Four Wheel Award Winners: Paul Da Silva Rush Couriers, Brian Edgar eCourier, Andrew Field TNT, Laszlo Forgo Lewis Day, Dermott Jackson Sameday UK, Paul Johnson DHL, Ephrem Merbrahtu Pink Couriers, John Souter DHL. (back to the Top)

Paul Da Silva Rush Couriers. When Rush Couriers bought the client base of The Edge couriers back in 2008, Paul was one of the couriers who transferred across to our main fleet. It was obvious from the outset that he had detailed knowledge of the requirements of the major Edge customers and indeed helped the staff with the transfer during the first weeks. Paul has proved to be an invaluable asset to Rush. We have many customers who specifically request that we send Paul to carry out their work as they know that he will do everything possible to deliver / collect their items under any specific time/service criteria that has been set. His knowledge of what our customers need is an essential part of our overall customer service package. We have had numerous telephone and email plaudits for Paul over the years at Rush and staff that have continued service from The Edge and LWW comment that similar numbers of commendations have been received over the years. ‘Paul has been collecting from us over the last four years and in that time he has always been polite and very helpful. Never complains when the lift is broken (we are on the fourth floor) Paul is a credit to your company’ ‘ Paul 92 is such a good advert….. he is always helpful and happy, helps us, does his job with a smile. He is conscientious and when he leaves here we know our package is in good hands’ We have a Courier of the Month award that gets published on our Newsletter and Paul won the 2010 award. Finally Paul is a trained mechanic. On the weekends, he is often to be found under a bonnet of one of our other drivers’ vans repairing/servicing them so that the courier can carry on working during the week. In doing this he helps keep the fleet running and provides our fleet with a cheaper but no less effective way of keeping their vehicles on the road!

Brian Edgar eCourier. Relatively speaking the four wheel category driver gets a raw deal operating a customer service delivery solution in the busiest Capital city in Europe. Endlessly driving at 7mph average. Sitting stewing in the van on a hot day enviously observing their two-wheel colleagues ducking and diving through the snake of vehicles along our arterial roads delivering another docket!  eCourier are nominating our own Braveheart Brian Edgar for his dedicated patience in dealing with the daily problems that the job throws at us. Brian always willingly accepts those jobs that are met with a sharp intake of breath by others. He is the ideal character, turns up each day on time, accepts what he is given with a smile, delivers with a focus on what the customers want and goes home. We have received excellent feedback from a many clients regarding his friendly approach and calming assurance that all will be well with their consignments. Brian is one of those people that it truly is a pleasure to work with. He is a committed professional who helps all of us to take a pride from our chosen industry. eCourier are privileged to have him as representative and proud to nominate him for recognition by industry peers.

Andrew Field TNT is totally committed to providing a quality service and always puts the customer first. This is demonstrated in everything that he does from first contact through to final delivery. He displays a quality–conscious approach and a genuine interest in serving customers and meeting their needs. This is the driving force behind Andrew, he approaches every job with the same ‘can do’ attitude and is determined to serve each customer with professionalism and reliability. Andrew never fails to deliver in meeting his target. The excellent service provided by Andrew has helped TNT to build strong bonds with certain customers and in some cases has generated repeat business. Taken on as a adhoc transit van driver he is ever reliable. Coming from a back ground in the armed forces Andrew takes pride in his appearance and presentation. He recognises that he is an ambassador for TNT and the importance of making the very best impression in front of our customers. One morning Andrew had to make a very important delivery for a bank but arrived to find the street cordoned off at either end by police. There had been a serious incident and the police weren’t allowing any access. Andrew explained to the Chief Investigating Officer that he was carrying important internal mail that without it on site the bank would not be able to operate that day. Andrew was eventually allowed access subject to his van being searched. He then received a police escort to his destination. Despite very trying circumstances Andrew still managed to deliver on time and as a direct result of his intervention the customer was able to meet their day’s commitments. It may well be a well-worn cliché to say that a driver goes the extra mile but Andrew continually clocks these miles up on a daily basis. ‘Please send the same driver’ has to be the highest accolade that any driver could receive, but this is a constant theme where Andrew is concerned. Customers praise Andrew for a job well done. His reliability is legendary and customers are always happy to see him.

