In this Spring 2011, Volume 15, Issue 1 version of the IVES newsletter we celebrate our 30 Year Anniversary, tell you how we’ve changed as a company since 1981, share some highlights of the last 30 years in history, and some fun “Timely” quotes. We will inform you that our DTAs have been updated, give you a heads up on Alberta inspections, share some Incident Reports, a new What’s Wrong With This?, and an Answer to Last Month’s. Happy Reading!
30 Years… and Counting!
Thirty is a milestone birthday for people as well as companies, and for a lot of the same reasons. It is an age that carries a certain expectation of maturity and accomplishment. When people turn thirty, others are less tolerant of their transgressions and completely intolerant of their using youth as an excuse for less than adequate performance. When companies turn thirty, their customers have an elevated level of expectation of them as well.
In the modern business world, any company that has survived thirty years and is still going strong must be doing something right. In IVES’ case, our experience over the past three decades has earned us a stellar reputation within the training industry and, more importantly, among our long list of customers. While a company merely existing for thirty years may be noteworthy, to come through it with the verve and success that IVES has, is truly remarkable.
To explain how a company like IVES or any other company, not only survives the test of time but flourishes throughout it is not easy to do. To answer this difficult question, we asked the very people that make IVES what it is to our customers every day – our staff. Here’s what they had to say:
I think it’s a combination of the actual products we produce and the people that work for us. It is a total team effort but in the end, I believe the guys (our trainers) on the front line make us what we are. I think our team of trainers has the knowledge and talent that not many others out there do, and we have great resources to support them. We are very particular about whom we field as an IVES trainer and it shows. Simon Larkin, Assistant Director of Training
November 1, 1995 was the day I started working for IVES & Associates, as the company was known then. Since that time, many changes have taken place, but one thing that has not changed is the belief in the training system first developed by Colin Ives thirty years ago. This has been held not only by the IVES Master Trainers in the field, but by all the staff regardless of their function within the company and is what sets the IVES Training Group apart from all others in the industry. Dedication to preserving the integrity of the IVES Training System, providing the best possible training value for our customer’s dollar, willingness to share our expertise and to support you, our client, is what has motivated us every day for the last thirty years. I don’t see that changing any time soon. Susan Carlson, Ultimate Go-to Person and IVES longest serving employee.
I think that part of it is the dedication and devotion that everyone puts into their jobs. I know when someone mentions IVES, I feel very proud and honored to be a part of a company that actually cares about their integrity not only in the field but in the office as well. Kimberly Forest, Customer Service Representative/Materials Management Assistant.
IVES used to use the training room and equipment at a forklift dealership I used to work at. I never had a chance to take a class from IVES, but I noticed that everyone that went through one had the most positive things to say about it. I developed a kind of envy for what those people walked out with that I did not have. Years later, I now not only have that but also pride in the depth, integrity and clarity the IVES Training System uses to empower their customers to properly train people and hopefully save lives. That’s what I think keeps IVES on top. Nick Armer, IVES Staff Certified Master Trainer since 2005.
And the best is yet to come. While we are very proud our legacy of quality and excellence, we realize that this is no time to rest on our laurels. The world is moving forward seemingly at the speed of light and we intend to keep our foot down on the pedal and keep pace with the challenges of the next thirty years.
Rob Vetter
Director of Training
IVES Training Group
We’ve Changed Since 1981… Inside & Out
Thirty years ago in 1981, a customer that wanted to place an order with IVES would have to call it in via telephone or actually visit our office in person. In those days, you could send text messages via Telex (anyone remember those?) but we didn’t have one, and fax machines would not be available for widespread use for about another five years. The Internet and email revolution was still 15 years out and most things were still done the old fashioned way, with pen and paper…manually. However, change was as inevitable as the tides and while some resisted it at every turn, IVES saw it as an opportunity to advance.
Some of the most significant advances at IVES Training over the years have taken place mostly behind the scenes. As an IVES’ customer you might not be aware that IVES is one of the most technically advanced training companies in the world. When you go to our website to register for a program or call one of our friendly and helpful staff, your registration becomes part of a highly organized and automated system. When you receive a certification, your information, including your scores, becomes part of a completely secure database. As you know, documentation is extremely important in our industry and our ability to recall the complete training records of everyone we train is nothing less than state-of-the-art.
What you can see is that when you go to www.ivestraining.com and login, you will receive access to a number of free services. You can also order products online and the system will auto-fill your billing and shipping addresses and always give you the best possible pricing on all materials. We are proud of the fact that our high quality products usually leave our warehouse on the very same day that you place your order. We’ve worked hard to make the ordering process as user-friendly as possible and continue to develop ways to serve our customers better, 24 hours per day, 365 days a year.
How Long is 30 Years?
How long is 30 years? To offer some perspective on this, allow us to take you back in time to 1981. Here are some of the highlights from politics to pop culture from the same year that IVES was incorporated:
In the News:
- Ronald Reagan sworn in as 40th president of the United States, this was also the year he was shot by John Hinckley Jr. in a failed assassination attempt.
- Pierre Trudeau returned from a 90 day retirement to resume the office of Prime Minister of Canada.
- 52 US hostages were released after 444 days of captivity in Iran.
- The first cases of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) were diagnosed.
