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Hamelin-Martineau Inc. • 505, boul. de Maisonneuve O, Bureau 300 • Montréal (Québec) H3A 3C2 • T : 514 842-4416 C : [email protected] ATTENTION : MERCI DE VÉRIFIER ATTENTIVEMENT CETTE ÉPREUVE AFIN D’ÉVITER TOUTE ERREUR/PLEASE CHECK THIS PROOF FOR ERRORS TABLE OF CONTENTS 38 45 13

Cover photo techlife > contents By Blaise van Malsen

ON THE COVER PEOPLE CULINAIT DEPARTMENTS

24 First aid mistakes you 37 184,000 Strong 53 Lessons from a Butcher’s 6 The Latest from don’t want to make A family portrait: NAIT Daughter techlifemag.ca alumni, then and now, by Lynn Crawford, 2014 Your source for exclusive 38 Out of Antarctica: Spencer the numbers Hokanson Chef in content Smirl describes his amazing Residence, grounds 38 Spencer Smirl at the Edge 7 Contributors adventure culinary students in of the World More trouble for consumer the reality of the journey 8 Editor’s Note 45 A heavy equipment to life as a celebrity chef crusader Julie Matthews mechanic spent 11 months in 11 Connections with the 50 Architect Brad Kennedy’s Antarctica – and lived to tell 57 Recipe President the tale Chef Lynn Crawford’s height of luxury Technofile salmon ceviche with 13 Looking for Trouble Technology, innovation, news 53 Getting down to earth with 45 lime-marinated beets Former Global TV Lynn Crawford 21 3 Questions Troubleshooter Julie The state and future of 63 The truth about work and Matthews makes her role as Alberta’s homebuilding life at Facebook a consumer crusader official industry 50 Urban Pearl 22 Ask an Expert INNOVATE Architect Brad Kennedy RRSP vs. TFSA 27 Sparks will Fly takes luxury downtown living Kyle Walton forges a to new heights business from the ancient craft of blacksmithing 31 Bring on the Manufacturing Renaissance How three alumni are ushering in a new economic era by making it in Alberta 4 techlifemag.ca 13 66

NAIT ALUMNI FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE

24 How to Matt Bell – Marketing ’12 (p. 66) Klint Langstaff – Architectural Roberto Sgambaro – Commercial First aid mistakes you Ralph Boonstra – Industrial Heavy Technology ’99 (p. 21) Cooking ’86 (p. 35) don’t want to make Equipment Technology ’73 (p. 13) Brendan Lunty – Combined Lab Spencer Smirl – Heavy Equipment Dale-Marie Cumberbatch – and X-Ray Technology ’04 (p. 65) Technician ’07 (p. 38) 59 Spaces Digital and Interactive Media ’08, Julie Matthews – Radio and Burhan Syed – Computer Subterranean NAIT Computer Network Administration Television ’95 (p. 45) Engineering Technology ’97 (p. 63) 61 5 Ways to Get ’09, Bachelor of Technology in James Osualdini – Electronics Laura Tailleur – Marketing ’09 Involved with NAIT Technology Management ’12 (p. 65) Engineering Technology ’11 (p. 33) (p. 66) Give back in more ways Roger Dootson – Carpenter ’77 Jim Rakievich – Heavy Duty Kathleen Versteegt – Graphic than one (p. 65) Mechanic ’82 (p. 34) Communications ’06, Computer Andre Gagnon – Heavy Equipment Systems Technology ’08, Digital 63 Job Description Dylan Reade ¬ Radio and Technician ’02 (p. 65) Television ’85 (p. 18) Media and IT ’10 (p. 15) Changing the world Malcolm Haines – Sheet Metal Jeremy Walter – Architectural through Facebook Susan Reade ¬ Radio and Worker ’94 (p. 17) Television ’85 (p. 18) Technology ’03 (p. 21)

65 Acclaim Julia Hogendoorn – Culinary Arts Steve Reid – Bachelor of Kyle Walton – Pre-Technology ’03 Award-winning grads, ’14 (p. 56) Technology in Technology (p. 27) staff and friends Trevor Hoover – Architectural Management ’11, Electrician ’96, Neil Wenger – Electronics Technology ’89 (p. 21) Air Conditioning Engineering Engineering Technology ’79 (p. 19) 66 Rewind Technology ’87 (p. 59) History in hardwood Kristin Jacobs – Digital Media and David Yowney – Industrial Heavy IT ’13 (p. 17) Landon Schedler – Carpenter ’10 Equipment Technology ’78 (p. 16) Brad Kennedy – Architectural (p. 66) Technology ’86 (p. 50) Michael Scheideman – Kyle Kulyk – Digital Media and IT Refrigeration and Air Conditioning ’11 (p. 65) Mechanic ’13 (p. 65) Wayne Land – Management ’70 Trent Schneider – Digital Media (p. 65) and IT ’13 (p. 17)

v8.1 2014 5 TECHLIFEMAG.CA

Between print issues of techlife, we post the latest from new stories at techlifemag.ca. To stay in the know – and receive useful content, including recipes and how-to stories – sign up for our e-newsletter at techlifemag.ca/ techlifemag.ca subscribe.htm. Here’s a sample.

A bee-utiful story The running man The racer’s edge Instructor Jocelyn Crocker is creating a buzz with Brendan Lunty (Combined Lab and X-Ray Behind every great dragster driver is a great Edmonton’s backyard beekeeping pilot project. Technology ’04) is one of Alberta’s fastest mechanic. Dan Brochu (Automotive Services techlifemag.ca/bees.htm marathon runners. Not long ago, he wasn’t. Technician ’84) is one such mechanic. techlifemag.ca/brendan-lunty.htm techlifemag.ca/drag-racing.htm

SO THEN I SAYS, I SAYS...

Great handshake!

Going solo Revivin’ the drive-in Having her cake How to get noticed for all the right reasons Fred Thompson (Management ’12) is driven How Darcy Scott (Baking ’08) crowdfunded and stop standing out in a crowd. to bring back a quintessential prairie summer her way to owning the Whimsical Cake Studio. techlifemag.ca/go-solo.htm experience of outdoor cinema. techlifemag.ca/whimsical-cake.htm techlifemag.ca/drive-in.htm

Sunny days It’s about time Purr-fectly executed Entrepreneur Abdoul Diawara (Alternative Find out where the hours go with these five tips How Linda Hoang (Radio and Television ’11) Energy Technology ’13) sees a bright future for for better time management. successfully organized Edmonton’s first solar power in West Africa. techlifemag.ca/time-management.htm international cat festival. techlifemag.ca/abdoul-diawara.htm techlifemag.ca/event-organizing.htm PHOTOS BY NAIT STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS, ISTOCKPHOTO.COM, SUPPLIED ISTOCKPHOTO.COM, PHOTOGRAPHERS, NAIT STAFF BY PHOTOS

6 techlifemag.ca CONTRIBUTORS

v8.1 2014 As a former journalist, techlife’s associate editor Shelly Decker is a strong advocate for accurate, relevant and interesting storytelling. For the past decade she’s been able to merge her passions for journalism and education by teaching at MacEwan University where she served techlife as chair of its former journalism diploma program. A people technology innovation voracious reader, nature lover, and a failure at getting techlifemag.ca her Wheaten to heel, Decker’s greatest joy comes from editor her two amazing sons. As a busy mom, Decker knows Sherri Krastel PAGE f 22 & 24 first-hand the need for first aid certification, which is why managing and online editor Scott Messenger she’s happy to write about common first aid mistakes in associate editor this issue. Shelly Decker art director Derek Lue designers Dru Davids, Rory Lee, Andy Oviatt, Tina Tomljenovic A member of NAIT’s communications team and long- copy editor time news and features reporter, Marta Gold likes few Ruth Grenville circulation manager things more than food – cooking it, eating it and writing Nicole Rose (Marketing ’08) about it. That made her a natural to follow celebrity chef advertising manager Lynn Crawford around during her week as Hokanson Chef Lynn Ryan in Residence at NAIT last March. Turns out they share a contributing writers Fiona Bensler, Marta Gold, Linda Hoang (Radio and fondness for pickles, candy and dogs (but not as food). Television ’11), Frank Landry, Mifi Purvis, Spencer Smirl When she’s not at work, you’ll find Gold hanging out with (Heavy Equipment Technician ’07), Blaise van Malsen contributing photographers her sons (two of the things she does like better than food), Leigh Kovesy (Photographic Technology ’01), Jeanette PAGE f 27, 53 & 59 running in the river valley (tied with food) and reviewing Sesay (Photographic Technology ’10), Blaise van Malsen restaurants for the Edmonton Journal. subscriptions Send changes of address to [email protected]. Sign up for the techlifemag.ca e-newsletter at techlifemag.ca/subscribe.htm. freelance submissions Send queries to [email protected]. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Rory Lee started his graphic design career in his native letters to the editor London, England, where he studied typography and [email protected] illustration at the London College of Communication. advertising and circulation inquiries [email protected] After moving to Edmonton five years ago, he has worked on a multitude of projects, from editorial design to Techlife magazine is published twice a year by NAIT branding international companies and everything in Marketing and Communications. Online features are published regularly at techlifemag.ca. Opinions expressed between. When he’s not on his Mac, he can be found are not necessarily those of NAIT or the editorial team. mountain biking in the river valley, playing football (soccer, Techlife is a proud member of the Alberta Magazine if you prefer), painting in his studio, or drinking copious Publishers Association, abiding by the national magazine PAGE f 24, 31 & 66 advertising/editorial guidelines (albertamagazines.com). amounts of tea while listening to Elgar.

Ruth Grenville has always been fond of the Union Jack. Her English mum married her dashing-in-uniform dad, a Canadian soldier, in 1946, then came to the Prairies as a war bride. “I grew up with tea cozies and Yorkshire pudding and a sense of another world overseas.” It’s no wonder that Grenville took her career to the U.K., where she worked in publishing and then post-secondary marketing for 12 years. Yet home is definitely here. “I am thrilled to be back in Alberta,” she says. As copy editor for techlife, she is trying to get over British spelling, while minding her Ps and Qs.

v8.1 2014 7 EDITOR’S NOTE

“WHEN IT’S -20 C, I’LL THINK OF SPENCER SMIRL AND HIS POSITIVE ATTITUDE.”

it was a hot summer day when I first read Spencer And, while nobody’s really comfortable Smirl’s (Heavy Equipment Technician ’07) account administering first aid to an injured person, knowing of his 11-month expedition to Antarctica. Despite how to avoid commonly made mistakes might make the heat, his story made me shiver, in part from you more confident to step up and help someone who imagining the frigid temperatures the heavy is bleeding or even save an amputated finger (p. 24). equipment technician faced, but mostly in response Chef Lynn Crawford is known for her enthusiasm in to the remoteness and sheer scale of his experience the field as much as she is known for her expertise in and the pride in his words (p. 38). the kitchen (p. 53). Her week spent working alongside While the expedition did not achieve its goal culinary students as the 2014 Hokanson Chef in of crossing Antarctica, the effort was a success on Residence – along with her stories of picking oranges many levels. His account of surviving the rough and working on a shrimp boat – challenged students to seas and living in a shipping container on the frozen rethink their future and set aside the allure of celebrity continent is a fascinating story of our capacity to to focus on hard work, self-reliance and determination. step outside our comfort zone and face physical and To help make sure your future is a comfortable mental challenges with determination and optimism. one, certified financial planner and instructor Hardeep Not many of us push ourselves to the lengths Gill has advice on tools to help plan for your retirement that Smirl and the Coldest Journey team did but (p. 22). There’s more to RRSPs and TFSAs than you examples of finding ways to face uncertainty appear may have thought. throughout this issue. This winter, when it’s -20 C in Edmonton and Off the African coast, north of where Smirl we face the uncertainties of the season, I’ll think set sail for Antarctica, Dylan Reade (Radio and of Spencer Smirl – and his positive attitude while Television ’85) spent several months in 2012 chasing servicing a bulldozer in -74 C – and be reminded of lemurs in the jungles of Madagascar with a camera what we’re capable. on his shoulder (p. 18). The chance to see things no one else had seen motivated him to work 12- to 16-hour days, seven days a week on the 3D Imax film Island of the Lemurs: Madagascar.

Sherri Krastel Editor [email protected] PHOTO BY BLAISE VAN MALSEN BLAISE VAN BY PHOTO

8 techlifemag.ca CELEBRATE ALUMNI SUCCESS Nominations are now open for NAIT’s Alumni Recognition Awards!

ALUMNI AWARD SPIRIT OF NAIT OF DISTINCTION ALUMNI AWARD Honours alumni who Recognizes the remarkable have earned professional achievements of NAIT alumni prominence and contributed within 12 years of graduation. significant service to NAIT or the community. Do you know a deserving candidate? Submit your nomination by December 31. The awards will be presented at the Alumni Recognition Awards Ceremony in spring 2015.

FIND OUT MORE: nait.ca/alumniawards

FOR A NAIT Alumni #ookforlife OOK LIFETIME

BTECH CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

The degree that’s building Alberta

The construction industry called for more qualified leaders and NAIT answered. In January 2015, the Bachelor of Technology in Construction Management program will welcome its first group of students to campus. This baccalaureate degree will teach you how to plan, manage and direct large construction projects from start to finish. After graduation, you will immediately add value to your company, the industry and the economy through effective project leadership.

