As 2023 draws to a close, it’s a fitting time to reflect on the past year at Northern Uniform and celebrate the meaningful strides we’ve made to better serve customers while investing in our company’s future. We are proud of our achievements, but we couldn’t be here without our team, customers, and community. Here are some of the highlights of 2023 for Northern!
Company Upgrades
Keeping Promising Team: To better support our Service Specialists in their daily tasks, we formed the Keeping Promises Teams. Inspired by one of Our Core Values, each team consists of a group of routes, grouped together based on location and customer industry, and has an assigned Service Supervisor, Service Trainer and Customer Support Advisor.
Commitment to Innovation: Our investments in new equipment, fleet expansion, and improved safety measures not only position us as industry leaders but also underline our unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional services while prioritizing the well-being of our employees. This includes out upgrade to Ultra High Frequency (UHD) Chips, with a goal to be fully completed by 2025.
Plant Upgrades: Due to supply chain delays, the garment hanging and finishing portions of our process were critically in need of replacement. Our installation of 10 Metri-Q hanging and inspection stations, a first of its kind in North America, enabled us to increase our plant’s capacity significantly.
Events and Sponsorships
As an over 120-year old company with deep roots in the community, we try to take advantage of several opportunities to support other hometown businesses and organizations throughout the year. This year, we sponsored:
- Walden Winter Carnival – an annual family-friendly event in Walden, Greater Sudbury.
- Greater Sudbury Polar Plunge
- Sudbury Shrine Club Fundraiser Event
- Sudbury Annual Gem & Mineral Show – Northern was thrilled to be the proud sponsor of this year’s show, which embraces sustainability and community support and fosters curiosity and diversity.
- Clover Tool Golf Tournament
- KGHM Golf Tournament
- 3rd Annual Kovatera Employee Golf Tournament
We also proudly hosted an RSA group with other incredible leaders in our industry. This group of laundry experts provided us with valuable feedback on our operations and how we can serve our customers better! Additionally, our team participated in Movember, raising money to help treat prostate cancer.
Promotions, Anniversaries, and Awards
This year, we proudly welcomed many new faces to our team, all while still maintaining a 70% retention rate. To show our appreciation to our team, we host several internal events throughout the year. Our goal is to show support and gratitude to our hard working team! These events included a spring BBQ, a Christmas luncheon, 12 Days of Christmas, a holiday potluck, and a celebration of Canada Heritage Day by swapping our regular uniforms for some fantastic camouflage attire.
The following team members received promotions in 2023:
- Julian Pedrosa: Service Manager (Bradford)
- Andrew Suban: Service Manager (Sudbury)
- Chuck Gauthier: Service Supervisor
- Tyler Hofer: Service Supervisor
- Jean Labrosse: Service Supervisor
- Jenny Robinson: Stockroom Supervisor
The following team members celebrated 5 years of excellence:
- Kevin Champagne
- Eileen Martell
- Ashley Pine
- Daniel Chung
- Philippe Simard
- Chris Jones
The following team members celebrated 10 years of excellence:
- Sook-Hwee Park
- Christine Hunter
The following team members celebrated 20 years of excellence (and received a $10,000 cheque!):
- Eric Swoboda
- Pierre Mayer
The following team members received either a Food Safety Ken or BRIGHTStripeTM Ken Award:
- Pierre Mayer
- Macy Nguyen
- Brett Harrison
- My Linh
- Kenneth Calhoun
Finally, one of our most exciting accomplishments was being nominated as the Business of the Month by Northern Ontario Business!
Looking Ahead
As we look back and celebrate the exceptional year, we are also looking forward to our upcoming initiatives that will further elevate service for all customers and employees. This includes:
- Installation of the Alliant Service Module, which is an easy-to-use service ticketing system to record customer interactions.
- A customer portal that allows our customers to manage accounts and contact their representatives with ease
- Growing and expanding our service areas by opening our new Timmins Depot in 2024
We are proud of the progress we’ve made and eager to carry our momentum into the new year. On behalf of our entire Northern Uniform family, we thank you for your support and wish you a wonderful holiday season and a healthy, happy 2024!
