photo taken David Van Seters
The Vancouver 2010 winter Olympic Games formally ended last Sunday, but their legacy will last for a very long time. After 17 days of intense competition both Canada and the US came out winners. The Americans earned 37 medals at the games, which is more than they had ever earned before and more than any other country has ever won at an Olympic winter games. The Canadians earned 26 medals, which was also their national best, and also earned 14 gold medals, more than any other country has ever won at an Olympic winter games.
As the leader of a company that has an almost equal number of Canadian and American staff, it is very gratifying to me that both countries did so well. What I also find very gratifying is the evidence of ever deepening linkages between our two countries, which was expressed in many different ways at the games and which I experience almost daily within spud!
Take for example, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who won Gold for Canada in ice dancing while Meryl Davis and Charlie White earned a silver medal. Even though they could quite naturally consider each other arch rivals, they are actually great friends and even train together in the same arena in Michigan, with the same coaches!
Scott Moir said after their win, “We have such a special connection to Meryl and Charlie. We knew they would be tough competitiors, that they were going to come here and lay it down. We wouldn’t be here without them.” Only two months earlier at the ISU Grand Prix figure skating final, Davis and White had earned gold while Virtue and Moir got the Silver. You’d almost think they decided to take turns on who would get gold and who would get silver!
photo taken by David Van Seters
Another example is the Gold medal men’s hockey tournament between Canada and the United States. Here you have players like Sidney Crosby representing Canada at the Olympics but playing for the Pittsburg Penguins at his day job. Similarly, you have players like Ryan Keslar playing for Team USA, while playing professionally for the Vancouver Canucks. Then to top it off you have, Zach Parise, who scored the monumental tieing goal with 25 seconds left on the clock, whose dad representated Canada at the Olympics in 1972. One of my US staff commented to me that they were glad that the game was so close because it showed how closely the American and Canadian teams were matched. I couldn’t have agreed more. Both teams played magnificently.
As yet a third example, on the Monday following the closing ceremonies, the Vancouver Sun devoted the entire front page of the newspaper to share letters to the editor from Americans who congratulated Canada on a games, that started out a bit rough, but ended superbly. It obviously matters a great deal to Canadians what Americans think of them that they would take up such valuable newspaper real estate to shares the views of their American visitors with their readers.
I frequently experience that close bond between America and Canada among our staff. While our staff on either side of the border are focused on buying locally, packing locally, and delivering locally, they still generously share ideas between the locations to help each other provide the best service possible. And when that isn’t enough, they will even travel across the border for the sake of the team.
I invited one of our American staff members, Seattle General Manager Henri Parren, to come up to Vancouver to experience the games with me and we had a great time even though we weren’t always rooting for the same team! It was fun to stroll the streets of Vancouver and see all the different nationalities mingling together. Together, we even found an exhibit showcasing green companies that included spud! . Henri used the time to visit our Vancouver office and meet with the staff before heading back across the border for an important meeting of Washington State organic farmers.
photo by Henri Parren
I feel that our staff on both side of the border are enriched by their interaction with their cross-border colleagues. It truly makes us a stronger company and creates a richer and more meaningful work experience for our staff and hopefully, you, our customers. If you have thoughts on the Olympics and our collaboration and friendship between Canada and the US, we’d love to hear your views below!