APPLY TODAY | nait.ca/btcm

v8.1 2014 9 Looking for work? NAIT students and alumni • tailor your job search • connect with employers on campus • access career search information and tips GOOD nait.ca/studentemployment Looking for workers? Online job postings Reach thousands of great candidates by posting your positions online at no charge. wOrk! Any full-time, part-time, summer or contract positions related to the programs offered at NAIT are welcome. NAIT: WHERE EMPLOYERS nait.ca/employerservices AND PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES COME TOGETHER

YOUR GIFT CAN CHANGE THE FUTURE A bequest is a thoughtful, practical way to make a real impact. It’s a lasting contribution that allows you to give beyond your lifetime. Bequests to NAIT support students and have enabled hundreds to receive the ﬁ nancial support they need to complete their studies.

Your bequest could: • establish a student scholarship in your name • purchase equipment that enables hands-on learning • fund applied research For more information: Department of Advancement 780.471.8800

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Charitable Registration Number: 10778 1205 RR0001

10 techlifemag.ca CONNECTIONS WITH THE PRESIDENT

GROWTH AT NAIT

nait’s vision is to be the most relevant and responsive post-secondary In addition to program expansions, NAIT needs to grow physically. institution in Canada and one of the world’s leading polytechnics. We This summer we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the promise the people of Alberta that we will meet the emerging needs City of Edmonton to set our boundaries on the former municipal airport for polytechnic education in our province. To do so we must grow. This lands. While we still have a lot of work to do, this is a major milestone includes expansion of our current programs and development of new in our long-term plans for campus consolidation and our role in the programs aligned with the needs of our province. Blatchford community. We recognize the opportunities this land has for We are thrilled to introduce the Bachelor of Technology in building a student residence and are determining costs and designs. Construction Management. Industry advisers, many of them NAIT Construction of our Centre for Applied Technologies is progressing alumni, have told us there is a strong need for a degree program that well. At more than half a million square feet, the building will provide an covers all phases of managing construction, from the design stage outstanding learning and teaching environment when it opens in to completion of a project, including accounting and business skills. fall 2016. Graduates of our two-year Construction Engineering Technology NAIT has an incredible future – for our students and staff, our diploma program can advance seamlessly into the third year of this partners in business and industry and for our province. It is essential new program. that our alumni and friends join us in building that future together. The program starts in January 2015 on a part-time basis, with classes in the evenings and on weekends to accommodate employees in Alberta’s construction sector. NAIT’s Bachelor of Technology in Construction Management with the two-plus-two format is a first for Alberta. Eventually, the program will be available as a full-time option for graduates of other two-year diploma programs, including Civil Glenn Feltham, PhD Engineering Technology, Architectural Technology, and Engineering President and CEO

PHOTO BY BLAISE VAN MALSEN BLAISE VAN BY PHOTO Design and Drafting Technology. [email protected]

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v8.1 2014 13 TECHNOFILE

an unremarkable edmonton garage and New York’s Museum of Modern Art have something in common. Both house what legendary Robert Buchanan (left) racer and car designer Enzo Ferrari described as “the most beautiful and Ralph Boonstra (below) have together owned seven car ever made”: the Jaguar E-type. Jaguar E-types. They found Until recently, the Edmonton version hardly fit the description. Robert their latest in Calgary. Buchanan found the iconic 1962 automobile on Kijiji last fall for what the Steamfitter/Pipefitter instructor will only say was a “bargain of a price.” He drove to Calgary that same day to pick up the battered body and about a thousand of its severed entrails from a retired British aircraft mechanic who had shipped the car from London in the 1980s. He had gutted it then gave up on the project. Restoring the coupe has taken 2,000 hours; the majority was clocked by fellow aficionado Ralph Boonstra (Industrial Heavy Equipment Technology ’73), in whose garage the work was done. Boonstra handled all the mechanical and bodywork, including repainting, while Buchanan did the welding and piping. Buchanan also sourced missing and unsalvageable parts including a set of rare, pristine domed-glass headlight covers he found online. Together, they have owned seven E-types since the 1970s. The E-type was launched in 1961 and produced until 1975, but early models like Buchanan’s are the most desirable, ranking amongst the fastest street-legal cars of the day with a top speed of 240 kilometres per hour. Buchanan plans to sell the car online, targeting the British market where it could fetch as much as $100,000. If he is successful, the beautiful car will return to its former home across the sea, this time a shiny grey rather than the rusty red state in which it left. — Blaise van Malsen PHOTOS BY BLAISE VAN MALSEN BLAISE VAN BY PHOTOS

14 techlifemag.ca THE MATCHMAKER kathleen versteegt’s inability to find a compatible roommate was the inspiration behind the award-winning business plan for Typeroom.ca. “I didn’t know who to rent to at all,” she says. Versteegt’s solution is not unlike a dating website. Users – those with a room to rent or needing a place – create a profile. Roommates can be sought out based on factors ranging from location and the rent they’re willing to pay, to personality traits and lifestyle. “For example, I like to stay up to 3 a.m. I know there are some people who are in bed by 10 p.m. That would not work out very well,” she says. Versteegt’s roommate-matching concept won first place last winter in NAIT’s Hatch Business Plan Competition. She received $20,000 in seed funding and office space within NAIT’s Duncan McNeill Centre for Innovation. Versteegt, a three-time alumna (Graphic Communications ’06, Computer Systems Technology ’08, Digital Media Design ’10) now enrolled in the Bachelor of Technology in Technology Management program, used the funds to set up the business, hire a developer and get help with marketing. A beta version of the website is expected to launch by winter at typeroom.ca. It’s free to use – revenue is generated through advertising. RESTORING THE COUPE After targeting the Edmonton area, Versteegt plans HAS TAKEN 2,000 HOURS. to expand regionally and beyond. The timing is good. Edmonton, along with Calgary, has one of the tightest rental markets in the country, with a vacancy rate of around 1.4 per cent. “People have had issues with roommates forever,” she says. “Hopefully, this can help.” — Frank Landry

“PEOPLE HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH ROOMMATES FOREVER. HOPEFULLY, THIS CAN HELP.”

- KATHLEEN VERSTEEGT (THREE-TIME ALUMNA) FOUNDER, TYPEROOM.CA

v8.1 2014 15 TECHNOFILE PREHISTORIC PROJECT

3D WIREFRAME RENDERING

“THE TEAM EASILY BROKE A COUPLE THOUSAND Web Extra Visit techlifemag.ca/feathered-dinosaur.htm to HOURS COMPLETING THE PROJECT.” see the video of Frank Hadfield’s unique fossil find.

TRENT SCHNEIDER (DMIT ’13) SUPPLIED PHOTOGRAPHERS, NAIT STAFF BY PHOTOS

INDUSTRIAL ART artist david yowney (Industrial Heavy Equipment Technology ’78) has through cooperation and communication.” returned to his roots, taking inspiration – rather than the paycheque he He believes in the possibility of a balance once did at a natural gas processing plant – from Alberta’s energy industry. between environmental stewardship and economic Selections from his recent collection of acrylic paintings, ranging from development, thanks in part to an upcoming depictions of brightly coloured oil barrels to conceptual pieces representing generation showing increased interest in our relationship with the province’s largest industry, will be exhibited at Lac contributing its talents and skills. This work, part La Biche’s Stuart MacPherson Public Library in November. of a career’s worth of art that has been part of “I want to challenge the viewer’s perception of the Canadian- more than 30 exhibitions across Alberta, is meant Albertan industrial experience,” Yowney writes in the statement to reflect that. accompanying his exhibition Canadian Oil and Us. “These pictures are “It’s a symbol of the way society is developing about how we must manage the reality of Canadian industrialization toward industry,” he says. — Scott Messenger 16 techlifemag.ca frank hadfield has a passion for bringing the ancient past to life. As owner of Drumheller-based Dinosaur Valley Studios, a company that fabricates museum exhibits, Hadfield is an experienced dinosaur hunter. But even he couldn’t believe his luck when he uncovered the Western Hemisphere’s first feathered dinosaur. Hadfield was walking on an ancient riverbed near his home in 2007 when a rock formation caught his eye. As he got closer, Hadfield saw small claws that appeared to be connected to other bones, suggesting there may be a fossilized skeleton just below the surface. “It took me a few minutes to really digest what I was seeing,” says Hadfield. CONSTRUCTION ON TRACK Recently, Digital Media and IT (DMIT) students helped him share Concrete pouring slowed during a December cold snap, what he saw: the skeleton of a juvenile Ornithomimus edmontonicus, but the Centre for Applied Technologies remains on or ostrich dinosaur, about the size of a large turkey, with its feathers track to open for fall 2016. For the latest images and miraculously preserved. They brought it to life in a five-minute video information, visit techlifemag.ca/construction.htm. called the First Feathered Dinosaurs of the Western World. The video – which aired on Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet last April – includes 3D animation of the juvenile dinosaur and a second adult specimen (about the size of a full-grown ostrich) he found a year later in the same area. The dinosaurs lived in the prehistoric swamps of Alberta DEAN OF ALL TRADES 73 million years ago. malcolm haines’s education Michael Jorgensen, the digital cinema instructor who knew Hadfield has been unusually diverse. The and was familiar with his find, brought the project to NAIT. new dean of the School of Trades “The idea was that this wasn’t just going to be just a class project,” followed his University of Alberta says Jorgensen, a story consultant for Daily Planet. “This was going to be psychology degree with training broadcast and seen by potentially millions of people.” as a sheet metal worker (class of The documentary’s animator, Kristin Jacobs (DMIT ’13) was ’94) at NAIT. challenged with the painstaking process of making the dinosaurs as “After doing nothing but realistic as possible. “One of the problems I came across is that the book work [at university], I found that I needed to get Ornithomimus is not like the T-Rex,” Jacobs says. “There’s not a lot of out and do something with my hands, just to keep my reference material out there.” sanity,” says Haines, who took on the permanent role She looked at bone measurements, studied the movement of of dean in April after 10 months as acting dean and ostriches and went so far as to photograph real ostrich feathers to use in earlier stints as an instructor and associate chair. the animation. Haines leads more than 350 faculty and staff. Trent Schneider (DMIT ’13), the documentary’s director, writer and Their biggest challenge will be managing growth, he editor, and now digital media coordinator for the Edmonton Eskimos, says. “We need to keep pace with the expectations of estimates a team of about a dozen students “easily broke a couple government and industry as far as supplying enough thousand hours” completing the project. skilled workers.” This year, the school expects to Hadfield uses the video to promote his work. It continues to remind match the 2008 all-time high number of apprentices him of the significance of his discovery. trained — more than 14,100 — a peak it will likely “It really brought home to me that these were not just something surpass next year. preserved in rock,” he says. “These were living, breathing creatures.” — Marta Gold — Frank Landry

ESSENTIAL EXPANSION BUILDING LEADERS seven programs essential to Alberta’s economy will expand over the next three years. Growth in Chemical this january, nait launches Alberta’s first Bachelor of Engineering Technology, Civil Engineering Technology, Technology in Construction Management program. Students Construction Engineering Technology, Electrical with a related two-year diploma can earn a degree with Engineering Technology, Instrumentation Engineering an additional two years of study. Initially, courses will be Technology, Petroleum Engineering Technology offered evenings and weekends, with a full-time option to be and Water and Wastewater Technician will allow introduced. The degree was created in response to industry for an additional 390 students. The programs were demand for leaders in the heavy industrial, commercial, chosen by the provincial government, which funded engineering and construction industries. the increases based on industry and labour market — F.L. demand, and student enrolment. — F.L.

v8.1 2014 17 TECHNOFILE

when dylan reade walked out of his first Imax movie, Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets, at the Edmonton Telus World of Science (then the Edmonton Space Science Centre) in 1984, he turned to his date, a girl he’d met in the Radio and Television program, and said, “I’d like to make Imax movies. Wouldn’t that be great?” Thirty years later, Reade (Radio and Television ’85) is a cameraman and stereographer who has worked on 50 Imax films. Often, he is the principal cameraman LEAVE on projects, including the recently released Island of the Lemurs: Madagascar – the first Imax 3D film shot almost entirely with a digital camera. “We spent a lot of time in the jungle chasing IT TO lemurs,” Reade recalls. He was away for nearly three months in 2012, working 12- to 16-hour days, seven days a week. “You can really get run down by the end of a shoot but for me it’s still always very exhilarating LEMURS because you’re seeing things no one else in the world has had a chance to experience.” PHOTOS BY NAIT STAFF PHOTRAPHERS, ISTOCKPHOTO.COM, SUPPLIED ISTOCKPHOTO.COM, PHOTRAPHERS, NAIT STAFF BY PHOTOS

SURGERY IN 3D imagine being in an operating room, a step away the Royal Alexandra Hospital and an associate from a patient undergoing abdominal surgery. professor with the U of A’s faculty of medicine and You’re the nurse, reaching for surgical instruments, dentistry. “It gives you this sense of urgency and waiting for cues to hand them to the surgeon. You’re precision. It’s the best way to teach.” completely immersed in the situation. Berquist and DMIT students will edit the Except, you’re not actually there. It just feels as hours-long abdominal surgery footage into several if you are. short video segments. The videos will be posted to Instead, you’re watching a 3D video. Produced as YouTube this fall as part of White’s popular Surgery a joint project of NAIT and the University of Alberta, 101 podcast. They hope to create a series of short 3D this medical video uses virtual immersion to help videos, each focusing on a different operation. students, patients and the public learn about surgery This project builds on previous work by DMIT as realistically as possible. students and White. Last year, they produced a fun “Point-of-view is a really cutting-edge YouTube series called Muppet Surgery that featured educational approach right now,” says instructor two puppets – Dr. Scalpel and Thumbs – teaching Douglas Berquist, who connected several Digital operating-room basics. When Berquist suggested Media and Information Technology (DMIT) shooting the videos in 3D, White agreed saying, students with Dr. Jonathan White, a surgeon at “Could we add another layer of realism?”

