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EDITORIAL
Editorial Director: Phoebe Harper phoebe.harper@outlookpublishing.com
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BUSINESS
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SUBSCRIPTIONS
phoebe.harper@outlookpublishing.com www.northamericaoutlookmag.com Like
“As women, we are natural leaders, and we are strong and capable. But with the support of other women behind us, we are unstoppable.”
The words of Emily Soloby, Founder of Juno Jones safety boots, encapsulate the spirit of female empowerment that runs throughout this issue as we foreground the Women In Trucking Association, Inc. (WIT) and several of its members.
Our cover star, PACCAR, needs little introduction as a titan of the American trucking industry, however the inspiring trajectory of its Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Lily Ley, is equally impressive, as she details her career ascension from humble roots in Mexico to executive positions in a traditionally male-populated field.
“Women face a shortage of female role models. Those just starting out in their professions are searching for women in leadership roles to imitate but are having difficulty finding examples that are relevant,” she shares. Ley embodies the idea of role modeling and mentorship that the industry needs, as CEO of Full Advantage, LLC Katie Keich concurs in an exclusive personal profile. We also have the pleasure of speaking with the President and CEO of WIT itself, Ellen Voie, as she reflects on her final year overseeing the association and hints at what’s to come in the industry’s largest event in Dallas this November at the Accelerate! Conference & Expo.
Showcasing myriad other companies throughout North America, we speak with global maritime behemoth Inchcape Shipping Services, the innovative Ontario-based healthcare facility Grand River Hospital, and guardians of California’s water supply, San Jose Water, plus many more.
We hope that you enjoy your read.
Editorial Director, Outlook Publishing
LEADING ON FROM a ruling issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August this year, adults across North America can now purchase hearing aids over-the-counter.
Previously, patients required prescriptions for hearing aids, which typically involved costly healthcare services. Now, those suffering from
mild to moderate hearing loss can purchase the devices in retail outlets including the supermarket chain Hy-vee and select Walmart locations to name just a few. The FDA has estimated that the move will save the average consumer approximately $1,438 due to the elimination of professional services that were necessary previously.
BRANDING ITSELF AS the ‘Free Speech App’, Parlement Technologies has announced an agreement to sell its extreme right-wing social media platform - Parler - to the rapper Ye (formerly known as Kanye West).
AS THE ONGOING megadrought continues to threaten water supplies across California, the state’s Coastal Commission has approved the construction of a $140 million desalination plant.
With the ability to convert roughly five million gallons of seawater into a potable supply, the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project will be located in Orange County and has the potential to become fully functional within the next five years.
The news comes as California suffers the driest two decades in over a thousand years as a result of climate change, with the state’s reservoirs at historically depleted levels.
The announcement follows Ye’s recent censorship by both Twitter and Instagram, during which he was blocked for making anti-Semitic comments.
The new ownership is set to preserve the expression of free speech, in a space where all voices and opinions are welcomed. The financial details involved in the takeover are yet to be disclosed.
ANALYSTS AT DEUTSCHE Bank have confirmed widespread fears for an upcoming period of high inflation and low growth across the US economy, threatening a prolonged age of negative returns.
The bank has warned of markets under-pricing the risk of ‘70s-style’ stagflation, off the back of consistently high inflation data that may result in long-term negative returns for stocks and
THE HITACHI RAIL Group has released the final design for its $70 million train factory and test track, with construction well-underway on site in Washington County, Maryland.
The lead site developer, US-based
bonds. It is largely agreed that inflation has soared due to the events of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Deutsche Bank cautioning that such idiosyncratic occurrences may continue, along with an uncontrolled escalation of inflation levels.
FOOD & DRINK
AS OF OCTOBER 2022, Starbucks has commenced its partnership with Delta Air Lines to combine two of America’s most “highly regarded” loyalty programs, according to the official press release.
construction firm Ryan Companies, has confirmed that the factory’s launch remains on schedule and due to open in early 2024. The factory promises to be a major boost for the region, largely thanks to the potential for job creation and associated economic benefits.
Once launched, the factory will produce a variety of models, from high-speed services to metro trains.
By linking Starbucks Rewards and Delta SkyMiles accounts, customers will be awarded with one mile for every dollar spent at Starbucks. Members are also eligible for reward points and ‘double stars’ at Starbucks on days when they are scheduled to fly with Delta. The partnership is a strategic move for the coffee chain to drive growth and attract new members.
ENERGY SOLUTIONS GIANT bp has just signed a $4 billion agreement to purchase the leading US renewable natural gas (RNG) producer, Archaea Energy. The acquisition combines bp’s mission to expand across the US as a fast-growing geography for biogas, whilst accelerating its own bioenergy transition.
Archaea Energy currently operates 50 landfill gas-to-energy facilities across North America, and has a development pipeline to support a five-fold increase in RNG volumes by 2030.
As one of bp’s five strategic transition growth engines, bioenergy is a fundamental factor in supporting the company’s net zero ambition in driving customers’ decarbonization goals and reducing the carbon intensity of its own energy products.
Written by: Amanda Li, co-founder and COO, Banyan Infrastructure
We all have an important role in the battle to fight climate change. However, certain carbon heavy sectors, such as the built world, will need to work harder than others to address the pressing challenge - this also creates the area for enormous opportunity. Currently, the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) estimates that 60 percent of global emissions are from infrastructure[1]. As such, it’s clear that future developments will have a huge impact on our ability to meet the 2050 Net Zero targets agreed to in the Paris Agreement. Furthermore, research by McKinsey has shown that for the world to achieve net-zero emissions in 2050, $3.5 trillion more would need to be invested into low-emissions capital stock each year than it is now [2] .
The need for change is immediate, and the growing economic case for green infrastructure projects is certainly accelerating the appetite for corporate investment. Fossil fuel-based energy
has become less appealing due to factors such as geopolitical events, policies that favor green, and volatile markets - whereas green alternatives, such as solar energy, are becoming more highly sought after. However, to take advantage of these trends, we must first create capacity to accelerate investment into this market.
Today, investing in sustainable infrastructure projects remains a largely manual and inefficient set of processes, with limited standards of technology to leverage. Despite the advances in the availability of asset and financial data, many companies are slow to deploy investment for these projects with the same outdated techniques used for the past many decades. Moreover, while sustainable infrastructure projects have broadly become smaller, cheaper, and more numerous, the complexity of infrastructure lending has hardly changed.
Now, with the world poised for an economic downturn, there is
an added layer of complexity for businesses to navigate. Although the appetite to invest in sustainable infrastructure remains strong, there is a natural increase in risk assessment for investment decisions, and without access to the full scope of data required to make an informed decision, businesses may well be less likely to invest at the needed scale or speed. Furthermore, where the process remains cumbersome and complicated, businesses stand to lose out on financial advantages that could have been gained. The World Economic Forum identified new sustainable buildings as a $24.7 trillion investment opportunity by 2030, in emerging markets alone [3]
A slowdown in sustainable infrastructure investment at this point would be detrimental to the targets set for net-zero emissions. Ultimately, it could well end up being a fatal blow to the global community’s pursuit of broader environmental goals, including the IPCC’s universally
heralded 1.5°C target. If this were to happen, the worst effects of climate change would become largely unavoidable, which would ultimately cost lives.
So, the question becomes how do we improve the process for investing into sustainable infrastructure projects? Well, at Banyan Infrastructure (Banyan), we have a few ideas that might just help. In fact, since our inception in 2018, we’ve already helped to deploy and manage over $1 billion of capital towards sustainable infrastructure developments, including solar, energy efficiency, energy storage and more. Now, our attention is focused on going even further, and faster.
As a business, we want to help to facilitate more sustainable infrastructure projects around the world. However, we understand that the long-standing complexities of the process often make this difficult. As previously mentioned, investment in sustainable infrastructure is still largely
dictated by a manual and inefficient set of processes which provides little flexibility or transparency to those on the other side of it.
Therefore, the sector would massively benefit from new, technology-driven solutions, which make the sustainable investment process more straightforward. Similarly, it’s important these solutions are accessible, intuitive and fully transparent - which in turn significantly helps to inform decisions around risk.
We created Banyan to facilitate transparency and increase accessibility. Our innovative, technology-led system provides dynamic online checklists and scorecards, approval-based workflow automation, a centralized data vault sync and a self-service client portal to help streamline the sustainable infrastructure investment process. All in all, our platform has been purposebuilt to meet the modern demands of project finance and sustainable infrastructure teams.
With our solution, major sustainable
A former infrastructure investor at Generate Capital, Amanda Li has significant expertise in sustainable infrastructure investment. Her career spans product roles across technology and renewables startups in Canada, China, and the USA – which has led her to cofounding Banyan Infrastructure.
infrastructure projects can benefit from automated contractual compliance. The innovations in technology have allowed our platform to help to provide loans originated at a higher velocity, serviced at a lower cost, and syndicated with greater liquidity. As such, the system is helping to both simplify, and optimize the mechanisms needed to continue financing the switch to green infrastructure.
Right now, there is a significant opportunity for the sector to adapt and evolve, utilizing the technology available to adopt new solutions that allow sustainable infrastructure projects to happen in a more straightforward, efficient manner. If this happens, the industry can begin to make good on its promise of cutting carbon emissions around the world, and in doing so, will help the broader global community to meet several crucial carbon reduction targets.
For more information about Banyan, please visit: www.banyaninfrastructure.com
[1] - https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/investing-inclimate-investing-in-growth_9789264273528-en
[2] - https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/ operations/our-insights/global-infrastructure-initiative/ voices/infrastructure-for-a-net-zero-economytransformation-ahead
[3] - https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/12/4-expertviews-how-to-accelerate-investment-green-buildings/
The time of year has come again when the largest sport from across the pond hits the UK, bringing with it one of the most iconic events from around the globe; muscle, armor, and strategy collide in the heavy-hitting NFL London, as the best of American football touches down in the capital.
Since its heyday in the UK in 2007, the NFL has drawn enormous crowds. A total of 33 games have been played in London since then, and each year, the UK fanbase and following grows.
Fandom is at the core of the sport; each team has its theme, and American football fans do not hold
back. Spectators only have to look at the green and yellow “cheeseheads” cheering on Wisconsin’s Green Bay Packers, the gold-black miters bearing the fleur-de-lis in support of the New Orleans Saints, or hear the resounding boom of the “Skol Chant”, a pregame tradition of the Minnesota Vikings - three examples of the unique energy fans bring with them.
Back in October 2021, the capital hosted matches at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but this year, the NFL will make its home at Wembley Stadium as well. If anything shows the growth of American football in the UK, its the upsizing of the venue,
as Wembley hosts 90,000 seats compared to Tottenham’s 63,000.
With the NFL underway, we now turn to games played and the contest still to come.
At the start of the month, Tottenham saw the Minnesota Vikings come up against the New Orleans Saints in a match with an explosive last quarter.
Following the first three quarters, all looked in the Vikings’ favor. However, as the fourth quarter dawned, a spectacular display of sporting prowess saw a chaotic back-and-forth finale, as the Vikings held on for a 28-25 victory.
Amid the action, enormous 75-yard touchdown drives (as well as a successful two-point conversion) brought a new level of excitement and atmosphere to the game. Following this, Saints kicker Wil Lutz managed a 60-yard field goal bringing the team
We take a look at American football’s growing fandom in the UK, the games played so far, and the upcoming final match between the Broncos and Jaguars
level with the Vikings, whose own kicker Greg Joseph had missed the last extra point. However, Joseph returned with last-minute glory, scoring a 47-yard field goal which placed the Vikings in the lead with 30 seconds to spare.
The Saints were given the opportunity to come back thanks to quarterback Andy Dalton completing a long pass to wide receiver Chris Olave, granting Lutz a chance to score another field goal at 61 yards. However, the ball fell, ricocheted onto, and heartbreakingly bounced off the crossbar to land in front of the posts, and the Saints dropped to 1-3, as the victorious Vikings made their way to 3-1.
On the 9th October, Tottenham was host to the New York Giants, facing off against the Green Bay Packers, and the highlight of the game was Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.
Needing a breakout year amid several seasons of below-average play, Jones finally showed his talent and potential to lead a secondhalf comeback that ended with a 27-22 New York win against the playoff-quality Packers. Despite being down 20-10 at the half, the Giants held strong and, thanks to the performance of star running back Saquon Barkley (fully fit for the first time in years), established what might be the upset of the season thus far. Predicted by many to be a bottomfive team in the league this season, the Giants are now 4-1 under their new head coach Brian Daboll.
Just as impressive as their offensive scoring, the Giants’ defense was stout, holding back Green Bay’s offense captained by hall-of-fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Giants allowed only 98 yards between four combined secondhalf drives, and a total of zero points, although it took a second, monumental defensive last stand to secure the victory.
The Packers bit back with a step-by-step approach with around six minutes left on the clock, advancing forward and moving the ball to the Giants’ six, but safeties Kayvon Thibodeaux and Xavier McKinney’s batted passes ending the Packers’ drives. Rodgers’ young and inexperienced receiving corps, with their outstanding, all-pro talent Davante Adams having left for the Raiders in the offseason, struggled often against the Giants’ defensive schema.
The key takeaway from this game, other than the Giants looking great, was quarterback Daniel Jones seemingly taking ‘the next step’ on his way to being a true franchise player. Despite having no scores, he made several big plays, running 10 times for 37 yards and setting up his playmakers to achieve the scores needed to overtake Green Bay, and ended the game with a total of 217 yards on 21-of-27 passing.
At the end of the month (30th October), the Denver Broncos will face down the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley, a long-anticipated match after poorer performances for both teams during 2021.
Superstar quarterback Russell Wilson, joining the Broncos from the Seahawks in the offseason, has played below expectations, whilst the Jaguars’ second-year number one overall quarterback pick Trevor Lawrence is yet to prove he’s a franchise player. The Jaguars defense, despite having the number one draft pick again and picking edge rusher Travon Walker, have begun to look weaker as the season has gone on.
Both teams will come to the UK with something to prove, coming off bad results over the last few weeks. This will be the third and final London game of the season and promises fans, both from the UK and abroad, a fantastic spectacle to end this year’s NFL London 2022.
As an industry, transportation is one of the largest contributors to US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The mandate for Hyzon Motors (Hyzon) is therefore clear: to transition vehicles to clean energy and protect the planet for future generations.
Headquartered in Rochester, New York, Hyzon develops zero-emission, hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles
with leading fuel cell technology to decarbonize fleets and accelerate the energy transition.
Hyzon prioritizes hydrogen produced from renewable sources, such as waste, renewable gases, solar and wind, and chooses production technologies that are economically viable at a small scale during adoption, with the ability to scale modularly as demand grows.
Renewable resources and scaleable sites, along with local hydrogen production, not only reduce costs but also maximize eligibility for incentives and subsidies.
Working from the inside out, Hyzon’s engineers build proprietary fuel cells from the ground up, and apply decades of experience to develop high-performance components that lead to powerful, reliable vehicles.
Today, Hyzon’s in-house fuel cell technology unlocks the potential for hydrogen heavy vehicles; tomorrow, Hyzon’s proprietary engineering will make hydrogen-powered medium and heavy-duty vehicles viable.
