Recovering From COVID-19

For over two years the world has been ravaged by COVID-19. Only now are we emerging from the many restrictions that deeply limited our lives at work and at home. As we emerge, the economy is recovering and we are jubilant. However, businesses like ours at ASP, while celebrating the decreasing risks to personnel and loosening restrictions, now face a different set of challenges. Businesses across the world are facing inflation, staff shortages, and unpredictable revenue. And these challenges require close attention and new approaches. Rest assured that the leadership team at ASP is fully engaged and prepared. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. For several ears now, I have been delighted to be a part of the ICTS/ASP team.

For the last two of those years, I spent many hours in leadership meetings where I witnessed the impressive care with which ASP’s leaders at all levels looked to the safety of its employees and worked endlessly to balance the requirements of its many clients with the need to safeguard health and welfare. And, by and large, it has worked. ASP has emerged from the pandemic strong and well-prepared for the resurgence to come.

During my years as an officer in the RCAF, and later as Canada’s Chief of Defence, I experienced the ups and downs associated with peacetime and wartime challenges. Looking back over those 40 years, I can now see that there were rarely any extended periods of calm. On the contrary, we moved from one significant challenge to the next. The key was to be ready for the next challenge, and the energy and creativity of Canada’s men and women in uniform always warded off any sense of desperation.

Similarly, it is safe to say that thriving businesses rarely experience periods of calm. Rather, as these companies grow, they adapt dynamically to changing conditions and balance challenges as they arise. It has been inspiring to see how ASP found its way ahead through the pandemic. Leaders worked endlessly and in close concert with employees to wend a path through the many novel problems that arose. What a wonderful thing to now be returning to the more traditional issues that face vibrant companies.

There is no doubt that ASP has taken a few bumps in recent months. The loss of some work at TPIA and the challenges with some municipal contracts have had the full attention of CEO Dean Lovric and his directors. And even as they have worked hard to regain the confidence of existing clients, the leadership team has been competing hard for, and winning, new contracts across the country. This is a defining characteristic of ASP – unflagging energy and enthusiasm.

With the pandemic receding, ASP is making a strong return to the recovering aviation industry, growing its K9 market share, and firming up its municipal contracts. ASP will return to its former growth curve, and everyone who has been part of the company can be credited with its success in weathering the pandemic storm.

ASP, its leaders and staff across the spectrum, have been doing so many things right. This has placed the company exactly where it needs to be for the post-pandemic return to full business. I have been honoured to have the opportunity to play a part in that.

General (Retired) Tom Lawson

• Category: COVID-19