18 techlifemag.ca NAIT IN CHINA nait and heilongjiang University of Science and “I’M SO LUCKY THIS ALL WORKED Technology (HUST) this spring celebrated a 10-year OUT THE WAY I WANTED IT TO.” partnership that has given Chinese students Canadian

– DYLAN READE (RADIO AND TELEVISION ’85) credentials in computer skills including programming and networking. In 2004, NAIT began offering a Computer Systems Reade’s career has spanned all seven continents and a range of Technology diploma at the school in Harbin, Edmonton’s technologies, too. He has been with Imax throughout the development of sister city in China. Since then, more than 750 students the 3D format, including its transition from film to digital. have graduated from the joint program with an “The entire arc of my career has been getting lighter and lighter international education that gives them an advantage in cameras as I get older and older,” says Reade, who went to film school in the Chinese labour market. HUST faculty members have Toronto after NAIT. “The first system I worked with was 1,400 pounds. also benefited by coming to Edmonton to take courses The digital camera is 45 pounds.” and learn Canadian teaching techniques. Recently, Reade has begun taking on other projects, including The relationship boosts NAIT as well, building starting his own production company, the High Level Moving Picture its international reputation, generating funds for Company, with which he wants to produce 3D films about Edmonton programs in Alberta and broadening the skills of and its history. Currently, he’s developing a technique to convert archival instructors who make the trip to Harbin. “You open images into moving 3D images. He hopes to exhibit his projects at up the institute to global perspectives,” says Jim museums, art galleries and theatres. Hawrylenko, account manager with the Department of Reade says NAIT opened the door to an internship in the industry. It Corporate, International and Continuing Education. also connected him to his wife. This past summer, the schools officially extended He married that girl – Susan (Radio and Television ’85), now general their relationship. NAIT will offer its Digital Media and IT sales manager at Bell Media – who saw that first Imax movie with him. diploma (successor of Computer Systems Technology) They have two daughters and recently celebrated their 25th anniversary. to HUST students through to 2020. “I’m so lucky this all worked out the way I wanted it to.” — Scott Messenger — Linda Hoang

POWDER AND POSSIBILITIES Automated cameras mounted throughout the printed metal parts are becoming a reality operating room allow viewers to see the surgery at the NAIT Shell Manufacturing Centre from the perspective of the surgeon, the nurse, the with the commissioning of the first 3D intern, or from the ceiling. metal printer in a Western Canadian post- Berquist and White are now looking into the secondary institute. Purchased with funding possibility of producing more 3D educational videos. from Western Economic Diversification Their main concern is whether enough viewers will Canada, the technology produces highly have access to the 3D technology that will give them intricate parts with minimal waste by using the full immersion experience along with a new lasers and fine layers of metal powder. perspective on what goes on in the operating room. Already, oil and gas and medical companies “I want to get people to look at surgery in a are interested in using the machine. “We’re different way,” White says. “Instead of it being a trying to bring new possibilities to our gory thing, know that there is a story here: This is local manufacturers,” says Neil Wenger why the surgeon decides to do this, this is how the (Electronics Engineering Technology ’79), operation gets finished. electronics technologist at the centre. “I just want people to think surgery is as cool as — S.M. I think it is.” — Linda Hoang

v8.1 2014 19 HELPING TO BUILD THE FUTURE Planning for the future is important for an oil and gas company to succeed, and that doesn’t only mean looking for the next big discovery. At Nexen, ensuring there are enough qualified people to do the work is just as important and that’s why we’re proud to support post-secondary education in Alberta.

We give back to communities where we operate by investing in programs and projects that enrich the quality of life for those in the community and support educational enhancement.

Nexen is a proud partner of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, donating over $1 million to the development of state-of-the-art facilities, awards and bursaries.

www.nexencnoocltd.com 3 QUESTIONS HOMING SENSE

judging by how it has JEREMY WALTER KLINT LANGSTAFF TREVOR HOOVER rallied since the economic (Architectural Technology ’03) (Architectural Technology ’99) (Architectural Technology ’89) downturn, this summer Founder and Principal Designer Owner/Operator President, Senior Designer reaching its highest level Boss Design Lang Built Homes Habitat Studio of starts in nearly seven years (according to RBC), WHAT HAS BEEN THE WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST WHAT DEFINES VALUE IN A homebuilding may be BIGGEST CHANGE IN THE CHANGE IN THE INDUSTRY NEW HOME THESE DAYS? among Alberta’s most HOUSING INDUSTRY SINCE SINCE THE DOWNTURN? For us, the philosophy is that design adaptive industries. With THE DOWNTURN? The structuring of subdivisions is a is your major value. The majority of provincial fortunes so The client is looking for improved lot more mixed density. A lot of the people … pick a builder, a floor plan, closely aligned to a volatile quality and unique ideas to be communities being built go from an elevation, carpet colour and, commodity like oil, what incorporated into their home. row housing to apartment buildings boom, they’re done. But if you talk choice do designers and During the height of the boom to single detached. The developers to those people, there will always be builders have? Economic it was basically slam things out and community have accepted this. something wrong with that house. ebb and flow isn’t the only as fast as you could, from the This is the way to prevent urban Sometimes they can’t explain it, challenge: style trends building perspective. sprawl and make prices a little more sometimes they can: “Oh, we don’t fluctuate as much as oil attractive to the entry market. even use our formal dining room prices. Here we ask three WHAT’S HOT IN TERMS OF but it was there so we live with it.” experts about the past, DESIGN TRENDS? WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST We make no compromises, so each present and future of There are two. The first is “prairie” CHALLENGES FOR YOU AS house fits that client 100 per cent. Alberta homes and the style, based on an architectural style AN OPERATOR? HELPING TO BUILD THE FUTURE business of making them. created by Frank Lloyd Wright. That’s It’s going to be getting labour and IS THERE A DESIGN ELEMENT defined by very clean lines, a very competitive pricing. With the labour YOU DON’T MISS? Planning for the future is important for an oil and gas company to succeed, and that — Scott Messenger square, linear look, really low slope shortage we’re experiencing, prices The dining room. Why do you need a doesn’t only mean looking for the next big discovery. At Nexen, ensuring there are on the roof, wide overhangs and uses just continue to go up. formal dining room? My in-laws have enough qualified people to do the work is just as important and that’s why we’re proud of materials in a panelized [way]. [one]. I’ve known them for 25 years WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE JEREMY The second style that’s very popular and I’ve never eaten in that dining to support post-secondary education in Alberta. PART OF THE JOB? WALTER is the modern style. [That’s] a blend room. It’s a poor use of space. Meeting with clients, coming up of flat roofs and materials that [are with a design that works for them HOW DO YOU SEE THE FUTURE We give back to communities where we operate by investing in programs and projects used] in commercial applications. and having a project complete OF THE INDUSTRY? that enrich the quality of life for those in the community and support educational You see a lot of steel, wood and landscaped – seeing the Right now it looks very positive. KLINT panelling, metal siding, lots of stucco enhancement. architecture come together and My theory is that it will depend on LANGSTAFF and big expanses of commercial seeing a happy client. what happens with the oil industry. glass, floor to ceiling. Nexen is a proud partner of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, donating over If we get the pipeline over to B.C. $1 million to the development of state-of-the-art facilities, awards and bursaries. IF YOU COULD LIVE IN ANY and the pipeline down to Texas, FAMOUS HOME WHICH that will change our province TREVOR WOULD IT BE? dramatically – we will be busy. HOOVER Fallingwater. It was designed by When you’re having to build those Wright [in Pennsylvania in 1935]. projects and produce enough oil to It’s cantilevered over a small stream go down those pipelines you need and waterfall. He was doing things people and people means families, that no one else knew how to do. families mean schools, means www.nexencnoocltd.com web extra My favourite thing is to take one subdivisions, means homes. Visit techlifemag.ca/ of his styles and represent it to homebuilders.htm for the best of our ability while also more insight from our incorporating new technologies, industry experts.

PHOTOS BY BLAISE VAN MALSEN, SUPPLIED BLAISE VAN BY PHOTOS new materials and new thinking.

v8.1 2014 21 ASK AN EXPERT

Hardeep Gill makes sense of the ABCs of retirement savings.

few of us can afford to be complacent when it comes to preparing for retirement. We’re living longer and many of us won’t have an employer pension that guarantees a set retirement income. According to Statistics Canada, 38.4 per cent of employees had a registered pension plan in 2011. That means it’s vital we plan carefully, which requires understanding the different savings tools available to us, says Hardeep Gill, certified financial planner and finance instructor. “People need to sit down and think of their goals. I think everything is predicated on that,” says Gill, who adds that even those with a guaranteed workplace pension may need to save extra money. Gill recommends allocating 10 to 15 per cent of what you make towards your retirement goals. To help, there are two main investment vehicles: registered retirement savings plans (RRSP) and tax-free savings accounts (TFSA). Statistics show that not all who are eligible are using these tools. Only 24 per cent of tax filers contributed to an RRSP in 2012, according to Statistics Canada. The federal Department of Finance reported that in 2011 more than 30 per cent of adult tax filers had a TFSA. “TFSAs have kind of made things complicated for people,” says Gill. Some people may not realize that, like RRSPs, they are a container for a diverse range of investment options, he explains. To help people better understand their options, we’ve adapted a chart from Personal Finance, a textbook by Gill and Jeff Madura, that compares the two savings tools. — Shelly Decker PHOTOS BY NAIT STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS, ISTOCKPHOTO.COM PHOTOGRAPHERS, NAIT STAFF BY PHOTOS

22 techlifemag.ca QUALIFIED INVESTMENTS RRSPs and TFSAs are containers to hold investments including cash, GICs, stocks, bonds, mutual and index funds, mortgages, investment- grade bullion, coins and more. Diversifying your investments is recommended. “Diversification means spreading out your money geographically and across asset categories,” says Gill.

WHO’S ELIGIBLE Canadian citizens aged 71 or younger who Canadian residents aged 18 or older earn money

PRIMARY PURPOSE Retirement income Short and long-term savings

ANNUAL 18 per cent of earned income up to a maximum $5,500 in 2014 CONTRIBUTION LIMIT of $24,270 in 2014. If you participate in an employer-sponsored pension plan, your contribution amount will be adjusted.

UNUSED CONTRIBUTIONS Yes, if you didn’t maximize your contributions Yes, contribution room accumulates each year CARRY FORWARD between 1991 and 2013, you can carry the unused even if you do not file an income tax return or amount forward to 2014. open an account.

TAX-DEDUCTIBLE Yes, the initial investment is tax deductible. No, you cannot deduct this investment on your CONTRIBUTIONS tax return.

TAX-DEFERRED SAVINGS Yes Yes

TAXABLE WITHDRAWALS Yes, it’s considered regular income so you will be No, it’s not considered earned income. subject to income tax. You do not have to pay taxes on the initial investment or earnings.

WITHDRAWN AMOUNTS No, unless part of Home Buyers Plan (HBP) or Yes but not until the following year, when CAN BE RE-CONTRIBUTED Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP.) HBP is a tax-free the amount is added to the annual available withdrawal option for Canadians wanting to investment room. Don’t risk over-contributing purchase their first home. Money must be repaid and being penalized.

within 15 years. LLP is available to full-time students

who use RRSP money towards their education.

Funds must be paid back within 10 years.

PLAN LIFESPAN Plan must be transferred to a registered retirement Account does not terminate income fund (RRIF) or cashed in by the end of the year you turn 71. Cashing in may mean significant tax consequences. RRIF holds the same investments as an RRSP but a certain percentage must be withdrawn each year.

v8.1 2014 23 HOW TO

RIGHT THE FIRST TIME How to avoid common first aid DON'T USE A TOURNIQUET TO STEM mistakes. HEAVY BLEEDING. WHY NOT? That’s a last resort. Completely stopping blood flow in those frantic moments before an ambulance arrives, people may cause permanent damage to the injured limb. often administer first aid to an injured or ill person. Do they really Correction: Use gauze and apply pressure directly on or near know what to do? the wound (don’t press on an embedded object). “People won’t Only 18 per cent of Canadians polled in 2012 said they had die from manual pressure,” says Kutzner. “They die of a bleed.” current first aid certification. Don’t remove a dressing soaked in blood – add fresh dressings “It’s so important that everyone have first aid training. It’s a on top and apply more pressure. Once the bleeding lessens, life skill,” says Lisa Kutzner, coordinator of NAIT’s pre-hospital place a bandage over existing dressings and secure. If it’s safe, care program, which recently began offering first aid courses to the injured part should be elevated above the heart. the public. “It provides a level of confidence. You don’t have to be perfect at it. You don’t want to be scared so that you don’t do it. You use the resources around you to do the best you can.” While it’s best to take a first aid course, here Kutzner corrects several common first aid mistakes. — Shelly Decker

DON'T PUT AN AMPUTATED FINGER OR TOE DIRECTLY ON ICE. WHY NOT? Ice can freeze and damage the tissue. DON'T MOVE PATIENT TO A MORE Correction: After you have COMFORTABLE PLACE. controlled the bleeding, the WHY NOT? Moving someone with a possible spinal injury amputated body part should could lead to paralysis or death. Not all back or neck injuries be “wrapped in moist gauze, are obvious. placed in an airtight plastic Correction: Generally, it’s best not to move a patient until bag and the bag should be emergency responders arrive, says Kutzner. Do so only if the placed on an ice pack,” says area is not safe, inaccessible to emergency responders or if CPR Kutzner. is necessary. “A person needs to be moved to a hard flat surface for CPR,” says Kutzner.

