Lynden is recognizing employees who make a difference every day on the job and demonstrate our core values, Lynden's very own everyday heroes! Employees are nominated by managers and supervisors from all roles within the Lynden family of companies.
Introducing Manjit Sandhu, Distribution Manager at Lynden International Logistics in Milton, Ontario. 
Name: Manjit Sandhu
Company: Lynden International Logistics
Title: Distribution Manager
Location: Milton, Ontario
On the Job Since: 1989
Superpower: Team player
Hometown: Rurdka Kalan, Punjab, India
Favorite Movie: The Godfather
Bucket List Destination: Peru and Turkey
For Fun: Pigeon flying and racing, working on home renovations
How and when did you start working for Lynden?
I started way back when the company was called Seaway Midwest. The company changed its name to Livingston, and it was eventually purchased by Lynden. My first job title was Order Packer in April 1989.
What is a typical day like for you?
My typical day involves meeting operations and warehouse staff to go over tasks and planning for the day. This would be followed by other meetings. My favorite is working with each staff member on understanding their challenges and working on ways to improve.
What has been most challenging in your career?
My biggest challenge was having all staff trained and understand the importance of following best practices in all their job functions. We had great results which increased high morale with staff and much better productivity.
What are you most proud of in your career?
Coaching. I take a lot of pride working one-on-one with all staff and especially younger staff.
I love working with them to make sure they understand they are very important, a big part of the team, and their hard work is recognized. I notice in most cases being patient with them is the most important factor. Rewarding them for success by just letting them know how their portion of the job was vital to the overall great results. This is what I love most about my job.
Can you tell us about your family and growing up years?
I am the fourth child in my family. My mother had three kids with her first husband. He died at 26 when she was pregnant with their third child. She raised those kids and later married her husband’s younger brother, who is my dad.
When I was 10, my mother needed to go back to India to see my dad. Her visa was expiring. I stayed in Canada. I realized at that moment that I could never go back home. I never thought I would get over that feeling. I eventually did, with a lot of help from two things: Soccer and music. Soccer fields were a very happy place for me although I could not communicate verbally with my school mates. I was able to make good friends by playing this amazing team sport. Soccer is a big-time passion in my hometown in India. It produced a lot of national players including the goalie for the Indian National team. I could see playing with my friends and my training from back home put me in a better position than my new friends.
Another thing that helped me assimilate was English music, especially the song “Logical” by Supertramp. I had resentment toward my mother when I was a teenager, but now I totally understand her reasoning for what she did to make a better life for me. My mom is my hero. I lost my dad when he was only 55. My mom lives with me and my family now. I think my two kids love their grandma more than they love their parents! Life is good with my health, very close family and a great job. I go through the normal ups and downs we all have to deal with, but I really appreciate everything I have.
What was your first job?
My first job was working at the Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) annual conference in India. This was a great summer job where I worked in the food court and met lots of different people and personalities. It was a fun job as a 15-year-old.
What would surprise most people about you?
I think it would be my hobby flying pigeons, and I like to do renovations including doing full homes.
How do you spend your time outside of work?
My favorite pastime is with my pigeons and club members called the highflyers. In less than 2 minutes, the birds fly very high into the sky and fly at that height most of the day. At times it gets hard to find them at this height, and you may need binoculars to see them.
What do you like best about your job?
My favorite part of my job is the strong and enjoyable working relationship with most of the staff and the clients. We make sure all our clients know that we will always go above and beyond to make sure if they are ever in a tight situation, like last minute rush orders, or anything related, no one can provide better service.
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