Laszlo Forgo Lewis Day started with the Enfield Office 2 years ago when they were a fairly new office and his knowledge of what is required from a courier driver and customer relations have been a great help in keeping accounts happy. To describe a good courier we need that person to be competent, consistent, caring, proud, professional, dedicated and understanding. We don’t often get the opportunity to have all those traits in one person or in one courier but with Laszlo we have. He enjoys his work and is proud to be a courier. Often giving support to the new riders and being supportive to their problems especially if they are totally new to the industry. Laszlo keeps surprising us with his ability to solve any problems that he encounters, he has the common sense to be able to solve them himself, tells us what he is doing and if he really cant sort it out himself he is happy to ask for help. Controllers, managers and his peers believe he deserves recognition for his contribution to the industry. For us, we know he is a fine ambassador for Lewis Day and our customers

Dermott Jackson Sameday UK. Dermot joined Sameday UK following a career in the construction industry, and took to it like a duck to water. During the relatively short time that he has been in the industry he has built up a sound reputation, particularly with the customers, who all speak very highly of him. Based in Hayes, Dermott is an exceptional courier, a genuine 24/7 guy, who actually does what it says on the tin, no false promises, just good old fashioned customer service. He never turns a job down, is always calm in a crisis, courteous and polite, never panics and can always be relied upon to get the job done. Nothing is too much trouble and he will always go the extra mile. In the words of some of his customers, " he is a diamond geezer " Even in the first couple of weeks in January this year when the weather was atrocious, Dermott was still collecting within the hour and delivering on time, including jobs to Belgium. Dermott was rewarded for his efforts by being voted Sameday UK Franchisee of the Year for 2009, no mean feat considering the length of time he has been in the industry and no one before him has received this award in such a short space of time.

Paul Johnson DHL. Paul has been with Milton Keynes Sameday since 2004. As a motorcycle courier he presented himself well. Always on time at the depot and responding to his radio without any problems. He was one of our happiest couriers. Paul was a gem and we hoped he would be with us for a long time. Unfortunately in 2008 he had a bad motorcycle accident whilst doing a bank run for DHL Despite all that Paul has gone through on his own and with support from the branch in Milton Keynes he came back to work 2 months after his accident. His incredible determination to make himself better is the attitude he shows in all his work. He just wont let anything get him down. Coming back to work he changed to a van as his injuries precluded him from riding a motorbike and he carried on doing his bank runs and adhoc sameday deliveries for DHL. Paul still responds with the old cheerful self and with the same determination to do a job well but at the same time enduring his personal difficulties. He is a dedicated contractor to DHL sameday and deserves recognition for what he has endured over the past 2 years. Paul will be undergoing surgery to his sternum and chest area in the coming months to correct his injuries. DHL nominated Paul for his personal dedication and his attitude to do his job well.

Ephrem Merbrahtu Pink Couriers . Jamie Mills, fleet operations manager at Pink comments ‘Ephrem Merbrahtu ’Effy’ embodies the commitment to service that all courier and drivers should aspire to.’ His dedication to his regular clients, the way in which he provides additional help and service, and his consistent and reliable good-humour means he is one of the most requested drivers on the fleet. Customers ask for Jamie, what more can I say. Measured on the circuit he is very pro-active, always searching for extra responsibility, to that end and with two years at Pink Jamie was chosen to mentor others. He is used as a training partner for all new driver recruits because of his continuing excellence. Keir Haliday Pink Operations Director – ‘Jamie is the Van face at Pink and we want to see his smile beyond our web site at the Courier Awards. The clients ask for him, he holds top respect on his circuit and has made the extra mile to move forward and mentor newcomers to our industry with great success for Pink’

John Souter DHL. John is a very personable courier, John is dedicated to providing a first class delivery service. He will consider any job, small or large and treats all with the up most professionalism. John carefully builds rapport with regular users of the service; pre-empting bookings from the clients by letting them know he is coming into the area. John is also a very good team player. He integrates well within any group and is particularly considerate of the needs of others couriers, checking that others have been fairly allocated with work before thinking of his own needs. He has also offered his help in other areas of the business such as restocks and stock movements. John has contributed in bringing the sales leads of potential customers and as continued to do this on a regular basis, and hopefully by the end of the summer, John will become the leader for the number of leads that have been generated from other couriers. When asked the question by head office to nominate an individual from our region John was the very first on everyone’s lips.

Shane Barclay Pink Express is an offsite contract employee at Pink Express He is a first-line representative of any company, and Shane is the best example of that. Director at Pink Express, Ray Miles-Kingston comments, ‘Shane's main role is as a 'trouble-shooter', constantly seeking out ways to help and improve our service to important clients. On many occasions he has made strategic decisions that have benefited difficult and complicated logistics problems, Shane has delivered solutions that have been customer sensitive and counted, balance and result are the two words for Shane. Customer post room team comment – ‘Shane deserves recognition as a top player always performing beyond his role and delivering solutions to problems, he is not only a credit to Pink but to our post room and on many occasions solved the impossible.’ Cliford Jordon Pink founder adds, ‘ Customer sensitive testimonies are difficult in this role but let me be clear, The fact that many clients have tried to 'head-hunt' him is a testimony  to his performance, that he is still with Pink is testimony to his integrity, he is consistently praised by many of those he  supervises and has excelled in Pink.’ His attitude is always the same - what more can I do to help this client?

