G&L – News – Joe Lamanna Announces winner of Mt. Tremblant trip!

Friday, February 19, 2021

G&L was proud to be the presenting partner for Landscape Ontario’s 48^th annual Awards of Excellence on February 4, 2021. This is an annual juried competition that recognizes the breathtaking design and master craftsmanship in the landscape construction, maintenance, design, lighting, and irrigation projects created by members! The COVID-19 pandemic may have disrupted an in-person celebration, but we are grateful for the Landscape Ontario team taking the awards celebration virtual (their very first virtual awards!) to showcase all the amazing work done in the industry.

Once again, G&L donated the coveted prize of a one-week stay in a luxurious 3-bedroom condominium in Mont Tremblant, Quebec. In honour of G&L’s 50^th anniversary, we were excited to have our founder, Joe Lamanna, announce the winner for the annual giveaway! The winner’s name was randomly drawn from a list of registrants for the President’s Reception.

Check out the Mont Tremblant Trip Giveaway Winner here: https://youtu.be/FC1Bp8xclOU

Congratulations to all of the winners of the Landscape Ontario Awards. We look forward to seeing you again next year!

You can watch the awards ceremony here: https://loawards.com/

 

Staffers tell it like it is!

Thursday, September 26, 2019

G&L is a great place to work! Our team is on top of their game which is why we were recently awarded Deloitte’s Gold Status, Canada’s Best Managed Companies. Many of our employees have been with us for decades;. Clearly, they love what they do. We’re constantly growing and always looking for talented people to join our team.

What’s it like to work at G&L? Watch our latest video and hear what our employees have to say.

G&L Was Proud to be Back as the 2019 Presenting Sponsor at the Landscape Ontario Awards of Excellence.

Thursday, January 10, 2019

G&L was proud to be back again as the 2019 Presenting Sponsor at the Landscape Ontario Awards of Excellence. This is an annual juried competition that recognizes breathtaking design and master craftsmanship in the landscape construction and maintenance industry.

This year’s awards took place on January 8th with this year’s theme of Legacy. Recognizing great work and serving to inspire, the Landscape Ontario Awards of Excellence also stir the competitive spirit and stimulate advancement, achievement and improvement, raising the bar for the industry.

In keeping with the night’s theme, G&L returned to tried and true and gave away a one-week stay at a luxury condo in Mt. Tremblant, Quebec. Congratulations to the lucky winner, Josh, of Twenty Creek Landscaping.

G&L GETS A FRESH LOOK

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

We’re pleased to share that G&L has undergone an entirely new look. Rebranding both G&L – no longer called G&L Group – in addition to its sub-brands, this clean, modern style places a greater focus on the sub-brands, tying them back to the parent brand with the line “A G&L Company.”

Updating the logo created almost 15 years ago and bringing it into the modern day, the wordmark was refined, making it more contemporary while preserving elements of the brand’s legacy. Choosing navy blue as the primary G&L colour, brand traits like confidence, strength and stability are conveyed, and its combination with pristine white makes marketing material appear simple, crisp, and clear.

Using “Driven” as the powerful new brand campaign message, this notion drives (pun intended) all the creative, from the visual choices made to the headlines. Headlines specific to the sub-brand, such as “Driven to Keep Roads Clear and People Safe”, and “Driven to Build a Solid Foundation” – boldly state the mission of the sub-brand while maintaining the unified G&L message.

Key photography used throughout marketing material is centered around motion. Showcasing movement in both vehicles and people, speed, power, and forward momentum are visually conveyed. These striking images combined with arresting colours and powerful headlines form a compelling new direction for G&L – one that makes the brand stand apart.

G&L Group Donates $15,000 for Construction & Engineering Technologies Scholarships

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

On February 14th, G&L Group proudly presented George Brown College with a cheque for $15,000 in support of Construction & Engineering Technologies. Faculty and staff of George Brown joined with members of G&L Group to celebrate this donation made in honour of Joe Lamanna, G&L Group's Founder and President of Aggregates.

