It was April 2015 when we loaded up the U-Haul and left Kingston to move to Stouffville. Stouffville is a little north of Toronto, ON, commonly known as the GTA, or the Greater Toronto Area. We left a fairly small city to move to the outskirts of the biggest city of Canada.
Hard Choices, Good Decisions
While we were in Kingston, we worked for a private storage facility. Over a few years, we gained extra experience to apply to other facilities, and we were able to receive better compensation in Stouffville. The choice was, in this way, easier.
Of course, it was difficult for us to leave our family and friends, and the company we left was also unhappy with our departure. Thankfully, the new employer welcomed us with open arms.
That’s how it is when you make choices in life. Choices have an impact and consequences on you and those around you. There is always someone who isn’t happy, but for us, it looked like the right thing to do.
New Employment
Sentinel Storage, our new employer, was for us an improvement, not only financially, but it was an excellent company to work for. Their motto was, “If you are good for the company, the company will be good for you.” And that proved to be true.
One of the things that made working for this company so great was our Operational Manager, Karen. If you are reading this, Karen, we miss you! She was always ready to help and support and found a solution to every problem.
Just to be clear for those who are unfamiliar, self-storage facilities like these exist for overflow of personal or business items. For example, sometimes the units are rented when people are between houses and are renting a house elsewhere. This overflow, whether it is a few personal items or the entire household, is then stored at storage facilities.
Our Harry
Sentinel Storage provided a moving truck for these clients for one of the best prices we have seen so far. This meant that it was used quite often, of course, by both businesses, households, and anything in between.
The truck was also called “Harry.” This was because it had the company’s logo on the side, a sentinel that had similarities to Prince Harry.
The truck was often used, and the company took great care of Harry. He was maintained well and was treated like royalty. You have to be careful with those royals; you better give them the respect they deserve (or demand!)
News from Head Office
2017 came around, two years after we moved to Stouffville. We were invited for a meeting at the head office in Edmonton.
Head office rented a location at the West Edmonton Mall to house all the managers across Canada. The West Edmonton Mall is one of the biggest malls in the world. It is a beautiful place to visit, with hotels, pools, and even a theme park attached. This is because Edmonton is one of the coldest cities in the world, especially of that size.
The mall is a great place to visit with the wife and kids; just make sure you keep that credit card in your pocket!
Back to the meeting, it was, unfortunately, a shocking one. Sentinel Storage was sold to another company called Access Storage. This was sour news for everyone involved since Sentinel Storage was run like a family. There was support from all sides, and to be sold to a giant made everyone wonder what they should do.
About halfway through 2017, the transfer was complete. Everything was now in the name of Access Storage. Including our Harry. He didn’t have any issues with the transfer; our Royal Harry didn’t care who held the scepter. He was the royal one anyway.
You can read what happened to Harry in the next blog!
Miss you guys too! You were/ are fabulous managers and people! Class act- we sure did have some fun while it lasted