossing Guard Services since the program’s inception in 2019. Prior to working at ASP, he was a Crossing Guard with the Toronto Police Service for over 10 years. He exemplified kind[1]heartedness and was consistently reliable during his tenure with ASP. He will be sorely missed by the management team, his fellow crossing guards, and the community he served. We wish him all the best as he embarks on this new chapter of his life. Many thanks for his hard work and service

Let’s Make the Fourth Wave the Final Wave!

What Can We Do?

  • Get vaccinated – protect yourself and others
  • Be aware of risks associated with different settings
  • Wear face masks indoors – properly worn face masks are your best defense against the virus
  • Continue to wear a mask in busy outdoor areas like campgrounds, playgrounds and dog parks
  • Maintain social distancing – Health Canada still encourages us to minimize close contact with others.
  • Keep hands and surfaces clean
  • If you feel sick, even with just a sore throat, you should stay home and self-isolate if you have symptoms
  • Continue to avoid non-essential travel
  • Socialize outdoors whenever possible
  • Avoid crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation —especially with the unvaccinated.

Take Care of Your Mental and Physical
Health by:

  • Adjusting your expectations based on what is in your control
  • Have a backup plan if something is not available (school/daycare, gym, etc.)
  • Take advantage of nice weather and spend time outdoors
  • Acknowledge that pandemic fatigue is real and make use of our EAP (LifeWorks program) if you are experiencing mental health concerns like anxiety, stress, or depression

Collectively, our actions can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep our families, friends, and co-workers safe. As the pandemic drags on through a fourth, intense wave, front line hospital staff are running on empty tanks, and we owe it to them to take precautionary measures and make it through this wave without overburdening our healthcare system.


By Jasmine Khimany, Human Resources Manager

Lissa Ncube

Lissa Ncube has joined ASP as a HR Admin/Recruiter for the Residential/Commercial Division. Prior to ASP, Lissa worked at African Caribbean Black Network as a Community Development Coordinator. She has completed Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Human Resources Minor from University of Waterloo. Lissa’s approachable and optimistic personality along with the other traits makes her a wonderful addition to the ASP HR Team.

Mohammed Arafat Khan

Mohammed has joined ASP as a Recruiter for the Residential/Commercial Division. Mohammed brings strong administrative and recruitment experience. Prior to his current role at ASP, Mohammed worked at Logixx International Inc. as a Security Site Supervisor.

He has completed his Post-Graduation Diploma in Global Business Management from Centennial College. Mohammed’s calm, positive and friendly personality makes him a great fit for the ASP Team.

Jason Tonini

Jason Tonini has joined ASP as a Recruiter for the Residential/Commercial Division. Jason bring 2+ years of experience working as a Recruiter/client specialist. Prior to ASP, Jason worked at Mier Recruitment & Apple One Employment services. Jason’s flexible nature and positive attitude are just a few of the valued traits he brings to his current role.


By Rikki Ellul, Service Delivery Coordinator

“Ozan Kaya is one of our many great Respite Supervisors who was recently recognized by the Toronto Police Services for his excellent and professional assistance in making an arrest at one of our Respite locations. Ozan has been working respites with ASP since August 2020 and his great efforts do not go unnoticed. He is a hard worker who is constantly looking for growth and provides excellent support to his team and ASP. Ozan was awarded an ASP Certificate of Appreciation for his constant hard work and ability to lead his team with confidence and success.

We look forward to continuing watching Ozan’s journey with us!”

1. If you could give new employees any advice, what would it be?

A: My biggest recommendation for new employees would be to utilize your surroundings, whether that be the ASP management team, your onsite supervisor or your coworkers, someone will always know something you didn’t and use that knowledge you gain from them to your advantage.

2. Why is teamwork important to you and how do you ensure your team always works together?

A: Teamwork gives you the confidence in knowing that not only will the job you do be more enjoyable but also more efficient. On my team when we have free time, we rarely spend it on our phones but instead tell each other stories of who we are, what we have done and the things we have seen. Building comradery is essential when you are with someone for 12 hours every day, and want to build friendships.