BBOT Celebrates Business Community

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Kevin Hodgins

“I really value our team approach and the awesome people I have worked with here over the years.”

Kevin Hodgins

Senior Commercial Buyer

Senior Commercial Buyer, Kevin Hodgins, recently talked to me about his increased involvement on the corporate level of our business. Here is what he had to say.

Q: When did you start working at ABC? What attracted you to our company?

A: I started with ABC in 2016 and have been in the scrap industry since 2001. The company’s ethics and belief in building long term relationships drew me to ABC.  I really value our team approach and the awesome people I have worked with here over the years.

Q As Senior Commercial Buyer, what are your responsibilities?

A: As a Senior Buyer, I am responsible for finding the scrap metal, negotiating its purchase price and managing the relationship between us and our customers.  Purchasing scrap requires diverse approaches from corporate written proposals to negotiated handshake deals.  Through my 21 years in scrap metal, I have developed knowledge of account contacts, diverse industries, customer products, metal types, markets, as well as freight and processing procedures, which I rely on to get the scrap.

Q: You have been getting more involved on the corporate level – what does that entail?

A: It’s really exciting!  One thing I am working on is leading a collaboration with Harman, Parv, Sam, Jason, Steve and Arjan, to build our strategy out for business development in the Lower Mainland. Together we are building out a detailed plan, sector by sector, to increase our scrap flow in this competitive market.  I am also getting more involved in our Indigenous relations, tradeshow and association strategy, and larger corporate accounts.

Q: What do you like most about your job? ABC?

A: It has to be the people and the culture!  I am really excited to be a part of a vibrant company as we grow and reach for the next level.  I really value the relationships I build with my colleagues and customers, the opportunity for personal growth as I get more involved in the corporate level of ABC, the diversity of projects, and of course…winning! 

Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

A: Most of my time is family time. My wife and I have two daughters 8 and 6, and a son who is 3 so they keep me busy. I coach both my girls’ soccer teams, play ice hockey, and love to fish and travel whenever I can.

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Blue Everton Destined for Eastern India

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Recent ABC Social Purpose Projects

ABC at the Whey-ah-wichen Canoe Festival

ABC was proud to support the Whey-ah-wichen Canoe Festival on July 8-10, as a sponsor and through volunteering. Every July, Tsleil-Waututh Nation holds an annual canoe race out of Whey-ah-wichen/Cates Park in North Vancouver. Teams compete against other First Nations from all over Coast Salish territory: the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, and Washington state. All teams camp and race at the park. Races include youth categories, women’s, men’s, and masters for 50 and older. Traditional dugout racing canoes are used which are very sleek, narrow and fast. Thank you to our team members, Warner Fong, Parv Hothi, Arjan Hothi, Lynn Sitanimezi, Sam Sladich and Diana Trasolini for volunteering to help make this event a success. Nathan Brandt, ABC Surrey’s Social Purpose Ambassador, and Lance Pearson recently spent an afternoon in Hi-Knoll Park cleaning up garbage, including around 200 cigarette butts

Partnership with Foundations for Social Change

ABC has developed a partnership with Foundations for Social Change, in support of the New Leaf Project—a bold idea about homelessness. The focus is on an important and significant part of the homeless population: people who are not entrenched in homelessness (not chronically homeless) and not experiencing significant levels of substance use, alcohol use, mental health symptoms, or gambling behaviour. The project is partnering with Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society and Metis Nation British Columbia. New Leaf Project disburses cash transfers to support individuals to move beyond homelessness with choice and dignity. Individuals are also supported by a range of non-cash resources including a no-fee bank account, cell phone, ID replacement, honorariums, and goal setting workshops and coaching

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A New Role for Jessica Jansen

“Having the support of your colleagues and a genuine feeling of being appreciated and valued is what drives me to be my best every day.“

Jessica Jansen
Analyst, Corporate Business Development

Q: When did you first start working at ABC?
A: March 18, 2013

Q: What attracted you to our organization?
A: It was an industry I really didn’t even know existed in the capacity that it does. I was definitely intrigued after my initial interview and started doing some research on the metal recycling industry and the ABC brand.  After a yard tour, I was hooked! I felt it would be a good fit for me and an exciting new career path.

