Get to know our Swing Officer, Joel Smith who we recently interviewed
Joel Smith is the first employee to have the opportunity to work for Paladin Security and now PalAmerican Security! He is currently the Swing Officer for Seattle’s most recent client, Harbor Steps. The apartment complex is the largest multi-family community in Seattle, comprised of four towers with 730 apartments.
Why did you transfer to our Seattle branch and pursue working for PalAmerican Security?
I was unable to renew my work visa, which was a bummer since I really enjoyed the relations and atmosphere built at Paladin. I expressed my concerns with leaving the culture when a co-worker (let's call him T-hops) told me about PalAmerican Security. As luck would have it PalAmerican just got to Seattle. I jumped on the chance to apply; the rest is history!
How was your transition into a new role and company? Was it challenging in learning how to adjust to American protocols within the industry?
Surprisingly smooth! PalAmerican really represents the personal touch Paladin offers, which was seen by many people on site, who responded very positively to PalAmerican (as opposed to the other 3 companies that tried holding down the same site this year alone). The biggest change was just remembering which terms were Canada-specific (such as 'Parkade' in reference to a parking garage).
Were there any noticeable differences in work culture?
The biggest difference is just in scale.
You are the first Security Officer to work for both Paladin and PalAmerican – how does that
make you feel?
It’s cool! Our values are so similar it makes me wonder if the converse of a motto is true: one dream, one team.