Van Kam 70th Anniversary

CONTACT US

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10155 Grace Rd, Surrey, BC V3V 3V7 + 1 (604) 582-7451 + 1 (800) 826-5261 sales@vankam.com

www.vankam.com

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70th anniversary

PAGE OF CONTENTS

03

Th ank Yo u

04-07

L o n g Te rm E m pl oye e s

8

E ve n t H ig h l i g h t s

19

Northern BC C

9 10 11

12

13

14

S ale s Te am

20-21

N o s t alg i a

22

Ad ve n t u r e s of M o n t y

M

Y

Th r ow ba c k to o ur F i r s t Tr u c k

S u rr ey Te rm i n a l

23

Va n co u ve r I s l a n d

O p e rat io n s & L i n e h au l

24-25

Harry Jenkins

Te r mi n al St a f f & P ri ci n g

26

O u r Ag e n t N e t wo rk

27

3 r d G e n e ra t i on

28

N o te f r o m E d i to r

CM

MY

CY

CMY

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F i n ance / H R & I T

15

S h o p & S afe ty

16-17

J an ice I n te r v i ew

18

S ou t h e rn B C 2

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70th anniversary

With heartfelt thanks The Henry Family

It has been such a pleasure to serve our customers for the last 70 years.

We look back with such great pride on our accomplishments. The success is a result of our amazing employees who teach us every day the value of hard work and dedication. While we have continued to grow in numbers and geographical regions, we have held strong with our ethics and sincere appreciation of our partnerships with our customers and our valued suppliers. Not only do we consider our employees part of our family but we genuinely add our clients, vendors and all of our service suppliers to this extended family unit. Over the years we have seen business change with economic ups and downs but what has continually remained constant is our commitment to provide value to not only our customers but our employees. We believe that our presence in the transportation industry for the last 70 years clearly illustrates our desire and promise to continue our efforts for at least another 70 years.

It is with sincere gratitude, we reach out to every individual and organization that has and will continue to believe in Van-Kam Freightways Ltd for their career, as their customer as well as their transportation provider. We sincerely thank you for your contributions and trust.

Happy 70th Anniversary Van-Kam!

3

70th anniversary

25-29 years Congratulations to our Long Term Employees The Van-Kam Group of Companies proudly recognizes those employees with 25 or more years of service. Your dedication and hard work has played a large part in the success of our companies.

Joe Fantetti 1988 Victoria P&D Driver / Lead Hand

Tony Nightingale Surrey Warehouse Dock

Warren Brooks 1989 Kelowna Local City P&D Driver

Gary Bliss 1989 Surrey Local City P&D Driver

Kenneth Beaulieu 1989 Victoria Local City P&D Driver

Dean Harbar 1989 Victoria Local City P&D Driver

Janet Strickland Surrey A/R Supervisor

Janice Meredith Surrey Receptionist

Peter Stanworth 1991 Surrey Local City P&D Driver

Merian Nakashima 1992 Surrey Payroll Administrator

Delbert Cochran 1992 Kamloops P&D Driver / Dispatcher

1988

4

1989

Brenda Stone Surrey Call Centre

1990

1992

70th anniversary

25-29 years

Robert Dalgleish 1992 Kamloops Retired 2017 Local City P&D Driver

Eugene Serravalle 1992 Surrey Retired 2017 PM Operations Supervisor

Rick Newton Surrey Owner Operator

1999

Stanley Czechowski was known for his fun and memorable personality. He started working for us in May of 1975 as Bob Henry Sr’s personal assistant.

You could always count on Stanley to crack a joke or make a funny comment. When you had a conversation with Stanley everyone had a smile on their face. When Bob Henry Sr stepped down, his two sons Robert and Rory took on the leadership roles in the business.

Stanley then became operations support for VanKam. We all need individuals

Zolti Henyecz was our 52 year Employee.

Zolti started with us in Revelstoke working on the dock while he was still in high school in 1961. Zolti really excelled in operations and moved to our Madison Avenue Head Office to put his gifts to work. The majority of Zolti’s career was dispatching, He ran our satellite terminal where he dispatched Alberta and US shipments. In 2004 our new Head Office was built in Surrey and we consolidated our Lower Mainland terminals.

Because of Zolti’s wealth of knowledge not only of Van-Kam, but the industry as a whole his expertise was essential to pull in all our departments. Zolti retired in 2013. His son Randy is driving for us today and is a friendly reminder of our dear friend - Zolti.

that can virtually do anything and Stanley was that person.

