Residential and Commercial News Archives

By Humberto Pimentel, VP of Operations

I had the pleasure to meet three ASP guards who work at Suez Water Technologies in Oakville who were recognized by the customer for outstanding services and dedication. Terry Case from Suez commented that “he was very pleased with the guard’s performance over the years and thankful for their professionalism and perfect attendance”.

Because of the excellent service, Suez have renewed the contract with ASP for an additional 3 year’s effective December 1st, 2022.

Congratulations gentlemen and thank you for your dedicated customer service.

From left to right: Lawrence Salikin 6 years of service, Humberto Pimentel VPO, Douglas Lewis 7 years of service, and Sohail Iqbal 6 years of service.

Thank you to Respite Operations Manager Kat Szumacher, Respite Supervisor Eric Damaso, and Respite Guards Shanalee Hope and Gurkirat Kaur for participating in a charitable event at the City of Toronto’s 1A Strachan respite center on November 08. ASP collaborated with the Toronto Police Service’s 14 Division Community Police Liaison Committee to distribute free reflective armbands, flashlights, and whistles to the shelter clients as a street safety initiative. This charitable event was organized and fundraised by School Crossing Guard Operations Manager Sarah Miller.

It’s a great day when you get to pet a cute dog on patrol. Seen here, MPS Shine Mathew and MPS Manish Munukuntla make a furry friend at St. Lawrence Market in Toronto.

The Mobile Patrol Supervisors at the North York office were excited to receive four brand new Toyota Priuses to replace aging vehicles in the fleet.

By Ramakrishna Malkapuram, Commercial Service Delivery Manager

Emis Daniel

Emis Daniel’s rise to fame and recognition story started on June 15, 2017, when he started with ASP as an event security guard at the Burlington sound of music festival. Since then, Emis has never looked back. He joined Widdicombe Place, a retirement home operated by QuadReal property management. His sincerity and commitment to his job is simply outstanding. In a very short period, he has earned tremendous respect not just from his co-workers but also from the client. In recognition to his outstanding service at Widdicombe Place, the client requested to award him with the site supervisor position in September 2022. He continued to excel in his new role as a site supervisor by not only providing his expertise at the facility but also by training the new ASP staff. His passion towards his job is evident in his hard work. Congratulations Emis.

Varinder Panesar

Varinder Panesar joined ASP on May 06, 2020, as a casual guard. He was cross trained at several residential sites. His consistency paved way for him to become the site supervisor at Widdicombe Place on November 29, 2021. He demonstrated a great attitude and always showed inclination to learn and innovate. His consistency and sincerity was rewarded when he got promoted again to become night shift mobile patrol supervisor on September 27 2022. He continues to excel in his new role. Kudos to Varinder for his hard work!

Ranjan Sethi

Ranjan Sethi joined ASP on August 2, 2020, as a TTC casual guard. He demonstrated good work ethic and worked at various TTC sites. His consistency towards his job duties helped him to get promoted to become full time respite security specialist in February 2021. His hard work and consistency got rewarded again when he got promoted as a night shift mobile patrol supervisor on June 12, 2022. He continues to excel in his role. Kudos to Ranjan for great job !

By Kat Szumacher, Operations Manager

ASP’s hard work and commitment to success led to big wins yet again. Thanks to the dedication of our team, and our ability to collaborate and work together when challenges arise, we are pleased to announce that the City of Toronto Corporate Security Management team has awarded ASP with the Respite contract for another year.

Servicing the City of Toronto Respites has been no small task. Since taking up the challenge in early 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, we understood that in order to be successful, we’d have some hard work ahead of us. The City of Toronto Respite facilities have traditionally been high-activity sites, requiring a rigorous selection process and extensive training prior to site deployment. We faced lockdowns, mask enforcements, and required specialized training to best service the shelter users and our client. This past year, we revamped several elements of onboarding, training, and recruitment, which have yielded overwhelmingly positive reviews from the City during our monthly meetings. These efforts have had tangible and resounding results that have been felt at all levels, especially by City of Toronto Corporate Security Management, and resulted in us being rewarded the contract for our third year!

There have been so many projects and initiatives started since October, from the PTS entry launch, Tracktik reporting updates, MPS realignment, scheduling float and reserve staff, our probationary review process, onboarding and training updates, guard matrix audits, and others. I would like to thank everyone who made this happen as it was a team effort by so many incredibly talented people across the organization.

A special thanks to:

Antoniette Freeman
Dave Harris
David Ramlagan
Fatema Pipalyawala
Gurdeep Bathal
Harjinder Singh
Harvinder Singh
Jacinth Rose
Jatin Sood
Jay Ritchie
Kadina McKenzie
Keba Walters
Khan Sultan
Kirti Khatri
Lucy Nguyen
Manish Munukuntla
MD Abdul Halim
Noah Thompson
Phil Marinelli
Ranjan Sethi
Saikrishna Penjarala
Sean Gallagher
Shine Mathew
Tristan Fuller
Varinder Panesar
Wendel Sylvester

Thank you to Recruitment, Training, Administration, HR, IT, MPS Team, and our Respite Rapids. And of course, to all of our Site Supervisors and Respite Specialists – this win would not have been achieved without you. Thank you for your continued hard work in making sure our clients know that to ASP, #SecurityMatters.

