eKourier Oct 2019

WHO’S WHO

10 QUESTIONS... With Gary Stephenson - Assistant Manager Macquarie Park NSW

environment having worked for companies where you only see the CEO as they did their yearly rounds at Christmas time and you would get a “Hi, how are you” if you were lucky. I find Kennards to be more like the bar on the tv show Cheers “where everyone knows your name” and how you feel welcomed at THQ when you visit for training and often have a chat with Sam Kennard in the kitchen at lunch time. You really feel like you are part of the Team. Tell us about your family? Have you always lived in North Ryde? I have one sister and three nieces who I spoil rotten and enjoy catching up with. I have lived in North Ryde since I was born, Macquarie Park never existed, it was mainly empty paddocks. I live within riding/walking distance from Macquarie Park KSS. I enjoy Cycling, Walking and heading to the Gym. I complete the Spring Cycle each year which is a 50km ride over the Harbour Bridge through the city and out to Olympic Park. I also take part in the Seven Bridges Walk which is 28km walk over seven of Sydney’s iconic bridges, raising money for charity. What is your favourite food? I enjoy a good old fashioned hamburger, usually with the lot! I often take on the ‘Burger Challenge’ where I attempt to eat the largest hamburger I can order using only my bare hands (just like Bear Grylls) without making an absolute mess. Which FREEDOM value do you relate best to? Fun. I always enjoy a good laugh with customers and work colleagues. Outside of work what keeps you busy?

Gary participating in the 7 Bridges Walk

Starting with KSS in April 2010, what centre were you based at and how long did you stay there before heading over to Macquarie Park? I was hired by Darryl Hodgson as Assistant Manager for Gladesville KSS and worked there for eight years before moving to Macquarie Park last year. What previous roles/ jobs have you had? I worked for Franklins Supermarket for ten years, starting on the checkouts and working my way through multiple roles ending as an Assistant Manager. I then worked for IHG managing hotel reserva- tions for the Intercontinental/Crown Plaza and Holiday Inn Hotels before the call centre was sent to Manilla. You have been part of the KSS Team for nine years now, what changes have you seen in the storage industry within that time? I have seen a big increase in the number of people running their online businesses out of our storage facili- ties rather than having shop fronts and having to hire multiple staff to man them.

I have seen how the storage industry has implemented a lot of changes to the systems that run our business, with the advancements in technology and the way this has freed up a lot of time to carry out other tasks. What changes have you seen at KSS over the last nine years, both cultur- ally and within technology? As measured by the OCI, the massive move towards a more Constructive style culture with Teams given a lot more ownership of their centres and encour- aged in the steps they take to manage them. I have seen massive changes and improvements to the business with the advancements in technology. A lot of reporting is now run automatically, where things like Daily and End of Month Reports used to be processed individually and emailed to THQ. I have also seen the big push to give KSS its online presence with the development of our website and IDAM, allowing KSS to reach a larger audience and sign up for storage with the simple use of a smart phone.

To sum up Kennards in one word would be?

What keeps you at KSS?

Fellowship.

I find Kennards to be a very open

2 Kennards Kourier Oct 2019