With 30 years of employment at Great Little Box Company/Ideon Packaging (GLBC), Sam Chan is one of the team’s longest-running members. And he can measure his time at the company in a truly unique way: truck sizes.
“The first vehicle I drove for GLBC was a flat deck trailer. Then it was a 48-foot trailer, then 53-foot. The trucks got bigger and bigger. There used to be only one, now there are more than trucks.”
Sam has been driving for the team, delivering orders to customers all over BC and Washington, for his entire decades-spanning tenure. He says that every day is different, and he’s never had a set route. During all of this time on the road, he’s grown accustomed to long days, enhanced by occasional jaw-dropping scenery.
“When you drive from Victoria to Nanaimo to Parksville, it’s beside the ocean and you will see some beautiful scenery, especially in the summertime.”
Of course, the job doesn’t come without challenges. “Driving from the US and back to Richmond, it’s a ten-hour drive and it gets lonely. On those days I start at 1 am. I get to the border and do all of my paperwork. I make my deliveries and then drive back. It’s a 12-hour day.”
Of course, the flip side of lonely hours is the feeling of “being my own boss on the road”. Sam has always appreciated the independence that’s built into his role. It’s independence his leaders fully support.
“My boss is really kind and doesn’t feel like a boss. He feels like someone who is here to look after you, to take care of you. The managers treat you very fairly. And my supervisor appreciates me every day.”
Despite the fact that Sam is often on his own when he connects with the team, he feels he’s part of something special.
“GLBC is a real family environment. People treat each other just like family.”
As the trucks get bigger, so does Sam’s sense of pride. He has loved being part of a steadily (sometimes explosively) growing company and reflecting on his own contribution.
“When I see what the company has become today, I think, ‘Yes, I am a part of that.’”
This is part of a series of posts celebrating our team members on the occasion of our 40th Anniversary. GLBC’s story is all about people who care about their company and a company who cares about people. Read more here.