24 techlifemag.ca First-aid kit essentials

Heart and Stroke Foundation recommends replenishing your first aid kit at least four times a year. Here are a few items to add to your mobile kit:

DON'T VIGOROUSLY RUB OR USE HIGH HEAT TO THAW AN EXTREMITY, SUCH AS A HAND, WHEN FROSTBITE IS SUSPECTED. WHY NOT? Rubbing can increase tissue damage. Avoid using high heat because the affected area may be numb and the person may not feel the area being burned. Correction: Remove the person from the cold. Cup hands around Flashlight: for working in the Sterile gauze pads: to stop area and gently breathe on it or tuck affected area into a warm dark or poor lighting. Include bleeding. Pack extra part of the body, such as under the arm. If the affected area extra batteries hurts, seek medical treatment.

Cold pack: for inflammation or swelling

Gloves and safety glasses: DON'T PULL OUT AN EMBEDDED OBJECT. “It’s always your safety first,” WHY NOT? You don’t know the depth of penetration or extent says Kutzner. of internal damage. Removing the object could cause further injury or severe bleeding. Bottle of water: for cleaning a Correction: "The impaled object should be stabilized in the wound or hydration position it’s found,” says Kutzner. For example, if a screwdriver is stuck in a leg, tape a roll of gauze on either side of the screwdriver. If a pencil is stuck in an eye, puncture a hole in the bottom of a paper cup, slide it over the pencil and tape the cup in place. Cover both eyes to minimize movement. ILLUSTRATIONS BY RORY LEE RORY BY ILLUSTRATIONS

v8.1 2014 25

INNOVATE SPARKS WILL FLY Kyle Walton has forged a thriving business from the ancient craft of blacksmithing.

STORY BY MARTA GOLD PHOTOS BY BLAISE VAN MALSEN v8.1 2014 27 INNOVATE

hen most of us think of metal we think permanent, solid, structural. W Not Kyle Walton (Pre-technology ’03). He thinks pliable, creative, textural. The founder of Hammer and Forge, Walton is a modern- day blacksmith and a creative entrepreneur who has elevated a once-utilitarian craft to an art form, producing beautiful, architectural gates, stair railings, trellises and more for a discerning clientele. What started eight years ago as a small business selling house numbers, hooks and garden accessories at the St. Albert Farmers Market has grown into an operation that will soon have three ovens and three staff in addition to Walton at his shop in northwest Edmonton. He has enough work to allow him to refuse jobs that don’t fit his interests. “If it isn’t architectural or design-minded, we turn it away now,” he says. Walton, 35, has always had a fascination with welding and design. He bought his first welder right after high school, dabbled in metal fabrication and renovations, then did three years of an arts degree. But it wasn’t until he started the NAIT Architectural Technology program in 2002 that his interests in design and building came together. He tried working in an architecture firm for a couple years but the office environment wasn’t for him. Then, in 2006, he took a weekend course with Shawn Cunningham, who now teaches blacksmithing at NAIT. “It was like a light bulb going on,” Walton says of his discovery of forging. He asked Cunningham to build him an oven, then bought an anvil and started practicing on his own. “I knew this was it,” he says. “It’s a love of iron, for sure: a love of textures and love of manipulating things that seem so permanent into this plastic state where you can just create,” he says. “It’s so versatile.” Railing details become blades of grass that appear to be blowing in the wind; twisting steel vines are topped with delicate metal flowers to form a stunning garden trellis in another recent project. The growth of his business has been largely word-of-mouth, and includes his farmers market clientele as well as a small custom homebuilder for whom Walton designs and makes interior staircases. “It’s best described as a model of organic or reactive growth,” he says. Using power hammers has increased his speed and efficiency and kept costs in check, he says. But the delicate detail that has become his trademark – and that makes each piece unique – is still a time-consuming craft done only with hammer and anvil. A gate with a few simple details starts at about $1,500. An elaborate staircase of glass, wood and iron can run tens of thousands of dollars. “When you’re going to spend $30,000 or $40,000 on a set of stairs and railings, it should be the nicest thing in the house,” Walton says. He still sells small, affordable items at the farmers market. Many customers start with these and, as they get to know him, Kyle Walton at his hire him to design something more intricate, he says. northwest Edmonton In the future, he’d like explore abstract sculpture. In the blacksmith shop meantime, here are a few of his favourite creations.

28 techlifemag.ca 1 2

4 5

1 A second-floor 2 A decorative 3 The back side of this 4 This forged iron 5 A wooden bridge deck railing uses sunflower garden gate shows trellis decorates and stairs are forged iron to adorns the a copper turtle the brick entry supported by forged replicate blades exterior swimming in a sea of of the Rosenthal steel textured and of grass blowing mantle of an iron waves powder development in knotted to resemble in the wind. indoor-outdoor coated to look like Edmonton’s bundles of sticks. fireplace. copper patina. west end.

v8.1 2014 29 nait golf tournament sponsored by

corporate and international training continuing education

CATFISH COFFEE ROASTERS INC. | THE FAIRMONT JASPER PARK LODGE SORRENTINO’S RESTAURANT GROUP | SUPREME GROUP | SYSCO EDMONTON

THANK YOU TOURNAMENT SPONSORS! Your support is essential to the academic and athletic excellence of NAIT’s student athletes.

A LEADING POLYTECHNIC COMMITTED TO STUDENT SUCCESS | 780.471.6248 | nait.ca INNOVATE nait golf tournament sponsored by O STORY BY N G N T MIFI PURVIS R I H E PHOTOS BY B BLAISE VAN MALSEN ILLUSTRATIONS BY RORY LEE

corporate and international training continuing education

CATFISH COFFEE ROASTERS INC. | THE FAIRMONT JASPER PARK LODGE SORRENTINO’S RESTAURANT GROUP | SUPREME GROUP | SYSCO EDMONTON MANUFACTURING THANK YOU TOURNAMENT SPONSORS! Your support is essential RENAISSANCE to the academic and athletic excellence of NAIT’s student athletes. HOW THREE ALUMNI ARE USHERING IN A NEW ECONOMIC ERA BY MAKING IT IN ALBERTA. | | A LEADING POLYTECHNIC COMMITTED TO STUDENT SUCCESS 780.471.6248 nait.ca v8.1 2014 31 iNNOVATE

hen he delivered a state of the economy Rose says that local manufacturing can mean a higher “OUR WORKFORCE talk at NAIT in February, City of Edmonton per-unit cost compared to importing mass-produced Wchief economist John Rose told members of goods from overseas. But it offers a more predictable IS VERY SKILLED the polytechnic’s program advisory committees that supply and easier access to local installation, AND HIGHLY Alberta is “undergoing a manufacturing renaissance.” maintenance and support, decreasing wait times PRODUCTIVE” With the high cost of maintaining a workforce and and downtime. Initial savings realized by importing – JOHN ROSE outfitting a shop in Edmonton, his claim might diminish quickly and, though Alberta’s labour costs CHIEF ECONOMIST CITY OF EDMONTON surprise some people but probably not his audience are high, Rose says, “our workforce is very skilled and that day. NAIT alumni are leaders in manufacturing highly productive.” and the trend goes beyond the oil and gas industry. Productivity Alberta’s CEO Lori Schmidt agrees. It turns out that Albertans, Edmontonians in particular, “Labour productivity metrics have improved,” she are making more stuff than ever. says. Schmidt has a vested interest in keeping the The stats bolster Rose’s assertion. Manufacturing manufacturing mix diverse: her organization helps accounted for Edmonton’s second-largest employment the province’s construction and manufacturing gains by sector in 2012-13. And manufacturing and businesses become more productive and competitive. business services account for 18 per cent of the “NAIT has a role to play to bring leading-edge best provincial GDP, up from 12 per cent two decades practices to manufacturers, to encourage the hands-on ago. Rose says much of this manufacturing is geared method,” she adds. to energy but it’s not the only game in town. In fact, Here are three NAIT alumni employing that method Statistics Canada found last year that 36 per cent of in the Edmonton area, in what is turning out to be an era Alberta’s 10,000 manufacturers were not engaged in of manufacturing renewal in the capital. energy-sector manufacturing.

A SANDBOX FOR INDUSTRY Since it opened in 2006, the NAIT Shell The centre also offers manufacturing Manufacturing Centre has improved Alberta’s solutions. “It’s basically a sandbox for industry,” business processes. “It’s been a theme in our Dhariwal says. Using the facilities and equipment cyclic economy that during a boom it might not that are kept current by an evergreen fund, matter how efficiently a company works because industry reps conduct applied research in rapid of high customer demand,” says operations prototyping, robotics and automation, software manager Mave Dhariwal. “But once there’s a solutions and more. Students get involved as well, downturn they face stiff global competition using the centre to collaborate with industry on and can’t compete.” capstone projects. He aims to counter that theme. He and Dhariwal says that industry partners and his team train more than 500 employees from the federal and provincial governments helped 50 to 60 companies each month. The centre with the centre’s startup funds. “Now the centre provides 13 customizable certificate programs is 100-per-cent self-funded for its operational in productivity enhancement services, as well as costs, including salaries and maintenance,” streams including project management, quality he says. “It’s important because we must management, lean manufacturing and more. lead by example.”

32 techlifemag.ca SOUND PLANS at adsum audio’s Sherwood Park manufacturing facility, giving it the look of an old-time explosive device. No “assembly is everyone’s job,” says company President bigger than a small stack of paperbacks, it looks more and CEO James Osualdini (above). Even his lawyer objet d’art than speaker, “but it’s a sound-first product,” knows how to put together his products: hand-crafted Osualdini says. high-quality speakers for the home market. While His Alberta base offers Osualdini access to skilled the lawyer rarely rolls up his sleeves, it’s important staff but he sources his parts from all over the world. to Osualdini that he has a good understanding of “We aren’t biased as to where parts come from but the product. “Everyone gets to see the quality of we expect the best,” he says. Finding that level of components, fit and finish,” he says. Adsum, with just quality can be a challenge, and his wish list includes six employees, competes with mass-produced sound more local suppliers. He’s working on expanding systems, “by offering innovative and best-in-class sales outside Canada, hoping that increased volume products,” Osualdini says. will encourage a local supply chain. “It would help Osualdini (Electronics Engineering Technology ’11) us by reducing the cost of shipping parts and paying knew he could improve on common low-quality iPod duties,” he says. “Also, it would help us make changes speakers without creating massive, marriage-wrecking, quicker, at reduced cost.” In the bigger picture, a audiophile ones. His signature product, the Detonator, is local supply chain and a local manufacturer could a smart-looking cube of highly polished wood, topped help create a budding industry – as well as a great by a painted wooden or carbon-fibre-wrapped tube, listening experience.

v8.1 2014 33 INNOVATE

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE mccoy global has had a presence in Edmonton since “We’ve figured out how to be globally competitive.” “WE’VE FIGURED blacksmith Henry McCoy opened his shop in 1914. That has meant adopting lean manufacturing practices Now it makes and markets products and services for the to cut waste, become more efficient and add value OUT HOW TO world’s oil and gas industry. In 2013, McCoy boasted for the customer. Productivity improvement is one BE GLOBALLY revenues in excess of $110 million, an increase of eight of the broader changes that he has seen in local COMPETITIVE.” per cent over the previous year, through its line of locally manufacturing, along with improved outsourcing, – JIM RAKIEVICH built oilfield tools and equipment. automation and supply chain management. PRESIDENT AND CEO MCCOY GLOBAL But it’s not all downhole stuff. In 2013, McCoy sold Rakievich says manufacturing gains start in schools the 1,000th unit of its WINCATT software system, like NAIT. “Students are learning to bring productivity which had its genesis in 1994 with customers’ requests improvement to their roles,” he says, adding that to more easily monitor aspects of drilling and gather companies like his are the ultimate beneficiaries. In more accurate data using a Windows-based platform. fact, a group of Bachelor of Technology in Technology “Skilled labour is in high demand but this is a good Management students completed their capstone project place to be a manufacturer,” says president and CEO in 2012 by redeveloping a manufacturing space for Jim Rakievich (below, Heavy Duty Mechanic ’82). McCoy, lowering costs and increasing productivity.

