In celebration of our 15th anniversary, we share 15 stories that have stayed with us over the years. Each week, we will share 3 stories. Make sure you come back to discover them!
Growing together is our purpose. Since the beginning of the Solpak story, our goal has been to assist our clients in their success, support them during difficult times, and learn together. We apply this principle both internally and externally, both with our employees by offering them the opportunity to grow and improve and our customers. The idea is to enhance their value, offer solutions, increase their efficiency, not just sell products but advise our customers.
This is also why our Solpak advisors are not known as Solpak sales representatives, and our email address for all inquiries is solutions@solpak.ca. So, if there is anything we can do, we are here for you.
Thank you for your patience. It’s a simple statement designed to reassure and maybe even appease people. It’s mostly an acknowledgment as if to say: we know you’ve been waiting, and we understand. To us, it’s about gratitude. Our clients have been there through our growing pains, and we are grateful you are still here! And though we sometimes might have to ask you to be patient with us, we’ll always come back with solutions, answers, and support.
It’s our promise to you, our bond of friendship and partnership. So for your patience and your understanding shown in the past 15 years, we thank you!
‘Process’ is one of the words you’ll hear us say the most. We use it when talking about our clients, our team, and everything in between. A process saves time, promotes accountability, and helps create clear goals as part of the greater mission. In addition to that, it brings a certain balance. It implies a certain mastery.
Very early on, we understood the importance of having good processes and reflecting new realities. Not just for Solpak but also for you, our customers, and partners. So, you can focus on what matters, your customers, and your end product.
What can I say about life at Solpak? There’s a lot of heart here. I feel like it’s not like other customer service jobs where you dread the calls that come in. I’m actually on a first-name basis with almost everyone that calls, so it’s almost like talking to friends. It’s a nice feeling to work with people and clients who genuinely want to connect with you. And I don’t fool myself into thinking I’m just really lucky to have nice clients.
Solpak attracts people who see our value and our dedication to being a company that people take pride in doing business with. The Solpak team makes me feel like I’m part of a family, and it’s a pleasure to come in every day.
I was only at Solpak for a couple of months doing customer service when Covid struck. Rather than lay me off and have me collect CRB, they went out of their way to accommodate my move to a home office and went as far as to have me switch jobs with another employee who was better set up to do customer service at home. I became a coordinator, continuous improvement. Companies usually adopt the “first in, first out” rule during hard times, so I expected to be laid off.
But Solpak isn’t that kind of place. They stood by me and made me feel that even though I was new, I belonged there. The funny thing is, my colleague and I liked our new roles so much that we decided to keep them!
I’m an Advisor, Products, and Solutions for the Ontario market and, with Solpak’s office being in Montreal, it would have been easy to feel disconnected from any other company. But from the first day I joined, the Solpak family has really gone out of their way to make me feel like I was a part of the team. I remember when I first got hired, I travelled to Montreal for my training, and before I even got to the office, I received a message from Rachel making sure that I arrived safely and welcoming me to the city. It was a warm gesture, and it comforted me in my decision to join the company. What truly blew me away, though, was that upon arriving at the office the following day, the whole team was waiting to greet me and introduce themselves.
It’s one of the many examples of Solpak’s dedication to creating real connections with people.
At a recent trade show, a rather tall man arrived at our booth, excited about our 1908 Tray Sealer. He was literally jumping on the spot, and I couldn’t help but get a bit swept away by his enthusiasm. He was charismatic and was inhabited by a rare energy, so when he spoke about his need for our product and how wonderful it was, it was impossible not to be captivated! The rest of the story is even more exciting! The man in question was Chef Jagger Gordon, and he went on to start ‘Feed it Forward,’ a charity with a dual mission to feed hungry Canadians while reducing food waste.
He has been our customer for a few years now, his charity continues to grow, and we are very proud of our contribution.
I’ve always been a sales guy. I was happy selling anything to anyone because all that mattered to me was closing mutually beneficial deals for both the client and the company. After years in the business and having children who are passionate advocates for social change, I started to feel the urge to make a difference. With Solpak, I get to learn something every day while I work with people who really care about the environment and the community. I remember one of my very first volunteer food drives during Covid. People couldn’t go into the kitchen or dining room, so we used our Solpak products to help seal and serve food for those in need, and well, we really kept things moving, so I was really proud. It also showed me how many different kinds of people face hardships, and it opened my eyes.