At the cheque presentation event, Pat Lamanna, President of Salt, Soil and Waste, and son of Joe Lamanna, President of Aggregates, noted the importance of supporting dedicated and passionate workers in the construction sector. "For the last 47 years, I have seen my mom and dad work tirelessly to create and build G&L Group. My dad would start at 5 a.m. and work until 10 p.m., six days a week. His dedication to my family, our customers and over 250 employees is evident in all of the work he does. We want to recognize students who share similar values as my dad. We hope to encourage students to continue working hard so that they can give back to our community in the same way, one day."

The G&L Group Scholarship Award in Honour of Joe Lamanna will be awarded to two full-time students each year for the next three years. Each student will receive a $2,500 scholarship.

The 45th Annual Landscape Ontario Awards of Excellence

Friday, February 09, 2018

G&L Group was proud to be the 2018 Presenting Sponsor at the Landscape Ontario Awards of Excellence, an annual juried competition that celebrates achievement in construction, maintenance, and design in the landscape industry.

This year’s awards took place on January 9th with a Miami beach nightlife theme dubbed “The Heat Is On”. Recognizing great work and serving to inspire, the Landscape Ontario Awards of Excellence also stir the competitive spirit and stimulate advancement, achievement and improvement, raising the bar for the industry.

With Frank “Frankie Flowers” Ferragine as master of ceremonies, it was a fun-filled evening. G&L Group held a social media contest at the event, giving away a trip for two to Miami. Congratulations to the winner, Evan Kalentzis of Royal Stone Group!

G&L Group Creates Scholarship Fund at George Brown’s School of Construction & Engineering

Friday, April 21, 2017

G&L Group has successfully awarded the inaugural scholarships in the name of its founder, Joe Lamanna, to two deserving students of George Brown’s School of Construction & Engineering Technologies. The $5,000 scholarship was split equally between one student of the Residential Construction Management Program and one student of the Civil Engineering Technology Program. Eligible students were required to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, and exhibit a passion for their field of study.

The first of two $2,500 awards was presented to Eghosa Igiehon in November 2016. Eghosa’s interest in construction began in Nigeria where he delivered building materials to construction sites. After arriving in Canada, Eghosa joined the carpenter union (Local 27) and later decided to go attend College – a first in his family.

On Thursday, April 20, 2017 at Artscape Wychwood Barns, Pat Lamanna, President-Salt, Soil, Waste, awarded G&L Group’s second scholarship of $2,500 to Temiloluwa “Mufasa” Fashina. Mufasa recently completed his advanced three-year diploma and looks forward to a career in construction both in Canada and abroad.

G&L Group was proud to attend the Student Awards Ceremony to give back to the community and foster the same love of the construction industry that has driven the company’s success to date.

G&L Group Presents Landscape Ontario's Paint-the-Town-Green-themed Awards of Excellence

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

The G&L Group is honoured to have been presenting sponsor of Landscape Ontario’s Awards of Excellence held on Tuesday, January 10, 2017. Congratulations to all the winners.

This year the theme of the event was “Paint the Town Green.” To reinforce the theme, art students from OCAD University were on site painting green landscapes, and more than 600 attendees were greeted by a glowing green ice sculpture custom created for The G&L Group.

As the presenting sponsor, the G&L Group encouraged landscape suppliers and contractors to look to G&L Group, not just for salt and soil, but for all their supply needs.

The Awards of Excellence event was hosted by Breakfast Television’s Frankie “Flowers” Ferragine. Popular Gardening expert Mark Cullen, a spokesperson for Home Hardware and a Toronto Star columnist, received an honorary lifetime membership to Landscape Ontario for his dedication in promoting the green professions.

A social media contest encouraged attendees to enter for a chance to win one week at a three-bedroom condo in Mont Tremblant, Quebec. In order to enter, guests were asked to post event photos to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #LOawards and tag G&L Group.