We speak to Parker Meeks, President and Interim CEO of Hyzon, about accelerating the clean energy transition with zero-emission vehicles.
Hyzon Motors is decarbonizing transport with hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles. President and Interim CEO, Parker Meeks, discusses driving the clean energy transition
It’s no secret that North America is too reliant on diesel-powered vehicles and remains far behind the rest of the world in transitioning to cleaner fuel.
Recent reporting from the International Energy Agency suggests China is dominating in terms of battery-electric truck manufacturing, with North American countries like the US just starting to emerge in the market. Transportation emissions are a massive problem for the future of our continent, as US EPA data estimates that transportation
North America Outlook (NA): What is your take on the motor vehicle manufacturing industry in North America at the moment?
accounted for 27 percent of all American emissions in 2020 – with 83 percent of those emissions coming from light-duty vehicles, medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
So, it’s clearly time for North American governments and vehicle manufacturers to prioritize new, environmentally-sustainable solutions for how goods are transported. At Hyzon, we believe hydrogen is the solution to making zero-emission heavy-duty transport, and expect demand in North American markets to follow suit in the years to come as consumers learn more about the benefits of hydrogen fuel cellpowered vehicles.
NA:
PM: In order to decarbonize transport, zero-emission vehicles must offer customers clear advantages over diesel power.
Hyzon’s hydrogen fuel cellpowered trucks are designed to provide fleets with zero compromise in their current power, payload or range, in addition to a near-silent driving experience. Most importantly, our trucks are truly zero-emission and emit only water vapor.
We also understand the future of hydrogen-powered vehicles will be dependent on reliable infrastructure. To that end, Hyzon is investing significantly in developing renewable hydrogen networks close to our customers, reducing the high cost of transporting hydrogen.
How are Hyzon’s hydrogenpowered commercial vehicles helping to decarbonize transport?
We believe in partnering with leaders at every step of the hydrogen value chain to create a flexible and green fueling ecosystem, such as our partnership with Raven SR to create a waste-to-hydrogen production hub in Northern California.
NA: What end-to-end solutions are provided by Hyzon to help operators transition their fleets without having to modify daily operations?
PM: Hyzon’s singular goal is to accelerate the transition away from diesel by creating convenience for our customers – and our recently announced Repower program is the latest example of our work towards that goal.
Customers can exchange their used diesel truck chassis for conversion to Hyzon’s electric fuel cell operation. With the average order of a new diesel truck being 16 months, our program will allow fleets to get back on the road faster with an extended, cleaner lifetime.
Hyzon guarantees hydrogen access to Repower customers through a
mobile refueler, and by establishing a hydrogen production hub near or at the operational location once fully transitioned. These end-to-end solutions also include training, parts, and support provided by Hyzon to ensure the easiest possible transition to zero emissions. Best of all, there is no new vehicle for operators to learn –only a new, zero-emission identity.
NA: To get zero-emission, hydrogenpowered vehicles on the road faster, how important is it for Hyzon to constantly innovate on core technologies?
PM: Innovation is critical to accelerating the transition toward decarbonization. Through aggressive R&D investments, Hyzon plans to maximize its proprietary content in the vehicle, enabling supply chain independence, improving performance, reducing cost, and achieving parity with diesel without subsidies.
Acceleration of our mission also includes taking advantage of new developments related to hydrogen
infrastructure and adoption. California is the North American leader in providing incentives and support for zero-emission customers, and Hyzon has worked closely with the state to garner the first-ever certification for a hydrogen-powered truck by the California Air Resources Board.
Together, governments and first movers like Hyzon can innovate on the policies and technologies needed to reach our ambitious climate goals.
NA: By providing zero-emission vehicles, are you confident that Hyzon Motors will accelerate the clean energy transition?
PM: Yes. Transportation is the largest source of planet-warming GHGs in the US and is only worsening. Fortunately, it is an industry that is tangibly recognizing the outdated and unsustainable dependence on diesel-powered vehicles. Our team at Hyzon understands the urgency of our mission and recognizes a growing consensus toward zero-emission vehicles from the public and private sectors.
Building on the global success of our regional titles – North America Outlook, Africa Outlook, APAC Outlook, and EME Outlook – Outlook Publishing is proud to be launching a dedicated platform for the Mining & Resources sector.
As mining organizations worldwide confront unprecedented change, embracing technological innovations and incorporating critical environmental sustainability agendas, now more than ever is the time to showcase the strides being taken in this dynamic sector.
A multi-channel brand, Mining Outlook will bring you the positive developments driven by organizations across the global mining industry through our various platforms. Discover exclusive content distributed through our website, online magazine*, social media channels, and dispatches delivered straight to your inbox with a bi-weekly newsletter.
Through this compelling new venture, we intend to foreground the movers and shakers of the industry. To participate as a featured company and join us in this exciting endeavor, contact one of our Project Managers today.
www.mining-outlook.com
Personal protective equipment (PPE) that doesn’t fit properly is a well-known safety hazard. But for women across many industries, the reality remains that the majority of PPE has been designed with a male frame in mind – from face masks that are not tailored to the typically narrower jawline of a woman’s face, to steel-capped boots that are suited only to men’s shoe sizes.
Manual workwear designed for a comfortable, safe, female-fit is a step towards gender equality in traditionally male-populated industries. Emily Soloby is an innovator who sought to drive this change, combining comfort, style, and quality performance with the launch of her safety boot company, Juno Jones. We speak with the inspirational entrepreneur to find out more.
North America Outlook (NA): What led you to establish your company, Juno Jones?
Emily Soloby, Founder (ES): My background is in law, but my husband Ryan and I have been running the AAA School of Trucking for over a decade. During the early years of running that business, I’d often find myself going from my office to
the trucks, and the shoes I was wearing weren’t cutting it. I couldn’t find boots online or in stores that fit my feet properly, were comfortable, and had the safety features I needed to protect myself.
I began talking to other women in the trucking world, and that quickly branched into construction as well as other fields. Everyone told me the same thing— they needed options. All that was available on the market was “pink it and shrink it” boots that were not truly made with women’s needs in mind, or actual men’s boots in smaller sizes, which didn’t fit well at all, and looked ridiculous.
I’m a lifelong boot lover, but I’ve also always had an interest in shoemaking, and have studied the craft and made shoes by hand. I knew with my background, I’d be the perfect person to create Juno Jones. The response
Giving workplace gender inequality the boot, we speak with Emily Soloby, Founder of safety boot retailer Juno Jones and Co-owner of the AAA School of Trucking
has been amazing. Our Kickstarter funded the first day that we launched, and we are now carried by Zappos, Duluth Trading Company, and of course our website. We are thrilled that our stylish safety boots can now be found on everyone from welders to women at NASA.
NA: As Co-owner of the AAA School of Trucking, are you noticing an uptake in female drivers? How does the school encourage them?
ES: We are seeing a slow but steady uptick in female drivers. We are noticing that part of that is due to raised awareness, thanks to organizations like Women in Trucking Association, Inc (WIT), and part is due to many carriers now making an effort to recruit women, and to provide safer and more welcoming environments for them to work in. We work closely with WIT to make sure that the female students at our school have the ongoing community they need once they graduate and are in the working world. We also make every effort to maintain women instructors and administrators to
foster an environment of inclusion and to provide a diverse perspective.
NA: Could you expand on your involvement with WIT?
ES: My company has been a member of WIT for many years. They have a number of programs to spread the word to women about the trucking industry, and to create community and provide resources to women drivers. I am on the WIT Driver Ambassador Task Force, which is an exciting initiative. We’ve created a
NA: Tell us more about your work with the Hazard Girls Podcast?
ES: The Hazard Girls Podcast is a weekly show devoted to sharing the stories of women in male-populated fields. We like to say “male-populated” instead of “male-dominated” because there may be more men than women, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are dominating. Why use a term that assumes they are? Our audience is made up of women across industries who want to be inspired by the stories of other trailblazing women. One part of our goal is to spread the word among women about the career possibilities out there. Another big part of our mission is to inspire, to provide role models, and to show that if other women can, so can you.
NA: Finally, what advice do you have for women considering entering traditionally malepopulated industries such as transportation or construction?
mobile education unit in the form of a gorgeous and empowering tractor trailer named WITney, driven by our ambassador Kellylynn McLaughlin. The unit includes information about the trucking industry, a video testimonial, an interactive quiz, and a display of a typical woman driver’s uniform, which of course includes a pair of Juno Jones safety boots.
ES: Do it. The time has never been better for women to enter STEM fields and trades. There are more resources and role models than ever before. Thanks to increased awareness about these fields for women, and thanks to diversity initiatives in companies and organizations, things are changing for the better. My main piece of advice would be to find community, and to find a mentor. As women, we are natural leaders, and we are strong and capable. But with the support of other women behind us, we are unstoppable.
“We are thrilled that our stylish safety boots can now be found on everyone from welders to women at NASA”
- Emily Soloby, Founder, Juno Jones
NORTH AMERICA OUTLOOK is a digital product aimed at boardroom and hands-on decision-makers across a wide range of industries on the continent.
With content compiled by our experienced editorial team complemented by an in-house design team, the resultant Outlook Creative Services department ensures delivery to the highest standards in promoting the latest in engaging news, industry trends and success stories across the length and breadth of the US & Canada.
As a bi-monthly publication, North America Outlook constantly has its finger on the pulse of the latest trends, biggest developments and business successes from each corner of the region, epitomized by the diversity displayed across each magazine. It incorporates an annual calendar-tailored front-of-book section, a showcasing segment dedicated to the most fascinating success stories in North America, and an event focus assortment sure to fill executives’ diaries throughout the year. The aligning North America Outlook website is also honed and ready to serve as a host for these facets and much more.
To get involved, please contact Outlook Publishing’s Managing Director, James Mitchell, who can provide further details on how to feature your company, for FREE, in one of our upcoming editions.
PACCAR is putting the pedal to the metal on gender diversity in the North American trucking industry. We examine the progress of its electrification strategy and energizing empowerment in the workforce with Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Lily Ley
Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Tom Cullum
Behind the wheel of the major supply chains that keep the world turning by delivering cargo and essential commodities, a new labor force continues to emerge.
Taking to the tarmac of the North American trucking industry, a growing number of women are being seen in the driver’s seat, pursuing a fruitful career path that has long been obscured by outdated archetypes and antiquated perceptions of traditional gender roles.
Although prevailing challenges remain for women entering this historically male-dominated sector, the past decade has seen continuous evolution and a paradigm shift. A report published by FreightWaves in Spring 2022 found that roughly 47 percent of the US trucking industry was made up of women, which in turn comprised of seven percent working as truck drivers, 23 percent in management roles, and the additional 17 percent operating in supporting administrative positions such as office personnel.
Similarly, the Women in Supply Chain survey published by Gartner reports that women now represent 19 percent of C-level positions in supply chain organizations across North America in 2022, increasing from 15 percent in 2021.
Fueling this boom are the organizations that actively seek to incentivize women truck drivers as a source of recruitment, opening up a whole new demographic for labor that has long been underrepresented or overlooked.
This is essential in the current industrial climate, as many players in the supply chain navigate the continued disruption and historic labor shortages left in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, WIT research has found that the influx of female drivers began to truly pick up the pace during this unique period.
Alongside incentivized recruitment efforts, certain organizations are
focusing on cementing their status as receptive, enabling, and empowering environments for women to work in.
Working in partnership with WIT for over a decade, PACCAR is one such organization that prides itself on a company culture founded on a diverse and fair workplace for all employees.
Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, over the past 117 years, PACCAR has cemented its reputation as a global leader in the design, manufacture, and customer support of premium light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Iconic names in trucking models, including Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF, were born from PACCAR’s world-class industrial prowess.
Quality, technology and innovation are the three guiding tenets that lie at the bedrock of the company’s operations and run throughout the diverse business lines united within the PACCAR brand, such as PACCAR Powertrain, PACCAR Parts, PACCAR
LILY LEY, VP AND CIO: “PACCAR has been involved with WIT for almost a decade and a Gold Partner since 2019. We have participated in the Accelerate! Conference as a Diamond Sponsor since 2016.
“This conference has provided opportunities to network across the industry as well as development opportunities with the many conference topics. During the last decade, WIT has recognized several PACCAR women as “Top Women to Watch” and several PACCAR divisions as the “Top Company to Work For”. PACCAR chose to renew as a gold-level partner because we believe in the WIT mission. This mission aligns closely with PACCAR’s goal to increase women’s roles in transportation as well as PACCAR Leadership roles.”
Leasing, PACCAR Financial Services, PACCAR Winch and Dynacraft.
It is not just the products themselves where PACCAR excels, but also the fundamental technology that powers seamless logistics, as embodied by the PACCAR Information Technology (ITD) division and complementary Global Connected Services organization.
Indeed, the past decade has witnessed PACCAR embark on an ambitious journey of digital transformation, as the company has embraced the flexibility and adaptability required to establish itself as a technological leader.
This momentous effort has entailed the adoption of customer-centric systems, data intelligence, and a major shift towards modern cloud-centered
NORTH AMERICA OUTLOOK: COULD YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH WOMEN IN TRUCKING ASSOCIATION, INC. (WIT)?
architecture, alongside a host of other technological avenues.
This all feeds into an overriding strategy founded on modernizing and automating IT, thereby reimagining PACCAR’s operating model with heightened resiliency and increased security in a technologically advanced business environment.
Laying the cement of this digital foundation is Lily Ley, as PACCAR’s Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO).
Ley brings to the role over 30 years of experience in the tech field – another industry which, much like trucking, is a male-dominated field.
“Female representation is growing, but the top tier is still dominated by
men,” she observes.
Indeed, as CIO of a Fortune 500 company, Ley is a minority, with latest figures from Statista recording that just 25 percent of those in CIO positions at Fortune 500 companies across the globe are female.
“I began my career in Mexicali, Mexico, as a Pascal programmer for a small software firm. In 1989, I started working with Kenworth Mexicana as a developer (Pascal and COBOL),” she shares.
During the next 17 years Ley progressed from position to position with ever-increasing scope and responsibility, before scaling the heights of an IT Director role for which she relocated to the US.
“In 2006, I moved to Kirkland, Washington to work for the
Kenworth Division. Since then, I have been taking on numerous roles with growing responsibility including my current job as Vice President and CIO of PACCAR.”
Determining the career background that led to her current position, it was an innate curiosity and ambitious personality that has persisted since childhood, which inspired Ley to pursue her own interests, as a self-proclaimed “nerd” with an analytical mind.
From humble beginnings in Mexico, this inquisitive outlook paired with the purely practical drive to make money led to Ley becoming the first in her family to earn an Undergraduate Degree (BA/ Computer Science Engineering) and an MBA.
Motherson is a diversified global manufacturing specialist and one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers for OEMs. Motherson supports its customers from more than 300 facilities across 41 countries, with a team of over 150,000 dedicated professionals. The group recorded revenues of USD 10.5 billion during 2021-22 and is ranked among the top 25 automotive suppliers worldwide.
