I can remember visiting a securities trading office while in junior high school as part of a class project to experience the business world. People seemed to be hurrying everywhere; delivering important documents, processing buy and sell orders, urgently getting important people on the phone right away. The pace of business was frantic! But when my teacher asked what impressed me most, I recalled something else.

“No one ever said ‘Thank you’,” I answered. “Does that really matter in the business world,” my teacher inquired. “Yes, it does matter,” I stated emphatically.

All these years later, I’m proud to work in a business where, despite the frantic pace of business and technology, we do take the time to say “thank you.”

For one, saying “thank you” is part of Townsend Security being a great place to work. Hearing from, and saying it to, co-workers contributes to each of us feeling like we are doing important work and that our efforts are appreciated. It makes us feel like individuals, not just employees. But that’s not why we do it.

Saying “thank you” is also part of holding on to great customers. We certainly value the revenue we receive from them, but even more so, we value the relationships we build through time. It’s wonderful that so many of our customers come back year after year and often point to the way they are treated as a reason. Saying “thank you” is a part of great customer service, but that’s not why we do it. 

As we enter into the United Way annual campaign, we see this as another way to say “thank you.” We proudly support this important organization and, through it, the many agencies doing the hard work of caring for, nurturing and empowering those in our communities that most need help. For any of you considering participating as well, we highly encourage it. It is certainly nice to be recognized by the United Way as a contributing business, but that’s not why we do it.

I’m glad I can say that at Townsend Security, we say “thank you” not because it’s mandated or because it is part of an orchestrated profit-motive. We simply say “thank you” because it’s the right thing to do.