One of the most valuable lessons any entrepreneur can learn is the importance of people. Great companies aren’t just built on game-changing ideas and innovation, amazing products or industry-leading service. Without the right team in place, success is virtually impossible. On that note, it’s with great pride that I introduce the Wincon Security Employee of the Year for 2018—Syed Johar.

Syed joined the Wincon team in September, 2016, after emigrating to Canada from his native Pakistan in 2015. New to the country and seeking to build a successful career, Syed sought opportunities in the security industry and came to appreciate both the flexibility of the position, as well of the responsibility of helping property owners guard their residential or commercial assets. The availability of hours also helped Syed support his young family, including his then two-year-old son.

I should point out that over the past year we’ve put a great amount of time and effort into not only redefining our core values—which I covered in our last blog—but also determining exactly the type of employee we want to hire to help drive Wincon’s growth as we continue to solidify our firm’s reputation as one of Canada’s leading security and integration solution providers. We already have a great culture, but we embarked on a journey to figure out how we could make it even better.

We looked at the incredible employees we have on staff and analyzed the many valuable personal and professional assets they bring to the table each and every day. They are: focused, hard-working, passionate, innovative, collaborative, respectful, service-oriented. The list of adjectives is simply too long to summarize in full here. Perhaps most importantly, we confirmed what we already knew. Our people truly care, not only about our customers, but about each other. They go above and beyond to provide the kind of service they would expect if they were the ones hiring a security firm to protect their property. When a colleague is facing challenges, they lend a hand and help them solve the problem.

If a customer isn’t 100 percent satisfied, they find a way to put a smile on that customer’s face. If one of our team members can’t resolve an issue, they escalate it immediately through our customer service response team and stay on top of the matter until it’s resolved to the client’s complete and total satisfaction. Importantly, they regularly espouse one of our most important core values—that at Wincon Security, nothing is impossible. If there’s a way to overcome a challenge or introduce a dynamic new product or service (or improve an existing one), we’ll find a way to make it happen.

In Syed, we found the embodiment of that organizational spirit. His dedication and strong work ethic are second to none. He was recently promoted to supervisor in our Mobile Division and quickly set about making his mark, connecting with his team and suggesting service improvements that we’re currently studying to potentially implement in the near future.

“I can honestly say that I love coming to work every day,” Syed says. “I feel like my contributions are truly valued and that my industry experience really matters to the team. I have an opportunity to make a difference and I love the fact that I’ve been given the responsibility to work directly with our customers to make a difference in their lives.”

Syed has told us that he’s hoping to build a long-lasting career and relationship with Wincon. The good news is that we have a reputation for attracting and retaining talent—some of our employees have been with the company for 15 years or more. That kind of retention is unheard of in our industry, and speaks to our collective commitment to training, developing and engaging our employees to build the Canadian security industry’s most dynamic employee culture. In other words, odds are that Syed will be with us for a long time, and we couldn’t be happier.

So, congratulations, Syed! You embody the core values of our organization and your enthusiasm is contagious. We can’t wait to work together in the years ahead.

Winston Stewart, President and CEO