Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I grew up in Saskatchewan at both Saskatoon and Moose Jaw, but Alberta has been my home for longer than anywhere else now. I moved to Lethbridge in the mid-90s in pursuit of my now wife (Sandra). I spent several years working at the local canola crushing, refining and packaging plant (Canbra Foods at the time). My principal focus was capital project engineering in the packaging and finished food production part of the plant. In 2001, I was recruited to work in Mankato, Minnesota in the soybean crushing and refining sector, and spent four years there in a project engineering capacity. During our time in Minnesota, our family grew with the birth of my son, Hayden. In 2005, we returned to Lethbridge, and I went back to working at the local canola plant. Our family expanded again in 2006 with the birth of our daughter, Maiya. In December 2007, I joined ULethbridge as the Director of Infrastructure & Engineering.
I was drawn to ULethbridge by the opportunity to advance my career in a role that drew on my past experience. Further, I saw ULethbridge and Facilities as healthy and well-structured organizations with plenty of meaningful and exciting work planned for the foreseeable future.
How long have you been at ULethbridge and what do you do here?
I have been at ULethbridge for 16 years. I have held the roles of Director of Infrastructure & Engineering, Director of Operations & Maintenance, Executive Director of Facilities and now AVP. In my present role, I lead the Facilities units of Operations & Maintenance, Project Management Office, Campus Development, Campus Mobility, Campus Safety, Risk & Insurance and Campus Security. All told, we are a team of about 120 skilled trades and professionals who are responsible for the physical operation and capital expansions to the ULethbridge campus.
What's the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is the people that make up the Facilities team. They are a large and diverse group of very skilled and dedicated people spanning a wide array of roles. I am very proud to be a part of the Facilities Team.
The other best parts of my job include the trust that is afforded to Facilities in its stewardship of the physical institution, as well as the complexity of the challenges Facilities is trusted to resolve.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Outside of work, I spend my time with family. In the summers, we spend a great deal of time on our boat and surfing at the lake. I am a nerd through and through (engineer …) and I love to design, tinker, build, upgrade, ruin and rebuild, etc …