Many people came up to me afterwards and said they could relate to my words. Here's the acceptance:

Congratulations to Checks N Balances, DIG Animation, and all others being recognized tonight. This award has been very elusive to Reed Security in the past and I can tell that after 5 tries – perseverance has finally paid off.

But it’s not the first time perseverance has paid off for myself or Reed Security. We all have our stories, but there’s one I want to share with you that has had the most impact and continues to shape what Reed Security is today.

The story is about a young teenager in small town Saskatchewan that was having problems with his grades to the point of failure. Three times a year his parents would meet the teachers and all three times the teachers would say “He’s really smart, but he doesn’t apply himself”. (This story is not about Ken Achs).

One day a teacher by the name of Mr. Watkins pulled the boy aside and said “you have no idea what it says on the wall in the gym…do you – it’s our school motto.” The boy didn’t have a clue. Mr. Watkins took the boy to the gym and had him read the words aloud. The words read “Excellence Takes Effort”. He took the time to explain the meaning to the boy and through his coaching, leadership, and accountability - he was able to guide the boy from the bottom of the class to being one of the top performers through graduation.

Thank you Mr. Glynn Watkins for showing an interest in me and teaching me what leadership is all about. It is your coaching and influence that’s helped me the most as a person and shape the values at Reed Security. I adopted your “Excellence Takes Effort” slogan and made it our own.

Whether it’s answering the phones, providing proposals, administration, customer service, performing an install, or helping our clients after the sale I can tell you that the Reed Security staff go the extra mile every day. Thank you to Beverly Lee, JJ Feraro, Michelle Nagy, Julia Keil, Charissa Theissen, Shelley Penner, Geoff Assman, Jason Marcal and Cody Rakai for being the committed staff you are and for following my leadership. You are all everyday leaders.

I also want to thank our clients for putting your trust in Reed Security to protect you. We understand that you are the only reason we are here and look forward to helping you any way we can. We know you have a choice and I want thank you for supporting our Independent and Local Small Business.

If you would like to find out more about Reed Security please visit reedsecurity.com

Thank you for your time.