In March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic caused sweeping shutdowns and closures, including the NHL’s 2019-20 regular season. “In light of ongoing developments resulting from the coronavirus, and after consulting with medical experts and convening a conference call of the Board of Governors, the National Hockey League is announcing today that it will pause the 2019-20 season beginning with tonight’s games,” Commissioner Bettman said in a statement at the time.
The resumption of play was a highly anticipated event, causing fans to rejoice when they were once again welcomed back to the arenas.
It isn’t often that Janitorial Services get the lauding they deserve for keeping our institutions running safely. But the NHL Shutdown and subsequent reopening, specifically the Edmonton Oilers, shined some limelight on the deserved Scandinavian Building Services and an integral part of resuming the game.
Edmonton Oilers “The health and safety of our employees, players and fans continues to be our top priority,” said Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG) President of Business Operations & Chief Operating Officer Tom Anselmi. “Our employees have shown resilience, professionalism and understanding as we work through these challenging times. Developing our people and being an exceptional place to work is a core value at OEG. In times like this, we all need to stick together. Our Company, our city and across Oil Country.”
The OEG and NHL sought out Canada’s premier cleaning services Scandinavian Building Services to ensure the “health and safety” Anselmi referred to, trusting the company to exceed any disinfection and cleaning requirements in order to welcome back fans, players, and staff. Scandinavian Building Services rose to the challenge of keeping the NHL Western Conference bubble clean, safe and healthy for players and employees supporting the championship.
“It was an absolute honour to be selected to be responsible for the cleaning of that bubble, and it was fantastic to work with the NHL and OEG specifically,” said Scandinavian President and CEO, Russell Hay. “Their staff and professionalism were incredible.”
Scandinavian Building Services was the first out of the gate for covid disinfection. They realised what was happening before it arrived in North America and provided an extremely extensive pandemic plan to all its customers. “It is all about disinfecting services and reporting—reporting is critical so our customers know what services they are receiving but can also pass it onto their staff and customers coming into their environment,” says Hay.
“The NHL created a world-class standard and wanted a world-class facility, and that’s what they had with Roger’s Place,” says Hay. “We were certainly prepared to rise to the challenge and ensure that world class standards were not only met but surpassed.”
“Our cleaners were really the heroes of the day,” says Hay. “Disinfection services are of an absolute top priority. It was very special that the OEG recognized them for doing that.”
Scandinavian Building Services History
For over 65 years, Scandinavian Building Services has been providing exceptional janitorial services to businesses and facilities across Canada—over 160 million square feet of space every day. Whether it be retail, public sector, commercial, construction, and arts, sports, and entertainment Scandinavian Building Services’ innovative programs allow us to deliver quality customer service that leave its clients more than satisfied.
Established in 1956, Scandinavian has been owned and operated by the Hay family since 1982 when Terry and Wilda Hay bought the company and set out to expand the Edmonton homebase. Their high standards – and total commitment to providing the best client service in the business – permeate the entire organization. Terry was originally in the property management business and identified and had the foresight to focus custodial services on consistency, services level and reporting, letting customers know exactly what we were doing in their buildings day-in and day-out so they knew what to expect.
Today, Scandinavian is a second-generation family owned and operated business. In 2018, beloved Founder, Leader, and CEO Terry Hay passed, leaving an indelible mark on the company culture. “Terry led the company with passion, vision, and inspiration. He created a culture that inspired each individual working in Scandinavian to believe and provide our core values every day—Service, Motivate, Respect, Connect. Through his leadership and values Terry Hay created what we know today as the Scandi family.”
As current President & CEO, Russell has set his sights on rapidly growing the business across North America, while still ensuring client expectations are consistently met and exceeded. In 2019, Scandinavian Building Services was recognized for overall business performance and sustained growth with the prestigious Canada’s Best Managed Companies designation.
Customers always come first at Scandinavian, which led to the development of the 10-1-24 commitment, along with ensuring there is always a real person on the other end of the phone when you call. These initiatives are firmly rooted in the success of Scandinavian, established by Terry Hay, and proudly reinforced by Russell daily. An active member of the Young Presidents Organization, Russell engages with his local community to connect with fellow influential business leaders who encourage both professional and personal development. Scandinavian is a family business built on accountability, service, and culture, and Russell is focused on innovative advances to consistently exceed client expectations. The company offers full-service janitorial and building maintenance across Canada. Scandinavian continues to experience steady growth and is always finding unique ways to provide clients with innovative cleaning services that exceed expectations.
The management team is committed to expanding the business, as is evident by the consistent 20 per cent to 30 per cent annual growth in recent years. Scandinavian is rapidly establishing a foothold in Canada and is even setting its sights on opportunities in the American Northwest.
www.scandinavian.ca
