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In the late 1970s, Janko Misic, P.Eng., took a leap of faith
and began working as a consultant from his bungalow in Duggan,
on Edmonton’s south side. Now, the company that decision
spawned, Techna-West Engineering Ltd., is celebrating 25
years in the industry.
Within a year Dr. Misic was able to move his up-and-coming
company into a rented quarters on Edmo 106th
Avenue. Mahary Gregory, P.Eng., now Techna-West’s president
and CEO, and Rolly Marcos, who has an architectural background,
formed parts of the nucleus of an employee-owned company
with many successes in its future.
Several moves later, Techna-West has 75 employees and annual
revenues of more than $10 million, and has built a solid
reputation in civil, electrical, environmental and structural
engineering, as well as other areas, among them industrial
architecture. “Good engineering has definitely contributed
to our growth but so have the good business relationships
we have developed within and outside our company,” Dr.
Misic says in a news release.
One project of note is a modernization worth $300 million
US of North America’s largest cement plant in Union
Bridge, Md. The plant is owned by the same company that
operates Lehigh Inland Cement in Edmonton, where Techna-West
was the
prime engineering consultant for several major expansions
and modifications.
Those include a fuel-diversity project
that earned Techna-West the latest in a series of Consulting
Engineers of Alberta showcase awards.
Kresta Named Woman of Distinction
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| Suzanne Kresta, P.Eng., PhD |
Suzanne Kresta, P.Eng., has won the YMCA Women of Distinction
Award in the science and technology category. APEGGA supported
Dr. Kresta’s nomination.
Dr. Kresta joined the University of Alberta as an assistant
professor in 1992, becoming the second female engineering
professor at the university. Within five years, Dr. Kresta
became the associate chair of the Department of Chemical
and Materials Engineering.
As one of the founding members of the Edmonton Chapter of
the Association of Women in Engineering and Science, Dr.
Kresta is a role model for women pursuing engineering and
science careers.
Dr. Kresta has served on APEGGA’s Board of Examiners,
and has served as a warden for the Iron Ring Ceremony. She
was awarded the early accomplishment and the young engineer
awards from APEGGA and the Canadian Council of Professional
Engineers in 1998.
Dr. Kresta “exemplifies professionalism through her
service to the academic community, to peers and protégés,
and to the profession as a whole,” says the APEGGA
nomination letter.
Strand Named Company Director
Pamela Strand, P.Geol., president and CEO of Shear Minerals
Ltd., has been appointed director of Firestone Ventures Inc.
in Vancouver. Ms. Strand is a graduate of the University
of Toronto and the University of Western Ontario. She has
more than 15 years of experience in the exploration and mining
industry, working as an executive and geologist before founding
Shear Minerals Ltd. in 1997 to explore for diamonds.
APEGGA Members Earn Respect
Alberta Venture magazine has published its Most Respected
Corporations survey, four years running. As usual, APEGGA
members and permit-holders are among those recognized.
“The Most Respected Corporations survey is an interesting
way for us to explore what the business community itself
sees as excellence in leadership style,” says Ruth
Kelly, Alberta Venture publisher and editor-in-chief. “Identifying
leading-edge business practices and helping our readers understand
how these kinds of practice will benefit their businesses
is fundamental to the mandate of Alberta Venture.”
Pat Daniel, P.Eng., president and CEO of Enbridge Inc., was
citied as a corporate leader, for providing visionary leadership
his organization and for providing a purposeful voice for
the industry.
Cited as leaders in human resources practices were Syncrude
Canada Ltd., Suncor Energy Inc., PCL Construction Group Inc.
and EnCana Corporation. The most respected company in environmental
stewardship was Syncrude Canada Ltd., and also citied were
Suncor Energy Inc., TransCanada Corporation and Shell Canada
Limited.
Corporate performance and culture of innovation categories
included runners-up notations for Suncor, Syncrude and PCL.
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