The social media contest was a big success, with the winning photo — “The Green Alternative” receiving more than 1,000 likes. The winners were happy for the “much needed vacation for our family” and were “grateful for this wonderful gift. A special thank you to everyone from the G&L Group.”

Follow G&L Group on Instagram (@GandLgroup) and Twitter (@GandLgroup) to join the conversation and search #LOawards to see all the fantastic entries from our contest.

G&L GROUP NAMED ONE OF CANADA'S BEST MANAGED COMPANIES

Wednesday, March 09, 2016

Source: The National Post

One night in March, 2009, sometime around midnight, G&L’s phone rang. It wasn’t surprising that someone was calling so late, because it was still winter and one of G&L’s companies, Draglam Salt, which specializes in bulk salt, is open 24/7. What was surprising was that the caller was from Canada Blooms, the country’s largest flower and garden festival, hosted in Toronto.

Due to an unexpected glitch, they were in desperate need of 300 tonnes of quality sand or they would not be able to put together a display for the show. The G&L employee who answered the call quickly came up with a solution: Toronto Redi-Mix, a G&L Group company and one of Ontario’s largest independent ready-mix producers, had sand. “Around 3 a.m., I got a call from someone at Landscape Ontario asking if I could help them out,” says Pat Lamanna, G&L’s senior vice-president. “But our staff had already taken care of it and arranged for a driver to get them the sand.”

When Lamanna says his company’s greatest strength is that everyone in it, from the owners to the frontline workers, is passionate about what they do and go the extra mile, he is not exaggerating. “We do all kinds of incentive-type things and try to foster the culture, but it’s not about that. It’s just genuine,” he says. “I think what has developed this culture is that we’re grounded in who we are, naturally. If we screw up, we own it and we seriously try to help each other fix it.”

Since 1970, when Joe Lamanna and his wife Lucy, Pat Lamanna’s parents, started G&L with only one truck to deliver concrete and stone, the company has grown into multiple companies with more than 20 locations across Ontario. These include Brock Aggregates, Earthco Soil Mixtures and Draglam Waste & Recycling, which provides waste management and waste removal services in the GTA.

Together, the G&L Group of Companies has served a wide array of customers in the landscape and construction sector. In 2013, the company was signed on by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) to supply shotcrete for the Toronto-York Subway extension project.

“Our quality-control team developed a customized concrete mix for the tunnel,” says Lamanna. “We’re very proud of that.”

The company also supplied all the soil for Toronto’s waterfront renewal project. “Soil is not so simple these days,” says Lamanna. “Everything has to be tested and meet specifications. The waterfront wasn’t easy because we had three different levels of government to satisfy, and each level has their own specifications. So we worked with them all and designed soil mixes to meet their requirements.”

Despite a thriving construction sector in the province, “We’re very careful with everything we do, whether it’s extending credit to customers or purchasing assets and equipment, but we’re not afraid to make investments because we have the confidence in our vision,” Lamanna says. “We’re in a good market in Canada and it allows us to grow — so long as you have the right people. We could not have done what we’ve done without our people.”

G&L Group Named as One of Canada’s Best Managed Companies

Wednesday, March 09, 2016

Concord, ON – March 9, 2016 – G&L Group was named one of Canada's Best Managed Companies in 2015 for excellence in business performance. The Best Managed program recognizes Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $10 million demonstrating strategy, capability and commitment to achieve sustainable growth.

"Best Managed companies embrace innovation, seize opportunities and inspire talent. They really set the bar high," said Peter Brown, Partner, Deloitte and Co-Leader, Canada's Best Managed Companies program.

As GTA's major construction material supplier of over 45 years, G&L Group holds true to its corporate vision to serve clients with a passion for excellence and a commitment to customer satisfaction. The family-owned and operated firm relies on a solid industry network to deliver ready mix concrete, aggregates, soil, salt, and waste services to their clients across the construction, contracting and landscaping sectors. A forward-thinking approach of acquiring strategically located manufacturing sites, depots and receiving docks throughout Southern Ontario, together with a passion for innovation, have been pivotal in positioning G&L Group as an industry leader.