34 techlifemag.ca HOLY SMOKES roberto sgambaro (above, Commercial Cooking ’86) meant an upgrade. Soon he was processing 15 sides, “IT WAS LIKE A is one of roughly 1,000 professionals in Canada with then 56, then 88, then 300. BULLET IN THE the chef de cuisine designation. That’s notable, but Sgambaro’s sales climbed and he decided to STOMACH. SO WE what sets him apart is that he’s director of Sgambaro’s take his business to the next step. He worked with WENT TO PLAN B.” Signature Seafoods, an Edmonton manufacturing facility TEC Edmonton on a business plan to enter into the – ROBERTO SGAMBARO producing lox – fresh smoked salmon – more than 1,000 VenturePrize competition, which he won in 2005. Along DIRECTOR SGAMBARO’S SIGNATURE kilometres from the nearest coastline. with the glory came $100,000 in cash and in-kind SEAFOODS He learned cooking at home in Edmonton from his development services. Sgambaro wanted to build a mom, who had his dad’s fresh garden ingredients to larger, federally inspected facility suited to exports. He work with. After he graduated from NAIT he landed bought land, created designs for the facility then bulked a job at the Edmonton Convention Centre under chef up his business plan and took it to the bank, which Reudi Blattler. Eager for responsibility and creative refused his loan application, calling it too big a step. control, Sgambaro asked Blattler one day, “What do I do “It was like a bullet in the stomach,” he says. “So we to wind up in your shoes?” Blattler advised him to get went to Plan B.” red-seal certified and travel, so Sgambaro beefed up his Plan B meant upgrading his equipment and more credentials and divided the next seven years between modest expansion into a leased space in northeast Toronto, Montreal and Paris. Edmonton, where he employs five people part time, plus “I learned how to make smoked salmon in Montreal a demo person and a delivery driver. Sales have tripled at the Hotel Vogue,” Sgambaro says. But he knew he to about 1,000 kilograms of smoked salmon per month, could improve it, so he did some R&D at his next job at and his online business is growing. He also sells pâté, the Intercontinental Hotel, tweaking his technique until mustards, fine vinegar, salmon sausage and fresh salmon. it was perfect. For Sgambaro, Edmonton remains a good place Sgambaro returned to Edmonton in 1996 to be to be a manufacturer. In addition to a strong local closer to family and enjoy a better standard of living. customer base, there are government programs and He was used to working demanding hours, so on top of grants available to the Alberta agriculture industry his day job he started a catering business on the side: and – while he doesn’t grow fish – his status as a food fine dining for small groups. One client wanted some processor makes him eligible. Sgambaro’s confident that smoked salmon and Sgambaro offered to home-smoke he’s working his way to the facility that will allow him to it. “I built a little smoker,” he says. It could cope with become an exporter. When that day comes, he promises nine sides of salmon at a time, but high demand quickly to save some product for the hometown crowd.

v8.1 2014 35 Solutions for Human Progress. Dow Canada – offering local employment with global opportunities.

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PEOPLE 184,000 STRONG what’s an ook for life? If you’re a NAIT grad, it’s you and roughly The survey showed you’re more engaged with us than the average 184,000 others. While you all share a connection to that snowy graduate of Canadian post-secondary institutes. owl mascot, as a group you’re as diverse as the programming at “People have pride in the institute and they had an excellent your alma mater. academic experience,” says Mike Meldrum, associate vice-president of Last fall, we reached out with a survey to get to know you better Advancement, who looks forward to seeing that pride grow in coming and gauge the strength of your connection to NAIT – whether that’s years. “Their time at NAIT got them a job and often started their careers.” awareness of our current impact, involvement with institute activities, or Here are a few things we learned about our lifetime Ooks. direct support. It turns out that birds of a feather really do stick together. — Scott Messenger

MALE:FEMALE (IN RELATION TO AGE) CREDENTIALS WORK STATUS

18-24 years old 51% 49% 25-29 years old % % 51% 73 85 49% 30-39 years old DIPLOMA WORKING 63% 37% Certificate 17% 5% Students Apprenticeship 11% 40-49 years old 6% Retired/working part-time 65% Degree (first offered 2007) 4% 4% Other 35% Applied Degree 50-60 years old (first offered 1996) 3% Other: 1% stay-at-home caregivers, 3% not working but looking 70% 30% 60+ years old HOW THE 86% SURVEY 14% 71 % 7% WAS 22% MALE FEMALE TAKEN

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We invite you to bring your passion, your skills and your 19% < 10 km 18-24 years 25-29 years 30-39 years 40-49 years 50-60 years 60+ years 46% 10-50 km creativity and come write your own success story with Dow. Learn more about our 6% 51-100 km 101-250 km TOP 5 PROGRAM AREAS Solutions at Dow. 6% Business / Administrative visit Apprentice / Trade www.careersatdow.com IT & Electronics Health & Safety 19% 3% Building Construction & Design ® The DOW Diamond Logo is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company © 2014 elsewhere outside in Canada Canada v8.1 2014 37 PEOPLE • COVER STORY

Spencer Smirl at the EDGE of the WORLD

A heavy duty mechanic spent 11 months in Antarctica and lived to tell the tale.

STORY AND PHOTOS (TAKEN AND SUPPLIED) BY SPENCER SMIRL (HEAVY EQUIPMENT TECHNICIAN ’07)

38 techlifemag.ca v8.1 2014 39 PEOPLE

ur attempt to cross Antarctica was to be the first in polar beauty. The crevasses eventually outgrew the length of the bulldozer, winter. Our route was almost 4,100 kilometres and rose more stretching metres across and possibly reaching more than two and a half Othan 3,100 metres above sea level. Temperatures could reach kilometres down to sea level. Falling into one would mean certain death. -90 C, with wind chills of -150 C, more than cold enough to ice the life In the end, navigating across difficult terrain took its toll. On April right out of us. This is why we needed steel-tracked vehicles: rubber 17, four months after our arrival, we called a halt to the expedition. cannot be guaranteed below -50 C. And those vehicles were the reason We’d travelled less than 400 kilometres, not even a tenth of our goal the expedition needed me. (though we’d achieved 95 per cent of our expected altitude). We were The Coldest Journey, as it was named by the famous explorers Sir heartbroken but our extensive repair and recovery from the crevassing Ranulf Fiennes and Dr. Mike Stroud, who hold bragging rights as the first was burning through resources. We would run out of fuel before men to cross the Antarctic unsupported, began in January 2013. It was reaching the other side of the continent. also unsupported, hauling supplies without local assistance to conduct For the next four months, we hibernated on the plateau, conducting scientific research and raise money for Seeing is Believing, a charity that science experiments on a variety of subjects for institutes from around helps combat preventable blindness in the world’s poorest communities. the world, including an investigation for NASA into the effects of Our convoy included 190 tons of cargo, much of it fuel, and two 25-ton solitude and isolation on the human spirit. None of our research was bulldozers provided by Caterpillar and Finning on the condition that sacrificed by stopping. In September, when it was time to begin our their care be entrusted to two of their own technicians. A Finning heavy journey home, it took almost two weeks to free our equipment from the equipment technician originally clutches of a winter that had nearly from Peace River, I applied and, buried us. It was a huge relief to me after weeks of competitive training, when the bulldozers roared back 0° was chosen as chief mechanic, to life and safely transported us

responsible for maintenance and 1 the 120 kilometres to the airstrip at operation of all mechanical devices 2 the Belgian research station from on the expedition. where we flew home. If you had told me an The Coldest Journey challenged opportunity like the Coldest me at every turn, mentally and Journey would come to a physically, as it did every member tradesman working in northern of the team. Shortly after the 3 Alberta, I would have doubted 90°W 90°E ship left us on the ice, I can recall your sanity. Even with eight years’ optimism in our beaming smiles. experience as a mechanic, I wasn’t As the expedition progressed, 80°S completely confident – at least however, there were fewer smiles. not enough to stare down death 4 Sanity in such situations is pushed at the other end of the world. Five 70°S to the breaking point. Friendships other men’s lives would rely on my fail, communication breaks down abilities. But I knew chances like and morale is a rollercoaster. Some this only come around once in a 180° team members are not as friendly 1 Start Point land lifetime, if that. now with each other as when we We set sail from Cape Town, 2 actual end Point Ice shelf set off. Some of us, however, have South Africa, on Jan. 7, 2013 on the 3 South Pole —— Planned Route become friends for life. icebreaker SA Agulhas. After three Some would say the Coldest 4 Planned End Point —— actual Journey weeks on rough seas, finally seeing Journey failed. In its pursuit of a the massive monolith of ice that first-ever winter crossing and world consumed the horizon remains one record, I see their point. But when of my favorite experiences from the expedition. I had never felt so alive. I look at the scientific data we collected and the nearly US$3 million we When we swung down the rope ladder and took those first steps onto raised for Seeing is Believing, I view it as a huge success. I feel fortunate the ice, I felt like one of the first men on the moon. to have been part of it, growing and changing as a result. I really enjoy After a few weeks of unloading and prep, we were off. We clawed my job as a heavy equipment technician and it was amazing to have the across the ice and up through the mountains. As we moved further opportunity to test myself in Antarctica. Also, my skills as a writer, my south the days got shorter, temperatures dropped and the wind picked ability to address crowds and the confidence needed to push myself to up. The air thinned as we gained altitude, making it hard to function – for succeed are life skills I took away from the experience that will always us and the machines. As we neared the edge of the Antarctic Plateau – stay with me. the coldest place on Earth – the sun set for the last time. It wouldn’t In my application essay to Fiennes, I said I wanted to join the team return for nearly 100 days, forcing the temperatures even lower. to represent my company, my country and my family. Although we For weeks we battled our way across blue ice lakes and crevasse didn’t successfully achieve the crossing, we did prove that with great fields. As you travel through Antarctica, the landscape surrounds and design and preparation great things are possible. I wore my Canadian consumes you – and resists you, too. You are the sole source of human flag – as did my bulldozer – with pride and I feel I gave my family disturbance in an untouched part of the world but Mother Earth soon something to be proud of. completely erases any trace of your existence. It’s a powerful kind of Here’s a look back at my time on the continent.

40 techlifemag.ca his royal highness, the Prince of Wales, has been a patron to several of Sir Ranulf Fiennes’s expeditions – including the Coldest Journey. After we loaded the icebreaker SA Agulhas, we sailed up the River Thames and under Tower Bridge. Prince Charles came onboard during a banquet to wish us good luck. I’ve met a few pro athletes and even movie stars but when I met the prince I was truly star-struck. It could have been the secret service standing guard, or the hour of etiquette training we received before the meeting, or just because my mother is such a huge fan.

the voyage from South Africa to Antarctica was unforgettable. Engine trouble had us bobbing stationary for nearly two days. After repairs, we entered the Roaring Forties, a region of the Southern Hemisphere renowned for its violent seas. Even five storeys up, the waves still reached us as we watched equipment strapped to the deck dip below each wave before erupting in a shower of black water. Two-thirds into the trip we encountered the first icebergs; the floating mountains of ice seemed to calm the seas. With them came Antarctic sea life. Whales, seals and penguins all seemed as curious about us as we were about them.

we arrived at Crown Bay, Antarctica on Jan. 18, 2013. Fortunately, we had perfect blue skies, near 0 C and not a breath of wind during unloading. The sun would not set until the third week in February and, because of the reflective surface of the ice, it was like working in a giant tanning bed. (I didn’t even know they made SPF100 sunscreen.) As soon as the hatches above were clear, the two bulldozers – 51 tons combined – were lifted out onto the ice. Seeing a brand new model D6N Cat bulldozer with my name stencilled on the door, hanging from that crane and shining brightly in the sun, is one of my favorite images from our adventure.

v8.1 2014 41 PEOPLE

the blue cabooses towed by each of the bulldozers were our shelter and workspace. Behind my Cat (left) are two 16-metre shipping containers combined side-by-side and mounted on a steel sledge with skis. This was where we lived. Inside were six bunks, a large dining table, a full-service kitchen with a microwave and bread maker, a pantry for fresh food, and a bathroom, which even had a stand-up shower. We were hardly roughing it. At one end of it was a room that housed a small diesel generator, a bank of batteries to run our systems at night when the generator was off, and a 700-litre melt tank to supply all our fresh water. Behind the other bulldozer was the science caboose. It was a single container split to house our medical laboratory at one end and our maintenance workshop at the other.

although we had ground-penetrating radar to assess the consistency of the ice below, it wasn’t always perfect. We had to winch Dykes’s bulldozer from nine crevasses. Even though our winching equipment was well within weight capacities, the forces involved and the reduced traction made recovery difficult and dangerous. Both Dykes and I grew up playing with 4x4s in the mud but that didn’t prepare us for the recoveries we accomplished in Antarctica.

all the mechanical systems proved to be extremely resilient in the extreme conditions. Along with the other Finning technician, Richmond Dykes from Cookstown, Northern Ireland, I had very few repairs to do. There is always routine maintenance, some of which can be fairly extensive.

