Treasurer Nominee

Bio:

Hi everyone! For those of you who I have not had the pleasure to meet, my name is Sukhwinder Johal. I am the operator of the Summerside, Quasar, Sherwood Park, and Callingwood Bottle Depots. I am also involved in the Hobbema Bottle Depot which has provided me with knowledge and experience in operating rural as well as metro depots. With seven years experience as an ABDA director, I am now running for election to be the Association’s Treasurer.

We are a family owned and operated business since 1993 when my father, Harjinder Johal, first purchased the Quasar Bottle Depot. This began my journey in the Bottle Depot world. As a child, I would decline going to day-care as I wanted to spend time at Quasar, getting to know the baseline drivers, staff, and customers. These early experiences created valuable memories for me as I followed my father around the Bottle Depot. I have come a long way since those early days of being in the bins.

As I grew older, I became very involved with playing Lacrosse and I played for the Edmonton Warriors up until I was about 18 years old. Then, I entered into the business program at NAIT, where I completed the Finance, Accounting, and Applied Banking Programs. After I completed my education, I began working alongside my father, learning and absorbing all the knowledge he had to share with his years of experience.

Now, I successfully own and operate five Bottle Depots in the Edmonton and surrounding area, three of which have new technology from Tomra Canada. I strive to learn and implement innovative ideas and products as I feel that our industry has room for growth. I hope that I can continue to bolster improvements within my own Depots, as well as support others in improving their Depots.

Being involved with Hobbema Bottle Depot, I understand the struggles of operating a Depot in a rural area, as it is vastly different than a Metro area, even with day-to-day operations. Metro Depots typically have more consistency in customer flow; however, this doesn’t appear to be the case in some rural locations. It is also more difficult to book loads and get supplies in rural areas. Metro Bottle Depots have their own challenges with extreme competition and overhead costs. With these challenges in mind, I am learning and adapting every day with the Bottle Depots.