Established in 1993, Canada's Best Managed Companies is one of the country's leading business awards programs recognizing Canadian-owned and managed companies that have implemented world-class business practices and created value in innovative ways. Applicants are evaluated by an independent judging panel on overall business performance, including leadership, strategy, core competencies, cross-functional collaboration throughout organization, and talent.

G&L Group is especially grateful to its employees for this achievement. Pat Lamanna, Senior Vice President, notes, "We're in a good market in Canada and it allows us to grow – so long as you have the right people. We're so thrilled to be recognized as a winner of this prestigious award. We could not have done what we've done without our people."

"CIBC congratulates G&L Group on being named one of Canada's Best Managed Companies – a reflection of its strong leadership, sound business planning and focus on growth," said Jon Hountalas, Executive Vice-President, Business and Corporate Banking, CIBC. "We're proud to celebrate this outstanding achievement and applaud the entire team for their contributions to the Canadian marketplace."

2015 winners of the Canada's Best Managed Companies award, along with Requalified, Gold Standard, Gold Requalified winners and Platinum Club members will be honoured at the annual Canada's Best Managed Companies gala in Toronto on April 12, 2016. On the same date, the Best Managed symposium will address leading-edge business issues that are key to the success of today's business leaders.

The Best Managed program is sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC, National Post, Smith School of Business and MacKay CEO Forums.

About Canada's Best Managed Companies

Canada's Best Managed Companies continues to be the mark of excellence for Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $10 million. Every year since the launch of the program in 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices. The awards are granted on five levels:

1) Best Managed winner (one of the new winners selected each year);
2) Requalified winner (award recipients that have re-applied and successfully retained their Best Managed designation for two additional years, subject to annual operational and financial review);
3) Gold Standard winner (After three consecutive years of maintaining their Best Managed status, these winners have demonstrated their commitment to the program and successfully retained their award for their 4th consecutive year);
4) Gold Standard requalified winner (Award recipients that have applied and successfully retained their Gold Standard designation for two additional years, subject to annual operational and financial review);
5) Platinum Club member (Winners have maintained their Best Managed status for seven years or more).

Program sponsors are Deloitte, CIBC, National Post, Smith School of Business and MacKay CEO Forums. For further information, visit www.bestmanagedcompanies.ca.

About G&L Group

For over 40 years, G&L Group has proudly provided quality products and services to the construction, landscaping and contracting industries that build communities from the ground up. Through its Group of Companies, including Toronto Redi-Mix, Brock Aggregates, Earthco Soil Mixtures, Draglam Salt, and Draglam Waste & Recycling, G&L is proud to be a part of the roads that take you to work, the playgrounds your children love and the places you call home. Together, these companies form the GTA's premiere source for quality products, innovative solutions and exceptional service.

Today, with over 250 employees and growing, G&L Group's head office and central dispatch is located on Bowes Rd., Concord, with several depots and manufacturing facilities across southern Ontario.

G&L Group Presents Landscape Ontario's Disco-themed Awards of Excellence

Monday, January 18, 2016

The G&L Group is proud to have been presenting sponsor of Landscape Ontario’s Awards of Excellence held on Tuesday, January 12, 2016. Draglam Salt and Earthco Soil Mixtures had co-sponsored the event in past years but a refreshed one-stop-shop campaign encouraged landscape suppliers and contractors to look to G&L Group, not just for salt and soil, but for all their supply needs. A new corporate video highlighting G&L Group’s offering of soil, salt, waste bin services, ready-mix concrete and aggregates was well received by the crowd of over 650 attendees.

A custom hashtag was created to encourage social posts for a chance to win one week at a three-bedroom condo in Mont Tremblant, Quebec. In order to enter, guests were asked to post event photos to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #GandLOdisco.

The overwhelming response to the social media contest was better than anticipated and G&L Group will continue the social media dialogue for weeks to come. Follow us on Instagram (@GandLgroup) and Twitter (@GandLgroup) to join the conversation and search #GandLOdisco to see all the fantastic entries from our contest.