- The Royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Dianna Spencer took place in what was billed as “the weddingof the century.”
- A failed assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II took place at St. Peter’s Square in The Vatican City.
Introductions:
- The Music Television (MTV) channel was launched.
- The original Model 5150 IBM PC with a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 processor was released in the United States at a base price of $1,565.
Billboard’s Top 10:
- Bette Davis Eyes – Kim Carnes
- Endless Love – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
- Lady – Kenny Rogers
- (Just Like) Starting Over – John Lennon
- Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield
- Celebration – Kool & The Gang
- Kiss On My List – Daryl Hall & John Oates
- I Love A Rainy Night – Eddie Rabbitt
- 9 To 5 – Dolly Parton
- Keep On Loving You – REO Speedwagon
Top 10 TV Shows:
- Dallas
- 60 Minutes
- The Dukes of Hazzard
- The Love Boat
- Private Benjamin
- M*A*S*H
- House Calls
- The Jeffersons
- The Two of Us
- Little House on the Prairie
Movies
Oscar nominees:
- Chariots of Fire (Winner – best picture)
- Atlantic City
- On Golden Pond
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Reds
Best Actor:
- Henry Fonda in “On Golden Pond”
Best Actress:
- Katharine Hepburn in “On Golden Pond”
Sports:
- Football: The Oakland Raiders won Super Bowl XV 27-10 over the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Football (Canada): The Edmonton Eskimos won the 69th Grey Cup 26-23 over the Ottawa Rough Riders.
- Baseball: The Los Angeles Dodgers took the World Series 4 games to 2 over the New York Yankees.
- Basketball: The Boston Celtics won the NBA championship 4 games to 2 over the Houston Rockets.
- Hockey: The New York Islanders won the Stanley Cup 4 games to 1 over the Minnesota North Stars.
- Boxing: Sugar Ray Leonard defeats Thomas Hearns by knockout in round 14 to unify boxing’s world Welterweight title.
- Auto Racing: Daytona 500 – Richard Petty
- Auto Racing: NASCAR Championship – Darrell Waltrip
- Auto Racing: Indianapolis 500 – Bobby Unser
- Golf: Tom Watson wins The Masters while Tom Kite is the PGA Tour’s top money winner.
Deaths:
- Terry Fox (b. 1958) – Humanitarian/ athlete/ cancer treatment activist.
- Bill Haley (b. 1925) – One of the 1st American rock & roll musicians
- Joe Louis (b. 1914) – Heavyweight boxing champion 1937-1949 – nicknamed “The Brown Bomber”
- Bob Marley (b. 1945) – Iconic Jamaican singer/ musician
- Natalie Wood (b. 1938) – Actress
- William Holden (b. 1918) – Actor
Births:
- Elijah Wood – Actor
- Jessica Alba – Actress
- Justin Timberlake – SingerActor
- Paris Hilton – Heiress/ Socialite/ Singer
- Beyonce Knowles – Singer/Actress
- Serena Williams – American Tennis player
- Britney Spears – Singer
They Said It – Some “Timely” Quotes
- “Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time’ is to say ‘I don’t want to.'” Lao Tzu
- “To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time.” Leonard Bernstein
- “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” Albert Einstein
- “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” Abraham Lincoln
- “Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.” Napoleon Bonaparte
Incident Reports
Worker dies after being crushed by forklift
METRO VANCOUVER – A worker at a Burnaby warehouse is dead after being crushed by a forklift. The man was attempting to lift a piece of equipment with an electric forklift when the load shifted, causing his forklift to spin and roll on its side. The worker was thrown out of his seat and crushed by the forklift.
It appears another forklift operator was also trying to lift the piece of equipment at the same time but he was uninjured. There were about three workers at the warehouse when the fatality occurred, reportedly at about 9:30 a.m.
What’s Wrong With This?
Look at the photo below and see if you can spot what this loader operator is doing incorrectly. Look for the answer in the Summer 2011 edition of the IVES Update.
Answer to Last Month’s
Q: In the Winter 2010 edition, we asked if you could see anything the operator and/or trainer were doing incorrectly in the photo.
A: You should have spotted that the operator is not wearing any gloves as he should be, especially while checking metallic parts like wheel lug nuts. Also, the trainer is hunched over the operator and crowding him when he could easily stand back several feet from where he is.
Notice
IVES would like to ensure that you receive our email version of the update and other informative correspondence that we send out by email, so we ask that you add the following email to your safe senders list.
Digital Training Aids Updated
We have given our forklift and aerial lift Digital Training Aids (DTA) an all new look and recorded them in an Adobe format that is compatible with all computer operating systems. If you haven’t used our DTAs before, you really should check them out and add a whole new visual dimension to your operator training.
Heads Up Alberta!
The Government of Alberta has recently started an inspection campaign for targeted industries and companies using forklifts and other mobile powered equipment. The new inspection process, which started Tuesday, February 22, 2011, will be conducted in addition to regular Workplace Health and Safety inspections by Provincial officers. These inspections will focus on key factors that include: worker training and competency, supervision, the safe operation of equipment, maintenance and equipment modifications. Employment and Immigration Minister Thomas Lukaszuk has warned that in order to protect workers, the Province will be enforcing the inspection blitz and on the spot fines will be issued to anyone breaking the law.
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