qwerty Celebrating 50 Years of TDS Personnel

Celebrating 50 Years of TDS Personnel: A Legacy Rooted in Relationships

by | May 6, 2025

Fifty years is a rare milestone in business—especially in an industry as dynamic and people-driven as recruitment. At TDS Personnel, we’re incredibly proud to celebrate five decades of connecting Toronto’s top talent with the city’s leading employers. From our roots in Yorkville to our evolution into a trusted Toronto recruitment agency, our story is built on integrity, intuition, and long-standing relationships that span generations.

Forming Client Partnerships

TDS Personnel began in a modest fourth-floor walk-up in Yorkville in 1975, long before LinkedIn and digital job boards. Sandra and Diane, two entrepreneurial women in their twenties, launched the company with a clear vision and a determination to build something lasting—grounded in professionalism, instinct, and a deep belief in the power of human connection. There was no air conditioning and no automation—just a phone, the Yellow Pages, and determination. Sandra’s first placement came from one of those early cold calls—Fox Enterprises needed an Office Administrator, and TDS delivered.

From there, momentum grew quickly. With Sandra and Diane’s vision and boldness, they built one of Toronto’s earliest woman-founded firms in the staffing space—setting a foundation that helped shape our growth into a top Toronto staffing agency. The firm quickly earned the trust of Toronto’s leading organizations, thanks to their focus on relationship-building and consistent results. 

The Next Generation

With established careers in advertising and philanthropy, the time had come for Beth and Lindsey, daughters of one of the founders, to join the firm. Having grown up around TDS, they brought a fresh perspective while maintaining the values the company was built on—genuine relationships, commitment to clients, and a deep understanding of the Toronto market.

Diversifying service offerings across administration, marketing, accounting, and operations, the next generation of TDS helped broaden our client reach and deepen our sector expertise—including our renowned admin staffing and executive assistant staffing services., they led the firm through new challenges—from the 2008 recession to recruitment automation, and most recently, a global pandemic. Their leadership has ensured that TDS remains not just a staffing agency, but a partner in business growth and career success.

A Deeply Personal Business

What’s made TDS stand out for five decades isn’t just the quality of placements. It’s the people behind every connection. It’s the grandmother who greeted clients. It’s the sister who joined mid-career. It’s the consultants who call candidates after hours just to prep them for interviews. That level of care is what continues to set us apart as a recruitment agency that leads with empathy and expertise. This business has always been deeply personal. That’s what makes it work.

The relationships we’ve built with candidates often come full circle. Many who were placed by TDS early in their careers have come back years later—as clients, hiring managers, even mentors. It’s this cycle of trust and mutual respect that fuels our longevity.

Evolving With Purpose

Over the years, our services have grown to include specialized recruitment across:

  • Financial Services – Supporting investment management, accounting, and finance teams
  • Administrative Staffing – Helping organizations build high-performing support teams
  • Marketing & Communications – Finding talent that drives strategy and brand
  • Real Estate  – Recruiting professionals for property management and development

We’ve embraced change—from paper resumes to AI-enabled hiring tools. But we’ve never lost sight of what matters most: the people.

The Team Today

We’re proud of the team we’ve built—recruitment consultants who are passionate, engaged, and trusted. Their ability to collaborate, uplift, and adapt is what keeps TDS moving forward. We know that our success is not the result of any one placement or one decade—it’s the result of the entire team showing up, every day, ready to connect top talent with Canada’s best employers.

Looking Ahead

Fifty years on, we remain committed to the same values the founders instilled: curiosity, courage, and connection. The heart of who we are—a deeply committed admin staffing agency with a personal touch—has never changed. Our roots are still planted firmly in Yorkville—and in every long-term client and candidate relationship we’ve nurtured along the way.

To our clients, candidates, and team—thank you. You’ve shaped our past, and you continue to inspire our future.

Here’s to the next chapter. Here’s to 50 more.

Beth Title
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