42 techlifemag.ca after our research on the Antarctic Plateau, we brought the two bulldozers back on line for our trip back into the mountains and on to catch our plane home. Dykes and I had to complete this final service at -44 C with a wind chill of -72 C and visibility less than two metres. This was the most trying service of my career. A simple job that would take one tech maybe three hours per machine under normal circumstances took Dykes and I 10 hours per machine. I’ll never complain about changing oil at -30 C again.

the northern lights, aurora borealis, are a sight many northerners frequently enjoy. I have seen them in Peace River, Alberta so bright they rival almost every display we witnessed in Antarctica. The Southern Lights, aurora australis, are rarely seen because they only occur in the Antarctic winter when there are very few people there. We were very fortunate to capture images of green aurora dancing against this dark blue horizon, which I have never witnessed in the north.

when the plane arrived to take us home on Nov. 26, 2013 (I’m in the foreground, welder and general trades contractor Ian Prickett is in the background), after almost a week of weather delay, there were mixed emotions about leaving. On one hand, you miss so many things from home: family, friends, trees, grass, everything. On the other, you know how rare a chance it is to see the beauty of the Antarctic landscape firsthand. When I look back now on my adventure, I miss it as much now as I missed home while I was there.

v8.1 2014 43 ARLENE DICKINSON RAY PISANI C.J. WOODS, FCA PRESIDENT & CEO, PRESIDENT & CEO, ALBERTA BLUE CROSS 2014 HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT VENTURE COMMUNICATIONS & YOUINC.COM 2013 HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT 2007 HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT Business Administration Management ‘84

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A LEADING POLYTECHNIC COMMITTED TO STUDENT SUCCESS

44 techlifemag.ca PEOPLE LOOKING FOR

STORY BY Julie Matthews, Global TV’s SCOTT MESSENGER PHOTOS BY former Troubleshooter, has BLAISE VAN MALSEN left television. Slipping behind the scenes, however, may only enhance her strength as one of Alberta’s most dedicated consumer crusaders.

v8.1 2014 45 PEOPLE

ulie matthews’s career is in trouble. The 38-year-old has spent The change means more to Matthews than just being among her most of her working life sorting through it and sorting it out. own kind. She’s got two young boys who will now have the pleasure of a JTrouble has paid her bills. It still does, but differently. Gone are mom who can make time to come to school events. Balanced with that, the bright lights, the television cameras, the mail (even flowers) from she might now be able to better satisfy her drive to set things to rights grateful fans for being tough yet compassionate, tireless and fearless. by laying charges. The Troubleshooter role, she says, “was a big part of Of course, that was the glamorous side of her decade as the Global TV my identity” – so ingrained that unresolved cases haunt her to this day. Troubleshooter, going on air almost nightly to help consumers settle Trouble didn’t always stop with Matthews before. Now it can. differences with businesses they believed had done them wrong. There was also frustration, considerable overtime and a deluge of distressed matthews didn’t get to this point in her career by seeking trouble; phone calls and emails. Now that’s all gone, too. it found her. Earlier this year, in her new office at Service Alberta’s downtown “I’d love to tell you that it was my lifelong dream to be Troubleshooter Edmonton consumer investigation unit, trouble remains but it doesn’t and right the wrongs,” she says. “Maybe in an indirect way that is part of set the phone to a near-relentless buzz. Her email pings infrequently. If what appealed to me about that job.” there’s a camera anywhere, it’s designed for security rather than the 6 Some moral imperative may have indeed pushed her because as o’clock newscast. The shelves above her desk are stacked with white Tim Spelliscy, who hired her for the job 10 years ago, says, “It’s the type binders fat with legalese – the acts she’ll enforce in her new role as an of role where you need someone who’s keen to do it.” The workload investigator and peace officer. is so intense that the job burned through five reporters in the 10 years If this seems an unusual next step in the career of a media before Matthews. “You can’t talk somebody into that job,” adds Global’s personality – many of whom move on to freelance or consulting work Edmonton station manager and regional director for news. or to PR roles – it isn’t, in this case, illogical. Matthews was definitely interested, mostly so she could come “When I started I was a reporter. When I left I was an investigator,” home. She was in the Okanagan at the time but grew up in a Bruderheim says Matthews (Radio and Television ’95) of her time as Troubleshooter. household where “the news was on every single night,” she recalls. “When I came in here,” she adds, “I felt at home.” The day she walked “In the morning we were shushed around the breakfast table because the into the office of this provincial government ministry, she felt as if she’d radio was on and the news was about to start.” Working at the station joined a squad of troubleshooters, bringing to it a unique background she grew up with (Global was ITV at the time) was a dream come true – and skill set that may help the unit advance its efforts to protect one she realized after stops at stations in Lloydminster, Lethbridge then consumers – efforts that in 2013-14 recovered $560,000 for Albertans Penticton, where she honed an ability to deliver as a one-woman (plus and dealt $146,000 in fines to unscrupulous businesses. cameraman) shop. For Spelliscy, her B.C. stint represented a potentially reliable, self-directed reporter. For Matthews, it opened the door to being reunited with a fiancé back home.

46 techlifemag.ca Left and centre, as a peace Web Extra officer, Julie Matthews can now lay Construction Engineering Technology charges following an investigation instructor Phil Perry explains how of a consumer complaint; above, to manage relationships with the Global TV crew gave her this contractors at techlifemag.ca/home- portrait as a going-away gift. renovations-contractors.htm.

Though she took the job, it made her nervous. “At the time, I didn’t THE WORKLOAD IS SO INTENSE really think of myself as a pit bull,” she says. “I wasn’t sure I was as tough as the Troubleshooter needed to be. THAT THE JOB BURNED “That kind of job puts you in a position where you’re dealing with a lot of people who are not happy to see you. Basically, you’re taking on THROUGH FIVE REPORTERS IN the most confrontational job in media.” (No one took a swing at her as happened with male Troubleshooters, she says, but she did receive at 10 YEARS BEFORE MATTHEWS. least one death threat.) Nevertheless, she made it her own, Spelliscy says. “She became more effective and stronger in that role as time went on.” Matthews fielded roughly 30,000 calls and emails and conducted more than “Most people want to see good in people,” says the Construction 275 investigations annually. By her last three years on the job, she was Engineering Technology instructor. recovering more than $100,000 a year. But it came with a cost. In Alberta, that approach doesn’t always end well for a couple of “I became almost addicted to it,” says Matthews. She was doing reasons. Perry, who as president of two condo boards has had mixed two- or three-minute spots (most stories get roughly a minute) as often experiences with building contractors, points to the booming economy as four nights a week. She was responding to complaints when she and the skilled-labour vacuum it creates. “A lot of guys are migrating was at home and during her commute. “My personality just became into the commercial market,” he says. “As a result, there’s a lot of people a workaholic. I tried to help everyone, even though it was completely entering the residential market who don’t have the skill sets. There’s impossible.” more work out there than there are contractors able to do it.” Looking back, Spelliscy is amazed Matthews stayed with the Martin Roy, the director of Service Alberta’s consumer investigation job for a decade without burning out. “In a way, Julie is a victim of her unit who hired Matthews, is less generous in his assessment. “We’re a own success because the bigger stories and the higher profile just led ‘have’ province and it brings individuals … who try to take advantage of to more phone calls, more emails and more people saying, ‘Can you the situation.” help me?’” In recent years, his group of 20 investigators across the province has been growing more proactive. Rather than simply responding to most of matthews’s cases came from Albertans feeling cheated complaints, the unit also targets problematic industries. In spring 2013, by moving companies, insurers, used car dealers and homebuilders. for example, he worked with Matthews to televise a Service Alberta One reason for the high number of complaints, particularly in the last “bait house” project aimed at home inspectors operating without a category, suggests Phil Perry, is that consumers are too trusting. licence. It was one of several connections he’d made with the

v8.1 2014 47 PEOPLE

g Get everything in writing. Verbal g Read the fine print before consumer promises are tough to prove. signing anything. protection g Research companies carefully g Only door-to-door contractors before hiring – even search Google with a prepaid contractor’s tips for complaints. licence with Service Alberta can take deposits from you in from julie matthews g Take photos as proof. Photograph your home. your odometer when you drop your vehicle off for repairs, the condition g Top warning signs of an online of your rental apartment when you scam: the person asking for move out, and your rental car when money claims to be living or you return it. working overseas; they don’t accept credit cards or cheques g Before leaving on vacation, check and insist you wire money; your insurance policy. Someone may they use heartbreaking stories have to check your home every 24 to try to win you over. to 72 hours for it to be covered.

reporter over recent years, as Matthews would frequently consult the That tenacity is one reason Spelliscy will remember her as one of his organization during her investigations and even earned awards from it most effective Troubleshooters. It’s also why unresolved cases haunt her, for her efforts. Going forward, though, baiting isn’t an operation he sees including one in which a 90-year-old woman paid $3,000 to a moving suited to her. company to relocate her 69-year-old blind son. It never did and never “Julie, given her high profile, would not be my first choice to be refunded the money. “They ignored the woman, ignored her family and utilized as an operator to conduct undercover stings,” says Roy. Instead, they ignored me,” says Matthews, who was never able to recoup the cost. he’ll rely on her experience to help identify new targets. And though he “I still think about her.” stresses she wasn’t hired for her local celebrity status, he intends to lean Often, however, Matthews could achieve much with a camera and a little on her established public persona. persistence. Sometimes, the results were immediate. “In some cases,” “The average Albertan doesn’t know that we exist,” he says. she says, “we’re talking $50,000 cheques were returned.” If she was in Matthews’s comfort with an audience could help spread the word about some way addicted to the job – to the bright lights, the camera, the thrill the consumer investigations unit at conferences, seniors’ centres and of the hunt, the accolades – she admits it is a hard habit to break. online through social media. “That’s something I want to work towards: “I had to figure out, ‘Hey, am I ready to walk away from what some elevating the profile of our unit,” he says. people would say is being someone, being a celebrity?’” More than that, “We want to get the message out to Albertans to try to help them she worried, “Would I be able to still make a difference and feel that level before they become a victim of an unscrupulous business. I think having of personal satisfaction?” Julie as part of the team is a step in the right direction.” Thinking back on that moving company, she believes she could. “Maybe now I may or may not be able to make them give her money among matthews’s professional strengths, and perhaps one of the back but I may be able to charge them. I may be able to hold them reasons she ultimately had to leave media, is an unwillingness to let accountable.” go. In November 2013, a dense fog settled over Highway 21, causing Today, she’s ready to move on, a first file on her desk, a landlord- 40 collisions. The reporter happened to be in it and realized it was up tenant dispute over a damage deposit. She’s still holding on to memories to her to capture the story – despite having a previously broken foot. of those 10 years in the spotlight but she has put them literally behind (Matthews loves high heels and had caught one in an elevator door track, her. A portrait of her at her desk at Global – a going-away gift – leans leading to the injury.) against the wall at her back, waiting to be hung. To her left is another “There she is, walking cast, crutches, in the fog, doing a story using portrait, one done by her youngest son for Mother’s Day that shows his her iPhone,” recalls Spelliscy. “And the footage was one of the most understanding of what mom does for a living now. incredible stories I had ever seen.” “He drew a picture of me looking like a cross between a superhero When she couldn’t juggle camera and crutches, she hopped down and a police officer,” she says. “He has said to me, ‘Mommy, I’m sad I’m the road, safety taking a back seat to the story. “All I can hear – and I’ll not going to see you on TV anymore.’ never forget it – is this terrible sound of crashing behind me,” she says. “I said, ‘I’m sorry. But you’re going to see me more in person now.’” Regardless, she wouldn’t let the opportunity to share the story get away.

48 techlifemag.ca Let us take you places!

At WorleyParsonsCord the future is bright. Come grow with Alberta’s leading field construction, module fabrication and assembly company. Find your place on our team. www.worleyparsonscord.com

NAIT 2014_Tech Life_Full page_June.indd 1 26/06/2014 6:10:31 PM PEOPLE URBAN PEARL Brad Kennedy takes luxury to new heights.

as one of edmonton’s most talked-about residential projects – neighbour.” The tallest residential building in Edmonton, the Pearl certainly the most visible – the Pearl (right) reaches high above the provides condo owners on the top floors with an unrivalled bird’s-eye western edge of downtown, providing unobstructed views of the view of the river valley and beyond to all corners of the city. city. Principal architect Brad Kennedy (Architectural Technology ’86) Kennedy became part of Brinsmead Kennedy Architecture 11 years compares riding the elevator to ascending the Empire State Building “on ago and has been designing buildings in Edmonton since the 1990s. an Edmonton scale.” Here, he shares his views on the role of an architect and explains how a “At 12, 15 floors, all the buildings around you stop. And once you block of clay helped shape the 36-storey metal and glass luxury tower, hit 20, 30, 36 you are able to look all the way around and there’s no scheduled to be complete later this year.