Stanley retired in 2009 with 34 years of service. At 92 years of age, he remains healthy, living an active life as illustrated in the photo with his son, Colin.

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70th anniversary

30-34 years

Peter Slattery 1984 Kamloops Local City P&D Driver

Colin Kershaw 1985 Kamloops Local City P&D Driver

Barry Heller Campbell River Area Manager

Olivia Tsui Surrey Payroll Supervisor

Terence Keene 1986 Surrey Local City P&D Driver

John Mikkelson 1986 Wayne Sorensen Surrey Victoria Dispatcher Regional Mgr, Vcr Island

Kathy Mason Victoria Dispatcher

David Carr 1987 Kelowna Local City P&D Driver

1986

Wilson Li 1987 Surrey Operations Support

1987

6

1986

Kenneth Phare 1986 Nanaimo Local City P&D Driver

1986

70th anniversary

35-39 years

Owen Bach 1980 Kelowna Warehouse / Dispatcher

Gordon Bradeen 1981 Kelowna Local City P&D Driver

Ken Brunt 1978 Surrey Retired 2017 Warehouse

Patrick Burnshine Surrey Warehouse

Mark Grieve Surrey VP of Pricing

Orian Krischuk 1981 Surrey Local City P&D Driver

James Terrell 1979 Surrey Local City P&D Driver

Satu Thorne 1981 Surrey Retired 2017 Interline Payables

Sherry Williams Surrey Claims

1978

1981

40 years

Donald Fletcher 1979 Nanaimo Local City P&D Driver

7

1980

Wayne Dudgeon 1976 Surrey Local City P&D Driver

Our Sales Team May we introduce our sales team. Over the years we have gone from a few sales people in each territory to where we are now.

At Van-Kam, we are all about building and maintaining relationships both internally and externally – to you our valued clients and our co-workers alike. What sets us apart from our competitors is truly the way we care and take ownership of each of our cherished partners. Our sales professionals are on the ground working hard for you. The person to person coverage extends from Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Northern BC, Southern BC, Calgary, Edmonton (including points in both Northern and Southern Alberta), Toronto (GTA) and Seattle and the surrounding I5 corridor. The value is in the strength that we continue to illustrate as a solid team ensuring that you get the best of us each and every time we work together.

In a world full of constant change, one thing that remains constant is our desire and total passion to be of service providing an overwhelming superior experience to all that we engage.

Vice President - Sales

SURREY HEAD OFFICE

Su r r ey – O u r F l ag Sh i p Te r m i n al – b u i lt i n 2 0 0 4 e n co m passin g 1 4 ac re s , th is fac il i ty h o u s e s ou r m i n al / h u b fo r a l l p oi n t s in B C, A B a n d th e g rou n d for m a ny i n n ovat ive id ea s th a t n o t on ly e n h an ce ou r o p e ra ti on s bu t prov i d e f u rt h er val u e to ou r ex te n d e d fa m il y of l oyal c u s to m e rs . With t h e avera g e e m pl oyee te n u re of 1 1 + ye ar s – we br in g s evera l h un dred ye a rs of ex p e r ie n ce to th e ta b le . O u r tr u e pa s s i on li e s i n m a in ta in in g o u r r e pu ta ti on a s a lea d e r in th i s r eg i on a l m ar ke t for tran spo r ta ti on .

To ou r st af f , th a n k you for yo u r k n owled g e an d ex pe r tis e th a t we h ave co m e to r el y on ever y d ay.

Yo u r com m i tm e n t to exce l len ce s h in es in fi n i te ly. We s ta n d s tr o n g a n d t r u e “ H a u l i n g fre i gh t fo r fr i end s ...”

70th anniversary

Interview Q

The face behind the voice.....

Janice Meredith has been our Head Office Receptionist since 1990. We want our customers to have a live person on the phone when they call us. Just one more example of the value we put on people.

Janice will be retiring soon. We thought this was the perfect opportunity for people to know the face behind the voice. We asked Janice to share some insight and memories of the company from her 27 year tenure.

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HOW HAS THIS POSITION INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE

A

I’ve learned to deal with many different people on the phone and in person as well as to think quickly from many situations that have arisen. I have overcome much insecurity about myself and I have learned to stand up for myself when necessary. I’ve learned to handle situations better and to be able to multitask. I have learned many new skills and have gained much needed confidence in myself. I’m also very grateful to have made Lifelong Friends here and one in particular who is like a Sister to me.

