Company News: Blog

My email has been buzzing all day as people react and mobilize in response to the disaster in Haiti. It is remarkable how each special-interest group responds to the crisis through the lens of their own special interests. I've had appeals from groups concerned with children, with animals and with churches. Some are seeking support for their own longstanding projects in the country: orphanages, schools, shelters and so forth, while others have no pre-determined focus.

One cannot turn a blind eye to the human tragedy that is unfolding, and like all right-minded Canadians, I am donating what I can. For now, however, I am giving only to the pros - The Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières - and I urge others to do likewise. Disaster relief is complicated, and, in my opinion, best left to those with the proper infrastructure, training and experience. There will be time enough, for years to come, for the rest of the charitable community to become involved.

I'm alone in the office today, with a single receptionist to help keep the doors open and the wheels of commerce turning for a few hours longer. After the maelstrom of the past few weeks, (the one time of the year I curse our mall location), the mall is finally quiet, with just a few worried looking guys striding past with furrowed brow, hoping they haven't left it too late to start their shopping.

Christmas is traditionally a time of year to count blessings, and I'm surprised and delighted to realize that 2009 turned out to be a much better year than expected. Amongst my blessings have been a dedicated and resourceful staff that worked incredibly hard this year, saving my bacon constantly. To salute them, yesterday we enjoyed the traditional GreenWay long boozy staff lunch, and it was on the tip of my tongue to tell them how much they were appreciated, until I realized that they might then demand to be paid what they are worth.