Giving Thanks Never Goes out of Style

Let me just say this: in Canada, we do Thanksgiving right. I know it’s a big deal for our friends in the States -- and then there’s the whole four-day weekend thing they have and, depending on how you feel, Black Friday.

But we do it first! And with about 11 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, that’s just enough time to get over that first round of Tryptophan-induced sluggishness for we do it all again for the holidays!

For me, Thanksgiving is a time to spend time with family and reflect upon the past year. Every year has its ups and downs: happy arrivals and sad losses; successes and failures. And this year was no different. But overall we’re very fortunate to live where we do. Sometimes we forget that basic essentials that we take for granted aren’t available to many around the world.

A few years ago, I wrote my first Thanksgiving post and I was recently looking back at it. It’s funny -- everything I said there still applies! We’ve gone from 30 to nearly 70 employees in the intervening years. We’ve had more new puggles born to the Echidna family, and we’re still committed to being at the foundation of a vibrant downtown. Sure, we’ve moved a few hundred meters south, but we remain committed to the core and playing a role in downtown’s development.

That day, I wrote “Of course, this success and growth wouldn't be possible without the support and dedication of our friends and clients. Whether it's our clients from across North America, or those we've built relationships right in our own backyard of London, ON, we know these relationships have been built on trust, quality, and co-operations. We're proud to have earned those relationships and we're committed every day to show our appreciation of their support.” That’s as true today, Oct. 5, 2018 as it was on Oct. 10, 2014.

And it will remain true for years to come.

We’re so appreciative of the trust that our clients have shown over the years -- from early leaps of faith on a fledgling one-man enterprise, to new clients believing in us as we grow and diversify of businesses. But that trust isn’t just given -- it’s earned. We earn it every day with quality work, superior customer service, and adhering to our core principles: humble confidence; reliability, loyalty, and dedication; being easy to work with and being a team player; being passionate; and always willing to learn and improve.

We’ve earned that trust thanks to our amazing staff who, day in and day out, buy into those values, and it shows in their work, their commitment to making sure our clients are happy, and their continued drive to innovate, improve, and excel.

We’re still committed every day to show appreciation and support -- both externally and internally. Just today, we held a BBQ brunch for the staff and I it is my hope everyone at Echidna knows how valued they are. Without the team, there is no Echidna.

We do it all for our friends, families, colleagues, and associates. In good times and in bad, these are the people who give our lives resonance and meaning. I do hope you have an opportunity this weekend to spend some time reflecting on the year that’s past, who you’ve been lucky enough to share it with, and why we all have at least a few reasons to be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.