Congratulations to all of the Awards of Excellence winners.

Click here to view the corporate video and on-stage appearance at the 2016 Awards of Excellence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZirjA5Qm1ds&feature=youtu.be

Toy Mountain Success

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Thank you for helping us drive the holiday cheer this season. Over 300 toys were collected for CTV’s Toy Mountain in support of Salvation Army, providing children across Ontario with their own little Christmas miracle. We are happy to give back to our communities and were excited to donate our toys live on CTV.

We would like to extend a special thanks to the G&L Group employees, our customers and suppliers for their generous donations. Sincerest thanks to our partners who collected toys on our behalf, including Landscape Ontario, Progressive Waste Solutions, LafargeHolcim and The Brand Factory.

To view us on CTV’s Toy Mountain Finale, click on the link below:
http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toy-mountain

(The video appears on the right side column named “2015 Toy Mountain Finale” and G&L Group’s donation appears at 7:07.)

Wishing you all the best in 2016.

G&L and CTV's Toy Mountain Toy Drive

Thursday, December 10, 2015

The G&L Group has partnered with Santa and CTV’s Toy Mountain to drive the holiday cheer this season, collecting unwrapped and unused toys in an effort to make this Christmas a special one for girls and boys in need.

Unwrapped toys can be dropped off at the G&L Group Head Office located at 401 Bowes Road in Concord, Ontario, or any G&L location across the GTA. G&L Group has also reached out to various business partners and friends, providing them with Less Mess bags to fill with toys in an effort to spread the Toy Drive’s reach. Toys can also be delivered to the following locations:

Landscape Ontario
7856 Fifth Line South
Milton, ON L9T 2X8
landscapeontario.com

Progressive Waste Solutions
650 Creditstone Road
Concord, ON L4K 5C8

Progressive Waste Solutions
375 Clements Rd W
Ajax, ON L1S 7R2
progressivewaste.com

LafargeHolcim
6509 Airport Rd
Mississauga, ON L4V 1S7
lafarge.com

The Brand Factory
144 Bloor St W
Toronto, ON M5S 1M4
thebrandfactory.com

The deadline for donations is Wednesday, December 18th. To set up a drop off bin and drive holiday cheer in your own office, please call G&L Group at 416.798.7050.

On the Outside Looking In: What do they think about us?

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

In the last newsletter we highlighted Walker employees’ first-hand accounts of how we live out the company values we’re so proud of. Those perspectives were insightful, honest, and uplifting; truly affirming that our culture is very special!

But what would others say about us? Do the people we do business with think the Walker experience is as special as we do?

With a roll of the dice, we turned the conversation outward, curious to see what some of our most valued partners would say about working with Walker Industries. We invited customers, collaborators, and suppliers to have a conversation about our working relationship, and had an overwhelming response from people eager to participate. It’s easy to pick out the things that Walker has in common with these businesses: many started as family companies, they are committed to service excellence, company employees are valued for their contributions and many are devoted to putting the community & environment first. The similarities revealed a pattern of trusting us and enjoying productive, respectful, and caring relationships. As refreshing as it is inspiring, many of the Walker partners we spoke to were keen to discuss what it’s like to do business with us, highlight the values they see our team carry out, praise our people and elaborate on what keeps our working relationship strong.

The Walker Experience

Most of the people we spoke with had little difficulty describing how they would define the ‘Walker Experience’ to someone else; there was an astounding consistency to the responses. From the people and products, to service and innovation, there was no shortage of appreciation for the Walker Way.

