Employee Profile

Semi-Annual
Gets results
J
une was a busy month indeed
for the members of Canem’s
management group, who spent
three full days in meetings at
Whistler reporting on their Divisions'
operational
objectives and
strategies, projects, financial
objectives, and
market condi(L to R ): Brian Alexander (Edmonton), Les tions overall.
Hodgson (Nanaimo),
President Brad
Ken Thiessen and
Doug Hale (Calgary).
Armstrong
commended the team members and
was especially pleased with the level
of detail contained in the presentations, which will be used to assist
future planning.
As a well-deserved reward for a
job well-done, Friday night was
reserved for a
special event:
an “Iron Chef”
cook-off
between five
teams whose
Left to right: Kari
members creaMiller, Les Hodgson,
ted yummy, fullCarol Mortensen,
Doug Hale.
course meals
complete with appetizers, entrées,
and dessert – all within a time limit!
The winning team was led by
Nanaimo Division Manager Les
Hodgson (although we hear he mostly did a great job of cleaning up!) and
included Kari Miller, wife of Al
Miller, Vice President and District
Manager, Alberta; Doug Hale,
Calgary Construction Manager; and
Carol Mortensen, whose husband is
Vancouver Island Regional Manager
Knud Mortensen.
5
CANEM CONDUIT
PRES. MESSAGE (continued)
It has been proven over and
over again that the most successful way to grow our business is to develop our own people. The average age of our senior management staff is 52
years and the average age of
our foremen is 45 years. The
face of Canem will change significantly over the next 10
years as people retire or get
promoted. We will need others
to take their places.
We are committed to retaining and developing the people
who work for us so that they
receive the best training and
tools in the industry and are
ready to advance in the company.
To that end, we have hired a
Human Resource Manager to
develop key programs and initiatives, including job descriptions, job performance reviews,
personality testing, job ranking,
training curriculum, peer review
and mentoring processes, career
ladders and career planning. We
want to identify the best people
in our company and give them
the support they need to reach
their full potential.
Remember, that new apprentice you just hired could be the
future President of the company!
The sky is the limit at Canem.
Vancouver DIVISION
Earns CSABC COR
anem Vancouver has
earned a Certificate of
Recognition from the
Construction Safety Association
of BC for completing the STAR
COR safety program. For its
efforts, the Division received a
5% rebate from WorkSafeBC
in the amount of $10,000.
Achieving COR involves completing a series of required
courses for owners, supervisors,
and workers; as well submitting
a written OH&S management
program that is in compliance
with WorkSafeBC regulations
and completing and submitting
a comprehensive safety audit.
“I want to extend my thanks
to everyone who helped make
the Alberta and Vancouver
C
achievements possible,” said
President Brad Armstrong.
“Safety has always been among
Division Manager Ron Tryuda (left)
and Project Manager Wally
Hamming show off the Certificate
of Recognition they earned for
completing the rigorous STAR
COR safety program.
the company’s top priorities in
terms of both our employees
and the public in general.
Project Profile
Scenes from a
processing plant
The Olymel plant in Red Deer is open 365
days per year and will soon up its capacity to 18,000 hogs per day, 24/7. Canem is
responsible for all day-to-day operations
to ensure the production line and associated systems run smoothly.
Warning:
hic
these grap
be
photos may
o
offensive t
s!
some adult
Strong stomachs only need apply!
t’s definitely not for everyone,
but once you get past the blood,
the guts, and the oppressive heat
o
(30 celsius and
above on the floor
some days) the
Olymel hog processing plant in Red Deer
is really a very interesting place to work!
For example, says
Neil Flaman, Canem’s
on-site Foreman at the plant, there
are nine, state-of-the-art robots used
to cut up (we’ll spare you the details)
the 11,000 carcasses per day that are
pushed, one by one, down the gleaming production line via some of the
most sophisticated electronics and
automation systems around. On their
way to the cutting stations and, eventually, the storage coolers, the “piggies” – as Flaman likes to call them –
are first skinned and then have their
I
6
CANEM CONDUIT
excess hair singed off (which
accounts for the heat!).
It’s up to Flaman and his crew to
facilities are completely up-to-date.
The reason, he says, is straightforward: “They trust our judgment. The
plant is open 365 days a year, we
work as we’re needed, and we’ve
never missed a deadline. I’ve worked
some shifts where I’ve been on virtually every day for a month or more.”
That high level of involvement and
responsibility also makes the plant an
excellent training ground, Flaman
adds. “There’s water everywhere, and
blood, and entrails, and for sure
some of the guys who come through
here don’t like it. But those who do
Once you get past the blood,
the guts, and the oppressive heat,
it’s really a very interesting
place to work!
keep everything running smoothly so
that the plant, which is the largest of
its kind in Canada and the biggest
employer in Red Deer, can meet its
production schedule of 16 hours a
day, 7 days a week. “We do everything here, from small projects and
ongoing maintenance to design-build
of high-tech systems,” says Flaman,
noting that Canem has overseen two
major expansions designed to ensure
the production line and associated
Editor: Arbutus Communications 604-253-1962
are really great and learn a lot
because the work involves much
more than standard electrical.”
This little piggie went to
market, indeed!
President’s message
Growth from Within
Employee
Profile
ice guy. Great team
player. You can
always count on him
to get the job done. Those are
just some of the kind words
his coworkers have for
Vancouver Division Project
Manager Wally Hamming.
Ten years ago, they might
not have been the first words
that came to anyone’s mind
about Hamming, who describes
his “wild” younger days in less
than glowing terms! “I was one
of those bad kids in my twenties,” he says. “Nothing criminal, but I got into lots of trouble.” Determined to turn his
life around, Hamming set out,
with the help of his church, on
a personal journey to become a
better person and make a positive contribution.