Cayleigh Haddock, UK Mail , six years in industry since leaving school Responsible for administration of the Xerox contract (pick and pack operation, ) Approximately 5000 picks per day which then are distributed nationwide through the UK Mail network. Confirmation and receipting of all Goods In stock and liaise with Xerox Welcome Centre in Manila. School to success, an apprentice of the same day industry, an example of dedication and duty to deliver.

David Johnson Lewis Day , or DJ as he is affectionately known has worked for Lewis Day since 2008. He is the most conscientious, hard-working and agreeable driver I have ever met in my 18 years in the industry.  Nothing is too much trouble and I have never heard a cross word from him.  If he does have an issue, he approaches us with a mature and open-minded attitude and any problems, which are few and far between, are resolved amicably He conducts himself impeccably, both with the staff at Lewis Day and the customers.  In fact, David has been working on multidrop for one of our biggest customers, Citylink/Target, since September last year and they are exceptionally happy with his standard of work and attitude.  They even want him to wear their uniform! Lewis Day want to clone him! Richard Cooper , Shift Manager of City Link Manchester South wrote this about David.DJ was one of the first drivers we had and straight away he provided a professional and dedicated service. We have had many good drivers from Lewis Day and other providers but very few come in the same category as DJ. If Lewis Day offered me a dozen drivers of this caliber I would take them in an instant.   On a daily basis he delivers the required amount of consignments and also goes beyond the call of duty to deliver all goods even going back for second attempts when people are out first time. I believe he is proud to work for us on behalf of Lewis Day and now wears City Link uniform to be recognized easier by our customers.   DJ is definitely worthy of any award recommended by the Lewis Day management and I look forward to congratulating on receiving it.

Martin Johnson Excel Couriers has worked for Excel / Mercury for approx 10 years. He has been on a contract run for the past 6-7 years.  The contract involves collecting samples from various Veterinary practices outside London and delivering them to a lab in the city Monday to Friday.  The client is approached quarterly to ensure service levels and discuss any particular requirements or alterations that the client might need. One thing that is never changed and always asked for is Martin. The client maybe fickle and wants this or that altered and indeed makes demanding changes to schedules and particular systems of paperwork but never do they want to change Martin. During the bad snow we had earlier this year, Martin was one of the very few of our bikes that came out and battled through the weather to ensure that the vet samples got to the laboratory in London.  On a few days he would have to park his bike and walk 20-30 minutes through the snow to get to the Vet practice and then back to his bike.  On one of those particular day’s he came off his bike 4 times in the icy conditions but still managed to carry on and deliver the samples. The client very aware of his heroism were over the moon and told us so. In particular the client said that ‘Martin has shown that his job, his profession means more to him than just a job otherwise he would have given up hours ago. He went beyond what we ever expected in the conditions he had to make his delivery in. We are grateful that he is okay and applaud him for his outstanding dedication and pride in his work. He is a real credit to your company’

David Morris TNT. David’s attitude towards his work really stands out. He is a credit to TNT, taking great pride not only in his appearance but also in the 100% commitment he gives to his role at all times. He is also an invaluable point of contact, keeping in regular touch with base and other couriers, and is often able to advise colleagues to change their route to avoid delays. David is presentable at all times wearing TNT uniform with pride. David has built up an excellent working relationship with his customers and will always go that extra mile to help any courier who encounters a problem during their course of duties. February 2010 saw Scotland at a standstill due to blizzards. The A9 was closed in several areas, making it impossible for the Inverness bound couriers to operate. David volunteered to make the journey to Inverness via Aberdeen, despite knowing that all major routes had severe problems. Battling through atrocious conditions, the usual three and half hour journey took over 9 hours and more than 5 hours for the return journey. David was a very worthy winner of the Contract 2010 TNT Superstar and glowing testimony to the great enthusiasm and commitment he has for his job. Customer testimonial comments ‘David has a lovely pleasant manner with all the staff. He knows most by name and always asks about members of staff if they are not working that day. He is friendly, polite and courteous. David is very understanding and patient, even when everyone else around him is busy’

