Each month the OSR team comes together in our employee lunchroom in both T1 and T3 to celebrate and recognize all who are celebrating a Birthday in that month.

Please join me in welcoming Seemal Khurshid to Resource Planning. In May 2019, Seemal joined our team and has been a wonderful new addition ever since.

Seemal has been focusing her scheduling efforts on our OSR division, but she is always there to help out in other divisions such as YYZ Security, & Residential/Commercial. You may have already spoken with Seemal, as she enjoys engaging and assisting our employees. She has a very strong team work ethic that radiates positively throughout our department. Welcome to the team, Seemal!

I just wanted to express the appreciation of your door patrol’s Amolpreet Singh.

We received a crash bar alarm from one of the doors in the Gate 193 Extension (“Pier G”) that leads to the apron. We in SOC could see from the camera that the passenger was continuously pushing on the crash bar, almost opening the door.

Amolpreet (who at the time was working Terminal 1 Door Patrol) was able to get there in a timely manner and stop the issue before it escalated.

As we are well aware, the extension is a distance to get to, depending on where you are coming from.

Amolpreet’s help was greatly appreciated and I hope she is recognized for her continuous display of hard work.

Josh was originally hired as a Security Supervisor and as a result of his exceptional performance, he was then given the opportunity to join the recruitment side of the residential division.

Josh has been a member of the Residential and Commercial Recruitment Team for 8 months now. He has played such an integral role in not only maintaining their ongoing success, but also applying innovative ways to ensure the team is continuing to be proficient and at par with recruitment industry standards. Moreover, Josh brings to the team a wealth of knowledge in areas of security and business which he obtained through studying Investigations – Pubic and Private at Sheridan College.

Recently, Josh set his eye on the Human Resources side of the business and is eager to gain experience in any way he can. Considering his outstanding leadership qualities, coupled with his proven desire for constant personal growth, I have no doubt that he will excel swiftly and become a contributing asset to the HR team. This is why we hire for the personality and train for the job; it provides opportunities for continuous growth in every employee. Josh, thank you for your endless support and envious drive to strive for success, we are excited to see what your future holds with our team.

I was in the grocery store and noticed long lines in the self-checkouts, while two cashier lanes were empty.

I took my groceries to one of the cashiers, a woman in her twenties, and asked her why she thought this was happening. After looking at the people in the self-checkout, she replied “They are young and don’t like talking face-to- face with strangers”. I laughed and thought to myself, what if we all forgot how to have a normal conversation?

Technology is important and we are more connected to the world than we have ever been. But while we remain connected digitally, we are less connected to the people in our everyday life. We’re having fewer conversations each day.

Why do I think this is a problem? We all need someone to talk to and it’s easy to become isolated, especially as a Security Guard stationed alone. A good conversation is live, with immediate comments and responses, which lead to real feelings. Real feelings connect us to reality, which stimulate our intuition and awareness. If we become conditioned to technology, we become one-dimensional. We become less deep as individuals and more shallow, predictable, anxious and irritable. By not having conversations, we are forgetting how to feel.

Some of us avoid conversations altogether because it requires too much attention, I know I do. We’re accustomed to being distracted and we forget to focus which leads to difficulties listening to others. We may not have time because we’re too busy at work, school or at home.

Social media thrive in these elements. Our digital devices give us a false sense of ego and by having fewer face-to-face conversations, we’re losing the source that validates our identity: our relationships with others. A conversation is an engagement with others that requires you to be present and mindful. The next time you are about to tap or send a text, change your mind and give that person a call.

Kayvin has been an ASP employee for just under three years now and has done nothing but impress the management level every step of the way.

He didn’t start with ASP; 26 years ago, he came to Canada from the Philippines at the age of 13. Kayvin has always had a passion for customer service and he really showed that at the age of 17 when he took a summer job at Disney World in Florida. This position really helped sculpt the manager he is today.

Kayvin graduated as an industrial mechanic technician from Humber College. After his apprenticeship, he felt that Customer Service was his calling. He moved around different industries within customer service for his first 15 years, gaining experience with companies such as Wal-Mart, The Keg, Ikea and Home Depot. The common theme throughout these companies was how fast he moved up through management levels.

Just before joining ASP, Kayvin was a Territory Manager with Microsoft. In this role, he was really able to combine his technical background with his customer service passion.

Kayvin joined ASP the day we took over the OSR contract at Pearson Airport. He spent just two months learning our corporate

culture before being promoted to a supervisor. It didn’t take long for Kayvin to be promoted to the Shift Manager role in late 2017.

Kayvin has done nothing but impress his managers throughout the years and it really was an easy choice to select him for the Service Delivery Manager position. Kayvin has built solid relationships with all of the agents, supervisors and shift managers. It’s very rare to see an employee who puts everyone else before himself and who really has a vision for where this division can go.

Kayvin, we are lucky to have you and cannot wait to see what you do for the remainder of this year!

I would like to take this time to recognize a Union Station guard that has been with ASP since the start of the contract on May 21st, 2017.

Connor has worked very hard to be punctual, courteous and always be available to help the team when they need him.

Connor was recently recognized by the City of Toronto for their Q1 CS Applauds award (Customer Service Cause for Applause).

Connor, along with two other Union Station employees, worked collectively to identify and communicate with a patron who was showing signs of distress at Union Station. After establishing that the patron spoke a dialect of Arabic, Connor contacted his Control Operator, who in turn contacted GO Transit Safety requesting an Arabic-speaking Transit Safety Officer to attend for translation. After this officer arrived on scene and was able to ascertain the patron’s name, they found that the person was reported missing by Toronto Police Service. Arrangements were made and transportation was given to the patron and she was able to reunite with her family.

Connor’s diligence and professionalism directly impacted this patron’s safety and well-being, resulting in a positive experience and outcome.

Congratulations Connor! ASP and your fellow guards applaud you for this award.

This month’s Resource Planning rising star is Preetam Sathyanathan. Preetam started his career with ASP as a guard in November 2016.

With his continued hard work and dedication, Preetam progressed into the role as an airside supervisor in November 2017. With this position, Preetam was able to obtain gainful experience working independently and motivating his team and colleagues. Preetam has continued to push further in his career with ASP, and became a Resource Planner in May 2019.

As Preetam continues to excel within ASP, our Resource Planning team is happy to welcome Preetam to our department. His eagerness and dedication to ensure that we are fully staffing to all of our client requirements on a daily basis has definitely been a tremendous asset to our scheduling team. Welcome to the team, Preetam!

Join me in congratulating Mohamed Ahmed for a job well done at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Mohamed prevented three security breaches in just two months at Terminal 1!

It is my pleasure to introduce and welcome two new team members in the Human Resources Department. Please welcome Ashley Campbell and Richard Haldane.

Richard has joined the Residential & Commercial division as a Recruiter. He has previously worked with No Limits Consulting providing recruiting and life coaching services to individuals and organizations. Richard also comes with an impressive history of volunteer / community services. Richard has been involved with the Advisory Committee for Diversity, Wellness and Inclusion, We Play 2 Stay and IC Youth Mentoring, to name a few. Richard will work at the Toronto Office.