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ABOUT ACKLANDS-GRAINGER www.acklandsgrainger.com   Business Profile   Acklands-Grainger continues to expand its market leadership position through a single minded focus based on understanding and satisfying the needs of our customers. We are Canada’s largest distributor of industrial and safety products. We offer our customers the convenience of a single source solution, with the largest selection of in-stock Brand-name products from the world’s top manufacturers and the largest exclusive private-label offering in the industry. Our industry best catalogue is almost 2000 pages and features more than 60,000 items. With headquarters in Richmond Hill, Ontario, 155 branches across Canada, 5 distribution centres and more than 2,000 dedicated employees, Acklands-Grainger has clearly established itself as the undisputed industry leader. Here's how we do it: Provide a superior assortment of more than 100,000 distinct in-stock industrial, safety and fastener products Provide easy, convenient access to products through our catalogue, website and our national branch network Provide world-class customer service Offer a full range of value added services, support and repairs Offer fair, competitive pricing     Business History   Acklands was founded in Winnipeg in 1889 by Dudley Ackland. The Company was a pioneer in manufacturing and supplying wooden goods for various customers. Legally incorporated in 1905, Acklands manufactured and sold carriages, wagons, farm machinery and a variety of other supplies and equipment. With the advent of the automobile in 1919, Acklands added replacement parts and accessories to its product offering. Responding to the needs of the marketplace, the company continued to change and evolve over the next several decades. Through internal growth and numerous acquisitions, Acklands grew to be Canada’s largest distributor of industrial products, serving a diverse customer base. In 1996, Acklands was purchased by Grainger, a publicly traded company and the largest industrial distributor in the United States with current annual sales in excess of $6 billion. At that time, Acklands name was changed to Acklands-Grainger Inc. Acklands-Grainger is now Canada’s largest distributor of industrial and safety products backed by almost 120 years of proven history in providing selection, quality and service excellence to its customers.     Vision   Grainger helps customers save time and money by providing them the right products to keep their facilities up and running. Grainger's customers are 1.8 million businesses and institutions across North America and China. While each customer has a unique facility to operate and a different problem to solve, our customers all share the same requirement: when they need one of Grainger's products, they often need it right away. With more than 17,000 knowledgeable employees, the Grainger team works closely with customers to better understand their challenges and provide cost-saving solutions. Grainger's employees serve customers more than 115,000 times every day through multiple channels. With 2006 sales of $5.9 billion, Grainger is a Fortune 500 company and a perennial member of Fortune magazine's Most Admired Companies list.     Values   At Acklands-Grainger all of our actions and initiatives are driven by our corporate values and guiding behaviours. These values are an integral part of our everyday work life encouraging personal and professional growth and development, as well as best in class performance and an enjoyable work environment. As a leader in the business community Acklands-Grainger sets high standards for integrity, ethics, and accountability, while providing a great place to work. Agility Alert to opportunities Initiates and responds with speed, coherence, and commitment Seeks possibilities and is open to alternative solutions Shares ideas Willing to challenge the status quo Empowerment and accountability Gives clear authority to act Seeks help when needed Takes initiative and has the self confidence to act Takes responsibility for individual actions, team results, and organizational impact Trusts others to do the right things Ethics and Integrity Acts honestly in all dealings Cares about others Honours commitments and promises Seeks and gives truth Shows consistency between words and actions Treats others with fairness, respect and dignity Having Fun Celebrates contribution, achievement and cycles of learning Encourages a healthy balance between work and personal life Exhibits and encourages optimism about ourselves and our future Takes self lightly, not seriously Treats problems as challenges to be overcome Learning Demonstrates uncommon curiosity Increases cycles of learning Quickly identifies failures and takes corrective action Shares learning from success and failures Seeks and gives appreciative and constructive feedback Seeks diverse input to strengthen ideas and decisions Sees contrary views as opportunities to learn Takes accountability for own development and invests in the development of others Teamwork Encourages constructive conflict and is skilled at resolving that conflict Has mutual trust and is accountable for results Places the interests of team above self Promotes cross-functional problem solving Values differences and acts as one Values diversity and teamwork     Culture   At Acklands-Grainger, our values are the basis for everything we do. They are part of every decision we make and we have many examples across our Company of our employees living our values every day. Ovation, a company-wide recognition program and Let’s Talk, employee meetings with top leaders at every work location every year, reinforce the importance of our values. Business Conduct Acklands-Grainger places significant trust in individual employees. Since the company’s inception in 1889 we have always operated with the highest ethical standards and Each year, all employees formally commit to 11 business conduct guidelines covering many areas including: Being honest and fair in all business dealing, avoiding conflicts of interest, accuracy, use of company funds or resources, appropriate workplace behaviour and international business guidelines. Corporate Responsibility and Giving Back to our Communities The Company and our employees place a large emphasis on giving back to the communities in which we live and work — whether it’s our national focus on the United Way or our local staff working as volunteer firefighters, and participating in charity and not-for-profit fundraising events like Children’s Wish. We strive to be a caring, corporate citizen and a contributing member in the communities in which we do business. Acklands-Grainger has recently been recognized as a “Caring Company” by Imagine Canada. Acklands-Grainger is very proud of our longstanding relationship with hockey. Acklands-Grainger sponsors numerous "game-night promotions" in local branch markets and “in game” televised features on a national level including the national Memorial Cup championship. The Company is also the national sponsor of the student awards program of the Canadian Professional Sales Association (CPSA). CPSA is a national association of sales and marketing professionals offering student education, professional development and sales certification programs, and amply embodies Acklands-Grainger's belief in sales as a rewarding career choice. The environment is a growing concern for Canadians and Canadian businesses alike. Acklands-Grainger is an organization that takes its corporate responsibility in this area very seriously, and is committed to providing cleaner products, while also implementing ongoing internal environmentally friendly initiatives. We have been working in virtually every aspect of our business to reduce our environmental impact. From energy saving lighting solutions, air curtains, regular environmental assessments, to recycling programs we’ve been implementing a host of environmentally conscious initiatives. Many of the products that we offer have been reformulated to be more environmentally conscious. Examples include: Paint Products – lead free and solvent free Spray Paints – higher solid content to reduce fugitive emissions Propellants – CFC and fluorocarbon free propellants in spray cans Skin Care – Biodegradable products Parts Cleaning & Degreasing – solvent free Cleaning Agents – Biodegradable Solvents Recovery Systems Environmental Remediation Products Over the years, support has also been given to a host of other local and regional institutions across Canada including aboriginal organizations, hospitals and health services, cultural organizations, educational institutions and amateur sport and fitness.     Products   With more than 5,000 new products and over 60,000 products in total, the 2008 Acklands-Grainger catalogue is our biggest catalogue ever! It has the industry’s broadest selection of industrial, safety and fastener products. In total, we have more than 100,000 unique products in stock, including Tools, Metalworking, Electrical, Facility Maintenance, Material Handling, Safety, Equipment and Fleet.   © Copyright 2012 wwwork!com Inc. All rights reserved Privacy Policy This page was last updated on February 8, 2008