Driven, dedicated, excellent and consistent – just a few words used by Mike Cohrac, general manager for Canteen Refreshments – Philadelphia to describe route driver Joseph Si-Salem.
At an early age, Si-Salem’s father said, “If you don’t love your job, find one you do.” And that’s what Si-Salem did when he began working for Canteen Refreshments in 2004.
He routinely delivers $1 million in annual sales and leads the Canteen branch with the highest level of employee satisfaction and account retention. “Joseph is the first driver to start and the last to leave each day,” said Cohrac, who nominated Si-Salem for the award. “He has never turned down an assignment no matter how tough the client has been. He is extremely driven to success.”
A cut above the rest
Si-Salem treats each day as a new opportunity and that’s reflected in his continuously positive and optimistic attitude. Cohrac describes Si-Salem’s attitude as one of the biggest reasons for the nomination. “He’s so grateful for each opportunity,” said Cohrac. “Joseph is an outstanding associate and a good person.”
Customer favorite
Si-Salem’s work ethic and commitment to excellence has made him a customer favorite at many locations. “Joseph's Canteen Connect customer average is 4.8 out of 5.0,” said Cohrac. “I have never heard anything but positive feedback from a fellow associate or customer regarding Joseph.” Cohrac describes the Canteen Connect program as a customer satisfaction survey conducted by a third party at Canteen’s corporate office. It gauges the real customer experience from someone who doesn’t have a relationship with the customer in the hopes of getting real comments. “He is dedicated to quality and the organization and it shows with customer feedback,” said Cohrac.
Same great service
Each of Si-Salem’s locations is treated with the same high level of quality. Si-Salem goes the extra mile for each account no matter if it is a $100,000 a year location or a $5,000 per year location. “He treats customers and accounts the same with a high level of excellence,” said Cohrac.
Si-Salem is the route drive Canteen goes to when they need something done with efficiency and high quality. Si-Salem now holds a number of Canteen’s largest and most prominent accounts. “He had taken over some major accounts from other companies and drivers and we knew these locations were difficult to deal with,” said Cohrac. “But after a week and half with Joseph on those routes, those accounts weren’t a problem.”
“He is extremely driven to success and it’s not about numbers, it’s about quality,” said Cohrac.