Today, the results speak for
themselves – including at
work, where the emphasis is
also on making a positive con-
N
bcontinued on page 4
LAUGHING WILLOW DESIGN 604-288-4360
During those eight
have been with Canem for
years, we have also
eight years and during that
hired a number of
time we have purchased six
great employees;
competitors. These acquisitions
unfortunately, we have also
were made to open new markets
Brad
Armstrong
hired a number of people
(Vancouver and Nanaimo) and to
supplement our existing operations who also failed to assimilate into
Canem’s culture and methods. In
(Edmonton). Our experience has
some cases, these failures were from
been mixed. In four of the six
acquisitions, most of the
employees we acquired
the most successful way
were terminated or quit,
to grow our business is
mostly because they
could not adopt our
to develop our own people
methods and practices.
a lack of leadership in helping the
Our successful acquisitions were
CEC Electric Ltd. in Edmonton and individuals involved to succeed, but
in most cases they had developed
Hodgson Electric Ltd. in Nanaimo,
long term bad habits that were
where all of the key people remain
impossible to break.
with us today and have been an
important part of our growth.
I
bcontinued on page 5
Canem Alberta Receives
Safety Award of Excellence
anem’s Alberta Divisions have jointly won the WorkSafe Alberta
2005 Best Safety Performance award for exceptional performance in
workplace health and safety. Canem won for
recording a lost time claims rate that was 40% better than
the industry average and having no workplace fatalities
over the past 3 years. The company can now use the
2005 best performer logo on all of its documents.
Congratulations, team, for a super achievement!
C
VOLUME 3
ISSUE 3
SUMMER / FALL 2006
1
Division Reports Division Reports
Division Reports
Nanaimo
t wasn’t exactly the outcome
everyone had hoped for, but the
crew for this year’s Silly Boat race
did go down with the ship!
Witnesses say the Canem Current
(great name!) got off to a good
start, but foundered quickly in the
calm waters. “We plan to remedy
this next time by hiring a naval
engineer to handle the design,” said
team leader Brad Armstrong. “That
should do the trick.”
All was not lost as, for the third
year in a row, the Division
raised the most corporate
pledges – nearly $7500 –
for the Nanaimo Child
Development Centre via a
raffle and other events.
Special thanks to Les Hodgson,
Brian Van Herk, Tyler Carson,
Sid Crane, Dwain Finner, Drago
Balaban, Jackie Van Herk, and all of
the other volunteers for a great race!
I
Red Deer
ennis Osberg and Dale de Wit
(pictured far left and far right,
respectively) represented the
Division at the first annual Love of
Children golf tournament, which
raised $135,000 for equipment purchases for the Red Deer Regional
Hospital pediatric ward. Nearly 150
golfers signed up for the event,
which was organized by Stuart
Olson Contractors (construction
managers for the $100 million hospital expansion) and featured a
great breakfast donated by the
Division! Dale and Dennis placed
second in their flight and had an
awesome time for a great cause.
D
Before: The "wired and inspired"
Silly Boat paddlers (in no particular
order), preparing to get into the water:
Coleen Crane, Jody Van Kleef, Dave
Montgomery, Greg Kinsley, Justin
Gueulette, Harry Heinpalu, Dave Byrne,
Jess Seymour, Brad Armstrong,
Vitaly Orcharov, Colin Rennie, and
Lorne Northrop.
We be slammin’! Dennis and Shelley
Osberg and Michelle and Dale de Wit
ready to turn heads at the fundraiser’s
black tie banquet and silent auction.
2
CANEM CONDUIT
EDMONTON
VICTORIA
n July, Victoria Project Manager
Dale Risvold and his daughter,
Mikayla were invited by Bill and
Sandra Crarer to participate in the
11th Annual Children’s Charity
Golf Classic and Auction at the
Beach Grove Golf Club in
Tsawwassen. For the Risvolds, the
event was also a celebration of
After: On their way to winning the
submarine race!
idn’t I hit that straight down
the middle?” Brian Van Herk
searches for his tee shot at
the September Quality Foods
Invitational. Even so, he ended up
in the winner’s circle along with
Canem’s Tyler Carson. Way to go
Brian and Tyler!
(Left) Peter Solkowski, CTV
Vancouver’s six o’clock sports anchor,
with Mikayla Risvold and Dale Risvold
at the Children’s Hospital charity
fundraiser.
The Canem Conduit is published four times
per year by Canem Systems Ltd., 1358-13351
Commerce Parkway, Richmond, BC, V6V 2X7
Telephone (604) 214-8650.
We welcome your comments and suggestions
for future issues. Please contact Julie Lee via
email at jlee@canem. com
A BBQ extravaganza!
Mikayla’s so far successful recovery
from a serious illness, thanks to the
dedicated staff at Children’s Hospital. Mikayla also had her first
driving experience when she testdrove a golf cart (and, we hear, did
a little “four wheeling”!). All told,
the tournament and silent and live
auctions raised close to $120,000
for Children’s Hospital.
I
D
Left to right: Canem's Jody Van Kleef
and Colleen Crane, and Patricia Bate
(Cutler Hammer) show off their catch.
The gals took part in a July fishing trip
to the north end of Vancouver Island,
sponsored by the Division and Cutler
Hammer.
Left to right: Nanaimo Division Manager
Les Hodgson, Christine Foy (Cutler
Hammer), and Melissa Hodgson (Les's
daughter) at the Mission Raceway, where
they watched the Cutler Hammer car
beat the track record.
Division Reports
ow! That was some tournament! Pictured left to right
are Jason Malo, a very brave Bob
Johnson, and Darren Penner taking
a break during the Division’s
September golf tournament held at
the Raven Crest Golf Club.