The group is a full system solutions provider to its customers and its product portfolio includes electrical distribution systems, fully assembled vehicle interior and exterior modules, automotive rear vision systems, molded plastic parts and assemblies, injection molding tools, molded and extruded rubber components, lighting systems, electronics, precision metals and modules, IT services and wireless power etc. The group has expanded its presence in new segments that includes aerospace, logistics, health and medical. The diversified range of technologies helps Motherson to serve a spectrum of industries, with the automotive sector being the main industry served.
Motherson is proud to be a trusted partner of PACCAR. Our group companies PKC Group and MSSL Wiring System INC. (MWSI) are supplying high quality electrical distribution systems to PACCAR from our locations around the globe. We will always ensure that we continue developing capabilities to support PACCAR for all its current and future requirements.
We always beam with pride as we see our people work together to help us scale new heights. Special mention goes to our women colleagues working across PKC and MWSI locations who accentuate productivity and outcome. They possess remarkable dexterity, especially in the assembly area where their taping speed is unmatched and their rhythm to work indispensable.
The patience, perseverance, and humility of our women workforce contribute value to PACCAR and to the global trucking industry as a whole.
“I grew up in a family that encouraged me and my five siblings to try new things. I was a dedicated student and extremely good at math and science, winning several recognitions as the Student of the Month and Student of the Year several years in a row during Junior High,” she recalls.
“At the time, I had one goal - to get a job and assist my parents by paying the family’s expenses.”
Fast forward three decades and Ley became the first female to sit on PACCAR’s Executive Operating Committee.
It is these founding stages of Ley’s career and the impressive trajectory that ensued which are instrumental to her story, conveying how women don’t just appear in leadership positions – it takes hard work, commitment, and a
network of support.
“I believe my success is due to the support of my family, mentors, and sponsors who believed in me and encouraged me to take on challenging tasks and try new things,” she says.
As a woman in the industry that has been celebrated for her achievements – including her nomination as winner of the ‘2021 Influential Woman in Trucking’ award by WIT – Ley embodies the inspiring version of role modeling that may be considered lacking for other women drawn to entering the trucking space, in whatever position.
“Women face a shortage of female role models,” she comments. “Those just starting out in their professions
are searching for women in leadership roles to imitate but are having difficulty finding examples that are relevant.”
Alongside her work at PACCAR, Ley dedicates considerable time to mentoring students and advocating for inclusivity in the workplace for women, leveraging the platform she has earned and the influence she has amassed over her career thus far.
As Ley’s own career path shows, mentoring has an instrumental role to play in encouraging career development, particularly when acknowledging the challenges that prevail throughout the industry which might deter a female professional from considering it as a field of work for a host of positions - whether as a truck driver themselves, in operations or in an office-based role.
Complementing the production of North America Outlook, APAC Outlook, EME Outlook and Africa Outlook magazines, Outlook Publishing’s awardwinning in-house team is now utilizing these same specialist production skills to offer a full and bespoke range of editorial, design and marketing services via its new Outlook Creative Services division. For more information on how we can work with you in providing a plethora of completely flexible and customizable production services, please visit: www.outlookpublishing.com/creative-services
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In recognition of this inequity in opportunity and the value of greater integration throughout the wider industry, PACCAR manifests the change that is needed.
“Its Diversity and Inclusion councils, mentorship programs and training are designed to empower and position women to successfully assume
leadership roles and responsibilities,” Ley elaborates.
Mentorship programs include the PACCAR Parts’ “Wings Mentoring Program and Peterbilt’s Protégé program. These programs provide an opportunity for employees to initiate a mentoring relationship with a more experienced colleague through which both their personal and professional development is nourished. Mentees identify personal career objectives and develop an action plan to achieve their goals.
By so doing, the company attracts the widest pool of talent available, particularly women.
“As women, we face many challenges. We want to be 100 percent perfect in everything we do both personally and professionally,” observes Ley.
“In any organization, women can be found who are strong, smart, and technically competent in comparison to their male counterparts. These women still face many obstacles. Corporate offices are slowly bridging the gender gap, but there is still a lot of work to do.”
Inteva Products is a customerdriven global supplier of innovative, reliable, environmentally friendly engineered components and systems for automotive and commercial vehicles that enhance vehicle quality, safety and performance.
We provide top-tier competitive products and services, with quality measured at single-digit rejected parts per million, delivered on-time with competitive pricing. Our product lines include closure systems, interior systems and motors and electronics, and we have more than 100 customers, including virtually all the world’s leading global and regional automakers. Our innovative materials, technology, processes and application of our core product knowledge create enhanced value for our customers. We are smart competitors with a drive to excel and grow in a global competitive marketplace.
Inteva’s interiors portfolio is focused on providing valued interior systems that include manufactured components and fully integrated systems that fit the needs of our customer’s vast array of vehicle segments - everything from entry level and luxury vehicles to SUVs and commercial trucks. Our portfolio includes instrument panels, door trim modules, consoles, headliners and more. Assembled and sequenced interior products include cockpits, headliners and vehicle subassemblies. In addition, we also provide molded truck, under-hood and exterior components.
Our experienced designers provide visionary perspectives on how the interior of a vehicle can offer a luxurious environment and user experience. Our deep knowledge of the entire body system allows Inteva to bring those concepts to life through skilled engineering and advanced manufacturing technologies, and our unique InLite™ service to smart lightweighting brings cost-efficient weight savings to interiors.
www.intevaproducts.com
Ellen Voie, President and CEO of the Women In Trucking Association, Inc. with Lily Ley
– LILY LEY, VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, PACCAR
For PACCAR, an inclusive and fair working environment is part of the culture, lived at every level of the company from the top down and encouraging all to aspire upwards, inspiring ambition and maximum engagement regardless of gender.
“PACCAR’s leadership team plays a critical role in driving employee engagement. They strive to inspire others by demonstrating principled leadership, providing mentorship, and recognizing the talents and contributions of employees.
“The team also fosters an atmosphere where PACCAR employees can feel empowered to communicate openly, assertively and with respect. Driving engagement is a worthy goal that PACCAR’s leadership team pursues every day,” Ley states.
While this translates to employees
across all genders, PACCAR in particular prides itself on being a fantastic workplace for women. This is evidenced by its intrinsic relationship with WIT, working as a Gold Level Partner with the association since 2019. Michele Rodgers, Peterbilt’s Engineering Manager, serves on the WIT Board of Directors, and several PACCAR divisions – including Peterbilt Motors, Kenworth Truck Company, PACCAR Parts, PACCAR Engine, and Dynacraft - were each honored as a “Top Company for Women to Work for in Transportation” by WIT in 2020 and 2021.
“The culture and career advancement opportunities at PACCAR make it a great place for women to work. PACCAR’s diverse and inclusive workplace promotes personal and professional development,” comments Ley.
PACCAR also provides flexible hours, competitive compensation
Magna Drive Automotive is a division of Magna International located in Piedmont, SC employing 1,150 people. The Magna Employee Charter, Operational Principles and our Code of Conduct and Ethics are the building blocks for a work environment that encourages innovation, involvement, and teamwork. We manufacture heavy truck and automotive body panels and assemble full body systems using advanced robotic systems in our 1.3m square foot plant.
Magna Drive is a partner of PACCAR since 2012. We provide the stamping and sub-assembly modules for the 2.1m Body in White products.
Magna Drive is very proud of achieving the PACCAR SPM Leader award in 2021 and has developed a very strong business relationship with the entire PACCAR team.
We foster innovative thinking within our organization which has been acknowledged with a win with the Automotive News PACE award in September 2022.
Magna Drive is leading the industry in safety focus, employee onboarding, training, and quality to deliver unmatched results to our customers globally.
Products:
• Bodysides and Door Opening panels
• Doors, hoods and fenders
• Liftgates / tailgates
• Structural stampings
• Large welded assemblies
• Roofs and Sunroofs
• Floor pan stamping and assemblies
• High, medium and low strength structural stampings
Technology
• Blanking and stamping of class A steel and aluminum body parts
• Remote laser welding
• Tactile laser welding
• Laser brazing
• Resistance spot welding and projection welding
• Automated clinching and riveting
• Automated sealer application
“THE LEADERSHIP TEAM FOSTERS AN ATMOSPHERE WHERE PACCAR EMPLOYEES CAN FEEL EMPOWERED TO COMMUNICATE OPENLY, ASSERTIVELY, AND WITH RESPECT”
• DAF
• DAF Brasil Leyland
• Kenworth
• Peterbilt
• PACCAR Australia
• PACCAR Mexico
• PACCAR Powertrain
• PACCAR Parts, DAF Parts, Kenworth Parts and Services, Peterbilt Parts and Services
• PACCAR Winch Braden Carco Gearmatic
• Dynacraft
• PACCAR Financial
• PACCAR Financial Used Truck Center
• PACCAR Leasing
• PACCAR Global Sales
• PACCAR Purchasing
• PACCAR Technical Centers
• PACCAR Innovation Center
and benefits, and continuing education assistance designed to nurture women’s progression within the organization, enabling them to achieve rewarding career paths and act as role models in much the same way as Ley.
The PACCAR Women’s Association (PWA) is testament to these efforts, as a dedicated body within the company designed to increase the representation of women in leadership roles. In so doing, PWA provides resources through education, networking, and mentoring to PACCAR’s female employees.
“We want to promote equity and support their empowerment to achieve both career and personal success.”
Since its establishment, PWA has pursued the goal of bringing together the organization’s most talented women to network and learn from each other, whilst also developing long-lasting friendships.
Despite this explicit focus on improving the workplace for women, a defining factor of PWA is its gender inclusivity, equally relying on the participation and involvement of male members of the workforce on the
Every step of the supply chain has risk right now. That’s why industry leaders like PACCAR are elevating their efficiency with Optimas Solutions and finding that the fewer steps, the better.
Through regionalized sourcing and onshoring, including our in-house manufacturing, they reduce risk
With our tech-enabled inventory management and replenishment programs, combined with advanced demand planning and forecasting software, they optimize inventory.
Leveraging our best-in-class transportation and logistics applications, they enhance operations
Through our in-house engineering expertise and world-class ISO and IATF-certified quality labs, they elevate product quality
PACCAR isn’t hoping things will get better; they’re finding a better way today. They’re making a confident choice in Optimas for availability, stability and quality. And you can, too.
With over 9B parts, from 150,000 SKUs supplied to over 5,000 customers globally, Optimas is committed to simplifying and strengthening your supply chain for fasteners, C-Class components and consumable products.
With 1,500 teammates worldwide, delivering resilient supply chain solutions to industry leaders like PACCAR, Optimas customers are ready for anything
Optimas Solutions is a tech-enabled manufacturer/distributor of fasteners, inventory management services and production consumables that help global producers elevate productivity and profits.
To learn more, please visit optimas. com or email engage@optimas.com.
You can’t possibly be ready for anything…or can you?Lily Ley
Optimas is proud to provide thousands of parts directly to PACCAR production lines so they can efficiently manufacture their products and deliver on customer promises.
— Daniel Harms, CEO, Optimas Americas
– LILY LEY, VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, PACCAR
understanding that both sides of the conversation must be represented. It is, after all, a collective effort, and this is reflected in the forum’s inclusivity.
“Gender inclusiveness means involving everyone in advancing women in leadership roles. Men are part of the conversation, and advocate for women,” she continues.
“We know that male champions believe in fairness, gender equity, and the development of all talent in the organization. Men and women in PACCAR understand that gender inclusiveness is an effective part of talent management, and everyone plays a critical role in progressing women’s careers.”
The progressive stance that PACCAR occupies in its dedication
to advancing the development of its employees, regardless of gender, is reflected in its innovative suite of products that occupy the cutting edge of progress within the trucking industry.
Nowhere is this more relevant than within the company’s electrification strategy, as it charges ahead on the journey to decarbonization. Indeed, environmental responsibility is one of the company’s core values, and reducing emissions whilst enhancing fuel efficiency within its truck models is a major area of focus.
In terms of the models themselves, Ley highlights several vehicles that are trailblazing examples of the electrification drive.
“Peterbilt, Kenworth and DAF lead the industry with nine battery electric vehicle (BEV) models available for
syncreon began operations supporting the PACCAR Ste. Therese assembly plant in 1999. Since then, spanning over 23-years, it has become one of our longest tenured single contracts within our organization.
Over this time, we have seen significant growth and change. We have increased our model offerings, our plant output and build rates with our current operations now covering over 207,000 SF across two buildings. Our workforce of over 200 employees support PACCAR’s “New Medium Duty” truck production for Kenworth and Peterbilt, with the capability and flexibility also in place to support Class 8 Heavy Duty trucks when needed.
syncreon provides a wide array of services for interior and exterior components including sub-assembly, sequencing, kitting, bulk and small lot metering, returnable container management/repairs, and JIT shuttle delivery to meet the daily production schedule.
As an ISO 9001 certified operation, we are heavily focussed on driving continuous improvement. We proactively use our Business Process Improvement resources to drive operational efficiencies and innovative approaches across both organizations.
www.syncreon.com
“PACCAR CHOSE TO RENEW AS A GOLD LEVEL PARTNER BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN THE WOMEN IN TRUCKING MISSION”
At syncreon, A DP World company, we partner with customers to provide specialized logistics, operational excellence and solutions in: Fulfillment, eCommerce & Value-Add Solutions, Manufacturing Support & Assembly Services, Export Packing, Transportation Management and Reverse, Repair & Service Parts.
We specialize in the design and operation of supply chain solutions for Automotive, Technology, Consumer Home Products, Industrial, Healthcare & MedTech companies.
Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, we have 14,000+ employees in 100+ locations to partner with customers locally and globally.
www.syncreon.com
syncreon is a leading provider of supply chain services globally for 60+ years.Pictured, some of the syncreon team who support PACCAR in the Ste. Therese Assembly Plant – LILY LEY, VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, PACCAR
customers,” she says.
The Class 8, Peterbilt Model 579EV is one such vehicle, featuring aerodynamic benefits, driver comforts, superior visibility, spacious interiors and safety measures, all combined with the advanced technology of an electric powertrain.
The vehicle’s fully integrated, allelectric powertrain utilizes thermally controlled lithium iron phosphate battery packs to provide a range of up to 150 miles. Designed for optimal weight distribution and performance, the Model 579EV is a premium, zeroemission solution for any PACCAR customer looking to decarbonize their business.
Tackling emissions of another kind, the medium-duty Kenworth
K270E Class 6 and K370E Class 7 battery-electric trucks are designed to respond to increasingly stringent urban restrictions on noise levels.
“These popular and proven platforms combine fully integrated, state-of-the-art electric powertrains with superior visibility, maneuverability, and driver comfort. High-density battery packs deliver up to a 200-mile range with zero emissions and a rapid one-hour DC recharge,” Ley explains.
“The result is an excellent, ecofriendly solution for local distribution, pickup and delivery and last mile logistics applications.”
Meanwhile, PACCAR’s equally iconic nameplate – DAF – offers the LF Electric, CF Electric, XD Electric,
AMPCO Manufacturers Inc. continues to be a proud and dedicated partner with PACCAR since 1971.
Over our long-standing business relationship, AMPCO, a recognized 10 PPM Supplier, provides a wide variety of products which include printed and fabricated nameplates, electronic components and extruded rubber products to this world leader in the manufacturing of “Best in Class” truck products around the world.
www.ampcomfg.com
With commercial vehicle manufacturers having an order book that is full for the next two years, increasing line speed is a major goal.
