Monique Tamminga

Times Reporter

A small tech company in 91原创 has incorporated volunteerism into their work time, and they say production and job satisfaction have never been higher.

Matt Dryhout, CEO and founder of Scout Technology Guides in north 91原创, said that one of the company鈥檚 main mandates is service 鈥� to clients, to each other and to the community.

鈥淪erving is one of our core values. We wanted to put serving into action,鈥� said Dryhout.

For the past few months, the Scout team has been helping with a breakfast program at Maple Ridge Secondary on Tuesday mornings.

Dryhout is involved in Youth Unlimited, and it was through that non-profit that he found out the high school hot breakfast program was in need of volunteers.

Tabatha Trott, who works at Scout in sales and support, said the experience has been great for camaraderie at work and for making her feel like she is contributing to the community.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a lot of fun. It gets you out of the bubble for a while and refreshes you to go back to work. The kids who use the breakfast program are great, very respectful, good kids.鈥�

She said there are about 150 students who come for breakfast when they are there. The program is open to all students, so no student stands out.

鈥淧arents commute far distances to work and don鈥檛 have time to make sure their kids have breakfast. Some students bus in early to have breakfast. It鈥檚 so important they start their day not hungry,鈥� said Trott.

Helping out with the breakfast program isn鈥檛 the company鈥檚 first venture into volunteering.

For the past couple years, Scout鈥檚 12 or so employees volunteered at the Gateway of Hope.

Dryhout has taken part in the sleep-out for Covenant House in 2015, raising $13,000. Last year, Dryhout partnered with Youth Unlimited and spent the night walking the streets instead of trying to sleep.

鈥淚t was a better representation of what young people have to go through at night. It was eye-opening,鈥� he said.

Scout Tech manages small companies鈥� IT needs, including syncing up phone systems. With a head office in north 91原创, they serve companies of 15 to 150 employees across Metro Vancouver.

Scout鈥檚 guides sweat all the tech stuff so companies can focus on what they do best, said Dryhout.

As well as setting up a businesses鈥� network system, Scouts鈥� guides provide ongoing IT support. They also set up phone systems, work out bugs in programs and keep things running smoothly.

To learn more go to scouttg.com.