Summer Family Event – Bruce’s Mill
This year, Universal Logistics will be returning to Bruce’s Mill in Stouffville on Saturday, July 13th for an afternoon of fun featuring:
Interactive Inflatables …
Airbrush Tattoos & Magic Mirror Photo Booth …
Delicious Food, Drinks & Ice Cream …
And the return of the Zorb Ball Race Track!
It’s time to get yourselves ready for an exciting day that might leave you with a nice tan, but will surely leave you with the need for a nap!
Summerlicious Days at Universal!!
Summerlicious Days has officially begun, and we kicked off this year with a food truck at Head Office, and delicious lunches coordinated by the LEAD team for our Canadian Branch and US offices!
Keep an eye out for LEAD team emails announcing more tasty things to come …
| Tuesday, June 18th | Ice Cream Truck at Head Office & Ice Cream Treats for Canadian Branch & US Offices |
| Saturday, July 13th | Food & Ice Cream Truck at our Universal Summer Picnic (Bruce’s Mill) |
| Tuesday, August 20th | Ice Cream Truck at Head Office & Ice Cream Treats for Canadian Branch & US Offices |
| Tuesday, September 17th | Food Truck at Head Office & Lunch provided by the LEAD team for Canadian Branch & US Offices |
2024 CN Tower Climb for Nature
Contributor: William Sanchez
For the second year in a row, members of the Universal family took part in the WWF CN Tower Climb for Nature on Saturday, April 20th, 2024. After nearly a year of regularly climbing the stairs at Head Office in preparation for this event, the day had arrived for the self-proclaimed A-Team to try to ascend the 1,776 steps needed to reach the zenith of one the 7 modern wonders of the world.
The main objective was to raise funds and awareness for the creation of a brighter future for nature, wildlife, and people. The only way to the top was up a metal see-through stairwell (gulp) – not ideal for the weak of heart.
Comprised of 3 valiant members, the A-Team was led by Alice Yan, participating for her second consecutive year, providing leadership, a positive approach and a never give up attitude that helped us immensely in overcoming jitters and some adversity throughout the event. Once again “₵₳$H MON€Y ¥an” was worth every penny.
Alice’s close friend, Rocky, performed remarkably well! Although a little birdie did tell me that her training consisted of using the StairMaster once every 3 months while eating Xiaolongbao and drinking Shanghai cocktails. I guess some people are just naturally gifted.
Lastly, William Sanchez aka the Stairs Messiah, aka The Stairway to Heaven Jesus (Editor’s Note: No one actually calls him this, but okay). As a core member of the P.G. Stair Collective of Head Office (or William and the Step Sisters), William has fully trained physically and mentally in the last year for his first stab at climbing the steps of the CN Tower. Of particular note, due to his fear of heights, climbing the indoor patio-style stairs was more challenging and exciting for him. Despite all the odds seeming against him, during the climbing, William was leading this A-team most of the time and somehow overcame his many fears and didn’t completely make a fool of himself.
Then again, we won’t mention the memorable 58-second ride down the elevator to get back to ground level. As the saying goes, what happens at the CN Tower Climb, stays at the CN Tower Climb.
Overall, the event was a massive success, raising a record breaking $1.53 Million from more than 5,500 climbers, and the incredible support of over 26,000 donors, sponsors, and volunteers during the 2-day event. Special thanks to all the contributors who helped the A-Team exceed their donation goals. The experience was so much fun recruitment for next year’s climb has already begun. Hopefully, a large contingent of the team will be representative of Universal, but we’ll take it one step at a time.
6 Email Etiquette Guidelines
In the current digital age, especially with shorthand being a go-to for instant messaging and texting (ayyy wyd tn🙂), it is easy to slip into some bad habits when using your work email. Our Universal emails are our main form of communication to clients, and with this year’s focus being Business Development, it’s a good time to go through a few email etiquette guidelines to make sure our clients can see that we are professional and dependable.
Check out these 6 email etiquette guidelines!
1. Be professional
- Use formatting sparingly. Stay away from fancy-schmancy fonts and refrain from using multiple font colours in one email.
- Bolding is meant for emphasis and it will be taken that way!
- Don’t type in all caps, as it reflects SHOUTING – typing entirely in lowercase gives the perception of laziness.
- Use the proper email signature on your messages. External for clients/agents/vendors, and Internal for inter-company emails.
2. Keep your formatting clean
- Know that how you type, and the efforts you make or don’t make, affect how the reader perceives you and the tone of your message.
- You want to come across as respectful and friendly, not curt or demanding.