Q: Congratulations on your recent promotion to Analyst, Corporate Business Development. Tell us about your role.
A: While I will still be overseeing account administration for our top tier accounts, my new role will be taking more of an analytical approach to our Corporate Business Development as a whole. I will be digging into yard budgets, volumes and margins, helping with preparing costing models for large projects and a direct support to my new boss, Harman Dhatt! I’m also really excited to be involved in our new Bellingham Port Operations, where I am creating and maintaining all purchase contracts for material coming into the Port. This new opportunity has really re-energized me and I’m looking forward to an exciting future with ABC.

Q: What do you like most about working at ABC?
A: Honestly, it’s the people, 100%! I absolutely love my job and this industry, but without the incredible people I collaborate with on a daily basis, it just wouldn’t be the same. Not a lot of people can say they look forward to going to work in the morning, so I am very thankful for that.  Having the support of your colleagues and a genuine feeling of being appreciated and valued is what drives me to be my best every day. 

Q: As a member of ABC’s Social Purpose Working Group, what do you find most fulfilling about the experience?
A: It’s nice to have a group of people come together to achieve betterment in our communities. I was incredibly proud of the way our group came together to provide support for the November 2021 flood victims in the worst effected areas. Not only did we make monetary donations but we quickly used our resources to get critical supplies delivered to some of these areas. Our company doesn’t have to do these things, we want to, and that’s what makes the difference.

Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
A: I love cooking, travelling (now that we can again), getting outdoors with my dog, spending time with friends and I’m usually doing some kind of DIY project around the house when time permits!

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June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day, a day for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.

The Haisla Nation Community Clean Up

ABC Recycling recently worked with the Haisla Nation to assist in their spring community clean up. We removed end-of-life vehicles and provided a bin to recycle household appliances in preparation for their next clean up.

The Haisla, meaning “dwellers downriver”, have occupied lands for over 9,000 years. Today, the Haisla people are centered in Kitamaat Village.  Home to about half of the 1,700 Haisla, Kitamaat Village sits at the head of the Douglas Channel in British Columbia. The balance of the Haisla lives elsewhere in the region or in Greater Vancouver. To learn more about the Haisla Nation visit: https://haisla.ca/

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We are sharing stories from some of our Vancouver Island frontline staff. These are the ABC team members who are showing up every day and connecting face-to-face with our customers. Our frontline team members have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to helping keep our company in motion.

Shirley Watkins

Shirley is our scale operator and administrative assistant at the Campbell River Yard and has been employed in this position since July 11, 2005. Her duties cover, but are not limited to: answering and directing phone calls and walk-ins; completing monthly inspections and entering them into the DAT program; and processing monthly customer payments.

“I have not had any issues during this time as a frontline worker. The company has installed a sneeze guard in the office, which makes customers feel a little safer. I am thankful that my employment has not been affected at this time. I feel the company has done an excellent job in responding to the changes needed at this time and supplied us with items to keep us healthy and safe.”

Barb Nielsen

Barb takes care of our office administration and all the steel sales at our Campbell River location.

“Our office is small and so it has been a challenge to keep everyone safe. But for the most part, I think everyone is doing a great job!”

Shane Kraus

Deb is the office manager in Nanaimo. She covers the scale daily for breaks or if Dani is on vacation, as well as dealing with retail sales customers.

“Working during this pandemic has forced me to look at how to perform regular duties in a different way. I try to remember that everyone is finding their way in this “new normal” which means that patience is one thing that I am trying to make a priority. I’ve had good feedback from customers regarding our new COVID protocols as generally they appreciate the fact, we are trying to keep them safe. With each transaction taking a little longer than it used to, we have time to create stronger relationships which I think will be beneficial when the market makes a comeback.”

Dani Gaucher

Dani Gaucher is the administrative assistant/scale operator for ABC in Nanaimo. She is the first point of contact for many customers, whether it be by phone or face-to-face as they walk through the door or roll on the scale. Essentially, she guides the beginning stages for a customer at our facility and works with both the individual and her coworkers to make the customer experience as smooth and positive as is possible. She also works side-by-side with the Office Manager, and communicates with the Operations Manager, Regional Manager, and Business Development people regularly to ensure that the discussed or expected process for a customer or procedure is followed.

