About TurnAround

How would you describe TurnAround?

On the surface, TurnAround is a competitive courier business operating out of Toronto. We have great rates and excellent service, and we deliver clients' packages on time. That's our clients' experience of us on a day-to-day basis. But we're also a business with a twist, because we only hire at-risk youth. So by supporting our business, you are directly helping these young people, and, really, your city. So you are accomplishing two things at once -- getting your package delivered, and supporting an innovative company with a social conscience.

Why did you decide to start TurnAround?

There were a lot of reasons, but the short answer was I wanted to run my own business, but I also wanted it to be meaningful, something that I could really throw myself behind. I used to work as a management consultant, and when I walked home at night I used to pass by a lot of homeless teenagers and young adults. Many of them struck me as being smart and articulate. I couldn't help but wonder if all they needed was an opportunity they weren't getting.

So you decided to give them one?

I decided that I would give them a chance to work. Being a courier is a job, and not the easiest job in the world, especially in the dead of winter in Toronto. This is not charity. I mean, unlike other courier companies, we will loan our couriers the money to buy the bikes, locks, helmets, etc. They pay it back over time. The thing that I'm saying is, they don't need charity. They need people to overlook their past, and give them a chance to get on with their future. After all, they're young. They have their whole life ahead of them.

Do you take any public money?

TurnAround is a business. We don't want public money. The thing is, a business can have a social agenda and still make a profit. The two ideas are not mutually exclusive. I think it's cynical to think that it needs to be one or the other. To me, that makes no sense. That's like saying once someone who has been homeless or is classified "at risk", he can't hold down a real job and needs endless charity. I think that's appalling logic. Some youth may need other types of assistance, but the ones I hire are job-ready. They prove that every day. Oh, and another thing, our policy is to donate 50 per cent of our profits to charity. Not only are we not a charity, half our profits support other charity!

How do you know someone you hire is job-ready?

The agencies I work with recommend youth to me who are job-ready. They have been screened more than the average employee to get a spot at TurnAround. Also, as soon as they begin, it's quite obvious if they are suited for it, because they need to keep up. It's not like we need some abstract metric to measure job performance. It's not rocket science.

What do your clients say about TurnAround?

First of all, they are delighted with the prices and the level of service. We get that all the time. And the other thing is, when they pick up the phone to get a package delivered, I think they feel good about the call. They know they are supporting something worthwhile, and not by paying extra or going out of their way, but just by calling TurnAround, by making that choice. They feel good about the choice. And they should because it's a payoff on so many levels.

Has it paid off for you?

Personally, I really like running a business. You learn a lot on many different levels, and I think it suits me. But the big benefit is watching youth do a great job here, and then go on to do other things. People who work at TurnAround can put a dark side of their life behind them and move on. They get other jobs because employers think, hey, if this kid pedaled his ass off for six months, he can work in a restaurant or in a mailroom, or whatever. Over 50 youth have moved on from TurnAround in the past two years, a substantial percentage of whom have moved on to other jobs and stable housing. That's a big payoff for me, for our clients, for the system that they would otherwise be shuffled through, and, of course, for them.