June 17th, 2022
Debbie Saunders is a busy woman. She’s a mother, military spouse, and a full-time Site Supervisor at Summer Gardens condominium in Downtown Halifax. It can be a lot to juggle, especially when her husband is away at sea with the Navy. Her full days sometimes stretch late into the evening.
Thankfully, Debbie has the support of her father, Robert ‘Bob’ Ronan, who works alongside her as a commissionaire at Summer Gardens.
“I get my work ethic from my dad,” says Debbie.
“It’s nice to work with someone who takes the same amount of pride and attention to detail in their work as I do.”
Debbie joined Commissionaires in 2009 after a friend working for the company shared how much she enjoyed her job and encouraged Debbie to apply. Two years later, Debbie recruited her father and became his supervisor at Summer Gardens.
Debbie says she enjoys working with her father because “we think the same” and “he’s very dependable.” She credits her dad for helping her through a health scare in 2014 that caused her to take time off work.
“He was the only one who could cover my shifts because he knows my job inside and out,” says Debbie.
“It worked out well.”
For Bob, working with his daughter is fulfilling. He is a former Master Corporal in the 48th Highlanders who went on to become an ATM specialist with IBM, spending 40 years at the technology giant.
He loves the “easy-going pace” of his job at Summer Gardens, where he considers himself “more like a concierge as opposed to security.” His duties include managing the front desk, accepting parcels, coordinating with contractors, conducting security rounds, and – most importantly – interacting with owners and visitors.
“The people in the building are fantastic,” says Bob.
No matter how often Bob and Debbie see each other, they still make time for their shared hobbies. They enjoy gardening, coin collecting and “sitting around the fire pit having good ol’ family time.” It isn’t unusual for the father-daughter duo to swap stories and experiences from work when they’re hanging out.
In fact, their conversations seem to be motivating others to consider a career with Commissionaires.
“You may see my husband join,” says Debbie.
“He was asking about it.”