Organized by Morgan Wong, the
tourney featured a steak lunch and
prizes for all of
the 75 employees
who played. The
golf “winners”
were Todd
Gremm, Ryan
Hanke, Patrick
Michaud, and Brett
Harke, who got to
choose between a golf
bag or a putter. Steve
Kluthe won the draw for
a new computer.
W
Above right: Edmonton employees Ryan
Phillips, Tammy Christiansen, and Blaine
Anderson took to the links for the
Division's golf tournament, and John
Horiachka looked as cool as his swing!
ictured below, third from the
left in the back row is Chris
Horntvedt (son of Patty), who
won the Skills BC competition
this past Spring and, along with
it, the right to compete at the
Skills Canada event in Halifax.
Chris had to decline (he had
already booked a trip to Cuba),
but we have no doubt he would
have done well there, too!
Congratulations Chris!
P
Calgary
pprentices Alex Duncan
(2nd from left) and Mark
Banasiuk (4th from left) placed
second and first, respectively, in
the provincial Skills Competition
in Edmonton; and Mark placed
3rd at the National Skills Competition in Halifax.
Congratulations to Alex
and Mark!
A
A
3
Leslie Lee
The joke was that if he ever went on
vacation, finding a replacement would be
easy. And sure enough, Leslie Lee took a
few days off and the accounting staff (left
to right: Janet Fisher, Acelynn Li, Mary Ellen
Bullock, Kevin Wong, and Wilma Moir), got
someone right away! By the way, they also
have a bridge they’d like to sell you. . .
T
bout 40 merry-makers
celebrated the Division's
2nd annual Symphony of Fire
charter boat dinner cruise, and
enjoyed the best view in town.
Sharing a laugh are Patty
Horntvedt (centre), Sandra
Crarer, (left),wife of former
CEO Bill Crarer, and Lanly
Wong (sister of Frances Wong).
T
That was Easy!
he Division’s annual Family
Day outing was another great
success, with over 50 employees
and their significant others
attending the
September event.
Pictured are
Loresa
Beck (left,
with baby
Anthony Jorgenson Jr.) chatting with Lauren Mactauish;
and Colin Larsen (right).
VANCOUVER
he Head Office barbecue in September featured Chef de Jour,
Leslie “Quick Flipper” Lee, the resident “Iron Chef”;
special guests Phil George and Jeff Irving from Seacliff and former Canem CEO Bill Crarer; and Al Miller, Vice President
and District Manager,
Alberta. On the menu were
chicken and beef burgers
(grilled by Leslie) and fresh,
BC wild salmon grilled – and
caught! – by Julie Lee. Top
that, Jody and Colleen!
Phil George
From left to right: President Brad
Armstrong, Vancouver Division
Manager Ron Tryuda, and
Construction Manager Morris
Lansing at a “learn all about RRSPs”
BBQ in July.
EMPLOYEE PROFILE (continued)
spiritually. “Certainly I have
tribution. “One of the nicest
learned to see people in a differthings about working here is the
ent light – to have more compasteam spirit,” says Hamming,
sion and understanding and to
who joined Canem in 2000 after
not write people off if they have
the company bought Harbour
a problem – to see the person
Electric. “People are encouraged
behind the problem.”
to solve problems together and
get things out in
the open rather
hammings’ goal is to apply
than try to hide a
mistake, which
the lessons he has learned
will only make
to helping others
things worse.”
Away from the
He also makes time for plenty
office, Hamming remains active
of hockey in the Good Time
in his church and, among other
league in Maple Ridge. Is he any
things, leads a men’s group.
good? “I used to be, but not any
His goal, he says, is to apply
more,” says Hamming. “But it’s
the lessons he has learned to
still a lot of fun.”
helping others achieve their full
potential – both personally and
VOLUME 3
ISSUE 3
SUMMER / FALL 2006
4
Division Reports Division Reports
Division Reports
Nanaimo
t wasn’t exactly the outcome
everyone had hoped for, but the
crew for this year’s Silly Boat race
did go down with the ship!
Witnesses say the Canem Current
(great name!) got off to a good
start, but foundered quickly in the
calm waters. “We plan to remedy
this next time by hiring a naval
engineer to handle the design,” said
team leader Brad Armstrong. “That
should do the trick.”
All was not lost as, for the third
year in a row, the Division
raised the most corporate
pledges – nearly $7500 –
for the Nanaimo Child
Development Centre via a
raffle and other events.
Special thanks to Les Hodgson,
Brian Van Herk, Tyler Carson,
Sid Crane, Dwain Finner, Drago
Balaban, Jackie Van Herk, and all of
the other volunteers for a great race!
I
Red Deer
ennis Osberg and Dale de Wit
(pictured far left and far right,
respectively) represented the
Division at the first annual Love of
Children golf tournament, which
raised $135,000 for equipment purchases for the Red Deer Regional
Hospital pediatric ward. Nearly 150
golfers signed up for the event,
which was organized by Stuart
Olson Contractors (construction
managers for the $100 million hospital expansion) and featured a
great breakfast donated by the
Division! Dale and Dennis placed
second in their flight and had an
awesome time for a great cause.
D
Before: The "wired and inspired"
Silly Boat paddlers (in no particular
order), preparing to get into the water:
Coleen Crane, Jody Van Kleef, Dave
Montgomery, Greg Kinsley, Justin
Gueulette, Harry Heinpalu, Dave Byrne,
Jess Seymour, Brad Armstrong,
Vitaly Orcharov, Colin Rennie, and
Lorne Northrop.
We be slammin’! Dennis and Shelley
Osberg and Michelle and Dale de Wit
ready to turn heads at the fundraiser’s
black tie banquet and silent auction.