It is extremely important to take the time on your “off hours” and enjoy the little things in life. No person can work 24/7 forever and it is highly recommended that you take much needed time to recharge when you are not at work. Below is a list of a few beautiful locations to assist with recharging and “enjoying the little things”. Please do not let yourself get burnt out. Take the time to go for a walk and do some outdoor activities whenever possible. You need to recharge to be the best version of yourself.

High Park Trail

Toronto – 1873 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6R 2Z3

Beautiful scenery with a Zoo inside, several lovely parks, and a multitude of different things to explore.

Island Lake

Orangeville – 673067 Hurontario St, Orangeville, ON L9W 2Y9
Hike over multiple bridges and islands on the lake.

White Spruce Park

Brampton – 10302 Heart Lake Rd, Brampton, ON L6Z 0B4

A beautiful location, south of the Heart Lake Conservation Area.
White spruce is home to a Dog Park, Hiking Trails, Volleyball nets, and a Disc Golf Course.

It is extremely important to take the time on your “off hours” and enjoy the little things in life.

By Asad Abbas, RES/CIC Operations Manager

COVID-19 has impacted everyone in different ways. At this point in the pandemic, people are tired of being cooped up due to restrictions on indoor gatherings. People are experiencing a type of burnout that experts are calling COVID-19 fatigue.

It is important to recognize this COVID-19 fatigue and understand what we can do for our employees to help. The CIC/RES Division organized the “Mango Party” for its office staff on Friday 4th June 2021. The objective of the party was to add fun in the routine life and enjoy the delicious taste of Pakistani Mangoes. Jasmine Khimany, our Human Resources Manager, was instrumental in the organization of this event. We requested that everyone in the office wear yellow, green, or orange on this day.

To make this activity fun, participants were required to participate in different games. The first game played was “Mango Trivia” through Kahoot. Alyssa Rizzo was exceptional in this game and was declared the winner. The second game played was Mango Presentation. In this game we learned there are several ways to cut a mango. At the end of our game Shakerah Bennett was the winner!

“At this point in the pandemic, people are tired of being cooped up due to restrictions”

The third game was “Fast Mango Eating Competition”. In this game each participant had a mango in front of them and had to peel the mango and eat it as quickly as possible. Amy came out as our winner, but it was a close call between her and Cliff Sampogna.

The last event of the Mango Party was the “Lucky Draws’ where participants had a chance to win a $25 gift card. Mike Moledzki was the lucky draw and opted to give his gift to the newest member of the team Tasiyah.

The RES/CIC division also created a “Social Committee”. This committee will ensure that events like the Mango Party will continue to ensure better moral and employee engagement.

By Jasmine Khimany, Human Resources Manager

It is our pleasure to introduce and welcome the following new members in our team. Please join us in providing a warm ASP welcome to all the new members. We are proud to have you all as part of our team.

Tasiyah McDoom

Tasiyah McDoom has joined the HR Team as a Recruiter in our North York office. She is responsible for the full recruitment cycle of our TTC screening contract at our Residential/Commercial Division.

In her previous role, she has worked at Student Association of George Brown College as an Elections Assistant Manager where she was responsible for screening qualified candidates and preparing schedules in different campuses. Tasiyah possesses a Diploma in Business -Human Resources from George Brown College and is currently working on getting her Payroll Compliance Practitioner Certificate. Tasiyah’s calm, positive and friendly personality makes her a great fit for the ASP Team.

By Vasilis Androutsos, Manager - Operations

Thank you very much! These to me are words of appreciation and gratitude that I can say to any guard who performs their duties between the hours of 10:00p.m. – 7:00a.m. Globally, the majority of people have the standard workday from 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. In the Security industry, a “standard” shift differs significantly. This is because clients and stakeholders understand the importance of what could happen during off-peak hours. Our RES/CIC division has a balanced scope of work that requires our guards to provide coverage and service our clients needs, 24 hours a day. For any guard who is looking to commit to working the night shift, it can be a mentally and physically stressful change that will alter your current routine.

Below are some tips to help alleviate the stress of working a night shift

Plan your work schedule ahead of time.
Plan your sleep schedule as best as possible and adjust your sleeping environment.
Plan your meals, accordingly, consume well balanced meals and ensure you regularly hydrate with water and limit your caffeine intake.
Seek assistance by regularly conversing with colleagues, family, friends, medical professionals or through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) if you feel any sleep deprivation, depression, loneliness, or other symptoms that require support.