- Formality is in place as a courtesy and reflects respect. Refrain from getting too informal too soon in your email communications.
- Don’t hesitate to say “thank you”, “how are you”, or “appreciate your help”.
- Never reply to an old email to start an entirely new topic – just start a new email with a proper subject that reflects the conversation’s direction.
3. Proofread, proofread, proofread
- Check to confirm that you have spelled the recipient’s name correctly.
- We understand that English is not everyone’s first language, and that this aspect might not always be perfect. However, as stated before, the efforts you make indicate courtesy.
- Activate your spell checker or grammar checker on Outlook, or consider using a program like Grammarly! **check with IT on this**
- Try to avoid rambling. Pick the most accurate words to convey what you want in order to minimize the chance of misunderstandings. Make sure the relevant details are clear – generalities can cause confusion.
4. Be responsive
- It’s not about being glued to your inbox 24/7, it’s about letting the client know that you will get back to them. Clients like to feel like they’re a priority.
- Use your Out of Office auto-reply when you are away or out of office for a length of time. This notifies clients that you are not available and who they can contact for assistance in your stead, and ensures that they don’t feel ignored.
- If you can’t respond promptly, email back confirming receipt and advise the sender to expect your response. Just because someone doesn’t ask for a response, doesn’t mean you should ignore them. Always acknowledge emails in a timely manner.
5. Addressing emails “To:” vs. “Cc:”
- When addressing an email to multiple people, be clear on the expectations of each addressee.
- “To:” field for those who you would like a response from.
- “Cc:” field for those who are seeing the email for information only.
- Use “Cc:” only when it is important. Overuse can lead to emails being ignored.
- Never “Cc:” a client unless absolutely necessary.
6. Beware “Reply All”
- “Reply All” should be used when providing information that the client/sender requested.
- Remove recipients in the “To:” and “Cc:” fields if they do not need to see your reply.
- Start a new email chain if there is information only for internal use. This way, we avoid potentially sending something internal to the client.
Remember that your Universal email is company property and that your communication using that email address is a reflection upon Universal and our ability to provide a good professional service. It is difficult to convey tone in text, but we do our best in showing our clients that we care and can adeptly handle their business with each communication. Many are beginning to prefer emails over the good old-fashioned telephone call, so it’s good to review these guidelines and make sure we’re putting our best face forward.
Something's Brewing
Contributor: Alice Yan
The Cocoa Craze – All About Beloved Chocolate!
Chocolate is a treat that is delighted in around the world, its different products can be classified into an array of categories. The most common 3 are pure chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. However, each country holds different standards for which the chocolate must meet, even the most common ones. Check out these sweet facts and see how the standards for chocolate differ around the world!
Pure (Dark) Chocolate comprises unsweetened, bittersweet, and semi-sweet chocolate.
- USA – At least 35% cocoa mass
- Japan – 60% cocoa mass
- Canada – 31% cocoa mass
- Europe – Legislation requires a cocoa concentration of at least 43%, with 26% cocoa butter and 14% cocoa
Milk Chocolate will have sugar, milk solids, milk fats, and other additives to keep the chocolate smooth and combined.
- USA – Minimum cocoa mass of 10%
(for example, a Hershey bar contains 11% cacao, which is lighter and sweeter)
- Canada – Minimum cocoa mass of 25%
- Europe – Minimum cocoa mass of 35%
(for example, a Cadbury Dairy Milk bar contains 23% cacao, which is darker and richer)
White Chocolate wasn’t recognized as chocolate in the United States until 2002. In order for white chocolate to be classified as white chocolate, it must contain at least 20% cocoa butter.
Fun Facts!
History:
- Cacao was first discovered and enjoyed in present-day Ecuador.
- Over the millennia, cacao has mostly been venerated as a liquid luxury.
- British confectioner Joseph Fry created the first chocolate bar for the world. It was simple: delicious with no particular texture.
- The WWII rations had a portion for chocolate. Moreover, under the requirements, authorities had to make these chocolate bars four ounces for each soldier.
Numbers & Values:
- 400 cacao beans only get you 1 pound of chocolate.
- The world’s largest chocolate bar, by weight, is over 12,000 pounds.
- The chocolate industry is worth over £100 billion.
- The Mayans and Aztecs used cacao beans as currency. They used the cacao beans to pay for food, taxes, goods, and even as gift offerings.
You didn’t know you needed to know this but…
- The Aztec emperor Montezuma drank 50 cups of chocolate a day.
- International World Chocolate Day is on July 7th.
