Aim’s Safety Week Bolsters Company Culture

GIRARD, Ohio – To further solidify its company culture, Aim Transportation Solutions hosted its inaugural Safety Week, which fostered communication between management and employees for daily discussions on the company’s four core values and how they tie into safety.

The week-long event stemmed from Co-Preisdent Scott Fleming’s time in the Marine Corps, during which he led safety training seminars for platoons.

“I saw an opportunity to adapt what I’d learned to Aim’s corporate setting,” Fleming said in a sstatement. “Aim’s culture is deeply rooted in safety but this was a chance for us to bring it to the surface of our daily conversations and our daily practices.”

In turn, Aim vice president of safety Ron Bourque developed a program that could be used company-wide, regardless of the nuances of each division. Bourque gave each manager a framework that they could then tailor to what the department sees every day.

“In the safety department, the four core values have always been near and dear,” said Bourque. “We thought that rolling them out to the rest of the company in the way that we did would be helpful to further the development of our culture.”

Aim’s four core values are integrity, trust, accountability and commitment. As the program rolled out, one surprise that came to the forefront was how much interplay there is among all the values. 

“Trust really bolsters accountability and commitment, because if you don’t trust your supervisor, the accountability, or maybe discipline, that might come from that supervisor won’t be effective,” said Bourque. “So, in the spirit of maintaining accountability, we really need trust as one of those foundations.”

One of the biggest successes to come out of Aim Safety Week was the feedback which was received. We got around 30 to 40 suggestions on how to both grow safety week in future years as well as suggestions on how to cultivate a safe and positive work environment in our daily practices. 

“As we work through those suggestions and comments, we’re not only building a safer environment for our employees, but we’re building trust and letting them know that we’re addressing their concerns,” said Bourque.

Safety Week will be a recurring event at Aim, Fleming and Bourque said, with feedback leading the expansion of the event.

“Safety is a journey, and commitment is about being in the business of keeping people safe over the long term,” Bourque said.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.