Creating line-side space by removing low value-add activity, outsourcing bottleneck commodities to a 3PL for sequencing, and increasing offsite kitting are examples of where Comprehensive Logistics (CLI) is having a direct impact on the linespeed goals.
Additionally, customer ERPs integrated with CLI’s proprietary WMS “STREME” provides assurance and real time visibility of off-site inventory, viewed via smartphone or laptop.
Learn more at www.complog.com or email info@complog.com
“MEN AND WOMEN IN PACCAR UNDERSTAND THAT GENDER INCLUSIVENESS IS AN EFFECTIVE PART OF TALENT MANAGEMENT AND EVERYONE PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN ADVANCING WOMEN’S CAREERS”
and XF Electric, all of which represent the ideal solution to a zero-emissions distribution truck. These models are fit to serve the vast majority of distribution applications.
“The DAF 19-tonne LF Electric showcases a 260-kW electric motor that’s powered by a 282-kWh battery pack, the results are outstanding performance and even more importantly, it has a range of up to 175 miles - which is highly unique for its class,” she adds.
PACCAR’s foray into electrification looks beyond the trucks themselves, centered on a whole-picture
approach that incorporates all the various elements required to adopt a successful electrification strategy for any customer that extends beyond the vehicle itself.
Comtech Industries is a leader in thermoforming vehicle cab solutions, and PACCAR Australiasia’s trusted Supplier of the Year in 2017, 2020, and 2021.
Constantly innovating together with our clients to realize new interior and exterior product solutions.
Continuously mastering the rich potential of thermoforming, combined with sub-assembly and complimentary manufacturing technologies.
Relentlessly delivering quality and service to our international OEM clients for over 40 years.
Explore the possibilities of sourcing your next low-moderate volume custom solution from a proven PACCAR partner.
T +61 7 3376 5552 www.comtech-industries.com
The reliability of Lincoln Industries’ solutions has been proven for over 70 years of service to some of the world’s most recognizable brands.
Lincoln Industries is the largest and most diverse, privately-held metal finishing company in North America. Lincoln Industries provides quality, efficiency, service, and expertize with over one million square feet across 10 locations.
Lincoln Industries’ core capabilities include a wide range of electroplating finishes, performance coatings, polishing, high-temp insulation, tube fabrication, design engineering, automation, supply chain management, and value-added services, including assembly, packaging, and logistics.
T +1 402 475 3671 E info@lincolnindustries.com www.lincolnindustries.com
Kenworth plant Kenworth K270E
“One of the core questions posed when considering the transition to BEVs often surrounds the accessibility of infrastructure, ie., how will we keep our vehicles powered?
“Though the initial discussion often focuses on charging the first purchase, customers are looking for a guarantee that PACCAR has a charging strategy to keep them moving in the right direction,” says Ley.
PACCAR’s approach to zeroemissions embodies a holistic vision centered on establishing an
electrical charging infrastructure and distribution network that meets the customer’s demands. The latest technology is therefore leveraged to produce an innovative, in-house charging solution, thereby allowing PACCAR to drive the proliferation of alternative fueling points.
This full line of BEV charging stations offers an optimal fit for the various use-cases and environments that Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF trucks encounter.
Technology is therefore incorporated not only as an integral
In today’s fast-paced, competitive transportation and logistics environment, fleets are looking to reduce downtime and keep costs per mile under control.
With that in mind, it’s important for manufacturers like PACCAR to have partners who focus on success –partners like SAF-HOLLAND.
Because PACCAR is looking for engineered solutions specific to their customer needs, we internally embrace a goal that delivers valueadded components, systems, and services to drive their success.
It is a privilege to supply PACCAR with our best-in-class suspension and fifth wheel coupling products.
www.safholland.com
Stoneridge, Inc. designs and manufactures highly engineered electrical and electronic systems, components and modules, primarily for the automotive, commercial vehicle, agricultural and off-highway vehicle markets.
Stoneridge is well-positioned to meet the global needs of the mobility industry, providing solutions that power vehicle intelligence, provide dramatic increases in efficiency, reduce vehicle emissions and improve safety and security for vehicles, cargo and drivers.
Since 1965, Stoneridge has designed and manufactured advanced, award-winning technologies for vehicle OEMs, including driveline and transmission actuation systems, vision systems, emissions control systems, safety systems, security and monitoring systems and more.
Stoneridge.com
“PACCAR BELIEVES IN A HOLISTIC APPROACH THAT INCLUDES CREATING AN ELECTRICAL CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE DISTRIBUTION NETWORK THAT MEETS THE CUSTOMER’S DEMANDS”
–
LEY, VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, PACCAR
As the mobility industry evolves in pursuit of cleaner, safer, and more intelligent vehicles, Stoneridge, Inc. is ready to take on your next vehicle challenge. Since 1965, Stoneridge has designed and manufactured advanced, award-winning technologies for vehicle OEMs. We are well-diversified by segment, end-market, geography, and customer.
At Stoneridge, we are moving mobility forward. To learn more, visit Stoneridge.com.
part of PACCAR’s commitment to the environment, but also as a peoplecentric organization that seeks to fully accommodate and exceed the expectations of any customer.
“PACCAR is dedicated to utilizing the latest technology to provide outstanding customer service and deliver innovative, industry-leading products and services to help customers maximize uptime,” Ley surmises.
Looking to the future, Ley’s ambitions are as much concerned with the dynamic times that lie ahead for PACCAR, as they are with her own personal leadership goals.
This highlights the symbiosis that PACCAR encourages to thrive between the two – both the company’s overall progress, and that of the employees united within it, creating a holistic model of growth and development.
“PACCAR is now standing at the brink of a new frontier,” comments Ley, hinting at a boundless future of possibility for a company that places innovation, sustainability, and peoplecentric values at the fore.
“PACCAR spearheads the
truck industry by progressively incorporating the latest technology, maintaining best practices towards top operational efficiency, and limiting environmental impact.”
In terms of how she envisions her own trajectory, the impressive path that Ley has pursued thus far is only set to continue for PACCAR’s Vice President and CIO, with a commitment to seeing her own technological roadmap bear fruit.
“I will continue growing with PACCAR, particularly in areas like autonomy, zero-emissions, and connectivity, where we are already industry leaders. I have big plans for my future,” Ley shares excitedly.
“I plan to make something of myself, and not give up. I have a major fear of failure and I won’t let it get to me. My dreams are what keep me going; they are an object for me to strive for.”
With an impressive fleet of futurefriendly trucks, and a company culture that is founded on the quality of its people and services, the ingenuity of its technology and the innovation embodied by its products, PACCAR is well-established as a company at the vanguard of the North American truck industry.
But it is the responsibility of the leadership team, and figures like Ley, to inspire the right values throughout the company that will keep PACCAR moving in the right direction.
“Executive courage around action, communication, and trust is a critical leadership skill that I will continue to develop. Like any muscle, the more you flex it, the stronger it becomes,” she shares.
“I see myself as a PACCAR leader who can influence, care for, and value people with compassion and empathy, because employees who feel valued and appreciated by their leaders are more likely to go above and beyond and be happy in their roles.
“Finally, I will continue advocating for diversity and inclusion to promote gender equality, and will continue to empower individual women to help them achieve career and personal success.
“I want to earn the recognition as a visionary leader in our company.” www.paccar.com
Spending hours driving on the open road can start to fatigue your back and hips over time. Our SteadyRide™ seats reduce whole body vibrations by up to 67 percent. As a result, unscheduled stops and bodily aches are reduced. Driver comfort and well-being is increased. Fleets also get the competitive edge they need. There isn’t a road out there that our technology can’t make smooth.
Smooth your ride with SteadyRide™
Inchcape Shipping Services is the iconic name that is synonymous with the global maritime industry. A historical enterprise embracing modernity, we honor its 175th anniversary with CEO, Frank Olsen
Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: David KnottAs American astronomer Carl Sagan once said, “you have to know the past to understand the present.” Embodying this mantra within the global shipping space, is maritime giant Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS), as a company that simultaneously leverages a rich industrial heritage whilst keeping its eyes firmly on the horizon.
“Whatever curveball you might throw at us, there’s a fair chance that we’ve dealt with something similar in the past.”
In operation since 1847, our conversation with CEO at ISS, Frank Olsen, occurs as the company commemorates a major milestone in the year of its 175th anniversary.
“It doesn’t matter who you talk to in shipping, all of them will have heard about ISS and the vast majority will have done business with us,” says Olsen.
“It’s quite unique in the world we live in today that you encounter a brand which is more than 100 years old, and now we’re verging on 200.”
With an operational footprint in over 60 countries, encompassing over 2,200 ports, 245 offices, and upwards
of 3,000 employees, ISS is firmly established as a global leader in marine services and as a port agency provider.
“Wherever you are in the world, we are able to support your port call,” he continues. “We are a completely global network, and we have capabilities in all manner of port related activity for any kind of marine assets.”
Despite this versatility and the evolution that the company has undergone since its inception, the mainstay of ISS’ core services has remained unchanged over almost two centuries.
“We’re still doing the same basic things we were doing
all those years back,” observes Olsen, comparing the company to other major brands who may have been in operation for many years, but whose core business has changed dramatically in that time.
For ISS, this stands as a major competitive advantage, bolstering the brand name and reputation with credibility proven through a solid track record.
“Of course, this heritage also means that we bring to the market a tremendous amount of accumulated expertise, and a lot of the same people have stayed working with us for a long time.
Complementing its extensive geographical reach, ISS combines port agency, marine services and digital solutions with an entirely sector and activity agnostic approach.
From superyachts upwards, ISS can support any kind of vessel – whether cruise ships, navy vessels, tankers or bulk vessels and anything in between.
“It’s something we’re extremely proud of and contributes to the culture throughout the company,” Olsen continues.
We are (NSC) Navigator Shipping Company, founded in 2071 by Captain Tarek Shokri in Tripoli, to manage vessels for principals. It is run and managed by a professional team whose members have extensive experience in the shipping industry, our company’s solid work relations with the Libyan Port authorities and personnel places us above our competitions. The company strives to offer a comprehensive and constantly improving service to our principals, ensuring the safety of owners’/ charterers’ property and remaining competitive in the market.
To make our principal’s business successful and profitable.
To continuously exceed the expectations of our principals, government authorities, traders, shippers, consignees and vendors.
Our business is built around relationships with principals, government authorities, traders, shippers, consignees and vendors.
NSC emerged as one of the best if you are looking for quality shipping, marine and logistics services. Our services shine with dedication, professionalism and clients’ satisfaction. We always strive for the best as we offer a variety of service which never fails to satisfy our principals.
“Equally, it doesn’t matter what your interest in the maritime assets is. A client of ours could be involved in ship management and looking to arrange crew services, a ship owner who’s much more concerned with the actual assets, or even a cargo trader - we are happy to provide support services for all these things.”
Confronting the often volatile and unpredictable waters of the global shipping industry, ISS’ heritage and worldwide network bolster the company with resiliency learnt and honed from experience.
“The port agency market is incredibly fragmented,” Olsen comments. “There’s a handful of global companies who have about 15 percent of the market share combined, but that means that the remaining vast majority is represented by smaller local companies.
“For us, having that global network means that we can support any client wherever they require us to through the modern framework of a large multinational company.”
This in turn entails a host of advantages and additional security, in terms of stringent compliance with health and safety regulations, compliance around ABC and ethics, sound procurement practices, sanction checking and a solid environmental social governance (ESG) agenda based on industry best practices.
“We have all those crucial factors in place, and it’s something that really sets us apart,” he elaborates.
In a modern context, these capabilities can prove crucial. Throughout its rich history, ISS has witnessed various conflicts - from the two World Wars, to playing a critical role in aiding allied forces in the Middle East. Today, amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, ISS fulfils an equally essential role with regard to the sanctions that have been imposed against Russian entities.
“Our ability to run complete sanctions checks, and make
sure that not only the direct customer but also any kind of counter party and related parties are operating within the sanction’s regime, is extremely important.”
Clients can rely on safety in experience in ISS’ hands, as a company that has truly been through it all.
“Regardless of what you throw at us, we’ve dealt with it before,” Olsen states.
This experience both informs and differentiates the ISS approach to working with its clients, acting as an extension of the business of its maritime partners and sharing its experience entirely to their advantage.
“The other major benefit of this global network is the ability to collect data and analytics to give advice to a customer that is based on a vast number of transactions.
“It means that we can give our customers valuable, proactive insight, based on the ports they’re using, the operations they intend on doing, and the challenges they might encounter. We can guide them on how to overcome
“IT’S QUITE UNIQUE IN THE WORLD WE LIVE IN TODAY THAT YOU ENCOUNTER A BRAND WHICH IS MORE THAN 100 YEARS OLD, AND NOW WE’RE VERGING ON 200”
– FRANK OLSEN, CEO, INCHCAPE SHIPPING SERVICES
Navigator Shipping Agency is a modern Shipping Agency based in Tripoli, Libya since 2011 that focuses on keeping up with the adjustments and changes of the maritime world and to provide the best of maritime services for our principles by providing the most competitive prices, most accurate information and 24/7 availability with all procedures made to keep the work going under any circumstances or occurrence.
operations go as smooth as anywhere else as we always receive questions regarding the environment at each Libyan port. We therefore always show content at Libyan ports to give our principles peace of mind and our audience a realistic and better view on Libyan ports.
NSC is devoted to complying with all maritime laws and treaties issued by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and by that, the company becomes the first Libyan maritime agency to cooperate in the fight against corruption and money laundering and hold a TRACE certificate of membership since 2015.
Over the recent years NSC has expanded its strong social responsibility presence locally and abroad with full commitment towards the needs of the Libyan governments in contributing to solving legal and administrative problems whenever we were asked for, and we’ve made a good reputation between principles for this.
NSC is also the only shipping company in Libya that is taking responsibility on itself to create graphic social media content to give the general audience and principles a view of what work at the Libyan ports is like. We provide full proof that loading / discharging
NSC are always passionate and serious about keeping up with the latest technological working tools to give extra facilitated information, more accurate times and very quick responses at anytime during the day or night on any given day to make sure our principles are satisfied and assured that their business is going well and if a problem is faced, the problem is dealt with at the spot and every time it is solved with the satisfaction of the authorities and principles.
NSC will always be flexible regarding principle requests and will always go to new heights to reach what our principles request, desire or come up with a solution for any given problem to them.
these obstacles and avoid delays or extra costs.”
ISS is a company that takes the macro challenges facing the industry as a whole – whether it be the most recent crisis of COVID-19, the record low oil prices of 2016, or the financial crisis of 2008, just as seriously as those of its individual clients.
“Throughout all these events, we have just continued doing and delivering. We haven’t been insulated to any of them, but we’ve always come out on our feet and delivered acceptable financial performance even during the toughest of times.
“At the same time, we’ve always been able to support our clients through all the hardship that they go through too.”
“REGARDLESS
– FRANK OLSEN, CEO, INCHCAPE SHIPPING
2022 marks a landmark year for ISS –not just for its historic anniversary, but also because it heralds the beginning of a new chapter for the company.