“Walker has been there for us for the last 20 years now, and we’ve always had good results with their products,” says Gordon Adams - Technical Director/Environmental Coordinator, ARAUCO - North America. He suggests that innovation, quality of service and integrity are highlights of the professional relationship his company has with Walker and cites several occasions where the two companies have come together to solve an issue through testing, critical thinking and commitment to excellence. For example, when there was an opportunity to improve the wax that was used in the final ARAUCO wood board products, Walker Emulsions did some testing and was able to improve the wax to withstand higher temperatures, ultimately solving a lot of production issues. “I’m not sure if we were instrumental in that innovation, but Walker Emulsions provides great alternatives and solutions, like the high temperature wax. We’ve been with Walker since day one, starting in trials,” Gordon remembers from his initial days working in the lab and describes the longstanding relationship like a partnership. Especially in terms of testing and innovation, he feels like their collaborative efforts have been instrumental to development and automation of their products. Gordon shares that, “[Walker] has gone above and beyond to do a lot of extra testing for us which has helped us with costs and resulted in a lot of good things.”

Gordon also gives a nod to the level of service that the Walker team provides saying, “Their people are responsive and a pleasure to work with… We don’t have that much contact - but that’s a good thing,” noting that when needed, Walker is there, but otherwise he’s happy everything runs seamlessly! Gordon insists Walker people - from the sales team to the professionals in the lab, and all those working in the field, senior management and everyone in between - have got great insights, advice, and can be trusted to team-up and deliver solutions. “We offer each other a lot of advice, and it’s paid off.”

The G&L Group, another valued associate, shared similar thoughts on what it’s like to do business with Walker calling the relationship, “fantastic!” With ties that span nearly more than two decades, Senior Vice President, Pat Lamanna, says doing business with Walker is a pleasant professional experience where there’s a reciprocal exchange, and shared appreciation for the way they both do business. Marketing Manager, Stephanie Moore explains, “The G&L Group started as family company. We’re a full service organization with five companies that deal in sectors like aggregate, soil, and waste,” pointing out similarities between The G&L Group and Walker. They say that their dealings with Walker grew as The G&L Group expanded their lines of business, and Pat celebrates the strength of their bond, revealing, “Between our companies, related businesses exist. But it’s a trusting relationship with no competition, or we don’t feel the friction of competing against each other. There’s an underlying loyalty that we’re proud of.” And who wouldn’t be proud of that? Loyalty is a strong trait that develops over time, generally reserved for the most special partnerships.

And it seemed easy for Pat and Stephanie to describe what makes their partnership with Walker special. Stephanie acknowledges the feeling that the two companies share a similar approach and seem aligned in values. “Without knowing exactly how their values are written, Walker runs a trusted business, upholds the best interest of the customer, employs impressive people, and makes everyone feel special,” Pat added. Both recall meeting members of the Walker family and team leaders from the organization and emphasize their commendable experience and commitment to service; they feel that Walker people instill confidence in the relationship. They even highlight the impressive longevity employees have with the company, but quickly pointed out - AS DID EVERYONE ELSE WE SPOKE WITH! - how flawless the transition is when someone new joins the Walker team. “I’m not sure how they do it, but it’s impressive when people can come and go, yet never have it interfere with business or valued relationships.”

To further emphasize the success they’ve had in carving out a valued collaborative partnership, Pat eloquently sums up what keeps The G&L Group working with Walker: “Walker always treats us like we’re special… and we’re very inclined to do business with them. Walker keeps us competitive in the market, and we’re grateful for that. Our tagline is, ‘Partners in your performance,’ and we feel that Walker is our strategic partner in our performance.”

Living the Values

There’s a saying, “How can you form your tribe if you don’t show people your vibe? (D. LaPorte)” That feels so relevant to the way Walker has fostered long-standing, mutually beneficial, and trusted partnerships. As simple as the old, like-attracts-like, theory, let’s assume the Walker “tribe” is our network of professional relationships, and the Walker “vibe” is the way in which we live out our values. How have we established a vibe that resonates with the tribe we’ve created?

From his almost 20 years of doing business with Walker Industries, Brent Clarkson, Partner & President of MHBC Planning, says that Walker is a collective of great people to work for that treat people with respect, “They just have a genuine way about them.” He says, “They’re demanding, but very fair, and understanding when challenges arise.” Brent is very well aware of the ever-present ‘Walker Experience’ citing that he’ll ask his team, “Would that be consistent with the Walker Way?” to evaluate whether their decisions are consistent with the company’s guiding principles.

