Townsend Security Data Privacy Blog

Logistics and the Food Bank

I observe an incredible amount of logistics when I volunteer each month at our local food bank. Food is donated from a multitude of sources including government programs, community food drives and individual contributions. It arrives packed in bulk quantities on pallets from the federal government and in small grocery bags of assorted items from local citizens. All of the items need to be resorted and repackaged so that families will have access to a variety of foods in quantities that meet their needs.

My first few volunteer sessions I floated around to various departments like produce and dairy, but lately find myself consistently in the dry goods sorting room where pallets of assorted items are delivered to the sorting room to take the next steps in the process from arrival to distribution: 

1. Teams of volunteers sort a box at a time into carts by type so that they can be counted.  
2. Boxes of donations are resorted into carts by type of item such as canned vegetable, cereal, oatmeal, fruit, large soup, small soup, coffee, tea, baking ~ there are close to forty different sorts. 
3. Each group of items is then counted and entered into the tracking system that records the amount by donor.  
4. The counted items are sorted into their storage bins and then stocked to the shelves for clients to choose from.

The same process and sort function goes on in other departments ~ dairy products into yogurt, eggs, milk; pizza & baked goods into smaller packages; produce into bins by type. Any particular item gets handled several times from its initial donation until it ultimately is delivered to the community.

I think I probably demonstrated my accounting inclinations at an early age ~ I was always sorting items by type, color, whatever I could figure out.  I’ve come to see accounting as a giant sort function, taking large amounts of data and sorting it into its relevant buckets.  I find it a bit funny that volunteering with cans of green beans and packets of oatmeal, I am still doing the same function.  

As always, each time I volunteer, I am humbled by the grace and kindness of the volunteers and clients at the food bank.  I am grateful that Townsend Security encourages and allows me the opportunity to contribute back to our community with its Volunteer Program.

Sandra, Controller at Townsend Security

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.

I’m busy, as we all are. My intentions are always there, to find some way to contribute back to my community.  I’ve finally been inspired to schedule time to start volunteering in a small, manageable way.  Our company’s new Volunteer Policy pays for 4 hours of volunteer time per month.  I’ve used that as an inspiration to go ahead and schedule time to do just that.  I just completed my volunteer orientation at the Thurston County Food Bank, where I will be volunteering one morning a month to help package food items. 

I am excited to be volunteering for our local United Way’s annual Day of Caring on September 21.  I met today with the agency representative where I will be painting, moving furniture and remodeling as part of our company’s participation.  I have to say I was very touched when she told me that they would not be able to do this project without our help - that their staffing is so bare bones it would take a very long time to even consider doing the work that we will be doing.  It renewed my commitment to contribute something back to the community. 

I’m proud to work for a company that actively supports community participation and makes it easier to do so.  I’m glad that those same policies nudged me along to make volunteering a part of my regular schedule. 

When we walked in the room at St. Martins University, there was a look of amazement in my eyes to see the amount of people involved in our community.  Two hundred people filled the room Tuesday for a lunch put on by United Way for their Spirit of Giving celebration.  Today was not just a lunch date, it was for honoring businesses and community members for their stewardship.  We had the chance to enjoy listening to one of the local high school choir groups and Bill Grace, the director of Common Good Works, speak to us about “Leadership for the Common Good.”  We had a few heart felt moments during our special lunch, for example when handing out the Gladys Burns Human Service Award.  The award went to a man who has recently passed away, but has left a hand print in the world with his generosity toward Thurston County.  His wife accepted the award on his behalf and explained how his life was spent helping others.  

Townsend Security received the award of corporate sponsor of the year, by increasing our donations by 132%.  Here at Townsend, our company matches our donations dollar for dollar to any 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, up to $500 per employee each calendar year.