“Earlier this year, we entered into new ownership,” says Olsen. “Since 2006, ISS has been owned by Dubai based investment fund Isthitmar.”
That all changed in June, when London based private equity investment firm – Epiris LLP – completed the transaction in acquiring 100 percent of the company. For Olsen, a hopeful future awaits under this new ownership.
“This gives us a lot of confidence and bullishness about the future. Now that we have access to more capital, we can accelerate some of the good things we have going,” he shares.
Within this acceleration, technology has an integral role to play in forging ISS’ future.
“We’re not a technology company and never will be, but we see technology as an enabler and a tool to more effectively capitalize on the strengths and the value generated by our global network.”
For ISS, technology has a multifaceted application. The first perspective through which the company approaches its use, is in making ISS an easy enterprise to do business with, thereby driving process optimization to improve and advance the efficiency of its operations.
“This benefits us internally by enabling us to be more productive, but also the customer by delivering higher standards of service,” Olsen shares.
The other lens through which technology is viewed concerns the collection of essential data. This is instrumental for a port agent in creating transparency, by collecting this information, analyzing it, and subsequently providing useful insight to its clients.
Adopting a model of predictive analysis, based on what has happened in the past informing what might occur in the future, this technological approach harkens back to the opening philosophy, of leveraging experience to help determine what lies ahead.
“If we get this right we will be better equipped to go proactively out to our customers and inform their port schedules, guiding their actions to avoid delays or save costs, ultimately helping them to make better decisions.
“Of course, the final positive by-product of all this, is that by increasing the efficiency of shipping, you will de facto also reduce the carbon emissions.”
Looking ahead, growth is firmly on the agenda for ISS.
“With private equity ownership, there’s a strong focus on this and we have a very clear strategy across three main segments.
“To start with there’s organic growth, doing more with our existing customers and winning new clientswhether that be through tenders or through the transactional market,” Olsen informs us.
Complementing this organic growth is a focus on ancillary and additional services, based on developing new product offerings focused in and around the port, bolstering ISS’ core portfolio with new activities.
“Our third growth pillar is inorganic, centered on acquisition and driving a positive consolidation in what’s arguably a very fragmented market,” he continues.
This third pillar is already in full effect. Just days after the recent
new ownership was announced, an acquisition has already taken place with more due to come into effect shortly.
“On 25th July we announced our acquisition of a Belgian port agency called Kennedy Hunter. Meanwhile, back in 2019, we acquired the agency division of V. Group, and both have been strategic acquisitions.”
With several other active deals in a well-advanced stage, the next few months are set to bring more acquisition announcements for ISS. But at the heart of this ambition, is a people-centric positive outlook, based on bringing together a fragmented sector.
“We want to drive positive consolidation, we don’t want to behave or to be seen as corporate raiders nor do we want to do hostile takeovers.
“We’re in the people business and we need the backing of the people within the organizations that we
buy into. We look for companies with reputations, a certain level of expertise that complements our own, and good geographic matches in areas where we are looking to accelerate our presence,” he concludes.
Despite its longstanding history, ISS is a company that refuses to stagnate, riding a tide of continual expansion and evolution and bolstered by the solid foundation of its core competencies to continually cater to the modern needs of global shipping.
INCHCAPE
Tel: +44 2035 138500 enquiries@iss-shipping.com www.iss-shipping.com
Katie Keich, CEO Full Advantage LLC.
It’s a huge industry out there. You can make a whole career out of it – it’s not just a job.”
But for Katie Keich, that’s exactly how her entrance into the logistics industry began – with an unassuming administrative assistant job paying $10 an hour. Fast forward to today, and Keich has climbed the echelons to executive roles, occupying a host of positions and advisory roles on a rich and “rewarding” journey that has revealed myriad lessons along the way.
“I have been in various different positions, but this is an industry that keeps you coming back!”
As a senior credit and collections executive bolstered by over 20 years of experience, a further 15 years of which were spent specializing in logistics, Keich is firmly established as an expert in the field.
Today, Keich’s career background culminates in her current role as CEO of her own company - Full Advantage, LLC (FA), a Pennsylvania-based financial services company that partners with businesses around the world. The organization was born from Keich’s recognition of a need for education and solutions around improving billing, payment processing, and credit and collections in the marketplace.
“Our mission’s central focus is to
help businesses increase revenue and scale through optimization of backoffice processes,” she explains.
Through this endeavor, Keich leverages her previous experience, including that of Director of Credit and Collections, which saw her as a major contributor on the team that grew an organization from a franchise of under $5 million in revenue to a global logistics organization with a revenue of over $1.5 billion.
With such an impressive track record, including her five-time consecutive award for Special Recognition
of Outstanding Performance at a previous organization, it may be easy to perceive Keich as a shining success story. However, she is keen to express and showcase the journey to her position, both for herself, and to encourage other women in similar positions to do the same.
“I didn’t just arrive at the table, I earned my seat and now it’s time to create more room and add more chairs,” she shares proudly. “I seized every opportunity presented to me and spoke up about wanting to be a part of ones that weren’t.”
Leveraging decades of logistics industry experience, we discuss dismantling stereotypes and the necessity of education with CEO of Full Advantage, LLC, Katie Keich
For Keich, education and opportunities for mentorship are the fundamental keys to truly unlocking potential and driving the industry’s future.
Indeed, it was this same recognition of a greater need for education that led to the inception of her own company, with FA’s primary mandate involving helping SMBs (small and medium-sized businesses) to scale through implementation of donefor-you services, establishing a greater understanding of the financial marketplace.
Keich herself recalls the
terminology itself within logistics as one of the original educational hurdles she encountered, as if it were an exclusive language understood only by those within the field and not immediately translated to new entrants.
“Even something as simple as the lingo within the industry is something that needs to be debunked,” she says, referring to terms like 3PL, FCL, FTL and a host of other acronyms to get your head around that are a simple example of an early barrier that many encounter.
A keen advocate for mentor programs in the logistics field, she
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attributes these opportunities as the best way to foster and nurture rewarding careers in a sector that might not be an obvious choice for many women, and where, although there are growing numbers of inspiring female role models, it may transpire as if they just magically appeared in a leadership position.
“Mentorship is the greatest obstacle,” she identifies. “We need to showcase those female leaders, but more importantly, how they got to where they are.”
Education goes hand in hand with another critical pillar in redressing the gender balance in the industry – visibility.
“We, as women, need to do a better job at sending the elevator back down and helping other females as well in their rising careers.
“Other women need to see the stories.”
With every journey starting with one small step, Keich supports the
Katie with members of her management team. Location: VentureX Bethlehem, PA“I DIDN’T JUST ARRIVE AT THE TABLE, I EARNED MY SEAT AND NOW IT’S TIME TO CREATE MORE ROOM AND ADD MORE CHAIRS”
- KATIE KEICH, CEO, FULL ADVANTAGE LLC
Most recently, Keich has become involved with the Women in Trucking Association, Inc. (WIT) - the not-for profit body that consolidates female players in the logistics space and seeks to encourage greater diversity within the industry.
On the topic of success stories in the field, she cites Ellen Voie (President and Founder, WIT), Kristy Knichel (CEO, Knichel Logistics) and Nicole Glen (CEO, Candor Expedite) as major figures of influence – all of whom are WIT members. Indeed, it was the latter who initially inspired her to join the association.
For over a decade, WIT has been committed to creating an inclusive platform dedicated to promoting employment opportunities, tackling obstacles, and celebrating the
reintroduction of career day programs in elementary schools to offer a crucial early window into the industry.
Keich will be speaking at WIT’s Accelerate! Expo & Conference in Dallas, Texas, in November 2022.
The conference, which is presented as a unique event with a critical mission, will be held in person from November 13-16, 2022, and virtually from December 6-7. Thought leaders and subject matter experts in the fields of transportation and supply chain will present on focus areas including Leadership, Professional Development, HR/ Talent Management, Operations, and Sales and Marketing.
Keich’s topic, Us Vs. Them, will focus on eliminating this mantra and its mentality in all areas of business.
Keich expresses, “when WIT reached out with this opportunity to speak at Accelerate, I was thrilled. I am honored to share insight related to how destructive an us vs. them mentality can be and how to work through it. Prior to founding FA, my professional roles brought me throughout the US to work with various departments of companies to optimize their operational efficiency and a key piece of this was combating this common theme: us vs. them. I love the transformation that can take place once it’s recognized and remediated.”
Katie encourages professionals in the industry to consider participating in Accelerate! For more information and to register, visit: https:// www.womenintrucking.org/ accelerateconference
successes of women in the logistics space. Its membership primarily comprises professional drivers, and other business professionals, such as Keich, who share in that vision and mission.
Keich credits WIT in enabling her to become a greater “part of the conversation” through WIT’s collective force, although she admits that she is yet to explore all the opportunities made and possibilities it makes available.
A passion shared by both WIT and Keich concerns disturbing the prevailing mindset surrounding
women entering logistics, as one that is centered on traditional and outdated perceptions of gender roles.
“We need to remove the stigma, and there is a responsibility on us as women to do that,” she says. “It is still a male-dominated field, but the dynamic is changing, in exactly the same way that the nursing industry in recent years has become more and more populated by men.”
Keich herself shares details of her own personal home situation, where archetypal roles are reversed with her stay-at-home husband shouldering the day-to-day domestic duties that
might typically be associated with a woman. But even for those that have such commitments, as working mothers perhaps, she goes on to highlight how women might not realize the level of flexibility that a career in trucking permits.
“In this field, a woman might grow to have the flexibility to be able to
- KATIE KEICH, CEO, FULLbe home with her kids every night, or every other week if she is working cross-country routes, since that is the schedule she will have created for herself.”
Drawing to a close, Keich hints at some exciting new developments taking place within her own company, including FA’s launch of a new tech software designed to create logistics invoices, assess credit risk, address quoted versus billed issues, collections, and more.
Since Katie envisioned this software, she knew that once she found the right partner it would only be a matter of time before the software would revolutionize the logistics industry. “We’ve been fortunate to find tech partners to collaborate with for design and launch
and are thrilled to share that it will be ready for implementation in 2023,” she says.
Using her professional voice and extensive executive experience as a force to educate and encourage women to pursue an oftenoverlooked field, Keich will continue to empower future generations of female leaders in logistics.
Tel: 610-705-7999 info@fulladvantage.co www.fulladvantage.co
“WE
LEADERS, BUT MORE
THEY GOT TO WHERE THEY ARE”
Ahead of the Accelerate! Conference & Expo in November, we catch up with Ellen Voie, the inspirational Founder, President and CEO of the Women In Trucking Association, Inc.
Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Tom Cullum
I was the chairwoman of the board.
We met our goal of reaching 500 members within the first year and our vision has advanced for over 15 years. Currently, WIT includes 7,000 corporate and individual members in 10 countries. 15 percent of our members are men who join because they support our mission.
North America Outlook (NA): Tell us more about the Women in Trucking Association, Inc. (WIT) – when were you founded and what was your initial vision?
Ellen Voie, President and CEO (EV): WIT was formed in March 2007 when a dozen influential women (and our attorney) met at a conference to determine the mission and establish the non-profit organization. There was one employee hired (Char Pingel), and
In 2010, the Women In Trucking Scholarship foundation was formed as a charitable organization to provide tuition grants to women seeking careers in safety, driving, technical fields, and to advance a career in the supply chain.
NA: Since inception, how has WIT progressed in terms of its objectives and the messages it tries to get across?
EV: Our mission is threefold; to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, minimize obstacles, and celebrate the successes of our members.
To encourage employment of women in the industry we have created a Girl Scout Transportation Patch and curriculum along with an activity book. We also have a truck driver doll for children to start being exposed to the trucking industry at an early age. In addition, we created the annual I HEART Trucking photo contest to share visuals.
Our latest program is the Driver Ambassador WITney trailer, a mobile unit that provides a hands-on learning
environment and simulator, which is taken to schools and other events to introduce the public to careers in the supply chain. We have an Image Team to include women in both the US and Canada who speak to the media, do product reviews, and provide ridealongs to legislators and regulators as well as members of the media.
To address obstacles, we have mentoring programs, and our new driver portal to help potential or current drivers understand the
industry better. We also work with truck stops on safety and security and truck manufacturers to provide a more ergonomic work environment for our female professional drivers.
We celebrate the successes of our members through numerous recognition programs, including the member of the month, driver of the year, Influential Woman in Trucking, Distinguished Woman in Logistics, and our new technology innovation award.
ELLEN VOIE, PRESIDENT AND CEO: “Our conference this year will be the biggest ever. We plan on having 1,500 attendees from November 13-15 in Dallas, Texas. There are over 120 speakers and presenters, and we are thrilled to have the FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson be our keynote speaker.
“We have many breakout sessions and lots of networking opportunities, such as speed networking and our nightly receptions and activities. There are specific tracts depending
NORTH AMERICA OUTLOOK: WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE ACCELERATE! CONFERENCE & EXPO IN DALLAS THIS NOVEMBER?
on your role in the industry, such as human resources, recruiting, marketing, and leadership as well as professional drivers.”
“OUR MISSION IS THREEFOLD; TO ENCOURAGE THE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN IN THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY, MINIMIZE OBSTACLES, AND CELEBRATE THE SUCCESSES OF OUR MEMBERS”
– ELLEN VOIE, PRESIDENT AND CEO, WIT
NA: What are some of the major hurdles preventing a woman from identifying the trucking industry as a potential career path?
EV: The biggest hurdle is the industry’s image as a male-dominated environment. Women often don’t picture themselves in the trucking industry because they haven’t seen other women doing these jobs. That’s why we have the Image Team, our Driver Ambassador program, and the member of the month award where we share stories of women in different roles. We must highlight these women so other women will see them and think about how they can be a part of the supply chain.
NA: Could you tell us more about your membership base? How many members are there and is it a diverse demographic?
EV: We currently have 7,000 individual and corporate members. They consist of drivers and their spouses, students, retirees, as well as trucking companies, truck driving schools, manufacturers and suppliers. Comprising both men and women, we have added nearly 1,000 members since the beginning of this year, so we are growing dramatically.
NA: Finally, what’s next for WIT? Are there any major priorities for the year ahead?
EV: Currently we are in the process of finding my replacement, as I have announced my retirement in 2023. I founded this organization and have grown it into something I could never have imagined, but I am ready to hand over the leadership responsibilities to someone who has a fresh vision and a different perspective. I will always be the founder and for that, I am extremely proud.
WOMEN IN TRUCKING ASSOCIATION, INC. (WIT)
Tel: 888-464-9482 ellen@womenintrucking.org www.womenintrucking.org
Fleetworthy Solutions takes pride in the provision of industry-altering safety compliance, whilst bringing gender diversity to the transportation industry through the Women In Trucking initiative. We explore more with CEO, Michael Precia
Writer:
We are the compliance partner for those who aim higher.”
Like many other industries, the trucking sector has benefited vastly from the integration of new and innovative technologies.
Fleetworthy Solutions (Fleetworthy) is on a quest to change how the world thinks about compliance. To that end, Fleetworthy has searched for and secured leading companies in the field of transportation safety, compliance technology and service solutions for the trucking industry, all of whom exude the level of performance and professionalism required to join its ever-expanding family of strategic alliances.
