UPS Celebrates 30 Years in Canada
Mississauga, ON, Feb. 28, 2005 To some, 30 years may represent a lifetime; to UPS Canada its just the beginning. Today celebrates three decades in the Canadian market, and the company has come a long way since its first pick-up from Torontos Butterick Fashions Marketing Co.
When UPS Canada first opened for business on February 28, 1975, the companys delivery fleet consisted of a single Checker cab, where deliveries were limited to downtown Toronto. Today, UPS Canada employs over 7,400 people in 54 facilities across the country, and serves every address in Canada, the United States and more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.
This global reach has been made possible largely through the companys continued investment in its air and ground infrastructure. While it seems like yesterday, UPS Canada began its domestic air service nearly twenty years ago; a year after I started with the company, recalls UPS Canada Director of Air Operations, Jim Fisher. The company has evolved immensely, and by leveraging its increasingly sophisticated transportation network UPS helps customers streamline their operations and simplify international trade.
In 2004, UPS Canada officially opened its first fully integrated import/export and air and ground operation in Vancouver, BC. Providing customers with enhanced pick up/delivery times, the facility was also designed to meet the demands of a growing economy driven by global trade.
Commenting on the key to the companys continued growth, UPS Canada President Glenn Rice and 28-year UPS veteran states, the strength of the company is our people each of our employees are the reasons why were here 30 years later. We stand by the practice of promoting from within; a philosophy that has enabled us to hold on to our most valued assets loyal and capable employees.
A testament to the companys philosophy of internal growth and hiring is Transportation Supervisor, Kent Ackland. Beginning his UPS career in 1978 as a service provider in Hamilton, Kent is one of UPS Canadas longest-standing employees. During his 27-year career, Kent has held various management posts throughout Ontario and is currently based in Concord.
When asked what has changed the most during the last three decades at UPS, Kent responded, Definitely the technology. When I started with the company, packages were tracked manually. I recall in 1989 we started scanning our volume; this is when we introduced automation and technology to our portfolio of service offerings. Today, UPS receives millions of online tracking requests on an average day.
While UPS Canada continues to make great strides in providing total solutions for customers and their supply chain needs, the company will also continue to give back to the Canadian communities it has served during the last 30 years. In 1983, 286 UPS Canada employees participated in its first United Way campaign, raising over $7,000 in payroll deductions. In 2004, the campaign exceeded the million-dollar mark for the fourth year in a row.
Our shared commitment to communities, growing our business and providing superior customer service enables us to look forward with great optimism as we move toward our companys next milestone in Canada, said Rice.
UPS is the worlds largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain services, offering an extensive range of options for synchronizing the movement of goods, information, and funds. Employing more than 7,400 people in Canada and 369,600 worldwide, UPS delivers to every address in Canada and the United States and serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. UPS stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (UPS) and the company can be found on the Web at UPS.com.
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For more information, please contact:
Sandy Lyver / Cristina Torelli
UPS Canada Public Relations
905-676-6951 / 1708
mediarelations@ups.com
www.ups.com
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