Fresh off our company’s 40th Annual Social Club Gala—dressed in our 80’s best, or worst, depending on how you feel about parachute pants, high hair, and too much makeup—I opened Monday’s Social Club email and suddenly found myself wandering through nearly three decades of memories.
Walking Through the Doors
May 14th, 1998.
The night the Seinfeld finale aired.
The day Frank Sinatra left the world.
And only ten days after I first walked through the doors of our Hamilton office.
One of the first people I met was Joanette. She smiled and said, “Think Joan Jett.” I never forgot her—or the welcome I felt that day.
Coming from the craft industry, telecommunications was a huge learning curve, but Hamilton’s shared space between techs, dispatch, and CADD meant friendships came fast. Funny enough, at this year’s Gala I ended up at a table with some of the same inter-department guys from 1998.
Back then, our dual-boot machines ran OS/2 Warp for email and Windows for CableCAD. Our monitors weighed more than many outboard motors, and compressing a database took two hours—something we can now do in under a minute.
Those early days were full of @Home, Netscape, AOL, GeoCities, Napster, MSN Messenger, pagers, Palm Pilots, and eventually, BlackBerries. But more than the tech, it was the people who made the company feel like home.
Living Through the Same World Together
When you’re at a company as long as many of us have been, you don’t just build a résumé—you share a timeline:
- Y2K and the fear our computers might spontaneously detonate
- The 2003 blackout
- The 2008 financial crisis
- SARS and the shift toward laptops
- Cloud computing and the social-media explosion
- And of course, the COVID-19 pandemic—an event that reshaped our world, our routines, and the way we work
In March 2020, we were told we’d be home for two weeks.
We all know how that went.
The Constant Through It All
Through mergers, moves, leadership changes, new systems, new buildings, and a world that constantly shifted beneath our feet—one thing remained constant: the Social Club.
In my first year, I ran in a Social Club election and stood on stage at my first Gala in 1998 as the new representatives were announced. That moment expanded my world beyond our tiny Hamilton office and introduced me to friendships I still treasure.
There aren’t many of us left from those early days, and one long-serving member in particular deserves a lifetime achievement award for their dedication and leadership.
We built community through:
- ball hockey and golf tournaments
- movie nights
- Jays, Leafs, and Bills games
- kids’ and adults’ Christmas parties
It was at a Social Club wing night at Philthy McNasty’s that I met my first wife, and today I have two amazing kids because of that event.
Why It Mattered
Being on the Social Club meant I didn’t just know everyone’s name—I could spell them.
The maze that was the Burlington office never felt overwhelming; it felt like a small town where you recognized the faces, the stories, and the departments.
One of my most vivid memories comes from a Social Club meeting with our then-VP. Someone whispered in his ear, and minutes later, we were all sent home—the blackout had hit. That night, I sat with coworkers listening to a ghetto blaster powered by batteries, and later we watched a dark, silent Hamilton from the Dundurn reservoir.
Looking back, it’s no coincidence that my role today still connects me with teams across the organization. The Social Club gave me that sense of a bigger family long before I ever had it in my job title.
What It Gave My Family
In 27 years, I’ve only missed one Gala. I remember side karaoke rooms, prize tables spanning the length of the room, and unforgettable DJs. I still remember winning a PS2 in the early 2000s—something that genuinely saved Christmas during my single-dad years.
At kids’ events, we watched our children grow together at venues like Copps Coliseum, community centres, Chuck E. Cheese, and Soccer World.
And then there was last year, when my wife teared up during the opening march-around-the-dance-floor. The pandemic had been hard on our family, and being back in a room full of joy, music, and community was overwhelming in the best way. It reminded us of what we’d missed, and how much we needed nights like that.
The Social Club didn’t just enrich my work life.
It shaped my family life.
It connected my worlds.
Why It Still Matters
Today, many of us work from home more than ever. The world of Thursday-night TV and Blockbuster rentals is gone. Our offices are quieter, our commutes shorter, and our circles smaller.
That makes the Social Club more important—not less.
It gives us:
- moments to laugh
- chances to meet new people
- a reason to step away from the screen
- a place to feel part of something bigger than our teams or job titles
These volunteers give us connection in a time when connection is harder to come by.
We’re lucky to have something like this. Many organizations would love to have what we do.
A Thank-You
Thank you to every Social Club representative over the years, and to our organization for continuing to support something truly run by employees, for employees.
Speaking from experience (and from running a baseball organization), volunteers are gold. They’re not always easy to find.
But they’re the reason friendships after five still happen.
And they’re the reason this place has always felt like home.