— Sherri Krastel

Describe your job in a nutshell. There are buildings from the 1960s and ’70s at that end Brad Kennedy: Most people see architects as people who draw and of Jasper and then you have this uber-modern high rise. design unique-looking spaces and buildings. I have always believed How did you reconcile that? that it’s much beyond that. Every story that we tell involves physical There was no attempt to try and be like the other buildings but we elements – something we walked by, a space we were in, the restaurant, didn’t necessarily try to compete. They are a part of the fabric [of the who we were with, what the environment was like. I think architects city] and at one point they were the latest and greatest. Now there is a have a unique privilege of designing and creating the backdrops for the new younger brother that is enjoying that focus – just for a moment. stories of people’s lives. Favorite features of the building? How did you come up with the design of the Pearl? The curtain-wall glazing system and the metal panel add a new dynamic The property was zoned for what we called a lay-down chest freezer: to the building. I think that’s unique. Also, we never predicted that the 11 storeys tall, a square block with a lot of density. We tipped it up to be building could be viewed from the Quesnell Bridge, from the Edmonton a stand-up fridge – exactly the same mass but 24 storeys tall instead of International Airport, from Anthony Henday Drive on the west side, from 11. While that opened up an opportunity next to it to do a pocket park, the refineries on the east side. It is an unbelievable new marker. it was still this massive building and it didn’t have what we call sculptural quality. What is the Pearl’s contribution to Edmonton So we turned that stand-up fridge into an actual block of clay and architecture? sculpted it to create more of a football shape. That allowed our building I hope that as the story of the Pearl is told, there’s a lot of reflection on how to become skinnier, which preserved views for the neighboring condos it preserved views for its neighbours, allowed sunlight onto Jasper Avenue, and allowed more light to pass through from the south side on to Jasper and created a pocket park next door. I hope that as people look back they Ave. It also created a larger park area next door so that we could have see a building that had a lot of thoughtful design and used materials that an open green space on Jasper, which you don’t have a lot of. We tried raised the bar. Often, residential condos are created as tall boxes built for to create a building that has iconic presence. the sole purpose of hanging balconies. What were some of the challenges with this project? We had to work through a rezoning process that was long and extensive, as well as work with the community and planning department. After that, we had to turn a very detailed design development and construction drawing set into a reality that was economically buildable. Most floors have 20 or 30 corners, so there’s a lot of undulation, which doesn’t make it cheap.

50 techlifemag.ca “THERE WAS NO ATTEMPT TO TRY AND BE LIKE THE OTHER BUILDINGS.”

- BRAD KENNEDY, PRINCIPAL, BRINSMEAD KENNEDY ARCHITECTURE PHOTO BY BLAISE VAN MALSEN BLAISE VAN BY PHOTO

v8.1 2014 51

CULINAIT

Student Illyana Black gets one-on-one instruction with Chef Lynn Crawford

LESSONS FROM A BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER As one of the industry’s most grounded celebrity chefs, Hokanson Chef in Residence

Lynn Crawford brings student aspirations STORY BY down to earth and within reach. MARTA GOLD PHOTOS BY NAIT STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

v8.1 2014 53 CULINAIT From left, students Brandy McIsaac, Spencer Berge, Chef Lynn Crawford, Lanaya Hooper and Tung Nguyen in the NAIT culinary lab

Miniature zucchini cake “I’VE NEVER LOOKED AT AN with fresh orange purée ORANGE THE SAME WAY.”

- LYNN CRAWFORD, 2014 HOKANSON CHEF IN RESIDENCE

ulinary students might have been been expecting So has flapping around a duck farm (“They’re dirty and they celebrity chef Lynn Crawford to ply them with tales of smell really bad”), working on a shrimp boat (“We were pulling up Ccooking for, and eating with, the rich and famous during 15,000 pounds of those little baby shrimp and they’re so sweet, it her week as NAIT’s Hokanson Chef in Residence last March. was like candy”), and fishing for crab and crawfish in Louisiana Instead, they got a lesson in respect, humility and the value (“You tie a turkey leg onto the end of a string and you throw it into of hard work. the bayou and hope the alligators don’t eat it”). While most know Crawford best as a Food Network Canada Crawford’s wild tales were a window into another world for star and cookbook author, the insights she shared were less about these aspiring chefs, many of whom have likely never dug a potato the bright lights of culinary fame than about the satisfaction of from an Edmonton garden let alone picked an orange fresh off the getting down and dirty on the farm. tree or worked on a fishing boat. Her underlying message, however, That ethos was at the heart of Crawford’s popular Food applies as much to the backyard as the bayou. “Don’t scratch the Network show Pitchin’ In, for which she spent four years travelling surface. Really know where your food comes from,” she says. North America, working alongside those who produce our food and, in the process, gaining a new appreciation for the literal bread as crawford works her way around the room on that first day, and butter of her vocation. she asks each student what he or she aspires to be. The answers are “Have you ever picked oranges before?” she asks the dozens as varied as the students themselves, who range in age from 18 to of culinary students gathered around her in the demonstration almost 50. One wants to be a food truck operator, another hopes to kitchen. “It’s a hoot but it’s hard work, and I’ve never looked at work in a hotel kitchen in some exotic locale. One young man says an orange the same way again. It’s about respecting product. An his goal is “to be famous.” orange is so not an orange.” For students with aspirations of celebrity, spending time An understanding and regard for ingredients and where they with the likes of Crawford can be a great reality check, says Perry come from is “a huge part of the integrity of a fine chef,” says Michetti, associate dean of the School of Hospitality and Culinary Crawford. “It has completely changed me as a chef.” Arts. “Hearing how hard she worked to get to where she is, and

54 techlifemag.ca Savoury crème brûlée with smoked trout and pickled red onion

From left, Katie Oberst, Julia Hogendoorn, Chef Lynn Crawford, Miranda Maione and Selina Asuncion

seeing how much she values teamwork in the kitchen, it’s a great lesson for them,” he adds. While Crawford knows a thing or two about being famous – she’s one of the country’s top chefs and arguably its most recognizable female chef – that was not her goal when she started. HOKANSON The butcher’s daughter who grew up in the suburbs of Toronto says she had “no aspirations other than being the very CHEF IN best” when she decided to attend culinary school. “If you had said to me 20 years ago that I would be executive chef at the Four Seasons in New York City, that I would be on television shows RESIDENCE airing around the world, I would have said, ‘No. I never thought about those things.’” This unique program provides students in the When one of the students, a woman who says she will turn School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts with a rare 50 before she graduates from NAIT’s culinary program, asks opportunity to learn from the best chefs in the world. her, “Did you ever think, ‘I can’t do it?’” Crawford’s answer comes The program – the result of a generous donation from without hesitation. “No. Not once.” John and Susan Hokanson – began with Canadian Crawford started out with plans to be a nurse, after her father celebrity chef Rob Feenie (2009), followed by David suffered a heart attack when she was 18. “Believe it or not, I’m Adjey (2010), Susur Lee (2011), Massimo Capra a very caring person,” she says. “I wanted to help people.” But (2012) and Chris Cosentino (2013). nursing school was not for her, nor was fine arts, the path she tried next. Instead, she decided to pursue her passion for food and wine in culinary school at Toronto’s George Brown College.

v8.1 2014 55 CULINAIT

Fearing she was getting a late start because she was already Marchand, who is now in her final semester, says Crawford in her early 20s, she worked double-time to catch up, gorging on encouraged students to be bold, both in their willingness to try new knowledge, practice and experience. She went to school during the food combinations and in knocking on doors in pursuit of opportunity. day and worked overnight at the Delta Chelsea Hotel, learning to “She said to look in the mirror every day and think how you could painstakingly segment grapefruit, to bake fresh croissants, to make improve, because not every day’s going to be your best day. That really even the simplest tasks perfect and extraordinary. stuck with me.” “Knowledge is strength,” she tells the students. “Submerge Hogendoorn says her experience with Crawford has given her yourself in the culinary world.” confidence, both in her own leadership skills and her ability as a chef. During Crawford’s time at NAIT, Hogendoorn, Marchand and some the advice resonates with student Julia Hogendoorn (Culinary of their classmates got the chance to work alongside Crawford Arts ’14), 21, who admits she “freaked out” and “may have screamed” preparing meals. when she found out Crawford would be the Chef in Residence for “It felt really natural but it was also a different experience than I’ve Hogendoorn’s final term. had before, with a mentor right beside you, working just as hard as you,” “She seems to care about what food means to people as opposed says Hogendoorn. to just being a skillful chef,” says Hogendoorn, who hopes to own her own restaurant someday, just as Crawford does with Ruby Watchco in for crawford, too, the time spent preparing special meals with the Toronto. “It makes you love what you’re doing instantaneously when students was a highlight of her week, she says. “To see their faces and you see somebody like that, who loves food so much.” that sense of accomplishment and pride and shared excitement … I Hogendoorn’s plan is not to skyrocket to celebrity but to slog it love that, I do.” out in kitchens and learn as much as she can. She’s already worked in Crawford’s focus on self-reliance, hard work and determination fast food and on a peach farm in Ontario for the summer. Now, after over flash and celebrity gave students like Hogendoorn a new measure impressing Crawford during the chef’s time at NAIT, she’s thrilled to of confidence, and a respect for themselves and their own goals. have landed an entry-level job as a cook at Ruby Watchco. “I’ve always been a big believer that you are what you make of “People say they want to be a famous chef, but I’d rather just be yourself, and that’s what she was huge on,” says Hogendoorn. “She the best I can be and help others along the way.” made me realize that the only thing standing in your way is yourself For student Kari Marchand, a 43-year-old mother of two saying you can’t do it. She is proof that if you strive for the very best, teenagers who is now preparing for a career in the food world, then it’s going to all fall into place.” Crawford was an inspiration – as enthusiastic, down-to-earth and hard-working as Marchand had imagined her to be. Web extra “She was very much what you see on TV.” Visit techlifemag.ca/hokanson-lunch-2014.htm for a taste of the marquee culinary event students helped Crawford stage during her time as Hokanson Chef in Residence.

LITTLE-KNOWN FACTS ABOUT LYNN CRAWFORD

In her very early days, she worked at a greasy spoon called the Homesteader, where the cook told her to throw a hamburger in the deep fryer. “I said, ‘But there’s a grill right here!’ And he said, ‘It’s *** faster to just throw it in the fryer.’” ***

She comes from a She has a sweet She loves pickles; long line of butchers, Her favourite junk tooth. Her favourite her chocolate lab is including her grandfather, food is popcorn. chocolate bars are named Charlie Pickles. father, uncle and aunt. Skor and Crunchie.

56 techlifemag.ca [ RECIPE ] SALMON CEVICHE FROM LYNN CRAWFORD’S PITCHIN’ IN WITH LIME- SERVES 4 MARINATED BEETS

INGREDIENTS METHOD

SALMON CEVICHE In a large bowl, combine the salmon, lime zest and juice, horseradish, chives, jalapeño 250 g (8 oz.) skinless salmon fillet, and olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. cut into 1-cm (1/2-inch) cubes Zest and juice of 2 limes Meanwhile, make the lime-marinated beets. In a saucepan, combine the beets, thyme, 5 ml (1 tsp) finely grated fresh horseradish kosher salt, vinegar and sugar. Cover with water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat 1 bunch chives, thinly sliced and simmer uncovered until the beets are fork-tender, about 1 hour. Drain the beets and 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped run under cold water. Slip off the skin. Dry the beets and cut into 5-mm (1/4-inch) dice. 60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil Transfer to a bowl. Toss with the lime zest and juice and olive oil; season well with salt Salt and pepper and pepper. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator until ready to serve. 250 ml (1 cup) pea greens 2 radishes, julienned Now make the horseradish lime sour cream. In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients together and season well. LIME-MARINATED BEETS To serve, spoon the salmon onto the centre of 4 salad plates. Place some marinated beets 6 small red beets, greens removed on top of the salmon. Spoon a dollop of the horseradish sour cream on top. Garnish with 4 sprigs thyme pea greens and julienned radishes. 60 ml (1/4 cup) kosher salt 60 ml (1/4 cup) sherry vinegar 30 ml (2 tbsp) sugar Zest and juice of 1 lime 60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil Salt and pepper

HORSERADISH LIME SOUR CREAM 75 ml (1/3 cup) sour cream 10 ml (2 tsp) finely grated fresh horseradish 15 ml (1 tbsp) finely chopped chives 15 ml (1 tbsp) lime juice Salt

v8.1 2014 57 THANK department of advancement 80% YOU! The increase of individual donors Your gift to NAIT makes a difference. over the past year. Over the past year, we increased individual giving to NAIT by 600 80 per cent. With your help, we supported:

• Students in need 500 • Program expansion 591 2013/14 • Our current capital needs 400 In addition to the generous corporate support received last year, 591 individual donors supported students. Giving to NAIT has never 300 been easier, visit www.nait.ca/donate to make your gift today. 200 329 2012/13 100 60% 20% 20%

supports student supports general supports the current 0 success initiatives scholarships and bursaries capital campaign 100% of your gift goes where it NAIT Fund is designated.