2
CANEM CONDUIT
EDMONTON
VICTORIA
n July, Victoria Project Manager
Dale Risvold and his daughter,
Mikayla were invited by Bill and
Sandra Crarer to participate in the
11th Annual Children’s Charity
Golf Classic and Auction at the
Beach Grove Golf Club in
Tsawwassen. For the Risvolds, the
event was also a celebration of
After: On their way to winning the
submarine race!
idn’t I hit that straight down
the middle?” Brian Van Herk
searches for his tee shot at
the September Quality Foods
Invitational. Even so, he ended up
in the winner’s circle along with
Canem’s Tyler Carson. Way to go
Brian and Tyler!
(Left) Peter Solkowski, CTV
Vancouver’s six o’clock sports anchor,
with Mikayla Risvold and Dale Risvold
at the Children’s Hospital charity
fundraiser.
The Canem Conduit is published four times
per year by Canem Systems Ltd., 1358-13351
Commerce Parkway, Richmond, BC, V6V 2X7
Telephone (604) 214-8650.
We welcome your comments and suggestions
for future issues. Please contact Julie Lee via
email at jlee@canem. com
A BBQ extravaganza!
Mikayla’s so far successful recovery
from a serious illness, thanks to the
dedicated staff at Children’s Hospital. Mikayla also had her first
driving experience when she testdrove a golf cart (and, we hear, did
a little “four wheeling”!). All told,
the tournament and silent and live
auctions raised close to $120,000
for Children’s Hospital.
I
D
Left to right: Canem's Jody Van Kleef
and Colleen Crane, and Patricia Bate
(Cutler Hammer) show off their catch.
The gals took part in a July fishing trip
to the north end of Vancouver Island,
sponsored by the Division and Cutler
Hammer.
Left to right: Nanaimo Division Manager
Les Hodgson, Christine Foy (Cutler
Hammer), and Melissa Hodgson (Les's
daughter) at the Mission Raceway, where
they watched the Cutler Hammer car
beat the track record.
Division Reports
ow! That was some tournament! Pictured left to right
are Jason Malo, a very brave Bob
Johnson, and Darren Penner taking
a break during the Division’s
September golf tournament held at
the Raven Crest Golf Club.
Organized by Morgan Wong, the
tourney featured a steak lunch and
prizes for all of
the 75 employees
who played. The
golf “winners”
were Todd
Gremm, Ryan
Hanke, Patrick
Michaud, and Brett
Harke, who got to
choose between a golf
bag or a putter. Steve
Kluthe won the draw for
a new computer.
W
Above right: Edmonton employees Ryan
Phillips, Tammy Christiansen, and Blaine
Anderson took to the links for the
Division's golf tournament, and John
Horiachka looked as cool as his swing!
ictured below, third from the
left in the back row is Chris
Horntvedt (son of Patty), who
won the Skills BC competition
this past Spring and, along with
it, the right to compete at the
Skills Canada event in Halifax.
Chris had to decline (he had
already booked a trip to Cuba),
but we have no doubt he would
have done well there, too!
Congratulations Chris!
P
Calgary
pprentices Alex Duncan
(2nd from left) and Mark
Banasiuk (4th from left) placed
second and first, respectively, in
the provincial Skills Competition
in Edmonton; and Mark placed
3rd at the National Skills Competition in Halifax.
Congratulations to Alex
and Mark!
A
A
3
Leslie Lee
The joke was that if he ever went on
vacation, finding a replacement would be
easy. And sure enough, Leslie Lee took a
few days off and the accounting staff (left
to right: Janet Fisher, Acelynn Li, Mary Ellen
Bullock, Kevin Wong, and Wilma Moir), got
someone right away! By the way, they also
have a bridge they’d like to sell you. . .
T
bout 40 merry-makers
celebrated the Division's
2nd annual Symphony of Fire
charter boat dinner cruise, and
enjoyed the best view in town.
Sharing a laugh are Patty
Horntvedt (centre), Sandra
Crarer, (left),wife of former
CEO Bill Crarer, and Lanly
Wong (sister of Frances Wong).
T
That was Easy!
he Division’s annual Family
Day outing was another great
success, with over 50 employees
and their significant others
attending the
September event.
Pictured are
Loresa
Beck (left,
with baby
Anthony Jorgenson Jr.) chatting with Lauren Mactauish;
and Colin Larsen (right).
VANCOUVER
he Head Office barbecue in September featured Chef de Jour,
Leslie “Quick Flipper” Lee, the resident “Iron Chef”;
special guests Phil George and Jeff Irving from Seacliff and former Canem CEO Bill Crarer; and Al Miller, Vice President
and District Manager,
Alberta. On the menu were
chicken and beef burgers
(grilled by Leslie) and fresh,
BC wild salmon grilled – and
caught! – by Julie Lee. Top
that, Jody and Colleen!
Phil George
From left to right: President Brad
Armstrong, Vancouver Division
Manager Ron Tryuda, and
Construction Manager Morris
Lansing at a “learn all about RRSPs”
BBQ in July.
EMPLOYEE PROFILE (continued)
spiritually. “Certainly I have
tribution. “One of the nicest
learned to see people in a differthings about working here is the
ent light – to have more compasteam spirit,” says Hamming,
sion and understanding and to
who joined Canem in 2000 after
not write people off if they have
the company bought Harbour
a problem – to see the person
Electric. “People are encouraged
behind the problem.”
to solve problems together and
get things out in
the open rather
hammings’ goal is to apply
than try to hide a
mistake, which
the lessons he has learned
will only make
to helping others
things worse.”
