As we head into the holiday season, we will be taking a break from our regular postings, which will return the week of January 11th.

In the meantime, I wanted to thank you all for taking a few minutes out of your busy schedule, and reading about some amazing people, businesses, and organizations.

Many of you have called or written us after dining in the restaurants, shopping at the stores, or using some of the professional services and since all the comments have been positive, I guess we’re doing what we set out to do… highlight great individuals and companies.

The holidays also give us a time to reflect, and as is typically the case, over the past year, many people around the world have experienced challenges, tragedies, and natural disasters.

As has been our tradition for several years, in lieu of sending cards and gifts for the holiday season, SQM has chosen to make donations to a number of charities which we support, in the name of our clients. We also encourage our staff and field force to participate in a number of initiatives, such as our Annual Sock Drive or the recent program involving Mystery Shoppers completing inspections and donating their clothes to various organizations. As one of our Mystery Shoppers mentioned, “there are many ways to help others without having to spend a lot of time or money,” so please consider what you can do to make the world a better place.

From all of us at SQM, we wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday season, and all the best for 2016.

Last summer, when my daughter told me that she wanted to play volleyball, the first thing I did was conduct a Google search for kids’ volleyball leagues. Unfortunately, the first websites I found were not very professional… the locations were unclear, the contact information was out of date, and information about the coaches and types of teams were unavailable. After a couple more searches, I called up the Ontario Volleyball Association, and they suggested the Leaside Volleyball Club without hesitation.

Leaside Volleyball Club’s website was user-friendly and all of their contact information was easily accessible. The site also included information about the coaches, who range from high school and university students to Olympic athletes. Impressed and confident about the information provided by the website, I signed my daughter up for their Sunday league.

As it turns out, the league is just as well-run as their website. When my daughter and I arrived for the first session, my daughter was informed about the team she would be on, asked for her shirt size, and before we knew it, everyone was already doing drills with their team. The second half of each session involves games that allowed everyone to practice what had been learned in the drills. It was a great way to build teamwork and for beginners to simply have fun together.

My daughter was so happy about her experience with the fall sessions, that she shared her experience with three friends who have all signed up for the winter period.  In fact, the club even accommodated her, by allowing her friends to be on the same team.

Overall, Leaside Volleyball Club is very well-organized, teaches co-ed volleyball in a fun and educational way, and is reasonably priced. I highly recommend it and all of its amazing coaches to anyone whose kids are interested in sports.

Leaside Volleyball Club

leasidevolleyball.com

leasidevbc@gmail.com

Since many members of our field force are always looking for new ways of helping those in need, I would like to share a great idea which came to us through one of our Mystery Shoppers.

Whether it is supporting the influx of refugees, helping to keep the homeless warm, job seekers that need a new outfit, or assisting a variety of charities, there are many organizations that are in need of clothes… lots of them!

To maximize your charitable contributions, please consider completing one of our retail Mystery Shops, which result in you getting back half of the amount of your purchase (up to a pre-determined amount), and donate the items to charity.

For example, we have clothing store locations across the country which give you back $25.00 on a purchase of $50.00 or more. These clothes which you are basically buying for half the price can then be donated to a variety of causes, including: Dress for Success, Ve’ahavta, The Salvation Army, The Scott Mission, and the list goes on.

Not only would you be doing your part to help others, but you can do it in a cost effective manner or go all in and do multiple Mystery Shops to maximize your donations.

Please help to show that SQM Cares!

David Lipton
President
Sensors Quality Management Inc. (SQM)

A few weeks ago, my wife, a friend, and I were given a restaurant recommendation by one of my co-workers. Being the ethnic food lovers that we are, we decided to dine at Casa Manila, a Filipino restaurant close to our office.

We did not know what to expect when we arrived at the restaurant as no reservation had been made, and the place was already packed with customers. Nonetheless, the greeter at the door gave us a warm welcome and told us that the wait would be appropriately 20 minutes. As it turns out. the wait was only about 10 minutes, as the staff were very efficient in cleaning up and setting up the tables.

After we were seated, the menus were placed in front of us by our friendly server, however, we didn’t know where to start because Filipino food was new to us, and everything looked delicious. Casa Manila had hot plates full of beef, pork, chicken, and shrimp, soups filled to the brim, tantalizing signature stews as well as appetizers, rice and noodles. Our server was very friendly and attentive even before we presented them our dilemma.Immediately, they asked if it was our first time visiting the restaurant, gave us recommendations, and described the different menu items in detail.

Our food orders arrived at the table attractively presented, hot, fresh, and very delicious. Throughout the meal, our drinks were refilled without any delays. The owner / manager of the restaurant was very pleasant as well. She was down-to-earth and genuine when she chatted with us and the other customers about their day and how they were enjoying their meals.

Near the end of the meal, we were very full. When our server offered dessert to us, we were very reluctant to decline, as the desserts looked amazing. From the Halo Halo dessert made to satisfy even the most adventurous sweet tooth to the warm and crispy Turon Banana Crepes, I’m sure that if we were not so full, we would have ordered everything off the dessert menu just to try it!

Since we were unable to try everything on the menu that evening, we plan to go back to Casa Manila on another day. I highly recommended Casa Manila for its friendly, quick, and attentive customer service coupled with hot, fresh, and delicious food at a reasonable price.

Casa Manila
879 York Mills Road
Toronto, ON M3B 1Y5
416-443-9654
www.casamanila.ca