Alsco Uniforms Donates First Aid Kit to Local Community Eatery

At Alsco Uniforms Dunedin,  we believe in backing organisations that are making a meaningful difference in our communities, and few do that quite like The Bowling Club.

Founded by Jackie and Liam in 2022, The Bowling Club started as a small food truck navigating the cold southerlies of South Dunedin. But from the very beginning, it was about more than food. Their vision was to create a space where people from all walks of life could gather, connect, and share kai, a space where everyone is welcome.

“We are so grateful to the Alsco Uniforms team for sharing so generously with us! Supplying us with aprons, tea towels & first aid supplies means all of our services are able to flow more smoothly, and there’s more energy to focus on what The Bowling Club is really about: connecting with people and making nourishment accessible in our community” – says Jackie & team

Now operating a thriving community eatery, The Bowling Club is open daily for lunch and dinner and runs on a pay-what-you-feel model. That means diners can pay the set price, what they can afford, or nothing at all, and those in a position to give more, there’s even an option to pay it forward and cover a meal for someone else. 

To help support the important work Jackie, Liam, and their team are doing, Alsco Uniforms Dunedin recently donated a fully serviced, wall-mounted First Aid cabinet, now installed in The Bowling Club’s kitchen. We’re also proud to supply the staff aprons and kitchen tea towels that help keep their team running smoothly every day.

“Alsco Uniforms Dunedin branch is pretty proud to support our local communities. It’s such an honour to be part of what Jackie, Liam, and The Bowling Club team are building in their unwavering commitment to bring people together from all walks to share kai, in a world that at times, can feel a divided and lonely place,” says Megan Lahood, Client Manager for Dunedin, who managed the relationship with The Bowling Club. 

From serving 300 meals a night to over 1,000, and growing from a team of 2 to 24, The Bowling Club continues to show what’s possible when compassion meets community spirit. 

Alsco Uniforms Donates Van to Medical Aid Abroad

Alsco Uniforms is proud to announce that we’ve just donated another van to Medical Aid Abroad (MAA). This contribution will help deliver essential medical supplies to underserved communities and developing countries.

MAA is a charitable trust that we greatly admire for donating valuable, unused medical goods to developing countries, especially in the Pacific Islands. Every year, about 2,000 cartons of goods that would otherwise end up in landfills are sent to medical centres, doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies overseas.

This ensures that these critical supplies reach those in need rather than going to waste.

Since 2016, Alsco Uniforms has been an avid supporter of MAA, covering vehicle expenses, including registration, WoF, fuel, and maintenance costs. In 2019, we elevated our support by donating a van to replace their ageing vehicle.

This week, we’ve taken another significant step forward by providing a bigger and better van from our Nelson branch. The keys were handed over by Monique Welsh, our General Manager for New Zealand & Asia, to Murray Kerr – Chairman, and Kim Kempthorne – Stores Manager.

But we couldn’t have accomplished this without the help of several dedicated individuals and teams. We’d love to acknowledge the following people for their contributions in bringing this donation to life:

❤️ Richard and the team from Alsco Uniforms Nelson – for the donation of the vehicle itself.

❤️ Shane from Wide Glide Panel Beaters, Kingsland– for giving the van a bit of a facelift.

❤️ Glenn, Rod, and the team at Brave Design, Henderson – for designing and applying the new livery at no cost.

Additionally, a special thank you to Darrell Alvey from Auckland Fresh & Clean for helping us deliver the blank van to Brave Design, where the owners Glenn and Rod received it and worked their magic.

The new livery, generously designed and applied by Brave Design, has given the van a fresh and professional look. This enhancement not only improves the vehicle’s appearance but also helps raise awareness of MAA’s vital mission as it travels on the road.

From next week, you may see this new van on the road, diligently picking up and delivering essential supplies to where they are needed most. Keep an eye out for it, and join us in celebrating the incredible work that MAA does every day to support healthcare in developing countries.

Spotlight: John Gibbs – National Business Development Manager

Spotlight Series: A Journey with Alsco Uniforms – Interview with John Gibbs, National Business Development Manager. 

Welcome to our Spotlight series, where we delve into the stories of our Alsco Uniforms employees; exploring their experiences, career trajectories, and the unique insights they’ve gained along the way. Our inaugural interview features John Gibbs, the National Business Development Manager at Alsco Uniforms. We sat down with him recently to unpack his time within the company and gain valuable insights into his professional journey. 

John, could you share your career progression at Alsco Uniforms, including your roles and duration?

So, I started at Alsco in 2003 as a Sales Executive, and I held that position up until June 2020. I was then headhunted back in May of 2021 to an awesome role just like the Sales Exec role based at Support Centre as a National Business Development Manager, which was a newly created role at the time. I’m really enjoying it, it’s been awesome.

What was your role like back when you started, and how does it differ now? 

As a Sales Executive in the early 2000’s, our focus was all about hunting new business with very little farming of existing accounts. This generally involved cold calling, and yes, in some cases we did start at one end of the street and virtually went door to door. It was selling in its purest form and quite a lot of fun. 

We didn’t get many phone leads and our internet presence was virtually non-existent. I can recall how another rep and I would write our proposals in longhand at home and drop them on the desk of Lyn Southern in the morning, our sales support, who would type them up and print them for us. 

Now as Business Development Manager, my key role is focused on new business and growing existing accounts with a focus on garment accounts, in particular food garment accounts. I work closely with Alan Gardner, the National Accounts Manager as a number of the new businesses I deal with also fall across multiple branches.

What training or qualifications have you achieved with Alsco’s help?

I received some awesome David Forman sales training back in the day a couple of weeks after I started and then again in 2020. You can imagine a sales course back in 2003 might sound a little bit ‘ah wow, has that got any relevance now?’ but I feel that the training really opened my mind up to a whole raft of things about the science of selling, and about general interaction with people – I really enjoyed it. I thoroughly recommend those sorts of courses. 

I’m a bit of a course junkie, I always sit up the front, suck everything in like a sponge, and dominate the question-and-answer time with the facilitator. I also did the Leadership Development training at level 3, which helped to develop my skills and knowledge to become an effective team leader. The inaugural leadership course is one that many of our team across the business are involved with today.

What is your favourite memory during your time with Alsco?

One of them would definitely be winning a mat campaign. I think it might’ve been back in 2015/2016. So that prize was a 10-day trip to the U.S. visiting the Milliken research and development facility. We got to see the infamous Milliken guest house, as well as tour the Milliken museum. 

I had such a great time over there along with three other guys. It was great to also visit the Alsco Uniforms Atlanta branch which was my first look at seeing the First Aid Kits which we developed. Another highlight  which I should probably mention, was meeting my partner Donna through work!

Finally, what advice do you have for those looking to embark on a career with Alsco Uniforms?

For anyone considering a career at Alsco New Zealand, I’d say embrace opportunities for learning and growth. Alsco Uniforms has been a cornerstone of my professional journey, and has provided so many avenues for development and recognition. 

Ready to kickstart your career?

Head over to our career’s page today to find an opportunity that best suits you!

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