Away from the
He also makes time for plenty
office, Hamming remains active
of hockey in the Good Time
in his church and, among other
league in Maple Ridge. Is he any
things, leads a men’s group.
good? “I used to be, but not any
His goal, he says, is to apply
more,” says Hamming. “But it’s
the lessons he has learned to
still a lot of fun.”
helping others achieve their full
potential – both personally and
VOLUME 3
ISSUE 3
SUMMER / FALL 2006
4
Division Reports Division Reports
Division Reports
Nanaimo
t wasn’t exactly the outcome
everyone had hoped for, but the
crew for this year’s Silly Boat race
did go down with the ship!
Witnesses say the Canem Current
(great name!) got off to a good
start, but foundered quickly in the
calm waters. “We plan to remedy
this next time by hiring a naval
engineer to handle the design,” said
team leader Brad Armstrong. “That
should do the trick.”
All was not lost as, for the third
year in a row, the Division
raised the most corporate
pledges – nearly $7500 –
for the Nanaimo Child
Development Centre via a
raffle and other events.
Special thanks to Les Hodgson,
Brian Van Herk, Tyler Carson,
Sid Crane, Dwain Finner, Drago
Balaban, Jackie Van Herk, and all of
the other volunteers for a great race!
I
Red Deer
ennis Osberg and Dale de Wit
(pictured far left and far right,
respectively) represented the
Division at the first annual Love of
Children golf tournament, which
raised $135,000 for equipment purchases for the Red Deer Regional
Hospital pediatric ward. Nearly 150
golfers signed up for the event,
which was organized by Stuart
Olson Contractors (construction
managers for the $100 million hospital expansion) and featured a
great breakfast donated by the
Division! Dale and Dennis placed
second in their flight and had an
awesome time for a great cause.
D
Before: The "wired and inspired"
Silly Boat paddlers (in no particular
order), preparing to get into the water:
Coleen Crane, Jody Van Kleef, Dave
Montgomery, Greg Kinsley, Justin
Gueulette, Harry Heinpalu, Dave Byrne,
Jess Seymour, Brad Armstrong,
Vitaly Orcharov, Colin Rennie, and
Lorne Northrop.
We be slammin’! Dennis and Shelley
Osberg and Michelle and Dale de Wit
ready to turn heads at the fundraiser’s
black tie banquet and silent auction.
2
CANEM CONDUIT
EDMONTON
VICTORIA
n July, Victoria Project Manager
Dale Risvold and his daughter,
Mikayla were invited by Bill and
Sandra Crarer to participate in the
11th Annual Children’s Charity
Golf Classic and Auction at the
Beach Grove Golf Club in
Tsawwassen. For the Risvolds, the
event was also a celebration of
After: On their way to winning the
submarine race!
idn’t I hit that straight down
the middle?” Brian Van Herk
searches for his tee shot at
the September Quality Foods
Invitational. Even so, he ended up
in the winner’s circle along with
Canem’s Tyler Carson. Way to go
Brian and Tyler!
(Left) Peter Solkowski, CTV
Vancouver’s six o’clock sports anchor,
with Mikayla Risvold and Dale Risvold
at the Children’s Hospital charity
fundraiser.
The Canem Conduit is published four times
per year by Canem Systems Ltd., 1358-13351
Commerce Parkway, Richmond, BC, V6V 2X7
Telephone (604) 214-8650.
We welcome your comments and suggestions
for future issues. Please contact Julie Lee via
email at jlee@canem. com
A BBQ extravaganza!
Mikayla’s so far successful recovery
from a serious illness, thanks to the
dedicated staff at Children’s Hospital. Mikayla also had her first
driving experience when she testdrove a golf cart (and, we hear, did
a little “four wheeling”!). All told,
the tournament and silent and live
auctions raised close to $120,000
for Children’s Hospital.
I
D
Left to right: Canem's Jody Van Kleef
and Colleen Crane, and Patricia Bate
(Cutler Hammer) show off their catch.
The gals took part in a July fishing trip
to the north end of Vancouver Island,
sponsored by the Division and Cutler
Hammer.
Left to right: Nanaimo Division Manager
Les Hodgson, Christine Foy (Cutler
Hammer), and Melissa Hodgson (Les's
daughter) at the Mission Raceway, where
they watched the Cutler Hammer car
beat the track record.
Division Reports
ow! That was some tournament! Pictured left to right
are Jason Malo, a very brave Bob
Johnson, and Darren Penner taking
a break during the Division’s
September golf tournament held at
the Raven Crest Golf Club.
Organized by Morgan Wong, the
tourney featured a steak lunch and
prizes for all of
the 75 employees
who played. The
golf “winners”
were Todd
Gremm, Ryan
Hanke, Patrick
Michaud, and Brett
Harke, who got to
choose between a golf
bag or a putter. Steve
Kluthe won the draw for
a new computer.
W
Above right: Edmonton employees Ryan
Phillips, Tammy Christiansen, and Blaine
Anderson took to the links for the
Division's golf tournament, and John
Horiachka looked as cool as his swing!
ictured below, third from the
left in the back row is Chris
Horntvedt (son of Patty), who
won the Skills BC competition
this past Spring and, along with
it, the right to compete at the
Skills Canada event in Halifax.
Chris had to decline (he had
already booked a trip to Cuba),
but we have no doubt he would
have done well there, too!
Congratulations Chris!
P
Calgary
pprentices Alex Duncan
(2nd from left) and Mark
Banasiuk (4th from left) placed
second and first, respectively, in
the provincial Skills Competition
in Edmonton; and Mark placed
3rd at the National Skills Competition in Halifax.
Congratulations to Alex
and Mark!
A
A
3
Leslie Lee
The joke was that if he ever went on
vacation, finding a replacement would be
easy. And sure enough, Leslie Lee took a
few days off and the accounting staff (left
to right: Janet Fisher, Acelynn Li, Mary Ellen
Bullock, Kevin Wong, and Wilma Moir), got
someone right away! By the way, they also
have a bridge they’d like to sell you. . .