With over 25 years of experience selling and managing sales and account management teams, alongside delivering software as a service (SaaS) solutions to global organizations, Michael Precia, CEO of Fleetworthy, held key management positions at Purchasepro, Perfect
Ed Budds | Project Manager: Tom Cullum
Commerce, Capgemini and Sciquest before arriving at his current position. Interested in working for a company headquartered in Wisconsin, Precia chased this senior role with ambitions to enhance and grow the local area.
“I wanted to find a new challenge, one that I felt I could positively impact, after spending many years working for companies that were either located in other states from a headquarters perspective or even in other countries. Naturally, I was excited to find an organization that was bulk-headquartered in Wisconsin and to help grow it, which we’ve achieved together over the last few years,” he begins.
“Additionally, it’s been a rewarding sector to be involved with recently, given the importance that the trucking industry holds in terms of infrastructure and supply chain, and our ability to support this was especially highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe this changed the public’s perception of the industry in a positive manner.”
Fleetworthy recently moved into a new headquarters specifically to foster more peer-to-peer interactions and enhance communications, making sure that when customers come to the site there is an easy
method of collaboration, not only with the senior management team but with their safety teams. Collaboration remains core to the Fleetworthy methodology of business.
“Culturally we have a very opendoor policy, so we try to eliminate hurdles regarding getting answers to our employees and customers. You can imagine if we become
an extension of a carrier safety department, there is a lot of autonomy that we must give to our staff to make the right decisions,” details Precia.
Fleetworthy doesn’t just provide solutions but also a roadmap to safety and compliance excellence. The company offers the power of
intelligent compliance, providing visibility and control over customers’ trucking fleets to streamline processes, reduce risk, and improve profitability. The cost of fines and downtime associated with driver and people safety and regulatory violations can be avoided using Fleetworthy’s comprehensive and proactive approach to Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations and safety risk management.
– MICHAEL PRECIA,Few trucking fleets have centralized record-keeping and dedicated compliance experts to maintain the program at a reasonable cost. Fleetworthy provides a clearer path to be able to streamline safety and compliance improvement efforts regarding drivers and people.
“We are a transportation compliance company, and we help carriers of all sizes maintain compliance from a driver and asset perspective to not only keep your drivers and company protected, but also help keep the public roads safer too,” expands Precia.
Fleetworthy’s approach to going “beyond compliant” as the company motto dictates, is based on the highly effective combination of three pillars: technology, data, and people who truly care about the company. Data offers key information, but alone it can either be overlooked or overwhelming in quantity. Technology is vitally important to streamline activities, provide visibility and better decisionmaking ability.
Finally, without knowledgeable people with a deep understanding of
“CULTURALLY WE HAVE A VERY OPEN-DOOR POLICY, SO WE TRY TO ELIMINATE HURDLES REGARDING GETTING ANSWERS TO OUR EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS”
CEO, FLEETWORTHY SOLUTIONS
the complexities of the transportation industry, technology can only get you so far, and therefore, success relies on the intersection of all three factors.
“We call it a three-legged stool, it’s our technology, our people, and our understanding of the carrier’s data to make sure that they’re making smart decisions from a compliance perspective. Other suppliers in the
transportation industry may do one or two of those areas competently, but Fleetworthy is distinct in that we excel at all three, resulting in our concept of the Intelligent Compliance Platform (ICP),” Precia explains.
The insight to understand the data that the technology collects and automates enables Fleetworthy to provide guidance and produce
results that go above and beyond for its clients. The ICP is used to gain visibility, control and streamline processes, reduce risk, and improve profitability.
Fleetworthy wants to allow the power of its revolutionary CP Suite to take its customers beyond compliant.
Boasting 40 years of experience in regulatory compliance, the company draws on a wealth of actionable data which informs every level of decision-making.
“It’s one thing to have data, but it’s another thing to have a partner that can analyze the data and present you with practical steps and decisions to take in order to protect yourself from a risk perspective,” Precia elaborates.
“We take all the knowledge that we’ve derived over 40 years and put it into a product that is on a modern tech stack. Able to integrate with other systems and programs, this allows our customers to come to us as a destination and make
decisions that are going to protect them,” he adds.
Having drivers or equipment in a fleet can bring struggles with the management of DQ files, registering vehicles, and all the other headaches that go into complying with DOT and FMCSA regulations. Fleetworthy offers to solve this by undertaking compliance work to protect its customers’ people and assets.
“Our cloud-based solution tool, CP Suite, is the most powerful compliance software in the industry. This solution does the heavy lifting to get our clients to maximum compliance and then keep them there,” acclaims Precia.
“CP Suite is our newest platform that we released at the beginning of this year, and we’re very excited about it.”
Elsewhere in the industry, the government has begun to alter the hours-of-service rules, and it remains vitally important for Fleetworthy as a compliance partner to be able to consume that information so that it can provide a 360-degree view of what’s really going on with a particular fleet and its drivers. In this way, it was important for the company to build the CP Suite so that it can consume every variety of GPS information and fuel data to create a comprehensive overview of service.
The Women In Trucking Association, Inc. (WIT) is a non-profit organization with the unwavering mission to encourage and promote the employment of women within the trucking industry. It aims to celebrate their accomplishments, minimize obstacles faced, and is supported by a passionate leadership team, highly engaged members, and committed sponsors and partners.
MICHAEL PRECIA, CEO: “We’ve been growing fast for the last three years, so we will continue to see top-line growth as we acquire new customers and strategic partners. We’ve had three record years in a row, so we expect to see that growth continue.
“Our technology is also expanding, and you’ll see us releasing more and more functionality that’s mobile-enabled. Whilst we continue observing the changes to regulations, we’ll also be proactive towards the functionality that’s essential in staying ahead of the changes that the DOT is making to regulatory rules.
“A lot of people are worried about nuclear verdicts and the fact that more and more juries are coming back with these very large rulings against carriers. So, we’re trying to build a moat around our customers, making sure the general public understands that they are serious about compliance and following the regulations. We ultimately want to make sure that we have data to support this.”
– MICHAEL PRECIA, FLEETWORTHY SOLUTIONSWomen must be provided with flexible work arrangements, fair compensation, and inclusive corporate cultures that encourage and support their professional development and general advancement. Fleetworthy supports this quest for equality, by helping to find resources, best practices, innovative ideas, and content that creates such an environment.
“The majority of our employees are women, and we as a company are on a mission to make sure that we help female professionals to gather more experience and subsequently move up the food chain when it comes to their careers,” Precia tells us.
“This industry-changing initiative perfectly aligns with our company values. Knowing that we must get women involved in an industry
that in the past has always been dominated by men was something that fit perfectly with Fleetworthy, as we endeavor to support our female employees.”
The company continues to support the WIT initiative both financially and by participating in conferences and other key events, ensuring that Fleetworthy remains an established vehicle for female employees to excel in their professions. It is this commitment to enacting change that promises a truly bright future for women in trucking.
FLEETWORTHY SOLUTIONS
Tel: +1 608-230-8200 fleetworthy.com
“WE AS A COMPANY ARE ON A MISSION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HELP FEMALE PROFESSIONALS TO GATHER MORE EXPERIENCE AND SUBSEQUENTLY MOVE UP THE FOOD CHAIN WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR CAREERS”
CEO,
Anything that moves people, we’re interested in.”
From urban and intercity transportation to light rail and shuttle services, Keolis Canada (Keolis) is a leading mobility player in Quebec and Ontario, transporting close to 20 million passengers each year.
Keolis is developing a multimodal approach to mobility that combines several means of transport for smooth and seamless journeys.
“We’re putting a lot of emphasis on multimodality, and the interconnection between bus services and other modes of transport,”
Multimodal networks that integrate day-to-day mobility not only give people a simplified, streamlined choice of how to get around, but they also result in fewer cars and less traffic on the roads.
continues Pierre-Paul Pharand, CEO of Keolis.
Indeed, those who travel via public transit services rather than cars generate considerable fuel savings and make a significant contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
There is a coordinated shift towards multimodal solutions, as linked
transportation options change the way people think about mobility and cities become more conscious of the environmental impact and strain on the infrastructure of personal vehicles.
Keolis develops mobility solutions adapted to these changing needs of travelers, and the expectations of
local communities.
“It’s exciting in the sense that multimodality is part of all the key discussions taking place right now, with the stresses on people, businesses, and infrastructure created by increased car traffic and climate change,” adds Pharand.
The Think Like a Passenger program is underpinned by three promises, which support the delivery of customer happiness in:
COLLECTIVE DESIGN – Working with all involved in the customer journey, including both passengers and employees, to identify and understand areas of the experience that are most important and where improvements can be made. Solutions that meet and exceed customer requirements and deliver an improved experience are designed and implemented by Keolis.
SMART CHOICES – Whilst Keolis acknowledges that it cannot deliver an entirely bespoke solution for every customer, it recognizes that people have different requirements. Customers are therefore given a choice of options to tailor their journey to specific preferences.
RICHER EXPERIENCE – Keolis wants to exceed the basics of delivering customer experience and provide a best-in-class experience, making public transport a preferred choice for citizens and visitors to commute.
A subsidiary of the Keolis Group, one of the world’s leading public transport operators, Keolis employs close to 800 members of staff.
Buses are the most common form
of urban transportation in Canada, and Orléans Express, the main intercity bus carrier in Quebec, has been part of the Keolis Group since 2002.
Keolis’ intercity transportation
network was recently enhanced in July 2021 by a daily service linking the cities of Montreal, Gatineau, and the Canadian capital, Ottawa. The addition of a new intercity transport service has improved the service offering on the route for Orléans Express customers, which was previously unserved by coach.
“We operate the biggest intercity network in Canada with Orléans Express. The network now extends from Ottawa, Ontario right to the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in the east of the province,” Pharand tells us.
Having successfully inaugurated the daily Montreal-Ottawa route last year, Keolis is now looking to expand its intercity network west.
“Deregulation in Ontario is creating business opportunities, so we’re now looking at other destinations in the province,” he shares.
“The COVID-19 pandemic hurt us a lot, so the last two-and-a-half years have been tough. Our first goal
in 2023 is to find our way back to profitability; in order to achieve that, the intercity service expansion is our biggest project.”
As Canada emerges from the pandemic, Keolis is adapting to both recovering passenger numbers as well as new technologies.
The company is developing a fast, intuitive mobile application that allows customers to get online information on the status of the network, quickly buy and modify tickets, easily find ticket purchases, and present scannable tickets to the driver.
announce where they’re going to be deployed, but things are moving quite well.”
In another major Canadian first, an electric self-driving shuttle pilot announced in 2018 represented the first step towards the integration of autonomous shuttles into public transport solutions.
PIERRE-PAUL PHARAND, CEO:
“Our social cause here in Canada is mental health. When I became CEO, I made mental health our social cause for two reasons. “First, I’ve been involved for many years with veterans and their related mental health problems, having spent 20 years in the Canadian Army. With the COVID19 pandemic, it has also become clear to most people that anyone can be affected by mental health. “There are a lot of initiatives to support our employees’ mental health. Once in a while, we have professionals come in and talk about mental health, and we are a big supporter of Bell Let’s Talk. All our CSR efforts go into mental health.”
“We now have apps and information tools surrounding the provision of service that know exactly where the bus is, or what time the bus will arrive or depart, so we’ve been working on an app to do that,” reveals Pharand.
As well as securing major urban bus service contracts in Quebec, Keolis recently launched its first North American light rail operation in the Waterloo region of Ontario.
The ION Light Rail Transit (LRT) is a modern rapid transit system that serves the residents of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, as well as surrounding rural municipalities.
With a population of over half a million people, ION LRT is a transformative project for the region of Waterloo that is integrated into the existing Grand River Transit (GRT) public transport service.
Keolis uses its expertise to ensure the smooth operation and maintenance of ION LRT, which reinforces the company’s position as a major player when it comes to mobility and the electrification of transport in the country.
“We’re still very much at the beginning of electrification, and everyone talks about it as if it’s the norm,” Pharand says.
“In Quebec, we have two very large electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers that we’ve signed agreements with for the delivery of service vehicles in the months to come. We’re not at the point yet where we can officially
Cohabiting with regular traffic on public roads, the 100 percent electric autonomous shuttle from Keolis’ partner, Navya, is a true technological showcase that demonstrates sustainable and intelligent transport.
“There are great infrastructure projects ongoing, such as electric trains in the Montreal area, the expansion of commuter trains in Toronto, and a number of light rail and autonomous vehicle projects,” notes Pharand.
“For someone who likes being part of change and is eager to transform things, it’s a great place to be right now. We’re always looking to grow, and have made a few requests and proposals in the last few months that we’re waiting for public authorities to respond to. It’s a good time for the industry at large, and a good time to be part of Keolis,” he continues.
Whether it’s modernizing infrastructure, creating new services or sharing knowledge, Keolis uses its expertise and capacity for innovation to achieve the highest levels of performance, with the help of its Centers of Excellence.
“If a city wants to develop a new service, or wants to have a study conducted on the ridership or structure of their network, we’ve got Centers of Excellence to do that,” outlines Pharand.
Equally, another key element to Keolis’ approach to continuous improvement and optimizing customer happiness is Think Like a Passenger.
Outlook: Does Keolis Canada participate in any CSR practices?
The program focuses on achieving excellence in terms of customer happiness and has helped to build an active and positive relationship with passengers, who are at the heart of everything that Keolis does.
“All of our drivers go through the Keolis Canada Academy and receive training on Think Like a Passenger. Our mission is to listen to customers and offer them efficient modes of transport that meet their needs,”
Pharand informs us.
“We want everything we do to be passenger-centric. For every penny that we invest, there has to be an advantage for passengers at the end of it that changes their journey on our networks for the better.”
More than ever, given the labor shortages being experienced around the world, Pharand also emphasizes the importance of staff retention.
As well as running a unique
employee recognition program, Keolis holds a gala every December where colleague contributions are honored across a host of categories.
On a more day-to-day basis, cafés opened within each Keolis depot offer staff a relaxing place to retreat and enjoy free tea or coffee, hold conversations, or even hold meetings.
“We’re trying to make the atmosphere as positive and friendly as possible. We want people to be happy to show up to work,” concludes Pharand.
KEOLIS CANADA www.keolis.ca
“WE’RE PUTTING A LOT OF EMPHASIS ON MULTIMODALITY, AND THE INTERCONNECTION BETWEEN BUS SERVICES AND OTHER MODES OF TRANSPORT”
– PIERRE-PAUL PHARAND, CEO, KEOLIS CANADA
From the tech and research hub of Ontario, Ron Gagnon, President and CEO of Grand River Hospital, highlights the need for improved healthcare innovation and infrastructure
Writer: Jack Salter | Project Manager: Felix Revell
Canada is a world leader in science, technology and innovation, and is recognized as one of the most innovative and competitive economies in the world.
The country’s largest and most populous province, Ontario, houses the second-largest IT cluster in North America, where industry giants such as Amazon, Google, and IBM invest in major R&D operations.
Ontario is also home to a concentration of world-renowned research institutes, that work collaboratively with businesses to create innovative, game-changing solutions.