Q

CAN YOU SHARE SOME FUNNY STORIES WITH US

A

There is one in particular that happened many years ago in our old facility. I was at reception and apparently there was an earthquake and everyone was running past me to get out and I didn’t know or realize until Rory came running by and said to me – “Janice, we just had an earthquake, we need to evacuate.” I just thought a truck had hit the building.

Q

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR RETIREMENT

A

I want to see and do more with my Mum and Dad as well as being more involved with my new granddaughter. I also want to learn how to cook properly, (my husband will be thrilled).

Q

PARTING WORDS THOUGHTS

A

I am very grateful to Van-Kam for taking me on all those years ago and am very proud to be a Van-Kam employee for 27 years. Most of my employment has been with the 2nd generation of Henry’s and after getting to know Robert, Casey and Lenore, I know the 3rd generation will take this great company to new heights.

I’d like to thank all the Henrys and wish Van-Kam great things for the future.

Happy 70th Anniversary!

I have learned many new skills and have gained much needed confidence in myself.

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SOUTHER BC

SO U T H E R N B C

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D ave Go ss K am lo o ps Te rm in al M an age r

Gr eg Ha r row, R egi o n a l Ma na g e r S o u t h e r n B C Lead by our Regional Manager, Gre g H ar r ow , S ou thern BC expands from Kamloop s all the way throu gh the Okanagan Valley to C ranbrook. Co mpany terminals in Kam lo o p s managed by Dave Goss and in Castle gar w ith su p port of A shley Hoodicof f . Greg and his team reali ze the importance of on-time an d in tac t ser v ice to o u r customers and co n sisten tly p r ov ide this ser vice with pride. B uildin g o ur New Su per Center in Kelow na in 201 3, it was t he first rebu ild facility af ter our Sur r ey H ead O ffi ce, this has allowed us to stay ahe ad of the c u r ve with facility, equipment and te c hn o lo gy ad vancements. Thank you team for yo ur har d wor k, dedication and desire to m ake o ur c u s tomers # 1 each and ever y day. Witho ut this end uring drive and commitment, we wo uld n o t b e t he strong leader in the Okanagan Valley as we are today. As we continue to gr ow , o ur em p hasis w ill continue to stay on o ur m o st valued asse t – our people.

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Kamloops Revelstoke Golden Salmon Arm Merritt Vernon Kelowna Penticton Princeton Oliver Castlegar Grand Cranbrook Forks Trail Creston

SOUTHER BC

NOR THERN BC

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Dease Lake

Queen Charlotte Islands

British Columbia

Fort Nelson

Hazelton

Fort St John Smithers Houston MacKenzie Chetwynd Burns Lake

Prince Rupert Terrace

Fort St James

Gerr y Bell Regional Manag er Northern BC

Vanderhoof Prince George Quesnel Williams Lake

McBride

Our gateway to all areas N orth a nd We st. We realized t he imp o rt an ce of p r ov i d i ng a sol i d s er vice to N o rt hern B C and constr u c te d a b ran d n ew s t ate of t he a r t, e co f r i e nd l y b uildin g in 2 0 1 4 in P rince G e or g e ; B e l i ev i ng i n giving b ack to t he co mmu ni ty th a t su p p or ts u s, us in g lo cal vendo rs fo r t he constr u c ti on. P r i nce Geo rge has b eco me t he H ub for th e G r e a t White N o rt h and Gerr y B e l l , ou r R e g i ona l Man ager, an d his gro up of tra nsp or ta ti on s p ecialis t s un ders t an d t he b u si ne ss a nd w h a t o ur cus to mers need. Our si nce r e g ra ti tu d e go es o ut to t he N o rt he rn B C Te a m th a t co n t inually has a p o s it ive atti tu d e , g oi ng th a t ext ra mile fo r n o t o nly o u r cu stom e r s, b u t ou r internal s t af f as well. This te am u ncove r s eve r y ro ck to en s ure we do t he ve r y b e st for e a c h o t her while always havin g a sm i l e on th e i r fa ce .

Thank yo u to an amaz in g g rou p of i nd i v i d u a l s.

St rengt h is t ruly o ur p eo ple !

Valemount

100 Mile House

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SOUTHER BC

VANCOUV ER ISL AND

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Port Hardy

J oh n M i k ke ls o n , R e g i o n a l M a n a g e r Va n co u ve r I s l a n d

Vancouver Island Campbell River

Vancouver Island – the home of ou r ca pi ta l a s well as th e pr oud home of 3 of ou r com pa ny ow ned terminals in Victoria, Na na i m o a nd Cam pbell River . This region is fa m ou s for tourism and a laid back care free way of li fe.