Brent’s company offers expertise as land use planning consultants and works through sensitive situations with Walker where core values can greatly impact the outcome of a project. He says, “Trust is key in our relationship. We work in challenging fields and a lot of the projects deal with ‘sorting things out’ with neighbours and problem solving. These things require a mutual confidence.” To further illustrate his point, Brent adds, “Walker is committed to their values and excellence. They’re not a quick-andcheap kind of company which is very important considering the work we do, and the impact it can have on the community.” Brent says of the many collaborations with Walker, “Walker has always insisted on making a site better than it was before we arrive. Community always comes first and anything that impacts that objective is addressed up front.”

A shared respect for the community and the environment creates a mutual respect between these two companies, and Brent speaks earnestly about the back-to-basics approach that makes the relationship more like a friendship, “It’s best described as a feeling. Instead of being acquaintances, we’re friends. Walker invites you in as a partner. You’re invited into their culture to collaborate and participate in their initiatives. Whether it’s charitable drives or a waste reduction challenge, it creates a ripple effect…. As time has gone by, the trust in each other has soared and we’ve been able to get results while achieving their corporate objectives in doing so. Hopefully they see it as a positive relationship and we certainly do as well.”

Above and Beyond

Like most of the people we spoke to, Brent was generous with his people-focused acclaim asserting that, “Walker must have the most perceptive HR people… they are ALL generously talented and committed individuals.” This tidbit of popular opinion couldn’t be a more perfect segue into the insights from the experienced full-service HR support consultants at ThorSight Solutions. In fact the owner, Brad Thorman, could probably identify with Brent’s notion about Walker’s back-to-basics approach. Brad describes the level of trust he’s cultivated working with Walker, and proudly affirms, “It just feels like a family company… A handshake is sufficient.” Lori Stephenson Wilson, Management & Training Consultant with ThorSight Solutions adds, “It’s not a typical supplier relationship. Walker treats us like a partner. It is a collaboration where they make us feel like we’re walking side-by-side.”

Brad and Lori work with Walker in a capacity that has them acting as an extension of our HR team. In order for their work to be successful, they’ve had to really get to know Walker on a deep level that includes operations, people, values, and service. In supporting Walker with hiring, training, career development, and facilitation, Lori and Brad have had up-close-and-personal exposure to Walker people living the values, and going above and beyond. Brad energetically boasts, “The company cares about the employees, their families, and the community. The team also extends that care to partners, suppliers, and customers.” While Brad describes this as the ‘legacy’ of the company, Lori suggests it’s also the benchmark that Walker sets to achieve exceptional results. She offers, “The way Walker does business is extraordinary. They set their standards beyond what is necessary - their safety culture is a great example of that - and people live up to it!” Lori also thinks that, “regardless of their position, all Walker employees act in a manner that is always in alignment with the company values,” citing professionalism, respect, and “going the extra mile” for others as examples.

Both Brad and Lori feel it’s a privilege and delight to participate in the various Walker projects that come their way. With a passion for developing businesses and their people, they appreciate Walker’s commitment to growing careers and fostering a sense of community inside and out of the organization.

And while commitment to community was something Dan Romano, Senior Service Contract Manager with Loblaws Companies Limited, also called out as an attribute that keeps partners like him engaged and doing business with Walker, he listed several others that describe a depth to their trusted relationship. Right off the top Dan begins, “The people are amazing! The account, finance, and billing teams are flawless; there’s seamless transitions between old and new talent; I think senior leadership is tremendous as well as the board members I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with.” He energetically expresses Walker’s commitment to excellence and appreciates how the team directly contributes to the success of his business. “Organic Resource & Walker are wonderful supports to Loblaws. They provide onsite training and support for their products and are committed to a collaborative relationship.” And collaboration is important, especially when both companies are committed to the environment and share the same mindset to divert as much waste as possible. Nearing close to a 30 year relationship, Dan says, “Walker continues to bring us new ideas, they are budget friendly, and we are confident in the expertise they offer. With their help we’ve met our waste objectives. They’re the best there is in the business… they’re forever improving as a company and our ROI is secured.” And with that, the most tried and true, by-the-book measure of a successful partnership: the bottom line! Clearly a great balance has been found here where objectives are met, and creativity is encouraged.





