Maxim Messenger: June 2020

President's Message

Welcome to our June 2020 edition of our Maxim Messenger. When I think back to our mid-year newsletter in December, I am amazed by what has taken place since then and within the last few months. We have all read and watched how these unprecedented times have and are impacting the world we live in and the misfortune that has come to so many people. 

The year 2020 will forever be synonymous with sickness, death toll, fear, anxiety, loss of jobs, loss of homes, loss of businesses, change to our “normal”, physical distancing, sanitization and awkward looks as you make your way around people in stores.  With this in mind, it is important to be understanding and patient with each other and be respectful of opposing perspectives for the circumstances around us. I want the year 2020 to also be remembered for people who survived the virus, for bravery & courage, good leadership, financial recovery for people and businesses and people having empathy & compassion and helping those in need.

The second half of our 2019.20 fiscal year was tracking well behind our previous year and the COVID-19 pandemic put a negative exclamation point on our Q4 financial performance to finish the year. As a Sales Organization, any significant impact to consumer spending on truck and trailer equipment impacts us accordingly. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned our way of life inside out and upside down and it has challenged all of us personally and professionally as we continue to navigate our way through. In spite of our financial results, I would like to thank everyone for your effort, dedication and commitment for the past year.

For our sales and financial results, our sales volume was well behind our forecast and down 6.6% year-over-year. The combination of decreased sales volumes with the increased cost of operations equals a tough year for our financial results in 2019.20. 

We always like to recognize performance and our Top 3 Branches were:                           

Top 3 Performing Branches Overall

1. Winnipeg Main

2. Winnipeg Trailers

3. Regina

Our only Branch with year-over-year improvement was Thunder Bay

For the year ahead, our focus will be on Team Maxim and all of us working together to maximize sales opportunities and look for efficiencies in our business to minimize our expenses. There is no shortage of issues that need to be dealt with, but I am thankful that we live in Canada and work for a company that is an Essential Service. This gives us the opportunity to do what we can to make a difference as we continue to tackle the challenges we face in the most positive manner possible. Your dedication and commitment are always appreciated and that appreciation is magnified in a year when our people stepped up and worked safely together in unprecedented circumstances. 

I wish you and your families all the best for a great summer and a safe & healthy 2020!

Best regards,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Troy Hamilton, President

 

Sales, Lease and Rentals

The Sales, Lease and Rental Division’s (SLR) first-half financial results are 29% ahead of forecast and 18% improved year over year.  Coming off the previous year’s negative results and then faced with the      COVID-19 pandemic and the major economic impacts it has brought.  The SLR Management team and Front Line Sales teams have done a great job to stay focused, keep driving forward and continue to take no prisoners as our first half results have shown.

Our top three branches for overall performance and out top three branches for year-over-year improvement are:

Maxim Excellence Club

This past year we had 13 Sales Account Managers achieve Maxim Excellence Club status. This is the highest number of qualifiers in over six years and we know there is a lot of hard work and dedication that go into achieving these results. Congratulations to the following Account Managers:

On behalf of the SLR management team, we want to thank everyone for their efforts this year. For the year ahead, we need to stay focused on sales activity, more business with loyal customers and continued focus on conquest accounts and bringing new business to Maxim. Given these uncertain times, everyone’s effort to go above and beyond is appreciated as we work together and sell our way to better results.

Stay safe and take care.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ryan Sapach, Vice President of Sales/Lease/Rentals

Parts

For our sales and financial results, Parts finished behind last year’s net parts profit results by 16.2 %. This is the first time in nine years that we have not grown our sales revenue year-over-year. We finished behind last year’s sales by 4.5%. The loss of sales is due to the increased competition, the slowdown in the economy and as of late - Covid-19. We have to be out in front of our customers and be there for them, understand their needs, and find ways to look after them. It is important to follow up and look after every opportunity presented to us.

I would like to thank our whole team for their efforts this past year. We have experienced something with the COVID-19 pandemic that we may never see again in our lifetime. I appreciate everyone’s effort in adapting to how we do business and being there on the front lines every day throughout these tough economic times. Being an essential worker is difficult but because of our continued efforts, we managed to help keep the wheels turning.

We had some challenges this year with our Outside Sales team; we lost two outside salespeople and due to the economy have decided to delay the replacement of those two positions.

The Fusion switchover had us all on our toes and in unfamiliar territory. I am pleased to say that after four months, Fusion has become the new normal and I hear less and less about it every day. My optimism is very high as I learn more and more about the capabilities of this new business system

We are full swing into using GPS and Route optimization for our outside sales team and to date, I am very pleased to have a program that will allow our outside sales team to optimize their time with our customers and grow their relationships.

Thank you and I wish you all a great summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve Young, Vice President of Parts

Service and Operations

The purpose of this memo is to give you all a quick update of how Maxim Service and our Fleet fared in the second half of Fiscal 2019-20 (November 2019 through April 2020).

Service

With COVID-19 presenting a challenging end to our fiscal year, Service finished the year with results that trailed last year by 16.7%. Despite these challenges, Maxim Service Management and Administration worked hard to support our 175 highly trained technicians and kept both Maxim’s Fleet and the fleets of our valued customers on the road.

