By Renee Schofield, CEO
Oh, the places you’ll go! I never dreamed owning this company would take me to so many places. This month, I’d love to share some of that with you. One of my first adventures out of the office 25 years ago was to a log ship in SE Alaska. Approximately 50 longshoremen on board were to be screened. I packed up my gear and headed to the dock to board a floatplane. In my state, travel is often accomplished via these small planes, especially to remote places with little or no road access. We are used to it and know to wear our XtraTuff rubber boots and rain gear and only bring what we really need. Most of the pilots are in the TSS random drug screening program, so we know them by name and feel confident in their ability. This particular adventure was to Hydaburg, AK. The flight out was uneventful, and the pilot landed near a raft of logs. That’s where I got puzzled. How will I access the ship? And Dave, the pilot, told me. “Get off the floats, and then walk on these logs to that ladder going up the ship’s side.” Seriously? His look let me know that, yes, he was serious. So off I went. It wasn’t far, thankfully, and I made it to the ladder.
Looking up, I see lots of guys peering down, some taking pictures. Ahhhh…. They think I can’t do it! Bear in mind, I was 25 years younger! Challenge accepted. This crew, from Korea, if I remember right, had been on board for months and were looking forward to seeing someone new. As I climbed up and reached the top, they took my gear and welcomed me on board. This crew was not who I was there to screen. The captain came to greet me, and the first officer showed me the area where I would be working. I noticed that many people were not as happy to see me. The longshore workers were mainly from Prince of Wales and proud Alaska Natives. They have longshored the log ships for decades, with good safety records and strong teamwork. However, they were not fans of why I was there on that first day of my arrival. But we completed the job, and by the time I left, we had become friends. I went there a lot over the years of log ships, of which we don’t have many anymore. And I still see many of those folks now and then. It is fun to talk about that first day, and none of us will ever forget it.
Ginny Clay, our operations manager, has a great story about visiting a mine outside of Juneau via helicopter. She arrived to conduct screening and tore the back pocket area of her jeans as she was getting out of the chopper. As this job was an in-and-out job, she had not brought extra clothes. No big deal; Ginny wrapped her jacket around her backside, set up her equipment and got the collections completed. The helicopter was on its way to pick her up, when the weather dropped. The pilot could not land. She could see it, but he could not come in for landing. She was stuck, with her jeans torn. And that lasted three days!
Eric Bartholomew, our Marketing/Advertising expert, also serves as a collector. See my CEO notes about how we cannot find someone to hire…. So, we all do double duty as needed. Anyway, Eric makes regular trips to hog confinements in the Keokuk, Iowa area. Our clients are down long roads, which in spring are muddy! Eric takes his Jeep so he can be sure that he makes it in and out! Upon arrival, he dons protective gear to prevent germs or potential contaminants from being brought into the facility on his clothes or shoes, as this is important for protecting the health of the animals and the food supply they are used for. It is just one more step that we take to support our clients in their business.
These stories show the grit and grace of TSS. Our customers need things done on time and correctly. We accomplish that. We’ve been to gold mines, on the bridge of log and cruise ships, hog farms and large corporate offices, and we’ve performed drug screens in the wilderness. We’re so proud to be able to service our clients right where they need us, whenever they need us. Floatplane, helicopter, pick up trucks on muddy roads or fancy high-rise buildings. We go where you are…. And THAT is super cool.