Whether it’s an emotionally driven response speaking to Walker’s people and values, or a dollars-andcents perspective about profits, savings, products and service, these conversations suggest that our partners find value in doing business with us. And the consistencies that continue to come up create a meaningful testament to the Walker Experience being special, indeed. We should feel proud and humbled at the great things our partners had to say - the feeling of respect, gratitude, commitment and privilege are echoed back to these individuals and their organizations. Walker proudly conducts business with many other companies, and there are additional stories we’d like to tell. Because of the overwhelming initial response to participate, we are fortunate to be able to feature more of these insights from different businesses in upcoming newsletters. The hope is that these stories and glimpses into what makes our relationships special will remind us what we do best, and inspire us to continue going Above and Beyond for others.

We thank our suppliers who took the time to talk about their Walker experience. Their insights are helpful to us in understanding how successful we’ve been at living out our values. As a family company, Walker is proud of the affiliations that have been established over the years. It’s clear that we’ve created a tribe that matches our vibe - we are stronger because of the relationships with our ‘extended family'

The Awards Of Excellence 2015 Was A Hit!

Monday, January 12, 2015

Tuesday, January 6th marked Landscape Ontario’s 42nd Annual Awards of Excellence. Presenting sponsors Draglam Salt and Earthco Soil Mixtures were in attendance to support the outstanding achievements our industry accomplished in 2014.

The late-night talk show theme led the awards show, from an opening monologue by Frankie Flowers to a round of Landscape Ontario’s own “Plant Password”. For a memorable end to the evening, Jay Leno joked about all things cold and assisted in a draw for the prize of the evening: a one week stay at a 3-bedroom, luxury condo in Mt. Tremblant, Quebec. Congratulations to the lucky winner, Kimberly from Parklane Nurseries!

We extend our sincere congratulations to all of the Award of Excellence winners and thank you for bringing to light the wonderful accomplishments and hard work of Landscape Ontario’s industry members.

To view a clip of G&L at the Awards of Excellence CLICK HERE
To view the entire Awards of Excellence CLICK HERE

Landscape Ontario Magazine Feature

Friday, August 17, 2012

G&L Group’s Sr. Vice President profiled in August 2012 issue of Landscape Ontario Magazine. G&L Group continues to proudly support Landscape Ontario and the green industry.
Read stories on: Landscape Ontario Magazine Online

Team Canada Brings Home the Gold

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

As a longtime supporter, the G&L Group would like to Congratulate Team Canada in bringing home the gold. The Special Olympics were held in Las Spezia, Italy. Team Canada was 1 of 67 teams that participated in the sport bocce. Congratulations Youth Bocce Team Canada for a job well done!

Honored for Hospital Contributions

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

In recognition for the fundraising and contributions made to York Central Hospital, G&L Group is proud to announce our founder Mr. Joe Lamanna and his wife were recently honored by a special presentation event. Their contribution generously funded a new high tech X-ray suite which was unveiled at the event.

G&L Supports Evergreen Brickworks

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

G&L Group is pleased to announce our recent contribution as one of Evergreen Brickworks newest Partners In Sustainability. The G&L Group including Brock Aggregates, Earthco Soils and Less Mess provided sand, soil, mulch, compost and seating stones toward building the foundation for Evergreen Brickworks' Children’s Garden in Chimney Court.
Read stories on:Evergreen Brickworks, Evergreen Newsroom

G&L Supports Hospital

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

G&L Group proudly raises over $55K in support of York Central Hospital.