Wh ile this is tr ue for the region, on e thi ng i s for ce rtain, wh il e we pride ourselves on enj oyi ng li fe, th e work doesn’t stop until ou r cu s tom ers ar e satisfi ed with our hard working m en a nd wo m en o n Vancouver Island. John Mi kkels on, Sco tt Henn ing and Barr y Hel ler lea d by exam ple with their never-ending d edi ca ti on to ser vicing our c lients. This group of i ndi v i du a ls tr uly believe in the value of satisfied cu s tom ers and stop at nothing to acquire thi s . Wi th si ncere appr ec iation, we thank thi s tea m for al lowing us 7 0 years to flourish a nd look for ward to the f uture with f urthe r su cces s a t the foref ront.

B a rr y H e l l e r Are a M a n a g e r No rth e rn Va n co u ve r I s l a n d

Powell Courtenay River Parksville Tofino Port Alberni Nanaimo Duncan

Victoria

S co tt He nning Ope ratio n s M anage r S o uthe rn Van co uve r Islan d

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70th anniversary

Harry Jenkins A RAW LOOK INTO THE PAST

To refle ct o n th e h is to r y of our company, we e ng ag e d

th e

legendary

Harr y

Jenkins.

Harr y

s ta r te d w i th us i n 1 9 4 8 a s a driver and retired in 1 9 9 5 as ou r E xe cu t i ve Vice President. Naturally H ar r y

has

lo t s

of

s to r ies

and

memories

and

wa s k ind e no u gh to t a ke time out of his busy s ch e d ule of go l fi n g a n d b e ing a medical trainer for hockey to s h a r e s o m e of h is experiences and k now l e dge .

Not

only

a re

we

celebrating

an

ex t rao rdinar y 7 0 ye a r s in b us iness – Harr y is

celebrating his 90th birthday in August!

Harry Jenkins standing beside a new 1949 Hayes running for Alaska Yukon Transportation, based out of Yellowknife, YT. 24

70th anniversary

In 1948, as a driver, Harry

operated a 1947 International running from Vancouver to Kamloops – which naturally was our first run. To put it into perspective with today, his rate of pay was $27.50 for a round trip. As a linehaul driver he was required to do his own unloading.

When I asked him what hotels he stayed at when he was out of hours, Harry gently laughed and said “we would sleep over the steering wheel with our own pillow and blanket”. Times have definitely changed. As Harry started a year after Vancouver Kamloops Freightlines Ltd was established, he was not the first driver. Our very first driver was Goldie Stanbridge driving a 1947 Maple Leaf – straight 3 speed.

because Bob didn’t like to back off of the throttle. His next race Bob said – you drive it! I finished the race, didn’t win. But we had a great time and a lot of laughs.”

Sold to Robert Henry Sr., owner of Van-Kam Freightways, who paid a $1,000 premium over book value because the Cadillac had been used in the royal tour. He had the car re-painted white and drove it until he traded it in for a new Chrysler in 1957.

In

In

April 1966, while enjoying a meal with Bob Henry Sr at Nick’s Spaghetti House in Vancouver, Bob asked Harry to become his salesman.

Harry gladly accepted this new position which entitled him to $400 per month, a gas card and an expense account. Harry was definitely on his way up the ladder.

When asked what one of Harry’s fondest memories was of Bob Henry Sr, Harry replied “Bob had a midget racer. One weekend Bob invited me down to Seattle with him to the races. We pulled the racer with his Blue Cadillac – which he was so proud of as this was the car that toured the King and Queen of England around in 1951. Bob actually did the racing. On the first race he was on the 3rd turn and he spun out 25

1990 Harry was instrumental in our classic TV Commercial – “We go everywhere man” – even until this day, we are truly known for this commercial and we will maintain this wonderful piece of history for years to come.

Being that this is the Henry Family’s 70th year in business, we asked Harry his thoughts on the company and this milestone achievement and Harry responded: “One of the most successful of all companies in BC and the nice part is that the company remained in the family for all these years. With the family graduating into the company this will keep it going for many years to come. Van-Kam’s reputation is as good today as it was in 1947!

Speaking as a sales person for Van-Kam, I would say selling for the company was never a chore. It didn’t matter who you called on, you were always welcome. The success of Van-Kam is the service that is provided to the customers along with the tremendous loyalty of the employees.”

70th anniversary

Our Agent Network We owe much of our success to the extensive agent network throughout British Columbia and Alberta that have shared in our philosophies, work ethic and passion for exceeding our customers’ expectations. Thank you for being a true extension of our company and supporting us through this journey to 70 years in business!