T
bout 40 merry-makers
celebrated the Division's
2nd annual Symphony of Fire
charter boat dinner cruise, and
enjoyed the best view in town.
Sharing a laugh are Patty
Horntvedt (centre), Sandra
Crarer, (left),wife of former
CEO Bill Crarer, and Lanly
Wong (sister of Frances Wong).
T
That was Easy!
he Division’s annual Family
Day outing was another great
success, with over 50 employees
and their significant others
attending the
September event.
Pictured are
Loresa
Beck (left,
with baby
Anthony Jorgenson Jr.) chatting with Lauren Mactauish;
and Colin Larsen (right).
VANCOUVER
he Head Office barbecue in September featured Chef de Jour,
Leslie “Quick Flipper” Lee, the resident “Iron Chef”;
special guests Phil George and Jeff Irving from Seacliff and former Canem CEO Bill Crarer; and Al Miller, Vice President
and District Manager,
Alberta. On the menu were
chicken and beef burgers
(grilled by Leslie) and fresh,
BC wild salmon grilled – and
caught! – by Julie Lee. Top
that, Jody and Colleen!
Phil George
From left to right: President Brad
Armstrong, Vancouver Division
Manager Ron Tryuda, and
Construction Manager Morris
Lansing at a “learn all about RRSPs”
BBQ in July.
EMPLOYEE PROFILE (continued)
spiritually. “Certainly I have
tribution. “One of the nicest
learned to see people in a differthings about working here is the
ent light – to have more compasteam spirit,” says Hamming,
sion and understanding and to
who joined Canem in 2000 after
not write people off if they have
the company bought Harbour
a problem – to see the person
Electric. “People are encouraged
behind the problem.”
to solve problems together and
get things out in
the open rather
hammings’ goal is to apply
than try to hide a
mistake, which
the lessons he has learned
will only make
to helping others
things worse.”
Away from the
He also makes time for plenty
office, Hamming remains active
of hockey in the Good Time
in his church and, among other
league in Maple Ridge. Is he any
things, leads a men’s group.
good? “I used to be, but not any
His goal, he says, is to apply
more,” says Hamming. “But it’s
the lessons he has learned to
still a lot of fun.”
helping others achieve their full
potential – both personally and
VOLUME 3
ISSUE 3
SUMMER / FALL 2006
4
Semi-Annual
Gets results
J
une was a busy month indeed
for the members of Canem’s
management group, who spent
three full days in meetings at
Whistler reporting on their Divisions'
operational
objectives and
strategies, projects, financial
objectives, and
market condi(L to R ): Brian Alexander (Edmonton), Les tions overall.
Hodgson (Nanaimo),
President Brad
Ken Thiessen and
Doug Hale (Calgary).
Armstrong
commended the team members and
was especially pleased with the level
of detail contained in the presentations, which will be used to assist
future planning.
As a well-deserved reward for a
job well-done, Friday night was
reserved for a
special event:
an “Iron Chef”
cook-off
between five
teams whose
Left to right: Kari
members creaMiller, Les Hodgson,
ted yummy, fullCarol Mortensen,
Doug Hale.
course meals
complete with appetizers, entrées,
and dessert – all within a time limit!
The winning team was led by
Nanaimo Division Manager Les
Hodgson (although we hear he mostly did a great job of cleaning up!) and
included Kari Miller, wife of Al
Miller, Vice President and District
Manager, Alberta; Doug Hale,
Calgary Construction Manager; and
Carol Mortensen, whose husband is
Vancouver Island Regional Manager
Knud Mortensen.
5
CANEM CONDUIT
PRES. MESSAGE (continued)
It has been proven over and
over again that the most successful way to grow our business is to develop our own people. The average age of our senior management staff is 52
years and the average age of
our foremen is 45 years. The
face of Canem will change significantly over the next 10
years as people retire or get
promoted. We will need others
to take their places.
We are committed to retaining and developing the people
who work for us so that they
receive the best training and
tools in the industry and are
ready to advance in the company.
To that end, we have hired a
Human Resource Manager to
develop key programs and initiatives, including job descriptions, job performance reviews,
personality testing, job ranking,
training curriculum, peer review
and mentoring processes, career
ladders and career planning. We
want to identify the best people
in our company and give them
the support they need to reach
their full potential.
Remember, that new apprentice you just hired could be the
future President of the company!
The sky is the limit at Canem.
Vancouver DIVISION
Earns CSABC COR
anem Vancouver has
earned a Certificate of
Recognition from the
Construction Safety Association
of BC for completing the STAR
COR safety program. For its
efforts, the Division received a
5% rebate from WorkSafeBC
in the amount of $10,000.
Achieving COR involves completing a series of required
courses for owners, supervisors,
and workers; as well submitting
a written OH&S management
program that is in compliance
with WorkSafeBC regulations
and completing and submitting
a comprehensive safety audit.
“I want to extend my thanks
to everyone who helped make
the Alberta and Vancouver
C
achievements possible,” said
President Brad Armstrong.
“Safety has always been among
Division Manager Ron Tryuda (left)
and Project Manager Wally
Hamming show off the Certificate
of Recognition they earned for
completing the rigorous STAR
COR safety program.
the company’s top priorities in
terms of both our employees
and the public in general.
Project Profile
Scenes from a
processing plant
The Olymel plant in Red Deer is open 365
days per year and will soon up its capacity to 18,000 hogs per day, 24/7. Canem is
responsible for all day-to-day operations
to ensure the production line and associated systems run smoothly.