“In the beginning of this pandemic, I bowed out of work for a week as I was triggered by having been sick a lot when I was younger. I have fought several respiratory infections and almost died from one.  Thankfully, I didn’t stay in that place for long. Essentially this pandemic has created changes in daily routine in our office workspace, not unlike anywhere we go these days. The most curious thing to me is just our individual quirks as human beings, and how we react and/or respond to what happens around us. When a pandemic occurs, it elicits both fear and powerlessness and this makes some individuals noticeably more uncomfortable than others. I have listened a few extra minutes here and there to customers that just need to talk, and I have also used my voice to ask customers to take another step back when needed – reminding them it is not meant as a personal attack, but that there is a bigger picture and it is important to keep safe. I have thanked customers for their patience, just like I normally would. We have adapted our space here the best we can for social distancing, and for the most part, customers are now used to the distancing measures still being practiced today.”

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Mental Health and Wellness

Did you know that 1 in 5 Canadians experience a mental illness in any given year? Looking after your mental health is imperative to your overall health. Being emotionally healthy has a positive effect on your productivity and effectiveness in activities such as work, school, or caregiving. In addition, it also allows you to adapt to changes in your life and cope with adversity.

Mental health and wellness are core to our well-being. ABC Recycling is committed to supporting the well-being of its employees and their families. Our decision to make a gift to the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation in support of the new Mental Health & Substance Use Wellness Centre was the perfect fit for us.

Supporting our Community

The new Centre is tentatively set to open this summer as part of the first phase of Royal Columbian Hospital’s redevelopment. The 75-bed facility has been under construction for the last three years. It’s now ready to start providing inpatient and outpatient care, as well as educational and research opportunities.

Outpatient services are a cornerstone of mental health treatment. The goal is to prevent people from needing admission to hospital by providing timely and high-quality mental health care in an outpatient setting.

Royal Columbian Hospital is Fraser Health’s education hub for UBC’s Psychiatry Residency Program, and the new facility will have more space to teach medical students, psychiatry residents, psychologists, nursing students, and other health professionals.
Royal Columbian is the only hospital in BC with trauma, cardiac, neurosciences, high-risk maternity, and neonatal intensive care on one site. It is also one of Fraser Health’s three primary COVID-19 sites.

To learn more about Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation visit: https://rchfoundation.com/

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Our frontline team members have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to help keep our company in motion. These are the ABC team members who are showing up every day and connecting face-to-face with our customers. Here are some of their stories:

Paul Payne

Paul is our Yard Supervisor in Surrey. He manages the warehouse and helps coordinate the daily yard work.

“When COVID-19 started, I didn’t think much of it until rules and regulations started to be put in place. Being on the front line and working with staff and customers has made it more clear that people need to be cleaner to avoid spreading germs, and maintain physical distancing.”

 Manni Sekhon

Manni started off as our security guard in Surrey and has joined our team as our Scale Operator.

“During this pandemic, I have been a full-time scale operator during regular business hours. I feel honored to provide excellent service to clients and be able to still assist them during this difficult time. It is not only hard for us, but also hard for them. Working together and facing our fears together has made us all stand strong.

Mohan Jassi

Mohan is our scale operator in Burnaby.

“I deal with customers; I weigh the loads, I send emails, I give customers papers, and I receive them too. However, since the start of the pandemic, I haven’t been touching any papers that come into contact with customers. Instead, I take a picture of the papers from customers and then I print them. It has been a scary and difficult time during the pandemic but our company has been doing a great job in taking the necessary precautionary measures such as providing hand sanitizers, only allowing customers in one at a time, and practicing social distancing. The best thing is that everyone is using precautions at work. Even before I start my shift I wipe the keyboard, pen, sliding door and nobs, and counter. Not only for the safety of myself but others as well, and so far at work, we are all safe.”

Delano Low Kontou

Delano is from our non-ferrous warehouse team in Burnaby. He receives, grades and weighs material brought in by customers. He organizes and upgrades material as well as helps out throughout the yard as needed.

“As a warehouse employee, I am in close proximity to the drivers and customers that bring in material daily. During this pandemic, I feared that I was at a high risk of getting Covid-19 because I did not know where these customers have been, who they might have come in contact with, combined with the number of people I am in contact with daily. One positive outcome is that with more time spent at home, I was able to teach myself how to cook.”

These stories by our staff inspire us to do our best during these trying times. We hope you stay safe!

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