Read the section about QSL below.
How do we continue to grow after the founder leaves? That was the challenge Robert Bellisle faced when he became CEO of QSL International in 2016. By that point, the company was 38 years old and well-established as a key supply-chain player in terminal operations, stevedoring, marine services, logistics and transport throughout North America.
The answer: Turn to the data to build the systems to drive excellence and employee satisfaction.
In 2018, QSL launched Project Data to better understand the KPIs around safety, operations and finance. They worked with a local firm to build Tracking Cargo 3, an entirely new enterprise resource planning system tailored specifically to QSL.
“We hired business intelligence analysts to make sure everybody had easy access to the results they needed. That allowed us to leapfrog in our growth because we have the data necessary for people to do their jobs and continuously improve.”
In 2021, QSL launched Imperium, a program that has allowed the company to set itself apart in the areas of environmental sustainability, health and safety. Specifically, it got to work earning internationally recognized certification for its ports in each of these areas, including Green Marine, ISO 14001 (environmental management systems), ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety).
“We created Project Harmony to make sure we deliver the employee experience we want all of our people to have: fun, innovative, always improving. Our slogan is Certified Routine-Free Work. We create opportunities that are interesting and allow you to learn and do new things.”
In addition to external training and education programs, the company also launched QSL University and a layered learning structure to support people throughout their careers — from onboarding to frontline operations to middle, general and senior management. Staff are encouraged to discuss their career path objectives with their manager, have access to career counselling and to one-on-ones with HR to discover the full spectrum of opportunities at QSL.
“We are trying to put all the momentum in place so that people can see a path forward here.”
The result: In 2023 and 2024, 20 per cent of new hires came from employee recommendations. Over the past eight years, QSL has achieved double-digit compound annual growth rate, and almost tripled revenue and profits.