It was the opportunities around innovation within healthcare that drew Ron Gagnon, President and CEO of Grand River Hospital (GRH), to Ontario’s rich R&D ecosystem.
NOW Solutions provides the capabilities you need to manage your ever changing workplace in the face of today’s complex requirements.
“This area of Canada is well known for its innovative mindset, the large presence of the tech community, and the need to innovate around healthcare,” he opens.
“What the industry needs right now, not just in Ontario or Canada but around the world, is significant innovation and change. Innovation is becoming an everyday focus here in Canada; we need to be willing to think and do things differently, and to take risks at all levels.”
With more than two decades of experience in the healthcare sector, many of the challenges that face the industry today are not new to Gagnon, who joined GRH in 2018.
“Healthcare is at a critical point, but this isn’t something that has happened overnight. However, for people like myself who are hardwired to find solutions to big problems, it is an exciting albeit challenging environment.
“When I look locally in Canada, the healthcare system needs to run in a way that meets the needs of the people, and we need to find a way to leverage technology,” Gagnon shares.
GRH is dedicated to improving care through innovation and research, as it enables high-performance programs, services and systems, nurtures effective and collaborative relationships, and promotes best practices.
CARE! – Engaged, invested, and there for one another, GRH brings its best every day to deliver high-quality, safe care.
TRUST AND BE TRUSTWORTHY – Keeping its word and believing others will too.
COURAGE TO START, HEART TO FINISH – Having the courage to innovate and continuously raise the bar.
WELCOME ONE TO WELCOME ALL – Valuing all individuals and all perspectives within the organization.
“The value-based culture that we’re building helps to differentiate us, and last year we were recognized by Forbes as one of Canada’s best employers,” Gagnon reveals.
To this end, GRH takes part in and leads a number of innovation and research projects to ensure that it remains at the forefront of best practices in care and service provision. Various departments within GRH also collaborate with academia, as well as government and private agencies, to participate in clinical trials that contribute to improved patient care.
Situated in Kitchener, GRH is one of Ontario’s largest and busiest community hospitals, serving a population of around 840,000 people in the immediate region of Waterloo and the adjacent Wellington area.
GRH’s broad range of regional care services is delivered by an outstanding team of over 5,000 highly experienced, knowledgeable and compassionate professionals at two large campuses and several satellite locations.
“What struck me early on when I joined the organization is the people of GRH, and the spirit of having each other’s back and stepping up to what’s needed for the communities that we serve,” Gagnon emphasizes.
For patients in need of emergency care or treatment for disease, severe illness or injury, GRH’s
Cloud-based, paperless, automation, Integration - these have become buzzwords in a digital world that relies on advanced technology to support the needs of today’s teams. As a key partner, NOW Solutions is proud to celebrate Grand River Hospital’s continued growth. NOW Solutions is able to easily support the hospital’s ongoing needs as they grow in size and complexity, with added sites and specialties, through its flagship software, emPath®.
emPath® is a web-based solution offering integrated payroll, human resources, recruitment, scheduling, benefits and talent management, as well as advanced report ability with workforce analytics.
With this solution, organizations are able to seamlessly integrate HR and payroll functions with comprehensive administrative and workflow capabilities, and easily interface with third-party solutions. With emPath® providing a self-service portal for employees and managers, companies increase employee empowerment and selfsufficiency. emPath® can be deployed in-house or through its cloud offering, each with benefits that align with the organization’s operations and goals.
Cloud-based/SaaS platforms are becoming the go-to solutions across most industries around the world. NOW Solutions excels on this delivery model with the ability to offer either single or multi-tenancy, allow for easy integration with other solutions through restful APIs, while being fully compliant with security and privacy industry standards.
With emPath®’s integration capabilities and versatility, an ERP solution is no longer needed as
our solution can communicate fluidly with other supporting applications. Unlike companies that sell ERP systems, we focus on doing one thing and doing it well - and that’s providing a best-of-breed system that meets the requirements of organizations with complex HR and payroll structures.
“Our clients typically have complex HR, benefit and payroll demands with the need to automate such onerous tasks as step-rates and multi-position employees with multiple bargaining units. Our rulesbased solutions support these needs and eliminate the need for reminders, missed increases, manual changes or errors.
“Many of our clients want to focus on their core business and need to reduce their IT footprint. Using our SaaS (cloud) solution offers tremendous relief.” – Marianne Malcolm, President, NOW Solutions.
For over 20 years, NOW Solutions has helped Grand River Hospital save hundreds and thousands of dollars from inefficient processes and additional labour. With emPath®, HR staff and managers can focus on employees and the significant day-to-day demands of a hospital.
NOW Solutions provides 24/7 access, periodic software updates, rapid deployment, full-service backups, and disaster recovery to support our clients. We grow with you by continuing to fine-tune and enhance our products based on customer feedback and constraints. Our advancements in technology make a significant difference for forward-thinking organizations like Grand River Hospital.
At NOW Solutions, we don’t just wait for the future. We embrace it.
The
emPath® is a robust solution from NOW Solutions that revolutionizes the way large organizations manage HR and payroll functions.
Detect and diagnose the exact cause of symptoms at once. The only compact and complete automation system maximizes your walk-away time and minimizes the hands-on time while compatible with all Seegene’s high multiplex syndromic-based tests to lead you to the next level of molecular diagnostic testing.
www.seegene.com
Seegene Inc.
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Tel : +82-2-2240-4000
E-mail : info@seegene.com
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Toronto, Canada
Tel : +1-800-964-5680
E-mail : canada@seegene.com
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Tel : +1-925-448-8172
E-mail : info@seegenetech.com
At EpiTOme our mission is to empower Canadians to have greater control of their health through direct access to high-quality health & wellness Screening tools. In 2023, our suite of screening kits will be available through pharmacies and our ecommerce site, allowing you to purchase, swab at home, ship to our lab and have physician reviewed results delivered to your inbox. IT”S THAT SIMPLE.
Throughout the pandemic, often overlooked and unsung heroes within our community were brought to the forefront as their roles became more prominent in the fight against COVID-19. Yes, we will be forever grateful for the doctors and nurses who put their personal health and safety, as well as those of their families, on the line day in and day out. But if you look a little deeper there’s a layer of support workers who, while not viewed traditionally as “frontline”, were equally essential in our battle. They include the orderlies, personal support workers, healthcare administrators, phlebotomists and lab staff who played a supportive yet critical role and were often in the shadows cast by the spotlight being directed at others. COVID-19 required an immense level of sustained physical and mental energy from all allied healthcare workers who our region, province and country will be forever grateful for.
Locally, there were two companies who quietly played a major role nationally throughout the pandemic; Seegene Canada and EpiTOme Genetics.
Seegene Inc., is a global leader in molecular diagnostics and its Canadian subsidiary, Seegene Canada was instrumental in ensuring public health labs and hospitals, including Grand River,
had the swabs, reagents and equipment needed to meet demand. Seegene Canada’s Founder and CEO, Jamie Yantzi is a Kitchener native (born at Grand River Hospital) and a System’s Design graduate from the University of Waterloo. “Using AI, we were able to develop a PCR COVID test faster than our global competitors and ramp up production and supply efforts to ensure our customers were equipped with the best solutions and tools to tackle the pandemic.” Yantzi estimates Seegene supplied 40-50 percent of all PCR COVID tests across Canada over the last 24 months. With their equipment now functioning in labs across Canada, Seegene is deploying other tests from its extensive menu including Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Gastrointestinal (GI) and others.
One of the systemic gaps that was amplified during the pandemic was the lack of a public health or community-based lab within the region. By comparison, Windsor, London, Hamilton, Burlington, Toronto, Barrie and Ottawa all have community-based labs which were operating at capacity to process COVID tests, translating to quicker processing times within those regions. Enter Kitchener’s EpiTOme Genetics. Although not officially recognized as a community lab by the province, EpiTOme is one of only seven medical laboratories in Ontario to be licensed by the
up to 700 tests/day
The Seegene STARlet is a robotic liquid handling platform that automates processing
Ministry of Health and have its ISO accreditation. “Although we weren’t able to contribute our capacity and expertise to process COVID tests in Ontario, we helped other provinces with capacity issues when they needed it most,” says David Erb, who’s a partner at EpiTOme. “Some provinces were regularly flying tests into Breslau airport to be processed at our lab overnight with results sent electronically the next morning. It was an honor to be involved in that way.”
In addition to extensive workplace testing programs, while international travel restrictions were in place, EpiTOme formed partnerships with most national pharmacy brands to offer PCR testing for travel.
In a post-COVID world, EpiTOme is refocusing around its core mission of providing clientinitiated health and wellness screening tools directly to Canadians. “Like never before, COVID put Canadians in greater control of their health. We are all comfortable with the concept of athome diagnostics and we’re launching a suite of at-home health and wellness test kits that will empower people to live healthier lives,” says Erb. These kits will be available for purchase through pharmacies and online with self-collection in the privacy of your home. The collected sample is then shipped in a postage paid mailer to the lab
for immediate processing with physician reviewed results delivered directly to your inbox. Watch for these tests on the shelves of local pharmacies in early 2023.
What’s next for these two companies with strong local ties? Seegene and EpiTOme are collaborating to develop and deploy next generation liquid biopsy tests for important cancer biomarkers that, if detected early enough, will greatly improve health outcomes for cancer patients.
On the partnership, Erb says “Canada has an amazing healthcare system that delivers exceptional treatment following a diagnosis. We’re focused on prevention and are dedicated to bringing health and wellness screening tools to market to ensure we’re catching those serious diseases as early as possible.”
In closing Seegene’s Yantzi says “Waterloo Region is known globally as a innovation and technology hotspot responsible for the launch and success of high-tech companies that have revolutionized most aspects of our lives. The next wave of innovation will be in the digital health sector where big data will be used to convert the A's, T's, C's and G's of the genetic code into 0's and 1's to make valuable healthcare decisions and insights.”
www.epitomegenetics.com www.seegene.com
Kitchener-Waterloo (KW) Campus provides acute, diagnostic and surgical care services with the goal of recovery and for patients to return home or to a setting that best meets their needs.
Freeport Campus, meanwhile, is a key partner in recovery and rehabilitation for patients who live with complex health conditions or require follow-up care for recent illnesses or injuries.
Complemented by six partner locations for cancer and kidney care, as well as three community treatment centers, GRH strives to provide exceptional, world-class care.
“We deliver our inpatient and ambulatory care service from our two main sites, which have 683 beds between them,” Gagnon tells us.
Given there is no shortage of opportunities in the region to trial different technologies, with leading experts in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) right on the hospital’s doorstep, GRH is exploring the use of AI and ML together with the University of Waterloo to support its world-class patient care and services.
GRH, whose total revenue last year totalled $516 million, is also partnering with Google to explore the development of an AI algorithm to triage cases, as well as investing in digital pathology.
“We believe that digital pathology is crucial to support our proposed neurosurgery program, which is one of the new services we’re working on bringing to the community in partnership with the Hamilton Health Sciences Center,” states Gagnon.
“We’re also currently piloting two innovative solutions, namely dual layer X-ray imaging and an AI-driven insights tool to predict patients’ clinical risk of mortality or admission to intensive care. Our investment in translation services has also been really helpful for newcomers to Canada and those who don’t identify English as their preferred language
DELIVER A WORLD-CLASS EXPERIENCE FOR PATIENTS, FAMILIES AND TEAM MEMBERS – GRH values people above all else and aims to make a positive difference in their lives every day. The experience of patients, families, team members, and partners will be put at the very top of GRH’s agenda.
PARTNER TO CREATE A WORLD-CLASS HEALTH SYSTEM – GRH will be an engaged partner, working with partners, patients and their families to co-develop a truly worldclass system to advance the health and health outcomes of people in the community.
INNOVATE AND TRANSFORM HEALTHCARE DELIVERY – GRH will leverage the collective talents and strengths of the hospital, community, and partners to innovate and accelerate the transformation of healthcare delivery.
for communication, so there’s a lot of exciting changes happening on the innovation front.”
Equally, GRH is a proud community teaching hospital and a preferred destination for learners from a number of disciplines.
Although it is not an official Academic Health Sciences Center (AHSC), the hospital provides a substantial amount of high-caliber education to over 1,100 on-site learners every year.
“We’re able to accomplish that through a number of affiliation agreements with different colleges and universities throughout Ontario and Canada,” Gagnon highlights.
To meet the needs of communities in the Waterloo region, one of the fastest-growing areas in Canada, GRH is working together with St. Mary’s General Hospital (St. Mary’s), also in Kitchener, to plan for the future of hospital-based services.
RON
The Ontario government recently committed to investing $5 million to support the planning for the joint project, to build a new acute care facility and expand and renew existing infrastructure in the region.
As the community continues to grow, the pressure on regional hospitals such as GRH will only increase without new and expanded facilities that leverage the innovation and technology available in the area. GRH and St. Mary’s have also outgrown their aging buildings, with parts of the hospitals dating back over a century.
Gagnon describes the joint project with St. Mary’s as a “generational project”, one that will change the lives of people for years to come.
“The new state-of-the-art acute care site would be shared by both hospitals to house our regional programs,
including St. Mary’s regional cardiac program,” he outlines.
“The vision is also to renew and repurpose our existing GRH campuses as a highly specialized center for ambulatory and urgent care services, and give others the opportunity to co-locate on that property as well.”
Subject to change, the proposals will increase patient capacity across both hospitals by over 500 beds, and provide more clinical spaces such as intensive care units, emergency rooms, and modern operating theaters.
Plans for the new joint hospital, including its location, will be determined at a later stage after important consultations with relevant stakeholders such as the local community, hospital teams, health system partners, and government authorities.
Supporting quality patient care, operational insights and efficiencies through innovative supply chain and back-office services.
The global pandemic revealed the criticality of supply chain to the delivery of patient care. When demand for PPE surged at its onset, Mohawk Medbuy (MMC), a leading healthcare shared services organization, stepped up and stood out as a key resource – sourcing essential medical supplies and lifesaving drugs for care providers and the Province of Ontario.
MMC supports hundreds of Canadian hospitals – including Grand River Hospital – by negotiating largescale contracts for capital (FF&E) and medical products and services on their behalf. Last year, hospitals utilized MMC contracts for more than $1.4 billion of their purchases. “By consolidating spend, we generate savings that hospitals are able to reallocate to frontline care,” said Tony DiEmanuele, MMC’s President and CEO.
Along with procurement and contract management, MMC also provides warehousing and logistics, accounts payable and linen services. But what sets the organization apart is its resiliency and focus on innovation. “Our collaborative approach – with member hospitals and the vendor community – has allowed us to develop unique programs to address the pain points facing health care,” said DiEmanuele.
MitigAID™ is just one example. The program notifies health care providers of manufacturer supply disruptions for 160,000+ items, identifies substitute products and tracks resolutions via a comprehensive digital platform supported by MMC’s robust data management and analytics capabilities. On more than 5,000 occasions, MitigAID has helped reduce patient risk and lighten hospital workloads.
www.mohawkmedbuy.ca
“WHAT THE INDUSTRY NEEDS RIGHT NOW, NOT JUST IN ONTARIO OR CANADA BUT AROUND THE WORLD, IS SIGNIFICANT INNOVATION AND CHANGE”
–
GAGNON, PRESIDENT AND CEO, GRAND RIVER HOSPITAL
Mohawk Medbuy has demonstrated a unique capacity to innovate through the development of customer-centric programs like MitigAID™, Qwantify™, PPEplus™, OHTconnect™ and others. Individually, they each address a specific pain point of hospitals and other care providers – from managing supply disruptions to automating replenishment to bringing new savings opportunities to primary care providers.