- In addition to its use for extending shelf-life, American mass-market chocolate makers add Butyric Acid to mimic the distinct taste of Hershey’s – Milton S. Hershey developed the method of using Butyric Acid to make his milk chocolate more shelf-stable, the ‘Hershey Process’ or controlled lipolysis.
A. 58.20 seconds
B. 35.26 seconds
C. 57.14 seconds
D. 56.05 seconds
Click on the question above, submit your answer to Sharon, and you’re eligible to win!
Submission deadline
Friday, June 7th (Noon)
Prize
$25 Tim Hortons, Starbucks or Amazon gift card for the 2 winners
(If more than two contestants have the right answer, we will pick the winning names out of a hat)
Kudos (Noun) – Praise & honour received for an achievement
Kudos Corner is a forum where Universal employees can recognize the efforts of their co-workers. Bring forward candidates for Kudos Corner at your next Team Meeting or simply drop your Manager a line whenever you feel someone’s efforts should be recognized in Universal & You.
For this issue we received the following entries:
Submitted by Lukas Hamann of our Canadian Customs Operations team:
“Over the past few months, Chloe Doan of our Canadian Customs Operations team at Head Office has taken on additional workload responsibilities, due to the Customs Operations team being short-handed. Moreover, Chloe has also been at the forefront of training new team members, where she has showcased her strong work ethic and commitment to the success of the Customs Operations team and Universal Logistics. Chloe sets an example for others by her level of dedication and adaptability of going above and beyond with any task that is presented to her.”
Submitted by Pamela Randolph of our US Freight Operations team:
“Monserrat Vazquez of our Freight Solutions team at Head Office and I have been working together closely, and she has been really meticulous with the many containers that are being delivered for our client, Aluminum Line Products Company. There have been many issues that have come up with these containers, and our former contact, Paul Colella, had abruptly left the company recently. The individuals stepping into Paul Colella’s former position don’t seem to know much about this side of logistics, and Monse has been carefully keeping them updated on a number of levels. She has greatly impressed me with explaining and being very proactive to avoid additional charges.”
Submitted by Debbie McGuire of our Freight Solutions team:
“On March 11, 2024, Hailey Hwang of our Ocean Services team at Head Office began handling the shipment updating and appointment scheduling for the Jordans & Ryvita business for our client, UNFI Canada, Inc.. Our contact, Arnold Fernandes, is incredibly detailed on how he wants shipments handled and is very hands on with all aspects of these shipments – from booking to delivery appointments, it has been very complicated. It took me a few months to get the process to run smoothly before transitioning this over to our Freight Operations team. Hailey has been incredible to work with and has gone above and beyond. She answers emails late at night for Vancouver deliveries and appointments, and communicating with Arnold and the warehouses. Arnold has also advised me that he is very happy with the service that Hailey is providing. Kudos to Hailey for her excellent management and communication on this business!!”
Submitted by John Leis of our Client Relations team:
“On Tuesday, April 16th, an Inaugural Team Leader Meeting was held for Universal’s 13 Team Leaders by Directors, Brian Rowe, Chris Cartan, Debbie McGuire, David Lychek and John Leis in the Main Boardroom at Head Office. The hope was to discuss the role of Team Leader and the part they each play in ensuring the success of our various business units and our company as a whole – each Team Leader was afforded the opportunity to share their understanding of their role. Over the course of the next several months, our Directors and Team Leaders hope to meet regularly in an effort to keep this conversation going, to share ideas for overall improvement, and to develop a clear, unified, consistent understanding of the Team Leader role.
When it came time for his turn, Mark DeLuca of our US Customs Operations team in Buffalo, Team Leader – Ocean & Air Clearances USA, highlighted, amongst other ideas, that perhaps the one most important role he feels he plays as a Team Leader is to review our standard operational practices, and to question the status quo. Mark felt that as a Team Leader it is his responsibility to examine how things are done and to ask why we do things the way we do, while determining if there are opportunities for adjustments, cost savings, revenue generation, and improved efficiencies.
Kudos to Mark and all of our Team Leaders for the enthusiastic and professional approach you showed during our time together and in the important Team Leader roles you play every day!”
Growing again
In Universal & You, we want to introduce all new employees. We have new additions at Head Office and the Airport office. Please join us in welcoming Jean-Lucien Jules and Isabelle Lima to the team!