Fleet

• The performance of our A-26 powered tractors as well as the impact of our revamped preventive maintenance program (launched in May 2019) started to pay some dividends this year. The result being several of the key metrics by which we measure fleet maintenance saw improvements versus the same period last year.
• The Central Fleet Maintenance (CFM) Group continues to provide their valued service with the goal of maximizing fleet uptime while ensuring our fleet customers’ needs are met.
• The CFM Group consists of:
  • Gillian Giesbrecht (Fleet Maintenance Manager – based in Winnipeg);
  • Roger Calladine (CFM Group Supervisor – based in Winnipeg);
  • Eddie Bianchi (CFM Advisor – based in Winnipeg);
  • Anthony Javier (CFM Advisor – based in Winnipeg);
  • Donna Ford (CFM Advisor – based in Winnipeg);
  • Melvin Acapuyan (CFM Advisor – based in Winnipeg);
  • Natalie Mark (CFM Advisor – based in Winnipeg);
  • Kelly-Rose Diegel (CFM Advisor – based in Calgary);
  • Amanda Rusk (CFM Advisor – based in Saskatoon); and,
  • Paul Weiss (CFM Advisor – After Hours – based in Winnipeg).

Please reach out to each of them if the opportunity presents itself and thank them for the hard work they do each day.

People

Included below is an update related to changes in key positions since our last newsletter:

• Jamie Burnell was named the Service Supervisor at Tereck Diesel; and,
• Gebran Sbeit was named the Service Manager at Branch T (Mississauga). 

Congratulations to these two gentlemen and welcome to the Maxim Team!

Operations

Our second Maxim Vancouver location opened in January 2019. The facility is located along a busy transportation route in Surrey, B.C. and will provide customers Truck and Trailer Sales, Leasing and Rentals. Many thanks to Chris Crippen (Branch Manager – Vancouver) and the entire Maxim Vancouver Team for all their hard work to get this second facility open.

New Maxim Surrey location at 19011 96 Avenue

In closing, while we all faced a tremendously difficult end to our year, I want to thank each and every one of you for doing your very best each day. At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trucking was deemed an Essential Service by all levels of government across the country and I am very proud to say I am part of a team that rose to the challenge and continued to provide that essential service to our customers even through the most difficult circumstances. Well done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kyle Cuthbert, Senior Vice President of Service & Operations

Human Resources

We had some exciting changes this first half of 2020:

• Mae Dobson – returned from Maternity/Parental leave in January
• Bre (Breanne) Caufield – promoted to permanent HR Advisor in February

Recruitment

Across our Maxim branches, we had a net loss of three employees this year.  However, our attrition rate (people choosing to leave) went in the right direction with a decrease of 2.7%.  I encourage managers to continue to follow best practices for recruiting new staff. 

We are looking to hire Technicians at several of our branches, notably Brandon and Thunder Bay.  A reminder about our Technician referral program:  refer a Technician candidate to Maxim – if they are hired and stay with Maxim at least 1 year, you will receive a FREE iPad and $1,000.  This year, eight employees received this incentive. 

Outstanding Service Award

Our Outstanding Service Award recently received a face-lift!  This monthly award, which recognizes employees’ internal or external customer service excellence, now offers a $25 gift card to all nominees and $100 gift card to one through random draw.  Forward your nomination to maximhr@dlhgroup.ca or contact your Branch Administrator. To see the winners, go to: http://synnrg1.maximinc.com/synnrg_cms_maxim/index.php/help-center/hr/outstanding-service-award/osa-2020/outstanding-service-award-2020 

^ you will need to be on the Maxim network to view this link

Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)

An Employee Assistance Plan is a confidential, short-term, 24/7 counselling service that supports you and your family’s well-being.  Maxim’s EAP service is provided by Lifeworks.  Masters-trained professionals offer free advice and guidance on a variety of topics such as work-life stress, financial concerns, and family issues. 

• Call: 877-207-8833 English or 877-307-1080 French. 
• Online: login.lifeworks.com | User ID: dlhgroup  Password: eap 

Staff Changes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lisa Parent, BA, CPHR, Human Resources Manager

 

Covid-19 Committee

When the COVID-19 pandemic appeared in March, a committee was formed to address concerns, share precautions and business guidelines, and ensure the continued operation of the business.  With the health and well-being of our employees as a top priority, we initiated required protocols as recommended by the federal and provincial governments:

• isolation if showing COVID-19 symptoms
• isolation if travelled outside of Canada
• physical distancing
• cleaning and disinfecting
• additional personal protective equipment (PPE)
• appropriate signage
• working from home where possible

As various questions surfaced, the committee created a situational flow chart and provided answers to FAQs. New information and developments were and continue to be communicated via email, intranet, and bulletin postings. 

At this time, we are happy to report Maxim has had zero cases of COVID-19. As the government cautions us about a possible second wave, we thank everyone for their continued diligence. 

See our public statement near the beginning of the pandemic

Alex Ethier, OHS Coordinator | Lisa Parent, HR Manager | Michael Rosenbaum, CFO

Occupational Safety & Health

Our Occupational Safety & Health Department develops policies, training and performs claims management and investigations throughout the DLH Group.

Alex Ethier has been providing safety & health direction and support since July of 2012 and continues to explore continued options for improving our safety culture.

Our DLH Learning Centre (DLC) has been a key component in the training of employees in numerous components of Safety, including: WHMIS, TDG, Forklifts, Cranes, Orientations, and many more.

Safety & Health concerns or questions can always be sent to safety@dlhgroup.ca directly.

Alex Ethier, NCSO, Occupational Safety Coordinator

Maxim in the News/Social Media

In case you missed these social media posts or activities that Maxim was involved in this past 6 months, here are some of the highlights.

If you haven’t already, check out Maxim on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn – follow and like us! Here are links so you can get caught up.

INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK TWITTER
YOUTUBE LINKEDIN

Lightning Round

With almost 600 employees spread across 18 branches from Vancouver to Montreal, it's hard to know everyone at Maxim. Each issue we feature two employees answering our fun Lightning Round questions so you can get to know Maxim employees from other branches. Be ready for when your turn comes for the Lightning Round.