january 2009 issue
Newsmakers
Summit Winner Elected Fellow of Royal Society
Compiled by PEGG Staff
Dr. Wayne Grover, P.Eng., received the Alberta Ingenuity Fund Research Excellence Award in the 2008 APEGGA Summit Awards. Now the scientist with TRLabs in Edmonton has been elected as a fellow to one of Canada’s most prestigious groups.
For outstanding scholarly, scientific, and artistic achievement, Dr. Grover has become a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada: the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada. His citation is under the Academy of Sciences section.
TRLabs President and CEO Dr. Roger Pederson, P.Eng., describes Dr. Grover as “the wise sage” of TRLabs. Dr. Grover has spanned the company’s 22-year history as a student, employee and scientist, Dr. Pederson notes in a news release.
He continued: “In an era where fibre-optic networks are a beating heart of day-to-day life and productivity, a failure in just one cable can be catastrophic to banking, security systems, healthcare, 911 service, air traffic control and more. Dr. Grover has pioneered a grouping of technologies, now applied globally, that dynamically and efficiently heal Internet network outages at snap-of-a-finger speeds.
“With little fanfare, Dr. Grover has impacted the lives of millions of people around the globe.”
Dr. Grover has also earned a reputation for top-notch mentoring of graduate students, many of whom have moved on to assume high-level positions in industry and academia in Western Canada and beyond.
Cohos Evamy Wins Twice
In National Contest
The 2008 Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards has honoured Cohos Evamy with awards of excellence for its work on the National Institute of Nanotechnology in Edmonton and for its in-house professional development program.
Cohos Evamy’s NINT design took top honours in the buildings category. The institute, located at the University of Alberta, is one of very few ultra-quiet buildings in North America, designed to stringently control vibration effects, electro-magnetic interference and other environmental variables.
Recognized in the category for community outreach and in-house initiatives, Cohos Evamy’s trademarked integrateducation is a professional development program designed to enhance individual technical skills and professional knowledge. It concentrates on increasing staff knowledge in design, building technology, project management, construction, personal development, wellness, safety, and software and computer technology.
Appointments Announced
The Alberta Government has named three APEGGA members to the 15-member Alberta Health Services Board. They are Tony Franceschini, P.Eng., president and CEO of Stantec, three-year term; John Lehners, P.Eng., partner in Bearisto, Lehners, Ketchum Engineering Ltd., two years; and Gord Winkel, P. Eng., vice-president, Syncrude Canada Ltd., on loan from Syncrude, one year.
David Collyer, P.Eng., of Calgary has been appointed the new president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
Who’s Moving Where
Stewart, Weir & Co. has announced the appointments of two APEGGA members. Rob Lonson, P.Eng., has been named vice-president, engineering. Mr. Lonson has a broad range of management experience in both the private and public sector. Brian Pearse, P.Eng., moves to chief business officer. Mr. Pearse joined Stewart Weir in 1986, gaining experience in project management and business. He will lead a new department involved in business and corporate strategy.
Siemens Canada Limited has announced the appointment of John R. Wood, P.Eng., to the position of account manager in its office in Richmond, B.C. Mr. Wood, APEGGA President in 1995-96, transfers from Calgary and will be responsible for energy sector customers of Siemens, with special focus on British Columbia Transmission Corporation and BC Hydro & Power Authority. He will represent the power transmission and power distribution divisions of Siemens Canada.
Morrison Hershfield Limited has announced several appointments in support of the company’s newly amalgamated infrastructure and transportation division. Anthony Karakatsanis, P.Eng., is the new senior vice-president of the division. Dwayne Johnston, P.Eng., is vice-president of a new infrastructure group.
Also at Morris Hershfield, Robert Selby, P.Eng., has been appointed to president, industrial division. He has served the division in several leadership roles, most recently director of business development.
Brian Straub, P.Eng., is the new president of Shell Canada. He is also the company’s country chair.
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Argus Marks 50 Years With Winspear Celebration
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NOW AND THEN |
Permit holder Argus Machine Co. Ltd. turned 50 in 2008, celebrating with a gala at Edmonton’s Winspear Centre and a special treat for military families the next night. The manufacturer and supplier of oilfield and other industrial products entertained and fed more than 500 guests at the gala, all in honour of founders Tommy Hallett and Albert Kranenberg, and their company’s roots and history.
Comedian Sarge Pickman of Miami entertained. Then, courtesy of Argus, he took his act to the Jubilee Theatre the next night for more than 500 military personnel and their families.
Company representatives said they wanted to give something special back to the community to mark Argus’s half century, while showing support for the Canadian military. In fact, speakers praised the company for its continual community support over the years, and also for the family work environment it’s fostered.
With over 220 employees, Argus is a fully equipped machining, engineering and design operation. In the Edmonton area Argus has 76,000 square feet of manufacturing, assembly and testing, including a separate, 54,000-square-foot threading and piping facility in Nisku. It also has sales offices in Calgary and Houston.
Argus is licensed to API-Q1 standards and is ISO 9001 certified. Its line includes pigging equipment, pressure switches, emergency shutdown systems, cementing equipment and much more, and the company also offers custom machining. It has a strong customer base at home, in the U.S. and overseas.