Our British Columbia Agents ASHCROFT/CACHE BURNS LAKE CRANBROOK FORT NELSON CREEK Burns Lake Freight Cranbrook Express R. Dufour Jim & Joe’s & Delivery Enterprises Ltd FORT ST JOHN North Peace Transport Ltd

100 MILE HOUSE Big Country Storage Terminals

PORT HARDY PRINCETON Busy B Distributing Princeton Freightways Ltd 1993

PRINCE RUPERT Gat Leedm Logistics

QUESNEL Jar Transport Ltd

REVELSTOKE City Transfer

SKIDEGATE Clearbrook Trucking

VANDERHOOF J. Daley Transport

WILLIAMS LAKE Cariboo Truck Terminals

SMITHERS TERRACE Starlight Transport Big River (2017) Ltd Distributors

Our Alberta Agents CALGARY Mustang Freightways Ltd

EDMONTON Mustang Freightways Ltd

FORT MCMURRAY Oil City Express

GRANDE PRAIRIE JBL Cartage Ltd

LETHBRIDGE Lethbridge Truck Terminals Ltd

MEDICINE HAT Reiger’s Terminal Ltd

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70th anniversary

THE HENRY FAMILY 3RD GENERATION

We are pleased to introduce the next generation of the Henry Family who are leading us into the future. Robert, Lenore and Casey Henry (from left to right) have been instrumental in the success of our company for many years.

Ensuring that they understand the business, they have worked in several of the departments within the business and are now in senior management roles pushing us into further modernization and creative growth. We are all excited to welcome the future working closely with this dynamic 3rd Generation.

Robert Henry Director of Operations Lenore Henry Senior Credit Coordinator Casey Henry Controller

Van-Kam Freightways Ltd is committed to giving back to the communities in which we serve. Lenore and Alana Henry have been the heart and soul of developing and managing our Donations & Sponsorships Program. We recognize our social responsibility to better the lives of our customers, employees and communities and to inspire others to do the same. These investments made build into the communities in which we live and work and are a reflection of the way we seek to conduct our business, with care and consideration.

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70th anniversary

Note From the Editor It was such an honour to put this magazine together

To be part of such an amazing company for the last 21 years has truly been one of the greatest highlights of my life. It is my sincere hope you will find this magazine something to treasure for years to come. The process of developing this was very eye opening and it allowed me the privilege to meet some people whom I never had the pleasure before as well as to dig deeper into the history of our wonderful company. 70 years in a privately held company is certainly a phenomenal milestone and we continue to grow and prosper to this very day. Not only is the success because of our people, but from my personal experience, it also comes from the strength and trust that our Ownership team has in us. With that confidence, we have been able to overcome challenges and tackle obstacles with the passion and drive of winners! So, thank you to the Henry Family for building such a wonderful, reputable company and entrusting all of us to make it what it is today.

With love and gratitude

Special Thanks A special thanks to the following people who were instrumental in making this magazine: Maryna Yazbeck, Janice Meredith, Harry Jenkins, Robert Henry, Peter Holloway, Roger Marzin, Geno March, Theresa Boyd, Gary Sikorski, Milan Turkovic, Greg Harrow, Ian McLarty, Bruce Wayne, Dave Goss and Casey Henry plus the many others who allowed us to take their pictures and support our efforts.

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70th anniversary

PAGE OF CONTENTS

03

Th ank Yo u

04-07

L o n g Te rm E m pl oye e s

8

E ve n t H ig h l i g h t s

19

Northern BC C

9 10 11

12

13

14

S ale s Te am

20-21

N o s t alg i a

22

Ad ve n t u r e s of M o n t y

M

Y

Th r ow ba c k to o ur F i r s t Tr u c k

S u rr ey Te rm i n a l

23

Va n co u ve r I s l a n d

O p e rat io n s & L i n e h au l

24-25

Harry Jenkins

Te r mi n al St a f f & P ri ci n g

26

O u r Ag e n t N e t wo rk

27

3 r d G e n e ra t i on

28

N o te f r o m E d i to r

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

F i n ance / H R & I T

15

S h o p & S afe ty

16-17

J an ice I n te r v i ew

18

S ou t h e rn B C 2

Magazine v1resized.indd 2

2017-08-21 11:23

CONTACT US

C

M

Y

CM

10155 Grace Rd, Surrey, BC V3V 3V7 + 1 (604) 582-7451 + 1 (800) 826-5261 sales@vankam.com

www.vankam.com

MY

CY

CMY

K