Name: Jean-Lucien Jules
Team: Distribution Services
Start date: April 1, 2024
Name: Isabelle Lima
Team: Customs Operations
Start date: April 29, 2024
Book Buzz
Contributor: Barbara Mulatinho
Author Spotlight: Carley Fortune
Carley Fortune is a #1 New York Times and #1 Globe and Mail bestselling author. She is an award-winning journalist and worked as an editor at some of Canada’s top publications, including The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Toronto Life, and The Grid.
She was most recently the Executive Editor of Refinery29 Canada.
Carley spent her young life in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, and in Barry’s Bay, a tiny lakeside town in rural Ontario. Carley currently lives in Toronto with her husband and two sons.
Every Summer After
For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water, warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant, and curling up together with books, Percy and Sam had been inseparable.
Eventually that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.
When Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral, 6 years later, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been.
But until Percy can confront the decisions she made they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.
Told over the course of six years and one weekend, Every Summer After is a big, sweeping nostalgic look at love and the people and choices that mark us forever.
Meet Me at the Lake
Fern spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the idealistic artist Will, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in Toronto.
The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable: They shared every secret, every dream, and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn’t.
At thirty-two, Fern’s running her mother’s Muskoka lakeside resort.
The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend’s the manager, and Fern doesn’t know where to begin. She needs a plan. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late with an offer to help.
But how could she possibly trust this expensive-suit wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago?
This Summer will be Different
Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s brother. Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but they vow to never repeat that electric night again.
Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI with her best friend, Bridget. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.
When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to.
But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.
Culture and Entertainment
Contributor: Barbara Mulatinho
Summer Thrillers
A new summer means a new selection of movies to look forward to. But, with so many films being released each year, it’s good to narrow things down. And it’s particularly good to narrow things down with your own tastes in mind. So, if you’re a fan of thriller movies, you’ve come to the right place.
Trap
The prolific director behind The Sixth Sense, Split, and Knock at the Cabin returns with Trap, a film starring Oppenheimer’s Josh Hartnett. The trailer, which immediately went viral, opens with Hartnett’s character, Cooper, taking his daughter to a concert by her favorite artist, Lady Raven. By the trailer’s end, we learn that the event is a ruse, designed to catch an elusive serial killer known as The Butcher. The killer in question? Well, it’s him: a fact unbeknownst to his daughter.
M. Night Shyamalan is famous for his epic twists and turns, usually at the end of his movies as opposed to in his trailers, so presumably there are plenty more surprises in store.
A Quiet Place: Day One
Lupita Nyong’o couldn’t have visited New York at a worse time. On top of the streets being overrun with people wearing Lululemon walking their dogs, she has to deal with an apocalyptic alien invasion screwing up traffic. In the trailer for the A Quiet Place prequel, we see Nyong’o — resisting the dog trend by cradling a spotted cat in her arms — making a bodega run. When the extraterrestrials crash-land in the dense neighborhood, she realizes the beings hunt through sound and she hides under a car. While the Brooklyn Bridge collapses and the Air Force patrols the skies, Nyong’o is saved by Djimon Hounsou. Amid the pandemonium, she links up with Stranger Things breakout Joseph Quinn for survival. Day One is not about the destination, it’s about the journey.
Health and Lifestyle
Contributor: Veena Ramesh
Work out what workout works out for you!
Workout
work·out
/ˈwərkˌout/
|noun
“A session of vigorous physical exercise or training.”
– Definitions from Oxford Languages
Working out is essential to maintaining your physical health, but it also greatly impacts your mental health! There are various types of workouts and physical activities that you can try – each body is different in what it can handle and what it needs. By finding the right workout for your body and goals, your journey to building good habits can start smoothly.
A brief history…
Working out is nothing new. People have been working out since pre-historic times as hunter gatherers. In Medieval times, and the beginning of the Renaissance, physical activity was linked to feudalism and warfare. Knights trained for combat, rode horseback, wrestled, did archery, and trained to improve their agility, flexibility, and endurance.
Farmhands required strength, working long days in the fields. Artists advocated for exercise to better study human anatomy and musculature. Women had their own forms of working out in those times, encouraged to do so in limited spaces. Most popularly, they were asked to practice brisk walking.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, as the Industrial Revolution led to urbanization, there was a shift towards a sedentary lifestyle, which meant that, for many people, there was a decline in physical fitness. Thus, came the emergence of physical education and systematic exercise programs in school.
The 20th century saw the rise of cult fitness movements like body building, jazzercise, and Jane Fonda’s Body Electric. This was popularized by magazines, exhibitions, videocassettes, and competitions.