Kevin Pitts Redcare Logistics. Redcare have acted as Service Partner for DHL SIS, during the contract for Freescale, they were available above and beyond out of hours, indeed when the ash cloud hit UK, working with SIS when no vans were available, they booked on extra staff to ensure our European deliveries made the deadlines, often carrying out additional duties such as running paperwork in and out of various units in Heathrow clearing houses to retrieve goods on hold to ensure the expedition to destination went smoothly with least impact on the client. Kevin lead his team with care, professionally dealing with two or even three clients at a time, the European client sending the package, DHL as the international courier and the recipient who was anxious to know if their package was safe. Our own fleet of couriers were unable to deal with the enormity of the task as packages arrived in mass bulk with time sensitive deliveries that had to happen. Working with Kevin he made it happen for us and maintained a DHL presence and quality of service that meant our clients were not let down. Kevin showed professional courtesies in the way he dealt with our situation, working under great pressure to meet deadlines not of his own making and still ensuring the client was aware the package had been delivered on behalf of DHL. Kevin went beyond the call of duty to provide a fellow courier with assistance, not compromising professional etiquette and successfully achieving all that was required of them. Their dedication was outstanding, Kevin and his team are fantastic.

Office Award Winners Tariro Bungu eCouriers. David Hicks City Sprint, Gary Musson DHL, Mark O’Sullivan Excell, Dominic Rainford Sameday UK, Tracey Ramsay Lewis Day Mark Willson Pink Express (back to the Top)

Tariro Bungu eCouriers. joined eCourier at the height of the recession in April 2009 in a new role at eCourier as Fleet Finance Analyst.  Since joining she has managed to bring a little pool of tranquillity to what is otherwise a very chaotic Fleet department.  Working in a challenging role and dealing with courier queries and issues on a day to day basis, Tariro has never exhibited the pressure that she has inevitably been under.  Instead she has remained completely unflappable and handled her workload with complete dedication and dignity.  She stays at work most evenings until 7pm – which she does without argument, despite a 90 minute journey home!  Indeed, she has even cancelled her holiday in order to come in to work and complete the Courier payroll.  It’s exactly this kind of unselfish conduct that makes us love her at eCourier. Tariro is a consummate professional who is a joy to work alongside.  A real team-player, she is as comfortable leading as following.  She has gained the respect of both her colleagues at HQ and the Couriers in a relatively short time.  We feel that we can guarantee that no other courier company has an employee who matches being amazing at their job role with the qualities of generosity, kindness and professionalism and this is why we unquestionably think that she should win the National Couriers Award.

David Hicks City Sprint joined Superspeed as it was then,  25 years ago as a credit controller.   My original courier company was growing fast but was not collecting the money in so we advertised for a credit controller. After charming our clients to pay, it become obvious that he could put his charms into winning business.   From 1985, with no formal sales training, David was an integral part of the success of the business that grew from its first year of £149k turnover of £6m.   Not only was David responsible for driving the sales team but as a working director within a busy courier business, David's patience and 'smoothing over' skills were tested pretty much every day.  David has now moved on to another challenge and is the client relations manager for CitySprint. It is David’s delivery of a very high professional standard and his integrity that makes him stand out from the crowd. As a testament to his character there must have been 20 of his best clients in attendance at his wedding. Indeed I know David will serve any company he works for with dedication and giving attention to detail that will ensure the client receives only the best of service. In a very tough industry, I think David thoroughly deserves to be recognised and I am pleased to be able to nominate an individual who has served the industry as well as the company’s he has worked for. Without people like David, there would not have been a courier industry.

Gary Musson DHL has been with DHL in many roles for over 11 years working as a contractor and office based since 2002. During this time he has worked in the site as a controller, this up until April this year when the manager left the site, at the same time the second controller left leaving Gary to work in the site alone. From this time Gary’s performance can only be described as fantastic and the levels of dedication and commitment have been second to none. He managed the site for three months and during this time the branch flourished. The scorecard performance increased dramatically to be in the 101+% bracket each and every week. He also managed through his considerable knowledge of the roles and systems to increasing the profitability of the branch by some distance. He has since as a result of his exceptional knowledge trained a new controller in less than four weeks to get to a point where he has been able to work alone with the same level of exceptional service. Gary’s development has been very impressive this year to a point now where he is supporting the Birmingham branch three days a week to help train and guide the new controlling team. He is working with them to help guide compliance and improve the customers’ experience. As part of this he is working on the scorecard to improve the quality of the branch. In short Gary has become a major asset to both the Nottingham & Birmingham branches and the Sameday business as a whole. He is also manager of Bingham town FC Under 15’s football team, Gary is also the coach at Calverton & Bingham Swimming club and Water Polo team. Gary is also the Club Secretary for Bingham Cricket Club. All the above are done voluntarily and is fitted around both his family and career. He deserves a National Courier Award.