I’m thankful for being part of a team that cares so deeply about making a positive change in the community.
Every year during Quebec’s Meals-on-Wheels Week, some collaborators from Solpak are chosen to help deliver meals. In March 2018, my colleague Hughes and I had the pleasure of collaborating with Isabelle Lachance. Hugues and I meet at the office in the wee hours, well actually around 7.30 am, coffee in hand. We hop into the ThermoGo truck and make our way to the Popote Roulante in Valleyfield. Upon arrival, we quickly jump into action and begin loading the prepared meals for our assigned route into the ThermoGo. For approximately 2 hours, we drive through Valleyfield delivering meals. Once all meals are delivered, we head back to the centre to assist the kitchen staff, packaging meals. Before heading back to the office, Hugues and I are treated to a wonderful lunch with Isabelle and her employees!
It was the perfect opportunity to see our products in action, to better understand our client’s needs and reality, and, most of all, to share a moment as a family! It was a truly humbling experience that I’ll never forget.
When Solpak first started, I was doing everything in the business, including rushing to the warehouse to hand over the day’s shipments to the FedEx office. One day, I was stuck in traffic and, therefore, late to go to the warehouse. I decided to call the employee at the FedEx office on his personal cell phone. I convinced him to meet at the end of his trip across town to pick up the packages to be shipped that day. I wanted to make sure the customer got their order the next day.
You may not see it, but we fight for you or negotiate with our partners every day to make sure you receive your orders as quickly as possible, even if it means breaking some rules.
After nearly ten years of full-time work and the last two years of part-time dealing with special projects, I have retired. I have had the privilege and pleasure of meeting so many people across Eastern Canada, who are doing a magnificent job to improve Canadians’ quality of life and nutrition. Whether it is Meals-On-Wheels for seniors, school or event caterers, and retail businesses. I’m very proud to have been able to help them achieve their goal: to offer effective solutions that also respect the environment. I’m pleased to note that the clients I met in 2009 still do business with Solpak, demonstrating the entire team’s professionalism.
I am grateful to have worked for an organization that shared my integrity values and helped the community.
During our Solpak exhibitions, it always warms my heart when customers greet me by saying “hello Vero” in an amicable way or welcoming me with a hug. I’m not normally a very warm and cuddly person during working hours. I’m always smiling and courteous, of course, but more on a professional level. However, these clients taught me a lot thanks to their warmth and openness during our meetings.
They allowed me to grow on a professional and personal level. I will always appreciate this team spirit and the passion for a job well done that we share.
I was doing a demo for our first potential healthcare customer years ago. I was excited about my first big client, so maybe I overthought my presentation a bit too much. I showed up, made my way to the buyer’s office, greeted him, and got everything set up to give him a great pitch. Before I could properly get started POOF!, the machine overheated and started melting the film and tray. Black smoke was coming out. I almost triggered the floor’s fire alarm and sprinklers. Not exactly the best presentation of my career, but it was the only major malfunction in 15 years because we really pride ourselves on delivering quality products and services.
We test all our products ourselves, running every possible scenario, even years after market launch. Our products may evolve, but we make sure quality does not suffer.
When I [David] first started my Solpak adventure, I started from my home office, and, due to a lack of space, I was working in our unfinished basement, my little oasis of peace, so I could get things done. It was cold and damp, but I was determined. Then, my wife Erica comes downstairs and kindly asks me to give her all the clothing I was wearing (well, almost all). I obliged and ended up doing my first ever sales calls in my shorties. Yes, yes, I was one of the first to telework in underwear, long before COVID!
Today, I have a great company, wonderful employees, great clients, and promise, I rarely ever work in my underwear anymore!
A few months ago, our Technical Advisor, JP, visited a client to service its equipment. Covid was already a reality back then. He calls the client to ask about their safety measures and preferences and wears his mask and gloves. He makes his way into the office of the person in charge, and the client looks up and tells him: « no, no, take that off! ». He replies: « ok!» and proceeds to (pretend) remove his shirt, and they both burst out laughing.
We love experiencing these moments with our customers, even in the midst of uncertainty.