Warning:
hic
these grap
be
photos may
o
offensive t
s!
some adult
Strong stomachs only need apply!
t’s definitely not for everyone,
but once you get past the blood,
the guts, and the oppressive heat
o
(30 celsius and
above on the floor
some days) the
Olymel hog processing plant in Red Deer
is really a very interesting place to work!
For example, says
Neil Flaman, Canem’s
on-site Foreman at the plant, there
are nine, state-of-the-art robots used
to cut up (we’ll spare you the details)
the 11,000 carcasses per day that are
pushed, one by one, down the gleaming production line via some of the
most sophisticated electronics and
automation systems around. On their
way to the cutting stations and, eventually, the storage coolers, the “piggies” – as Flaman likes to call them –
are first skinned and then have their
I
6
CANEM CONDUIT
excess hair singed off (which
accounts for the heat!).
It’s up to Flaman and his crew to
facilities are completely up-to-date.
The reason, he says, is straightforward: “They trust our judgment. The
plant is open 365 days a year, we
work as we’re needed, and we’ve
never missed a deadline. I’ve worked
some shifts where I’ve been on virtually every day for a month or more.”
That high level of involvement and
responsibility also makes the plant an
excellent training ground, Flaman
adds. “There’s water everywhere, and
blood, and entrails, and for sure
some of the guys who come through
here don’t like it. But those who do
Once you get past the blood,
the guts, and the oppressive heat,
it’s really a very interesting
place to work!
keep everything running smoothly so
that the plant, which is the largest of
its kind in Canada and the biggest
employer in Red Deer, can meet its
production schedule of 16 hours a
day, 7 days a week. “We do everything here, from small projects and
ongoing maintenance to design-build
of high-tech systems,” says Flaman,
noting that Canem has overseen two
major expansions designed to ensure
the production line and associated
Editor: Arbutus Communications 604-253-1962
are really great and learn a lot
because the work involves much
more than standard electrical.”
This little piggie went to
market, indeed!
President’s message
Growth from Within
Employee
Profile
ice guy. Great team
player. You can
always count on him
to get the job done. Those are
just some of the kind words
his coworkers have for
Vancouver Division Project
Manager Wally Hamming.
Ten years ago, they might
not have been the first words
that came to anyone’s mind
about Hamming, who describes
his “wild” younger days in less
than glowing terms! “I was one
of those bad kids in my twenties,” he says. “Nothing criminal, but I got into lots of trouble.” Determined to turn his
life around, Hamming set out,
with the help of his church, on
a personal journey to become a
better person and make a positive contribution.
Today, the results speak for
themselves – including at
work, where the emphasis is
also on making a positive con-
N
bcontinued on page 4
LAUGHING WILLOW DESIGN 604-288-4360
During those eight
have been with Canem for
years, we have also
eight years and during that
hired a number of
time we have purchased six
great employees;
competitors. These acquisitions
unfortunately, we have also
were made to open new markets
Brad
Armstrong
hired a number of people
(Vancouver and Nanaimo) and to
supplement our existing operations who also failed to assimilate into
Canem’s culture and methods. In
(Edmonton). Our experience has
some cases, these failures were from
been mixed. In four of the six
acquisitions, most of the
employees we acquired
the most successful way
were terminated or quit,
to grow our business is
mostly because they
could not adopt our
to develop our own people
methods and practices.
a lack of leadership in helping the
Our successful acquisitions were
CEC Electric Ltd. in Edmonton and individuals involved to succeed, but
in most cases they had developed
Hodgson Electric Ltd. in Nanaimo,
long term bad habits that were
where all of the key people remain
impossible to break.
with us today and have been an
important part of our growth.
I
bcontinued on page 5
Canem Alberta Receives
Safety Award of Excellence
anem’s Alberta Divisions have jointly won the WorkSafe Alberta
2005 Best Safety Performance award for exceptional performance in
workplace health and safety. Canem won for
recording a lost time claims rate that was 40% better than
the industry average and having no workplace fatalities
over the past 3 years. The company can now use the
2005 best performer logo on all of its documents.
Congratulations, team, for a super achievement!
C
VOLUME 3
ISSUE 3
SUMMER / FALL 2006
1
Semi-Annual
Gets results
J
une was a busy month indeed
for the members of Canem’s
management group, who spent
three full days in meetings at
Whistler reporting on their Divisions'
operational
objectives and
strategies, projects, financial
objectives, and
market condi(L to R ): Brian Alexander (Edmonton), Les tions overall.
Hodgson (Nanaimo),
President Brad
Ken Thiessen and
Doug Hale (Calgary).
Armstrong
commended the team members and
was especially pleased with the level
of detail contained in the presentations, which will be used to assist
future planning.
As a well-deserved reward for a
job well-done, Friday night was
reserved for a
special event:
an “Iron Chef”
cook-off
between five
teams whose
Left to right: Kari
members creaMiller, Les Hodgson,
ted yummy, fullCarol Mortensen,
Doug Hale.
course meals
complete with appetizers, entrées,
and dessert – all within a time limit!
The winning team was led by
Nanaimo Division Manager Les
Hodgson (although we hear he mostly did a great job of cleaning up!) and
included Kari Miller, wife of Al
Miller, Vice President and District
Manager, Alberta; Doug Hale,
Calgary Construction Manager; and
Carol Mortensen, whose husband is
Vancouver Island Regional Manager
Knud Mortensen.
5
CANEM CONDUIT
PRES. MESSAGE (continued)
It has been proven over and
over again that the most successful way to grow our business is to develop our own people. The average age of our senior management staff is 52
years and the average age of
our foremen is 45 years. The
face of Canem will change significantly over the next 10
years as people retire or get
promoted. We will need others
to take their places.
We are committed to retaining and developing the people
who work for us so that they
receive the best training and
tools in the industry and are
ready to advance in the company.