Patrick Townsend, the Founder and CTO of Townsend Security, is also a board member for the United Way.  He has started a path for this company and its employees to follow in his footsteps by giving back to our community.  Townsend Security is not only an encryption software company providing certified products to our customers and meeting PCI compliance, but also giving back to our community.  We understand the need of giving and United Way is one of the many ways we do that.  

We invite you to take a look at all of our community sponsorships we are apart of.  You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to see what we are up to next.

The other night I went to my very first WLC meeting.  WLC is apart of United Way, it stands for Women's Leadership Council.  WLC’s mission is to positively impact the lives of women in our community by promoting self sufficiency and financial stability through philanthropy and community service.

We went around the table and introduced ourselves.  There were many different job titles named;  financial advisor, real estate consultant, partner sales rep, and several others.  After we broke the ice (and secretly judged one another), we touched on all the subjects that women usually talk about, our children, significant others (what they are and are not doing), work and all the other stresses in our lives.   One lady suggested we do something that she does with all of her clients to help get to know them better and asked us, “What is your magic? What is it that sets you apart from everyone else in this world?”  
   
Well shoot!  What is my magic?  And for that matter, what is Townsend Security’s Magic - what sets us apart from the competition?

Our mission at Townsend Security is to provide our customers peace of mind when it comes to data privacy.  We help them do business securely and provide their customers peace of mind.  The way we deliver peace of mind is our magic, it is what sets us apart from any other encryption and key management company.  Our magic.... drum roll please.... is a combination of innovation, experience and our commitment to be known as more than just a data privacy company.  

Our independently certified solutions are developed by experts. The team at Townsend is well-known and well-respected in the industry. We understand the issues around data privacy and compliance and use that knowledge to create and support our solutions. We believe we should be the experts in data privacy so our customers can be the experts in their own industries. No one wakes up and says they want to start an encryption project and no project is the same - so when the time comes we are ready to listen to the problem that needs to be solved and deliver the right solution

In addition to data privacy, Townsend Security is locally known for its commitment to the community.  We are a proud supporter of the United Way and many other local non-profits.  In fact, we were just named the "2011 Corporate Supporter of the Year for Small Busineses" by the Thurston County chapter of United Way.  It is great to work at a company that not only says they want to make their community better - they actually do it and encourage all of its employees to do the same, this is how I became involved with the WLC, which gets back on track about the question posed to myself that night.   My magic, well.. it is everything WLC stands for a hard working young woman, who is graduating from college, raising a small child and doing it all with a positive attitude.  

The phone is ringing, so back to work I go. Time to share more of that Townsend magic (and my own) with one of our customers.  And if they haven’t read this blog post yet, I’ll send it their way.  We want our customers and our community to know how seriously we take our commitment to providing peace of mind in the solutions we sell and in the service we provide.  We know that everyone has their own magic and brings something unique to the table - let us know what yours is.

Townsend Security heartily supports non-profit organizations in our community. So it comes as no surprise that several Townsend Security employees were spotted at the annual United Way “Power of the Purse” fundraiser last week.

The event raises money to help disadvantaged women, young and old, become more financially stable and self-sufficient.  This is a cause that speaks to the hearts of the strong women of Townsend,  how could we not show our support? 

Over 100 women (and a few men) from all backgrounds and professions joined together to meet new friends and support a wonderful cause.  We strolled the silent auction, enjoyed a wonderful meal and participated in the bidding frenzy of the progressive auction.  Funds raised from the auction went directly to support the financial stability of women and girls of Thurston County, where Townsend Security has its headquarters.
    
The evening was a success in so many ways. Over $10,000 was  raised to create scholarships and help fund the overall program. We were able to visit with old friends and make new acquaintances.  And as the Ladies of Townsend packed up our purses and treasures from the evening we couldn't help but feel fortunate to have been in such good company while  supporting a wonderful cause.

For the month of March, 2011 Townsend Security is asking you to help us support the United Way.  Join the conversation and collobarate with fellow IT Security Professionals, we'll donate $1.00 for each new follower on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.