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Ken Brohm is SJC Print's 2024 Chairman's Award recipient.
Ken Brohm jokes that there's ink in his blood. He comes from a family heavily involved in the print industry with his mother, father, aunt, uncle and grandfather all having worked at the Toronto Telegram newspaper. Ken has passed along the family trait to his son, who has been in the print business for 18 years.
Since first joining the industry in 1975 and later joining SJC in 1997, Ken has approached every day as a new challenge. With his day beginning at 3 a.m, the Barrie resident makes the daily commute to SJC’s printing plant in Concord. He says he “wears many hats” in his role as pressroom manager, from ensuring the press supplies are up to date to meeting the schedule for deliveries.
In the world of print and with the impact of the shift to digital media, Ken is an embodiment of SJC’s core value of adaptability as he finds ways to adjust with the times. Even if it involves getting a mechanic to modify a press machine to work quicker, Ken finds ways to get things done more efficiently. “I hate being told you can't do something because I don't believe in that, you have to at least try,” says Ken. “When you work hard, nothing is impossible.”
Despite being described by his wife as a workaholic, Ken ensures he finds the time to give back to communities in need. During the holiday season, he donates gift cards to seniors and families in his community. His charity of choice is Food Banks Canada, as he wishes to continue helping others and hopes to inspire others to do the same.
Ken says he was “in awe” when he found out he won the Chairman’s Award. “The people I was going up against, I figured I’d have a better chance of getting hit by the moon than winning,” he jokes. Regardless, he is grateful to be honoured for doing the job that he loves.
About the SJC Chairman's Award: Each year, we pay tribute to the legacy of our founder, Gaetano Gagliano, and the dedication of our associates by presenting the SJC Chairman's Award. This award recognizes four outstanding individuals who consistently bring our SJC values to life and positively impact their colleagues, customers and communities. Each recipient will be featured in an issue of Maclean's and has the opportunity to select their charity of choice to have a full-page ad in an SJC media brand. Meet our 2024 and 2023 recipients.
Profile written by Maclean's intern Amanda McGee, with thanks to her supervising editor, Claire Gagne.