Mark O’Sullivan Excell. During the four years Mark has worked for us he has not had one day off sick or been late for work. An accolade should be given to him just for that. He has gained full knowledge of our systems and understands all the responsibilities of our controllers that he can cover for any of the controllers at a moments notice. Flexibility is not a problem to Mark. He is understanding and when the chips are down he has stepped in to cover a night shift after a full day shift when at short notice a night controller has called in sick.  He also helps out covering weekend shifts whenever there is a shortage of staff or increase work loads demand it. His approach to ‘extra’ duties is refreshing and never moans or complains but gets on with the job. He is an example to the staff and his peers but also an example to the bosses too. He remembers that it is the client who pays the wages and he ensures the client get what they want.   It’s the kind of guy he is and one we are definitely glad to have onboard. Never giving up, always happy to make it happen. The clients may not know but the riders know he cares and that’s why he is so good. He is our Controller of the year!

Dominic Rainford Sameday UK. Dominic joined Sameday UK from school in 2001 and has worked on every aspect of the business apart from finance. He started as a junior doing all the mundane tasks, filing faxing etc., but very quickly progressed into operations, booking jobs, allocating and processing jobs, dealing with franchisees and sub contractors and generally building his knowledge of the industry. On several occasions when resources were stretched he would put on the high viz vest, jump in a van and go out and do deliveries himself, sometimes well into the night. Dom has always been a good communicator, and in 2005 he spent two years out on the road, selling, meeting customers and getting a better understanding of their problems and how to solve them. He then returned to the office to implement a special project in the overnight market which he carried out impeccably in a very professional manner. He has drawn up a new manual for new staff, apprenticeships, graduates and work placements and is also involved in their training. He also deals with the operational training course for new franchisees. Over the years he has organised several sales and marketing campaigns and franchisee competitions and is currently implementing a new e-marketing strategy. Dom has gained a vast knowledge of the courier industry and can turn his hand to most things. He is well liked and respected by customers and drivers alike and is a great asset to the business. Coming up to his 10th year I can now say that he is truly my right hand man and deserving a National Courier Award.

Tracey Ramsay Lewis Day . Tracey has been with Lewis Day for 4 years in the sales team. She is a highly valued popular conscientious member of the team, who never moans.  Nomination comes from the whole sales team, her managers and her peers. See words below from one of her colleagues: “Tracey is truly fantastic! Not only does she come in an hour and a half early into work, she looks after the entire Sales Team: making sure all our ‘bits and bobs’ are always stocked up, making that crucial round of tea and coffee first thing in the morning and keeps our Director in a good mood by making his breakfast… she still has time to water 20 plants that brighten up the whole floor, bakes home made cakes for our birthdays and is trusted as our Fire Warden. More importantly, she’s always in a good mood, does everything with a smile on her face and is a pleasure to be around. Oh and not content with making us all look really lazy, she’s also easily the top Sales Person at Lewis Day!”  This comment was one of many that the sales team made. Her talent, ability and personality is one of a professional but edged beautifully with her friendly and gentle approach. Tracey is the top sales person at Lewis Day and to maintain that you have to be able to coax, persuade and ensure that a client gets what they want but also that your team can deliver. Being that go between takes a lot of talent to achieve well and Tracey has done this over these last four years as a consummate professional. The sales results show without doubt she can do her job well but it is the comments from her peers, management and that of the client that singles her out as an outstanding professional serving the courier industry.

Mark Willson Pink Express . Keir Haliday Operations Director for Pink express comments, ‘Mark is a true 'soldier' of our industry.’ Before same day Mark was in passenger cars highlighting eight successful management years before a move to parcels. He know has many years of same day under his belt joining Pink from ecourier and has become well known as a top office operations player. Keir comment’s. ‘We consider him one of the very best customer-focused Operations Managers in the industry, anywhere! Never giving up, never complaining, never quitting until the job is done and the customer is happy, no matter how much flack is fired in his direction.’ If ever there was an example of someone being 'thrown in at the deep end of a crisis and sorting it' Mark is that, and his ability to take what comes endears him to all who work with him. Clifford Jordan, founder of Pink comments, ‘Marks hours are exemplary, he never goes home until a crisis is cleared and that display of commitment is recognized across the company as an inspiration. He is industry known and been an inspiration at Pink, he is a worthy champion for an award’

Special Awards

Courier Commendation was presented to Allison Ward of DHL (franchise) Falkland Islands

Special Team Award was presented to Point to Point Couriers

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