| By Renee Schofield, CEO

November marks TSS – The Safety Specialist’s 25th year in business. Throughout the next 12 months, we have committed to doing more, giving more, and celebrating more in many different ways. The TSS team is working hard on our celebration plans and each month we’ll do something extra in honor of this 25-year milestone.

I am so very proud to have stood the test of time despite difficult economic times, COVID, recruitment challenges, and more. From the early days of “what’s possible” to the current days of “let’s do it,” I am blessed to be able to serve with the TSS team to support workplace and community safety.

Looking back 25 years

November 1, 1999, TSS opened its doors for the first time under my leadership.

As a company, TSS had been around for a while in Southeast Alaska under different management and when I purchased the business, some assets and clients came along. But it was a work in progress, to put it mildly. Initially, I was based in an abandoned 12′ x 12′ x-ray room at the Ketchikan Medical Clinic, 3602 Tongass Avenue. It had no windows and lead walls. Right outside my door was the Quest Diagnostics Laboratory, where Cindi Byrd worked (this fact becomes important to the rest of the story.)

In those early days, I had four clients: South Coast, Inc. (Dave Spokely), Promech Air(Mark Easterly), Taquan Air (Jerry Scudero) and the Ketchikan Shipyard (Randy Johnson). ALL of them knew more about drug testing than I did. My main competitor was WORKSafe in Anchorage. Matt Fagnani and Steve Mahalik of WORKSafe contacted me and offered training. I took them up on it. I am forever grateful for their kind gesture to a business owner new to the industry. Also instrumental in my start was Dr. Gordon Piper of St. Louis, MO. He became my medical review officer, a resourceful educator and a valued friend. We never met in person, but Dr. Piper did not let that stand in the way of supporting SE AK clients. Another mentor was Bob Schoening, “the father” of the United States Coast Guard drug and alcohol screening programming. His wisdom, patience and guidance were invaluable. Even after his retirement, we kept in touch. Today, I visit with his widow, via social media and mail.

At the start, I felt like I had purchased a stationery supplies company, as the prior owner loved paper and envelopes. We had boxes and boxes of it, everywhere. So we mailed letters on all kinds of decorated paper. Trees, holidays, birthday…. I had paper for all of it. And, usually, an envelope to match. I sent out a lot of correspondence! 

I joined the Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce and was soon asked to join the Board of Directors, which led me to the Alaska State Chamber and its Board of Directors. I also joined the industry association of the time, to learn more about what I was doing and meet others doing the same work. I attended those conferences. I asked for speaking opportunities to talk about my trade. My focus was not just drug testing, but how drug testing improves outcomes in safety. I talked about how drug-free students and workers were more productive, less absent and safer to work around. I went to every meeting I could to speak about how my industry could play a pivotal role in supporting business and community safety.

Then, one day, a man came into my office and informed me that getting into this line of work was a bad decision on my part. He warned me that TSS could never make it in Ketchikan and that others had tried and failed. He told me I was doomed. I gulped. I blinked. Panic set in. 

What’s the rest of the story? Check back in December!