Gifts can be directed in whole or part to the NAIT Fund, or other areas of need at NAIT. Last year donors also directed their funds as follows: Centre for Applied Athletics Boost the NAIT’s four NAIT’s Annual Giving Program Technologies Ooks program programmatic pillars: contacts NAIT alumni and Scholarships and Business friends every year to provide Bursaries Health information and solicit support. Science and Technology Trades

A LEADING POLYTECHNIC COMMITTED TO STUDENT SUCCESS 11762 - 106 Street nw, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada SPACES

Tunnel Vision past several locked doors and down a narrow Conditioning Engineering Technology ’87) maintenance concrete stairwell, pipes snake overhead and along and operations manager at the time of writing. The the walls of the service tunnels in the basement of tunnels also house Ethernet cables and the old, pre- NAIT’s Main campus. There’s the sound of water voice-over-Internet telephone system. gushing through pipes and the hum of fan belts. The Having these services in tunnels makes them easier air, smelling slightly of damp concrete, is cool or warm to access and maintain than running them in the ground, in turn depending on the tunnel and its function. says Reid. While repairs are frequently required for the This 840-metre-long web of service tunnels, most aging equipment, the real challenge is fitting the work dating to the 1960s, is responsible for keeping much into the summer when classes aren’t in session and staff of Main campus running, supplying everything west of can turn some of the utilities off, he adds. 106 Street – from the business tower to the athletics Access to the tunnels is restricted to facilities facilities to the carpentry shops – with vital services. and maintenance staff, although students, under Along with natural gas, the tunnels transmit steam supervision, use them for learning in construction, for heating and chilled water for the air conditioning engineering and building systems programs. Reid required in most buildings whenever outside headed into the tunnels as a student in the 1980s. temperatures rise above 12 C. They carry hot and cold “It was fantastic. You’re actually seeing in the water for domestic use, house two high-pressure air real world what the lectures are trying to teach you compressors for automotive, carpentry and other and what you’re trying to simulate in a lab. It tells the labs, and some of the electricity needed to power the student that, yes, there is a real application for what campus, says Steve Reid (inset, Bachelor of Technology you’re learning.” in Technology Management ’11, Electrician ’96, Air PHOTOS BY BLAISE VAN MALSEN BLAISE VAN BY PHOTOS — Marta Gold and Fiona Bensler

v8.1 2014 59 CAREERs AT sHELL sKILLED TRADEs AND TECHNOLOGIsTs

At Shell, we understand that great ideas can change the world and we are developing all kinds of innovative solutions to meet the growing demand for energy. Operating in Canada since 1911, Shell has been recognized as a Top 100 Employer for 14 consecutive years, named one of Canada’s top diversity employers, and is recognized as an industry leader in sustainable development and safety.

Whatever your role at Shell, as part of a diverse, international network comprising some of the finest minds in the business, you’ll be helping to power people’s lives around the world for generations to come.

To learn more about career opportunities and to apply, visit www.shell.ca/jobs.

Let’s deliver better energy solutions together.

Scan to learn about life at Shell.

Shell is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 5 WAYS GET INVOLVED CAREERs AT sHELL sKILLED TRADEs AND TECHNOLOGIsTs WITH NAIT At Shell, we understand that great ideas can change the world and we are developing Give, connect and recognize success. all kinds of innovative solutions to meet the growing demand for energy. Operating in Canada since 1911, Shell has been recognized as a Top 100 Employer for 14 consecutive years, named one of Canada’s top diversity employers, and is recognized as an industry leader in sustainable development and safety. 1 2 3 4 5 Whatever your role at Shell, as part of a diverse, international network comprising some of the finest minds in the business, you’ll be helping to power people’s lives around the world for generations to come.

To learn more about career opportunities and to apply, visit www.shell.ca/jobs. give a gift mentor stay connected get social celebrate Let’s deliver better energy solutions together.

Help increase students’ Share your experience Our alumni relations Join the conversation Celebrate achievements access to scholarships with a prospective program is growing! on our social channels. by nominating an alum Scan to learn about life at Shell. and bursaries, up-to-date student. NAIT is looking Share your current email Enter contests, make for an Alumni Recognition equipment and facilities, for alumni volunteers address with us to ensure connections and get the Award, honorary degree enhanced programming, to assist with career you receive an invitation latest alumni news by or Distinguished Friend and a thriving campus life. investigations in a variety to one of our new events. connecting with us via of the Institute Award. Make your donation at of programs, including Update your contact nait.ca/socialalumni. Nominations close Dec. Shell is an Equal Opportunity Employer. nait.ca/donate. Construction Engineering information at nait.ca/ We’re on Facebook, 31, 2014. Download a Technology, Electrical alumniconnection or Twitter, LinkedIn and nomination form at Engineering Technology email [email protected]. Instagram! #ookforlife nait.ca/alumniawards or and Occupational Health nait.ca/awards. and Safety. For more information visit nait.ca/volunteer.

v8.1 2014 61 CONTINUING EDUCATION Essential to professional development and lifelong learning

nait.ca/ConEd

CUSTOMIZE YOUR TRAINING PROGRAM One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to employee training. Tell us your needs and we’ll create a program that meets them.

• Business & Leadership • Telecommunications • Trades • Environmental • IT Training Management • Aboriginal Initiatives • Health & Safety • Engineering • International Training Technologies

NAIT Corporate and International Training 780.471.6248 | nait.ca/cit

62 techlifemag.ca JOB DESCRIPTION

1:52 PM

Burhan Social Work How Facebook has changed Burhan Syed forever. about

my job is to plan and execute the right project at the right time. I’m by technical program manager Burhan embedded in the teams I work with – anywhere from five to 80 people. Syed’s account, Facebook sounds a I don’t provide the solutions but I know every little thing that’s going on. little like a working vacation. At its San My core function? Remove blockers, drive impact. Francisco Bay area campus, a valet can park your car, there’s free food and coffee, and meetings can be passed while there is no change control at Facebook – just change. So my job is also a promenade or circling a pleasant marsh.strolling to make sure the risk is appropriate and that the right stuff gets done as All Facebook asks in return is that its fast as possible. Iterate, iterate. Keep making changes. It’s through failure 7,200 employees serve the company’s that you get better. 1.3 billion monthly users by being more productive than ever. Nine to five doesn’t exist; email, versus social, is the new there is little i can talk about that I have worked on because most of snail mail; and iteration is progress – it’s a secret. deploy now, fix later. This summer, Syed (Computer two years at facebook is like six, seven years anywhere else. I accomplish Engineering Technology ’97), a 41-year- more in a month than some people do in six. The pace is super high. old father of five, visited NAIT to I call it the hardest job you’ll ever love. I had a problem in the first year explain how for two-and-a-half years transitioning. You learn how to balance. It’s so meaningful, it’s not work. he has led projects vital to Facebook’s I don’t know how to explain it. evolution, and why he can’t imagine doing anything else.

As told to Scott Messenger the real reason that it’s hard is that your brain is so tickled and you’re so engaged cerebrally – how do you disengage from work?

salary: us$100,000-200,000 hours: approx. 50 hours/week a big part of it is mobile networking. I can do a lot of my job via location: san francisco bay area my cellphone. Email is a dead medium. Using Facebook to do our

training: project management, network/ core business means that I get a notification on my phone and can hardware engineering and design, manage my million-dollar project via my cellphone. I can ensure there’s communications, data management accountability and transparency.

web extra one of our mission statements Visit techlifemag.ca/facebook.htm is to connect about Burhan for more you and helps you share the human experience.the We’re world. making Facebook the world a Syed’s life at Facebook, connects time with Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.including face better place and fostering understanding. There’s so much hate and bigotry and people that don’t get each other, maybe Facebook can change that.

PHOTO BY BLAISE VAN MALSEN BLAISE VAN BY PHOTO

v8.1 2014 63 We are more than builders. We are construction partners who work with you to build your career. ACCLAIM

AND THE WINNER IS... WAIT, THERE’S Recent awards and accolades for NAIT staff, students and alumni. MORE!

SCORING LEADER Wayne Land (Management Competing for Barbados, ’70) received the Alumni Dale-Marie Cumberbatch (Digital Award of Distinction for his and Interactive Media ’08, Computer roles as founder of property Network Administration ’09, Bachelor management company of Technology in Technology Oakwood Management Ltd. Management ’12) finished the 2014 and past-president of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation NAIT Alumni Council, and for Championship as top point scorer, his support of the institute’s female or male. Despite Cumberbatch’s international students. average of 24.4 points per game Barbados finished the tournament, held Andre Gagnon (Heavy in the British Virgin Islands, in sixth place. Equipment Technician ’02), who co-founded full-service heavy equipment dealership DOOTSON NAMED FRIEND VICTORY FOR VEX LiftBoss Material Handling For the leadership he demonstrated in the construction Vex Puzzles, a mobile game app developed by Itzy Group, received the Spirit of industry and for dedication to apprenticeship training Interactive, a company co-founded by Kyle Kulyk NAIT Alumni Award. He is a and support for NAIT, Roger Dootson (Carpenter (Digital Media and IT ’11), was named Best Mobile current member of the program ’77) was named the 2013 Distinguished Friend of the Entertainment for 2014 by Digital Alberta. The app advisory council and donor of Institute. The former vice-president of PCL Construction stands out because it integrates the gyroscope and equipment and scholarships. Management Inc. was also honoured in 2012 as a Top touch screen into gameplay as players connect blocks 50 Alumni and with an Alumni Award of Distinction of similar patterns and colours. “I thought that made for This June at the Skills Canada in 2008. In accepting the Distinguished Friend award, a more fluid puzzle game,” says Kulyk, “and it worked.” National Competition in Dootson included NAIT instructors among those who Toronto, apprentices Brennan played a role in his 40-year career. Roy-Bertin (Automation and Control) and Jacob Fluker INCLUSIVE EDUCTION (Electrical Installations) won gold and a chance to compete For helping adults with developmental disabilities at WorldSkills 2015 in Brazil. experience post-secondary education, NAIT received the Alberta Association for Community Michael Scheideman Living’s (AACL) Community Inclusion Award. (Refrigeration and Air Each year, nine students audit a variety of courses Conditioning Mechanic ‘13), to earn a certificate and attend convocation. “When WEB EXTRA Visit techlifemag.ca/itzy-interactive.htm to learn about NAIT gold medal winner from your son or daughter is on the margins of society, the challenges of succeeding in the mobile app market. 2013 WorldSkills, was named often looking in and wanting to belong, NAIT the Skills Canada Alberta 2014 provides what you dreamed of,” says AACL CEO SKILLED VOLUNTEER Alumni of the Year. Bruce Uditsky. Skills Canada Alberta named Refrigeration and Air Brendan Lunty (Combined Conditioning Mechanic chair Todd Matsuba its Lab and X-Ray Technology TOP CHEFS 2014 Volunteer of the Year. Among the reasons are ’04) won the inaugural Banff Culinary Arts students Ashley Broad, Francis Flores, his many years of organizing and judging events Marathon this year with a time Peter Keith, Heena Kim, Michael Mak and Tung and mentoring mechanics who have gone on to of 2:38:34. Lunty has won Nguyen returned home winners this spring after win gold at the national and international levels. For about two dozen of his roughly competing in the 2014 Food and Hotel Asia Culinary Matsuba, involvement with the organization, which 80 marathons. Challenge in Singapore — the most prestigious exists to reposition trade and technical careers as a cooking event in that region. The budding chefs first choice for young Albertans, is its own reward. WEB EXTRA Find out what it takes to be one of earned eight silver and bronze medals and a wealth “I get to see the competitors at their first level of Alberta’s fastest marathoners at of worldly experience. competition and see them grow,” he says. techlifemag.ca/brendan-lunty.htm. PHOTOS BY NAIT STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS NAIT STAFF BY PHOTOS

v8.1 2014 65 REWIND

Memories and new markets emerge from salvaged gym hardwood.

when landon schedler (above, Carpenter ’10) heard last fall that the lines and that’s the whole character of it,” not to mention its maple flooring from the NAIT gym was available for salvage, he wasn’t connection to Ooks heritage that includes thousands of student- immediately interested. It didn’t fit with the high-end furniture of Oliver athletes. At a local outdoor market, he sold about 10 coffee tables Apt., his Edmonton company with an international clientele. Nor did he made from the stuff for between $150 and $250 each, building new feel a personal connection. “The only time I was on this floor was when ties with a local customer base. “There’s been a great response I was writing that final exam every year,” he says. from people wanting to own a piece of history,” he says. Eventually, however, Schedler couldn’t pass up the creative Among them is Laura Tailleur (Marketing ’09), a past Ooks challenge and entrepreneurial opportunity. He headed to Sherwood volleyball setter for whom Schedler embedded magnets into a Park where Matt Bell, NAIT Students’ Association marketing and roughly 60-by-30-centimetre piece of the floor to create a bulletin TRUE BLUE communications coordinator at the time, had directed about a dozen board for her office. “That was actually the flooring that I played roughly two-by-two-metre slabs (a fraction of the 1,100 square metres on,” says Tailleur, who now coaches for a NAIT-led local volleyball replaced last summer) to the garage of friends who had planned to development club. “It represents the first major goal that I had in Are you ready to make an impact that goes beyond 9 - 5? remove the original court markings and reuse them. “It was going to my life that I accomplished. Playing volleyball in post-secondary be more work than my buddies thought,” says Bell (Marketing ’12). was really important to me.” Through a connection with one of Schedler’s carpenters, the buddies Now, Schedler is rethinking his own appreciation of the At Ledcor, we believe in the spirit of teamwork, community passed it on. material. “I think a few tables will end up my way,” he says. and giving back. Knowing the value of the flooring wasn’t the wood, Schedler took “They’re fun pieces.” an as-is approach to repurposing it. Otherwise, “you’d end up losing — Scott Messenger MALSEN BLAISE VAN BY PHOTO Join our True Blue team at Jobs.Ledcor.com

66 techlifemag.ca TRUE BLUE Are you ready to make an impact that goes beyond 9 - 5?

At Ledcor, we believe in the spirit of teamwork, community and giving back.

Join our True Blue team at Jobs.Ledcor.com PM#40063296 return undeliverable addresses to techlife magazine NAIT Marketing and Communications 11762 - 106 Street nw Edmonton, Alberta, Canada t5g 2r1 techlifemag.ca