To that end, we have hired a
Human Resource Manager to
develop key programs and initiatives, including job descriptions, job performance reviews,
personality testing, job ranking,
training curriculum, peer review
and mentoring processes, career
ladders and career planning. We
want to identify the best people
in our company and give them
the support they need to reach
their full potential.
Remember, that new apprentice you just hired could be the
future President of the company!
The sky is the limit at Canem.
Vancouver DIVISION
Earns CSABC COR
anem Vancouver has
earned a Certificate of
Recognition from the
Construction Safety Association
of BC for completing the STAR
COR safety program. For its
efforts, the Division received a
5% rebate from WorkSafeBC
in the amount of $10,000.
Achieving COR involves completing a series of required
courses for owners, supervisors,
and workers; as well submitting
a written OH&S management
program that is in compliance
with WorkSafeBC regulations
and completing and submitting
a comprehensive safety audit.
“I want to extend my thanks
to everyone who helped make
the Alberta and Vancouver
C
achievements possible,” said
President Brad Armstrong.
“Safety has always been among
Division Manager Ron Tryuda (left)
and Project Manager Wally
Hamming show off the Certificate
of Recognition they earned for
completing the rigorous STAR
COR safety program.
the company’s top priorities in
terms of both our employees
and the public in general.
Project Profile
Scenes from a
processing plant
The Olymel plant in Red Deer is open 365
days per year and will soon up its capacity to 18,000 hogs per day, 24/7. Canem is
responsible for all day-to-day operations
to ensure the production line and associated systems run smoothly.
Warning:
hic
these grap
be
photos may
o
offensive t
s!
some adult
Strong stomachs only need apply!
t’s definitely not for everyone,
but once you get past the blood,
the guts, and the oppressive heat
o
(30 celsius and
above on the floor
some days) the
Olymel hog processing plant in Red Deer
is really a very interesting place to work!
For example, says
Neil Flaman, Canem’s
on-site Foreman at the plant, there
are nine, state-of-the-art robots used
to cut up (we’ll spare you the details)
the 11,000 carcasses per day that are
pushed, one by one, down the gleaming production line via some of the
most sophisticated electronics and
automation systems around. On their
way to the cutting stations and, eventually, the storage coolers, the “piggies” – as Flaman likes to call them –
are first skinned and then have their
I
6
CANEM CONDUIT
excess hair singed off (which
accounts for the heat!).
It’s up to Flaman and his crew to
facilities are completely up-to-date.
The reason, he says, is straightforward: “They trust our judgment. The
plant is open 365 days a year, we
work as we’re needed, and we’ve
never missed a deadline. I’ve worked
some shifts where I’ve been on virtually every day for a month or more.”
That high level of involvement and
responsibility also makes the plant an
excellent training ground, Flaman
adds. “There’s water everywhere, and
blood, and entrails, and for sure
some of the guys who come through
here don’t like it. But those who do
Once you get past the blood,
the guts, and the oppressive heat,
it’s really a very interesting
place to work!
keep everything running smoothly so
that the plant, which is the largest of
its kind in Canada and the biggest
employer in Red Deer, can meet its
production schedule of 16 hours a
day, 7 days a week. “We do everything here, from small projects and
ongoing maintenance to design-build
of high-tech systems,” says Flaman,
noting that Canem has overseen two
major expansions designed to ensure
the production line and associated
Editor: Arbutus Communications 604-253-1962
are really great and learn a lot
because the work involves much
more than standard electrical.”
This little piggie went to
market, indeed!
President’s message
Growth from Within
Employee
Profile
ice guy. Great team
player. You can
always count on him
to get the job done. Those are
just some of the kind words
his coworkers have for
Vancouver Division Project
Manager Wally Hamming.
Ten years ago, they might
not have been the first words
that came to anyone’s mind
about Hamming, who describes
his “wild” younger days in less
than glowing terms! “I was one
of those bad kids in my twenties,” he says. “Nothing criminal, but I got into lots of trouble.” Determined to turn his
life around, Hamming set out,
with the help of his church, on
a personal journey to become a
better person and make a positive contribution.
Today, the results speak for
themselves – including at
work, where the emphasis is
also on making a positive con-
N
bcontinued on page 4
LAUGHING WILLOW DESIGN 604-288-4360
During those eight
have been with Canem for
years, we have also
eight years and during that
hired a number of
time we have purchased six
great employees;
competitors. These acquisitions
unfortunately, we have also
were made to open new markets
Brad
Armstrong
hired a number of people
(Vancouver and Nanaimo) and to
supplement our existing operations who also failed to assimilate into
Canem’s culture and methods. In
(Edmonton). Our experience has
some cases, these failures were from
been mixed. In four of the six
acquisitions, most of the
employees we acquired
the most successful way
were terminated or quit,
to grow our business is
mostly because they
could not adopt our
to develop our own people
methods and practices.
a lack of leadership in helping the
Our successful acquisitions were
CEC Electric Ltd. in Edmonton and individuals involved to succeed, but
in most cases they had developed
Hodgson Electric Ltd. in Nanaimo,
long term bad habits that were
where all of the key people remain
impossible to break.
with us today and have been an
important part of our growth.
I
bcontinued on page 5
Canem Alberta Receives
Safety Award of Excellence
anem’s Alberta Divisions have jointly won the WorkSafe Alberta
2005 Best Safety Performance award for exceptional performance in
workplace health and safety. Canem won for
recording a lost time claims rate that was 40% better than
the industry average and having no workplace fatalities
over the past 3 years. The company can now use the
2005 best performer logo on all of its documents.
Congratulations, team, for a super achievement!
C
VOLUME 3
ISSUE 3
SUMMER / FALL 2006
1