With the increase of technology and digital media, exercise programs and information about fitness have become more accessible than ever. Online platforms, mobile apps, and wearable devices offer guidance and the ability to track and monitor progress. Workout fads and goals are being shaped by cultural, social, and scientific influences at our fingertips. There is growing recognition for the importance of physical activity and its impact on mental wellness, stress management, and overall well-being.
Types of Workouts
Workouts can be classified in many ways, by intensity, equipment, or targets. When choosing a suitable workout for yourself, goals and requirements are one consideration, but age can come into play as well. Tailoring your exercise routine to your physical ability is essential to maximizing benefits and minimizing risk of injury.
There is science behind why tailoring a workout to your age matters. It isn’t about restricting individuals to certain activities solely based on age, but more to place emphasis on structuring a routine to your body and the way it changes with age.
The body undergoes changes with age such as changes in muscle mass, bone density, and joint flexibility. There are also higher chances of injuries from falling, decreased balance, slower reaction time, and age-related muscle issues. Hence why workouts for older individuals should focus on improving balance, strength, and flexibility.
Here are some types of workouts and how they work towards your goals:
Aerobics aim to improve cardiovascular endurance and increase calories burned. These are fast exercises like dancing, running, swimming, and cycling.
Flexibility and mobility work like yoga, Pilates, and stretching aim to improve joint range of motion, and reduce risk of injury. Better mobility reduces the risk of injury.
Strength training focuses on building strength, endurance, and power in your muscles. This includes workouts that make use of weight lifting, power lifting, and resistance training (e.g. uphill cardio, resistance bands, etc.).
Rehabilitation exercises are designed to aid in the recovery and rehabilitation of injuries. They focus on restoring strength, flexibility, and function to injured areas.
Balance and stability training focuses on improving core strength, balance, and coordination. Core strength is essential in all cases, but especially with balance and stability. Exercises can include the use of a balancing board/ball, and lower-body strength training.
Group fitness classes are led by instructors and often involve a combination of cardio, strength, and flexibility exercises. It provides the benefits of personal training while also keeping you motivated and accountable by your peers.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) helps to improve cardiovascular fitness and burn calories in a highly efficient manner. As suggested in the name, these workouts comprise exercises done in short bursts of intense activity with brief recovery periods (e.g. burpees, sprinting, etc.).
Functional training is strength-based and mimics everyday movements to improve overall fitness and performance in daily activities. Unlike regular strength training, it does not target specific parts of the body. This can include squats, lunges, and kettlebell swings.
Cross-training involves combining different types of exercises. This is often used by athletes in their off-season, as they typically hyper-focus on one domain. This improves overall fitness which also prevents boredom and risk of injury. The popular high intensity version of this is the branded fitness regimen, CrossFit.
Overall, you should be enjoying your workout and it should keep your interest while motivating your drive. Remember to take your body into consideration when choosing your workout, whether it’s your age, your goals, or the mindset that it puts you in to keep on going.
Educational Achievements
“Knowledge is what can separate you from the pack. It can take you as high as you want to go if you put it into action.”
The employees of Universal Logistics regularly receive industry training that is paid for by the company. We are proud to recognize the achievement and success of our latest course and program graduates.
CIFFA Certificate Program
Bora Nam
Freight Pricing
(Head Office)
completed the CIFFA Certificate in International Freight Forwarding
Congratulations Bora !
Keitty Oliveira
Freight Solutions
(Head Office)
completed first portion of CIFFA Certificate Program – International Transportation and Trade.
Congratulations Keitty!
IT Corner
How to Change your Zoom Background!
Zoom plays a key role in our day-to-day communication at Universal. For anyone who doesn’t already know, Zoom is a cloud-based video conferencing service you can use to virtually meet with others, both by video and audio, or audio-only – all while conducting live chats.
Zoom Meetings allow you to connect in a few different ways: One-on-one meetings, video conferences, and screen sharing.
1. Click your profile in the top right corner of your Zoom window.
2. Select Settings.
3. On the menu to the left, click Background & effects.
4. You will see a few default background options provided by Zoom. There, you will also find the Universal Logistics background. Select it and your screen will automatically change. Don’t forget to uncheck Mirror my Video!
5. Exit out of settings by clicking the X in the top right corner of the window.
6. Join or start your meeting as usual and you will see your newly selected virtual background behind you, which is more professional.
Calling all Universal Employees!
We are looking for volunteers to contribute short articles to Universal & You. Topics can be team or industry-related or you might want to share a personal experience (e.g. volunteer work or travel) with your fellow employees.
Please forward your ideas to Sharon Fong.
