I joined back in November 2002, after the company I’d worked for closed down. I’d been off for a few months and finally thought, I need to get back to work. I found a part-time listing in the newspaper—yes, the newspaper—and applied. I was hired on to help input purchasing data into the system, our controller at the time was doing it all herself. It was a much smaller team when I had started, I think we had one person in accounts receivable, four salespeople, the controller, the national sales manager, and one guy in the warehouse. That was the whole team, the successes over the years have afforded us such growth. 
It started as just part-time, like I'd just come in at about 9:00 AM till 2:00 PM, that kind of arrangement. About maybe a month later, the controller comes to me and goes, you're doing so well! We want you to go full-time, the job is yours if you want it, and that was that.
I look back quite fondly on some of the first team-building events I experienced. Since our team had so few people then, Christmas parties were small but felt almost familial—people would bring their spouses, and we’d celebrate together.

Like many things, the changes were gradual, slowly but steadily. We used to just sell—no real sense of market segmentation. But over time, we started focusing on sectors like education and healthcare. And after events like 9/11 or more recently COVID, we shifted and leaned more into emergency communications, mass notification—markets that weren’t originally on our radar way back when. That kind of thinking—adapting to conditions, spotting trends—took hold gradually. It helped us make it to where we are today.
Looking into products rather than sectors themselves, the F-Series and PC ceiling speakers were huge for us and have helped make us a more recognized brand. The PC-580’s especially—they fly off the shelves. F series ceiling speakers were and still are really strong in a bunch of markets. Even today, we always need to keep stock of those, and the demand for them just keeps growing.
 

We were very focused on what we already had, cementing ourselves in the market here in Canada. Especially in those early years, the vision and focus were to make the TOA brand more known—mainly selling staple products like the P-900 series amplifiers. Those amps were the backbone of the company then, and they’re still selling today! That’s the most prominent thing to me about TOA, we’ve always been known for reliable, long-lasting products. 
In regard to the changes over time, it started shifting little by little. A major component in that would be TOA’s management structure. Every five years or so, we’d get a new president with a different vision. Each time that happened, there would be changes—sometimes subtle, sometimes significant, but all of it was to ensure that we would never find ourselves complacent and were constantly looking at new avenues.
A big milestone was moving from analog to digital, then starting to introduce IP products. That’s when it felt like we were stepping into a new era. And we became more recognized in the AV world. When I started, no one here in Canada knew what TOA was—you’d have to explain the name and what we did. Now, people recognize us.

TOA has grown a lot since I joined. We’re no longer a name no one knows—we’re a recognized presence in schools, hospitals, and beyond. We’ve built a solid reputation for ourselves here in Canada.
For myself? The work that’s been put in, there were no expectations or obligations—it was just loyalty. I believe in the company, and through the last 22 years, it’s become part of my story now. I’ve had a hand in nearly every corner of this company over the years—every quarter, every project—I’ve contributed in some way, which means something to me. We have grown quite a bit, and we have come very far, and I'm proud to say that I have been part of that journey.