Spectrum Telecom: culture of caring at Spectrum Telecom.

• Author: Robinson, Nadine
• Position: Five best places to work in Northern Ontario

The former elementary school PA system crackles to life, and the office staff start singing "Happy Birthday" to an employee. While perhaps unheard of in other companies, it's another normal day at Spectrum Telecom in their Sudbury office.

The president has the former principal's office, but being called there is not a punishment. Typically it means that the CEO and president, Geoffrey Hatton, is looking for an employee's feedback on a new product

or potential innovation.

"We do not stand still; we are continuously growing and improving," said Hatton. "Many of the challenges our company has faced over the years have resulted in newly developed and improved products and processes. Just as technology improves and advances year over year, so does our company."

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The commitment to ongoing learning and training is epitomized by their elementary school location in Sudbury.

"There is a spacious classroom upstairs dedicated to training," said Shelley Fox, manager of corporate sales and branch manager. "We need to be on the cutting edge of technology, with the knowledge of how to maintain and deploy new ones properly.

We also spend a lot of time on new employee orientation and training, so that they understand our culture of communication and problem-solving."

People pitch in, said Fox. "A small alarm goes off when shipments arrive, and if they're busy, I'll open the door. But when I do, they ask 'Where's Sherry?' We know most of our suppliers and customers by name, and they know us. The delivery guys often tell us that we're their favourite place to deliver stuff because we're so friendly."

At the front of the building is the company wall of fame. "We're well recognized in the industry, with achievement awards for outstanding customer service, and being a top dealer," said Fox. "We take great pride in contributing to the company's success. We're picky about our product lines, and we want to do it all well ... basically, we're running the race and winning ... and that is part of the culture."

Spectrum Telecom started in 1992, when Christina and Eric Kannen took over the existing Motorola sales and service presence in northeastern Ontario. By 1997, they expanded into northwestern Ontario. The company is responsible for the communications of clients such as the OPP and Ministry of Health, Ministry of Natural Resources, and most fire departments.

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