On June 4, 2013 I had the pleasure of presenting alongside an Olympian – Adam Kreek – who was a member of the gold medal winning 8-man rowing team in the Beijing 2008 Olympics! Very exciting for me – and for the 420 employees of PowerStream at their annual Health and Safety BBQ. PowerStream is a community-owned energy services company providing power and related solutions to more than 355,000 customers residing or owning a business in communities located immediately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario.
Adam Kreek donned one of the Canada Cup jerseys that MySafeWork hands out to safety champions who participate in our presentations, and encourage them to collect signatures on the jersey, from workers, parents, teachers, employers, everyone! In this photo, below, Adam is in the middle (the young, handsome guy), surrounded by myself and executives at PowerStream.
Adam also spoke to the PowerStream employees about his most recent adventure – in January 2013 – when he made the first ever attempt to row unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to North America, in a 29-foot rowboat. His goals were to advocate for adventure as a tool for self-development, to educate youth about the importance of sustaining the health our oceans resources, and to collect scientific data about the state of the Atlantic Ocean.
Unfortunately, Adam and his three teammates capsized just 10 days short of their destination, after 73 days at sea and four years of planning. Fortunately, the crew’s exceptional safety and emergency planning ensured that all of them survived, and much of their equipment and data was salvaged.
Adam – such a bright young inspirational Canadian leader – challenged the PowerStream audience to look after themselves and always take care of team members – no less important in the workplace than in the ocean, for one’s safety and well-being.
I was so impressed to see so many PowerStream safety champions in attendance at today’s corporate event, led by their CEO Brian Bentz, who signed six Canada Cup jerseys as a pledge towards better workplace safety! PowerStream is a 2012 Silver Recipient of Canada’s Safest Employers award.
Not to mention I got to hold an actual Olympic gold medal!! (Thank you, Adam!)
MySafeWork – Rob Ellis and Jessica Di Sabatino lost a son and brother, David Ellis, in a workplace accident. He was 18; it was his second day on the job. They started MySafeWork, formerly known as Our Youth at Work, a not-for-profit organization and registered charity, in 1999.
Kreek Speak – Olympic Gold Medalist and Entrepreneur, Adam Kreek has spent the past decade studying human performance, achievement, and wellbeing. He now shares his expertise and the powerful lessons of high performance and entrepreneurship with organizations and communities globally. Adam and his team at Kreek Speak tailor key motivational philosophies to organizational needs in areas of Change Management, Leadership and Team development, Sales, and Health & Wellness.