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Long before social media, intranets and digital newsletters, GLS (then Dicom Express) employees had another way to stay connected. Between the late 1980s and early 1990s, the company published an internal newspaper filled with company news, employee stories and milestones.
Looking through its pages today offers a glimpse into a different era, but the themes feel surprisingly familiar: customer service, innovation, teamwork and a belief that people are at the heart of success.
As GLS Canada continues to build on Dicom's legacy, we spoke with long-serving team members whose stories bring those pages to life.
A company newsletter published in July 1989 captures a moment of optimism in Dicom's history.
Among its stories was one highlighting Toronto, then one of the company's fastest-growing markets. The article described expanding operations, new opportunities and a team rising to meet customer demand. Reading it today, it's easy to recognize the excitement of a company building for the future.
More than 35 years later, GLS Canada is preparing to open the first automated sorting facility of its kind for GLS in North America, in Vaughan, Ontario. While the scale and technology have changed dramatically, the parallel is hard to miss. Both moments reflect a company investing in its future and strengthening its ability to serve customers.
But the connection between 1989 and today goes beyond facilities and equipment. In the newsletter, Dicom's success was attributed to the people driving it forward:
“It's easy to see what drove Dicom Express's incredible growth. Determined and committed people stepped forward and made things happen, knowing their leadership would set the path for the entire organization.”
Those words still resonate today. The Vaughan Hub is the result of months of planning, testing and collaboration across the organization. As Patrick, Vice President of Operational Services, explains:
"This is the first automated sorting facility of its kind for GLS in North America. Watching the system come to life after months of planning, testing, and teamwork brings a deep sense of pride to everyone who worked on this project."
The Toronto expansion and the Vaughan Hub tell the same story: progress is driven by people working toward a shared goal.
It's easy to see what drove Dicom Express's incredible growth. Determined and committed people stepped forward and made things happen, knowing their leadership would set the path for the entire organization.
Peter Overing, then CEO of Dicom | July 1989
More than three decades later, some of those builders are still helping write the story.
When Gilles, Terminal Director of Parcel Division in Quebec City, thinks back to his first days at Dicom, what stands out most isn't a particular customer, shipment or milestone. It's the team.
"What immediately comes back to me is the team spirit. In Quebec City, we were a tiny team of about 13 people. We were minuscule—a mere grain of sand in the industry. Everyone moved forward together with a common goal: to grow the company and earn our place in the market."
The growth described in those newsletters wasn't something employees watched from the sidelines. They helped create it. Gilles remembers a culture built on determination and resourcefulness. Or, as he reminds us:
"The Dicom team gets things done." (« L'équipe Dicom sait faire. »)
Vito, Network Technician, experienced that transformation from another perspective. When he joined Dicom in 1991, it was a much smaller organization, operating in a very different technological environment.
Over the course of his career, he has witnessed its transformation into part of a major international network.
"When I look back at the Dicom I joined and compare it with GLS Canada today, the transformation is incredible. We've gone from a regional company to being part of a major international organization, and I've had the opportunity to see that evolution firsthand."
For Lyne, Accounts Payable Supervisor, the company's evolution has been just as remarkable. Looking back, she remembers feeling proud to be part of what seemed like a large and ambitious company through the eyes of a 20-year-old new employee. That same sense of pride continues to motivate her today.
"For 33 years, my motivation has been rooted in being part of something larger that truly strives to evolve."
Everyone moved forward together with a common goal: to grow the company and earn our place in the market.
Gilles B., Terminal Director of Parcel Division in Quebec City
GLS Canada looks very different from the Dicom many associates first joined. The network has expanded, technology has transformed operations and the business has evolved significantly.
Yet those who have been part of that journey say many defining qualities remain unchanged.
"We still have clients today who have been doing business with us for decades," says Gilles. "With several of them, the relationship goes far beyond a standard business transaction. Conversations often start with news about family or life in general long before we ever get around to talking about the package."
For Vito, one of the most enduring aspects has been the relationships built with colleagues along the way:
"The people have always been a big part of it. Over more than three decades, I've worked with a lot of great people and built relationships that go well beyond individual projects or job titles."
Lyne points to something equally enduring: a strong sense of belonging.
"Dicom was a big family and GLS has kept that same sense of belonging."
That emphasis on connection and service was already present in the company's communications in the late 1980s, where one article summarized the philosophy simply:
"Our service is the recipe for our success, pure and simple."
While the company has evolved, the values that shaped it—service, trust, relationships and a sense of family—continue to connect Dicom's past with GLS Canada's future.
Dicom was a big family and GLS has kept that same sense of belonging.
Lyne D., Accounts Payable Supervisor
Looking through those old newsletters, it's easy to focus on the headlines about expansion and opportunity.
But more than three decades later, it is the people behind those stories who leave the strongest impression. The associates who helped build Dicom could not have imagined every change that lay ahead, or what GLS Canada would eventually become. Yet they believed in what they were building, worked hard and trusted one another.
Today, GLS Canada's story is shaped not only by the legacy of Dicom, but also by the people and histories that came from Rosenau Transport and AltiMax Courier. Different companies and different journeys, united by a shared commitment to service, innovation and customer relationships.
As GLS Canada prepares to open the Vaughan Hub and begin its next chapter, the names have evolved, and the technology certainly has. But whether the story began at Dicom, Rosenau Transport or AltiMax Courier, one thing remains unchanged: it has always been about people.