It was December 1983 when Mirek Hondl arrived as a refugee in snowy Winnipeg, following his escape from Czechoslovakia. He found himself in a brand new country without a job and unable to speak English.
Not long after, D. Arthur Samuels took Mirek under his wing and provided him with his first job as a technician within his young business, Meditek. Fast forward 40 years, and we now have the honour of celebrating four decades of Mirek’s loyal service and inspiring dedication here at Meditek as our longest-standing employee.
To celebrate this outstanding milestone, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the last 40 years with Mirek — how it all started, his legacy and the impressive successes he has achieved throughout his longstanding career.
A journey to success
Established in the year 1981, Meditek came from small beginnings to large ambitions. As a family-owned business, we have sustained operations in the Canadian healthcare market for the past 43 years and evolved to become a major established player. Mirek started as a technician with Meditek in 1984, meaning he has been with us since the beginning of our humble inception and has been a vital part of our many evolutions as a company.
In my 40 years with Meditek, I can sum it up as “time flies.” I’ve witnessed a major evolution in the OR equipment we service and sell—from halogen lights to LED technology and from crank-operated tables to wireless remote controls. I’m grateful to Meditek for the chance to work in an exciting industry and for the opportunity to be part of a great team over the years.
– Mirek Hondl
Since then, Mirek has truly seen it all while travelling to cities throughout Canada and servicing a wide range of surgical equipment. He has skillfully managed numerous technological advancements, delivering exceptional support to hospitals and private healthcare facilities across the country.
Mirek has kept pace with the evolution of surgical tables – from the days of basic manual pump and crank versions all the way through to today’s highly sophisticated models. He has adapted himself to sterilizers, surgical lighting, equipment carrier booms, positioning devices, hospital beds and stretchers, digital OR technology and so much more.
Mirek’s work bay has also seen a plethora of items like go-carts, bikes and even John Deere tractors. He has skillfully and generously fixed up many things for the Meditek staff and their families.
A debt of gratitude
Chris Samuels, grandson of D. Arthur Samuels and Meditek’s CEO, has recently been reflecting on his time spent with Mirek. In Chris’s junior high years, he would cycle to Meditek and work with Mirek rebuilding surgical tables, gaining knowledge around the basics of hand tools and using imperial versus metric measurements. Chris learned everything he could from Mirek including disassembling, honing and rebuilding hydraulics, machine gears, soldering, using calipers and voltmeters, and more.
Chris says he owes Mirek a debt of gratitude – not only for the valuable skills he learned but also for some of the influential life advice he gained by being beside him for over 20 years:
- Consistently show up each and every day
- Life has its ups and downs but always persevere
- Stick with things for the long term, even when it’s hard
- Put the needs of the team you are a part of ahead of your own
Chris also said “Perhaps one of the most commendable things that impresses me about Mirek is his loyalty to the company and all Meditek stands for. It runs deeply enough to transcend through three different generations of leadership at this company.”
When Chris took over the company, he was acutely aware of the deep relationship and trust that was built between his father and Mirek over many years — and sought to work very hard to build his own respectful bond. “I understood that having the family last name did not give me any entitlement. I had to show by example that I was prepared to do the hard yards. I am pleased to be able to say we have the same strong and enduring connection with each other.”
Perhaps one of the most commendable things that impresses me about Mirek is his loyalty to the company and all Meditek stands for. It runs deeply enough to transcend through three different generations of leadership at this company.
-Chris Samuels, CEO
A day to remember
To mark Mirek’s special milestone, we spent the day as a team together enjoying some of his favourite outdoor activities: fishing, cycling and hiking. It was a time filled with reconnection, nostalgia, joy and deep appreciation for Mirek’s extraordinary career.
One moment that made the day extra special was a reunion with some of Mirek’s past coworkers. In particular, he was able to reunite with Phil, who he hadn’t seen since 1996.
Meditek roots run deep
One thing that most people always find hard to believe about Meditek is the length of time that people stay with us. We have several staff members who have been here for over 30 years!
Our other employees average a tenure of around 10 to 12 years. Considering that in today’s world an employee stays at one workplace for an average of 4.4 years, we truly pride ourselves on the fact that people want to stay with us. Every time a new team member is recruited, we tell them, “We want this to be the last job of your life.” We will then clap them in on their first day and say, “Welcome to the first day of the last job of your life!”. Chris Samuels said, ‘I don’t know whether or not Mirek received that type of clapping ceremony back in 1984, but he sure knew how to go about fulfilling the goal!”.
Here at Meditek, we are deeply proud and grateful to have Mirek as part of our team. 40 years with one company means loyalty – a lot of loyalty. His commitment and expertise have been instrumental in our success and we are beyond honoured to celebrate this momentous occasion with him.
Thank you and congratulations, Mirek. You’re an inspiration to us all!
Interested in a fulfilling career with Meditek? Contact Us!