Employee Spotlight:

Richard Fearon

I recently had the pleasure of speaking in-depth with Richard Fearon, who is one of the RES/CIC Mobile Patrol Supervisors that primarily performs his duties in the evenings. Richard is a very hard working and dedicated individual. He has 20+ years of experience in the Security Industry and has been a valuable and contributing team member wherever he has applied his trade. He has a unique skillset that lends itself to being a great coach/ mentor for many or our front-line security personnel. I
look forward to everyone meeting Richard on a different level and hope all of you will get a different appreciation for the guards who are tasked with working evenings.

What are your duties and responsibilities as the evening Mobile Patrol Supervisor?

My responsibilities during my shift include:

Administering on-the-job training
Inspection of front-line guards for uniform compliance, job performance and knowledge of Health and Safety protocols
Resolve any conflicts between front-line guards and general public that may arise
Conduct investigations
Ensure employees have the necessary equipment to do their jobs.

What do you like most about your job?

The most rewarding aspect of my job is the human interaction I get to experience. Meeting people and having the ability to help or change their lives in any way is rewarding. I also enjoy that I am able to make decisions within the scope of my duties.

You have been working on the night shift for almost 20 years. What is the best thing about working this shift? What is your least favourite thing?

I enjoy working nights due to my ability to work independently with little to no supervision required. In my experience working nights has allowed me to grow in terms of making decisions that give the best results.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

The most rewarding aspect of my job is having the ability to truly satisfy clients, or the general public. It means a lot to me knowing I have made a difference in someone else’s day.

In your opinion, how has the Security Industry changed over the course of your 20+ years in the industry?

The biggest changes I have seen is the attitude of the front-line workers and how they perceive their job. I have also noticed the vast expansion of the industry itself.

What’s a fun fact about you many people may not know?

A fun fact about me many people may not know is that I tend to be the life of the party. I don’t need to receive praise for my work as I genuinely enjoy helping people.

What do you like most about working for ASP?

I like being able to obtain large contracts and being recognized as an industry leader. ASP makes an effort to hire and promote from within which is also something I like.

Any words of wisdom for your fellow colleagues?

ASP is bigger than just one person. It takes a team with different skills to build what ASP has accomplished. Work together and have the tough conversations because it is the only way to grow and become a great team.

By Bryan Joly, Training Manager

Ryan joined RES/CIC Training in November 2020. He was previously working with guards at various LCBO retail stores teaching Use of Force and Managing of Resistive Behaviour. We are very excited to have Ryan on board as he is already making a huge impact in the betterment of our newly hired guards. We sat down with Ryan and asked him a few questions about his work history, passions, and heroes.

“I love the fact that I empower people to believe than can be successful in something they have never done before.”

How long have you been involved in Security and what was your first job?

A: I have worked in the security industry for over 20 years.
My first Security job was a patrol guard at Centennial
College Progress Campus. It was a great experience as
it gave me the opportunity to see if this was the right
industry for me. I still think about that job fondly.
What is your favourite part about training?

A: I love getting up up in front of a group of people and teaching. I also love the fact that I empower people to believe they can be successful in something they have never done before. Most people have never taken a course in understanding different levels of a crisis. It’s great to watch a person grow confident enough to handle those situations should they arise.
What advice would you have for anyone considering a career in the Security Industry?

Be prepared to work hard, enjoy the grind, and experience the growth process. You can have a great career in the Security Industry if you are willing to put in the work.

“Be prepared to work hard and enjoy the grind and the growth process.”

By Cliff Sampogna, Director Operations RES/CIC

As you all know, the Residential and Commercial division has been growing immensely over the last few years. With business growth comes infrastructure change as well. These changes have inspired our team to take the next step.

I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome Karim Khamisa as the new Business Development Operations Manager for the Residential Commercial division. Karim has over 10 years of sales and operational management experience specializing in large customer focused industries with emphasis on efficiency, quality, cost, service, and employee relations.

He completed his Master of Business Administration. Karim will be responsible for the oversight and management of the new vertical markets that ASP will be pursuing.

I am looking forward to seeing the work Karim will do for our organization and how he will help us get to the next level of our business. I am proud and honored to have Karim as part of our team and I look forward to watching him grow in this role.

Please join me in providing a warm welcome to Karimupon his arrival.

“Karim has over 10 years of sales and operational management experience”

By Bryan Joly, Training Manager

The RES CIC Training Department hosted their Use of Force training for the Recruitment Team. Training Coordinators Mike Moledzki and Ryan Durkin put the Recruitnent Team through their entire Use of Force Training Program. The training focused on
the Criminal Code and how to manage resistive behaviour. There was also a physical portion of the training which included takedowns, handcuffing, and baton training.

The purpose of this was to give Recruitment a full understanding of the training process for our Respite, and Union Station Guards. Sonika Ramachandran, of the Recruitment team, enjoyed every minute of the training. “The training was extremely comprehensive and gave me a much deeper understanding of exactly what our guards have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. I have a great appreciation for our guards and the security industry as a whole”.

RES/CIC will be hosting another session in the coming weeks for our Human Resources team.

“The purpose of this was to give recruitment a full understanding of the tranining process for our respite, and Union Station Guards.”