Collectively, they demonstrate the collaborative, solutionsminded approach of Canada’s leading, not-for-profit, health care shared services organization – and explain our continued growth. It’s just the beginning, as we embark on new ESG initiatives and collaborate with Indigenous partners to help create better, more sustainable health care in Canada.
The next steps also include engagements to further identify the services that the community needs, and how to deliver the project in the fastest possible timeline.
“The challenge in Ontario is that these types of developments take somewhere between 10 and 15 years, on average,” Gagnon says.
Though it will take time to implement these changes for a stronger healthcare system for the Waterloo region and beyond, GRH and St. Mary’s are ensuring that the community is kept engaged and informed throughout the project.
“We take great pride in the way that we collaborate within the healthcare system. It’s very much about how we all succeed together.”
In the meantime, GRH has developed a mid-term plan, which includes a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) project that is close to conclusion.
“In addition to adding a new MRI, what we’ve been able to do with the existing MRI machine is essentially rebuild it on-site. At the end of that rebuild process, we will have a second new MRI without having to go through all of the construction processes and disruption related to it,” adds Gagnon.
“There’s a new MRI machine coming to St. Mary’s as well. When I joined GRH in 2018, we had only one hospital-based MRI between the two hospitals, so it was significantly underserviced.”
Do you wish you could extend the service life of your Chillers, while optimizing performance and maximizing efficiency?
Grand River Hospital did just that. They partnered with Carmichael to refurbish their 22 year old chiller including a complete compressor overhaul and new purge unit, bringing its performance back to original factory specifications.
Carmichaels Chiller Team can:
• Rebuild chillers extending their service life.
• Predictive maintenance services such as Open and Inspect and Eddy
Current Testing to identify worn parts and replace before failure.
• Vibration analysis and thermographic scanning.
• Chiller Plant Optimization.
• Energy retrofit projects.
• VFD and soft start upgrades.
• Chiller Panel replacements.
• Chiller regasketing to prevent costly leaks.
• Operation and preventative maintenance programs.
Infor Healthcare
Technology is changing the way we live and how care is delivered. Our healthcare-specific solutions are preconfigured for faster time to value, with improved decision making enabled by an evidence-based approach that provides access to real-time data across the enterprise. Our approach is rooted in decades of knowledge and direct healthcare experience.
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“I’VE BEEN HUMBLED BY THE SPIRIT, STRENGTH, AND CAPABILITY OF OUR LEADERS AND THE ENTIRE TEAM”
– RON GAGNON, PRESIDENT AND CEO, GRAND RIVER HOSPITAL
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated challenges already entrenched in the healthcare system and has highlighted the need for new and improved hospital infrastructure in the region.
The pandemic was nevertheless a great example of how the team at GRH leveraged their talent to help develop new relationships across Ontario and the provincial healthcare system, to add new capacity and services in the community.
“We added 150 beds to our operation in a very short period of time. It goes back to that culture of finding a way and mentality of getting things done,” Gagnon tells us.
“For sure, it was quite unprecedented. I would say I’ve been humbled by the spirit, strength, and capability of our leaders and the entire team. None of what we have accomplished would have been possible without them.
“Likewise, we couldn’t have achieved anywhere near as much without the strong working partnerships that we have with other hospitals and community partners in the area. Nobody has been in it for themselves, and it required all of us to think differently about the ways we can work together to support and protect communities,” he continues.
Since the start of the pandemic, GRH has cared for close to 2,000 COVID-positive patients, performed more than 240,000 COVID-19 tests, and managed a regional vaccination center that provided over 330,000 COVID-19 vaccinations. Taking into account pharmacies and other smaller vaccination sites, this single regional center provided the greatest number of vaccines for the community.
“These have been some of the most challenging times that we’ve ever experienced in healthcare, and the team has tirelessly put the lives of others ahead of their own interests.
They showed up and brought their best every day, and I think they’ve had a real positive impact on the people that we serve,” Gagnon acknowledges.
In addition, almost 50 million pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) have been distributed by GRH’s purpose-built supply chain, which also supplied hospitals across southwestern Ontario and other community providers.
The safety of patients and staff was one of the non-negotiables set out by GRH at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the willingness to think and do things differently.
“So far, our COVID-19 response has cost north of $200 million, so it has been a pretty significant effort.”
AIMING HIGH
GRH developed its Strategic Plan for 2021-25, branded as Aiming High, as it was responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inspired by the communities that it serves, the vision of the plan is to build a world-class health system supporting healthier lives. GRH is dedicated to seeing that vision realized, and this plan marks the beginning of the hospital’s journey along that path.
Three strategic directions, each with its own four key goals, have been identified by GRH to achieve the results that it is aspiring to: deliver a world-class experience for patients, families and team members; partner to create a world-class health system; and innovate and transform healthcare delivery.
The plan is informed by thousands of voices, from patients and families to hospital team members, partners and community leaders.
“We deliberately took a future-back approach, so instead of starting where we are today, we created that vision of a world-class health system for 10 years from now,” notes Gagnon.
“We worked our way back to where we are today to develop our plan, and we chose our vision to align with the world-class aspirations of the region that we serve. It’s not just about us as a hospital, it’s about supporting a larger system.”
GRH has also identified a number of specific measures of success, to benchmark and evaluate whether or not the Strategic Plan has realized its vision and achieved its goals.
“For both five- and 10-years’ time, we’ve set out objective measures as part of the success of our strategic plan,” he informs us.
“I’m extremely excited about the
plan that we’ve developed, and our path for the future.”
One of GRH’s key priorities for the years ahead is to continue to build out its efforts surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion. As one of the key strategic goals that will enable the hospital to deliver a world-class experience, GRH is creating structures and launching programs for longterm, sustainable change.
Equally, GRH will continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, whilst driving much-needed healthcare innovation and research in Ontario and beyond.
Tel: 519-742-3611 Info@grhosp.on.ca www.grhosp.on.ca
Sharp Grossmont Hospital combines state of the art equipment with a community-centric outlook. As Senior Vice President and Market CEO of Sharp Regional Hospitals, Scott Evans discusses redressing healthcare inequity in San Diego County
Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Felix Revell
In the beating heart of the American southwest and California’s secondmost populous county, Sharp Grossmont Hospital (SGH) stands as the largest healthcare facility in the East County region of San Diego.
“We are a full-service hospital and have one of the nation’s most technologically advanced emergency departments (ED),” opens Scott
Evans, Senior Vice President, and Market CEO of Sharp Regional Hospitals, which includes SGH.
SGH is just one of the hospital facilities under the umbrella of San Diego’s leading healthcare provider, Sharp HealthCare (Sharp). SGH is one of three hospitals that make up the company’s Sharp HealthCare Regional Hospitals group, which also includes
the Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center and Sharp Coronado hospitals.
“Sharp is responsible for the health care of roughly a third of all San Diegans. In a city of three million people, that means we’re taking care of about one million of them,” Evans continues. For SGH, this translates to the busiest single-site ED in San Diego County.
SGH is well-reputed as a center for health care excellence. The hospital prides itself on its accreditations in hospice, home infusion, inpatient rehab, sleep disorders, radiation oncology, breast cancer and its geriatric ED. SGH’s specialties include the Burr Heart & Vascular Center, David and Donna Long Cancer Center, Sharp Grossmont Hospital for Women and Newborns, Sharp HospiceCare, and the Sharp Grossmont Hospital Neurosciences Center.
The latter is a source of great excitement to all at SGH. Due to be unveiled in 2024, the new Neurosciences Center is set to be a “game-changer” for the region, providing state-of-the-art care for patients that have historically had to travel out of the county for advanced treatment.
“Patients with serious neurological conditions typically require integrated, specialized treatment, so comprehensive care in one place will make a life-changing difference in their journey,” explains Evans.
CEO: “Hospital at Home offers patients with brief but serious illnesses the option of staying in the comfort of their own homes, while receiving hospital-level treatment for their medical condition.
“A doctor may recommend a patient for the program while they are receiving care at the hospital – typically in the ED. Eligible patients can receive necessary care and treatment from SGH caregivers including doctors, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, physical therapists, social workers, and other specialists, with daily visits in-person or by video. State-of-the-art devices are set up at the patient’s home for the hospital team to monitor vital signs, observe medication administration, and communicate with patients directly.
“Operationally, it serves two important purposes: by reducing the crowding of the hospital, and from a safety perspective, because patients are not exposed to hospital-acquired infections if they can be treated at home.”
Horizon Oxygen and Medical Equipment was established to provide service levels to the hospice community that prioritize patient care and services above all else.
Our dedication to families and patients during end-of-life care drives everything we do.
Sharp Healthcare shares these same values. Together we continue to help our communities transition through end of life in the most comfortable and dignified way.
T 866-575-8901 www.horizonoxygen.com
As evidenced by the advanced imaging technology due to be incorporated in the upcoming Neurosciences Center, SGH embraces technological innovation to enable better, well-informed decision making in care. Across the hospital’s facilities, robotic platforms are used in several cases to deliver care, while invaluable analytics are gathered at the Sharp Insight Center.
“We developed a dedicated space on the main floor of the hospital where real-time data is tracked by a team of data and analytical specialists. Real-time data means decisions can be made instantaneously, rather than looking in the rear-view mirror the next day to determine what went wrong and what we should have done,” he elaborates.
Armed with this information, SGH is well-equipped to avoid readmissions, whilst on-demand dashboards allow staff to determine the levels and quality of care being provided to
SCOTT EVANS, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND MARKETeach patient, thereby improving their overall experience.
This emphasis on data-driven decision-making is a theme common to both SGH’s operations and Evans’ own interests in the healthcare field, developed during the early stages of his career whilst training as a critical care pharmacist.
“I found myself becoming drawn to analyzing data and wanting to make improvements from a research perspective,” he recalls. A pursuit of administrative roles ensued as a means to effect outcomes on a greater scale, with Evans transitioning from pharmacy to CEO of Keck Hospital at the University of Southern
California (USC) and USC Norris Cancer Hospital, before finding his way to SGH in 2015.
“I honestly never imagined a career outside of health care. This is certainly my calling,” he shares.
Throughout the care it provides and within the company itself, both SGH and the wider Sharp group are committed to redressing inequalities in healthcare – whether that be by fostering a diverse and inclusive working environment or delivering care to underserved communities.
“We follow this concept called The Sharp Experience where we target
the highest level of performance across our three key constituencies – our employees, our physicians, and our patients. By doing so, we have built the best place to work, practice medicine, and receive care,” outlines Evans.
SGH prides itself on nurturing a sense of community within its own team, and the diverse communities that it serves. With a workforce representing myriad different ages, cultures, ethnicities, and career stages, managers and employees at SGH undergo rigorous training programs to ensure that all are thriving within a culturally respectful and sensitive environment founded on a good combination of both social and emotional intelligence.
“This began with self-reflection as to how we can make all our employees sensitive to others that are working here, in order to properly integrate everyone and form our own community that is also representative of the
“WE HAVE ONE OF THE NATION’S MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED AND BUSIEST EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS”
– SCOTT EVANS, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND MARKET CEO, SHARP REGIONAL HOSPITALS
community that we service,” he says, referencing San Diego County itself as a “huge mixing pot of cultures with unique health care needs.”
Such training, which most recently has included an in-depth education on the nuances and developments of the LGBTQI+ community, proves essential in heightening understanding from both an employee and patient perspective.
In terms of the delivery of and access to healthcare, Evans, and by
extension SGH, recognize that the playing field is far from level. Health inequities prevail that disrupt the even and universal distribution of health care for a host of different reasons.
“We don’t believe that a certain segment of the population avoids something like a breast cancer screening because they don’t want to be healthy,” Evans says. “We believe that there are other factors that stop something like that from happening. These are the social determinants of
health, whether it be racial biases, or a distrust in healthcare professionals.”
In redressing the balance, Evans returns to the importance of gathering critical analytical information.
“We actively work on this and target specific populations using data.”
To help further this accessible vision of health, SGH’s Hospital at Home project is also instrumental in delivering quality, necessary care to a patient’s doorstep.
Arguably the greatest evidence of SGH’s commitment to addressing healthcare inequities can be found in its actions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During this time, the regional Sharp system worked closely in collaboration with the Department of Public Health in order to have the biggest impact amongst its vast audience across San Diego County.
“When COVID-19 hit us, the first priority was of course how to absorb COVID-19 patients and care for them when, at any given time, we would have several hundred in our care as we were still continuing to learn about the disease. At one point, COVID-19 patients equalled about half of the patients in our care,” says Evans.
When vaccines were finally developed, he recalls that time as akin to, “a light at the end of a very long tunnel,” with SGH poised to react accordingly.
“Once the vaccine became available, we set up a network of clinics in underserved areaseverywhere from north inland San Diego County through East County, and down to our South Bay, which borders Mexico. These areas had high populations of at-risk patients. We carefully created a synchronized network strategy for administering
the vaccine,” he explains.
During this time, SGH was alert to how underserved the Latinx community were in terms of getting vaccinated, whether for lack of access, or for personal beliefs and various other reasons.
“Just by looking at data on a map, you could see that the closer you got to Mexico, the fewer people were vaccinated. In response, we launched a vaccine mega-clinic with the ability to serve thousands of patients a day.
“We switched the paradigm, and that’s what we aim to do.”
Although we have now moved from a pandemic to an endemic reality, SGH’s efforts in this area have not slowed.
“We’re also developing strategies for how to identify and address patients who were avoiding certain care during COVID-19, and how we can help them now.”
Evans outlines SGH’s goals for the years ahead as part of the strategy comprised within its status as a ‘7-Pillar Organization’.
“We set goals in each of those Pillars, including mortality and readmissions in the Quality Pillar, and reduction in hospital-acquired events in the Safety Pillar,” he says. While the continued rollout of Hospital at Home addresses the Safety Pillar by reducing hospital-acquired events, SGH continues to maintain a strong focus on the Community Pillar.
Indeed, the hospital will keep its finger firmly on the pulse of San Diego County’s needs, as it prepares to undergo a community needs assessment to identify any further areas of inequity.
“We actively focus our system on righting health care inequities and actually making a data-driven difference that we will be able to see when compared to similar populations in the region,” comments Evans.
“In addition to the large focus that we maintain on diversity, equity and inclusion within our own team at SGH, we’re concentrating those efforts within our patient population and the overall community.”
+1 619-740-6000 www.sharp.com
Burr Heart & Vascular Center
In
Writer: Jack Salter | Project Manager: Tom McConnellThe US enjoys one of the safest water supplies in the world.
More than 90 percent of Americans get their tap water from a network of over 148,000 public water systems, often supplied by surface or ground water, which are subject to safe drinking water standards.
In California, San Jose Water (SJW) oversees one of the most technically sophisticated urban water systems in
the US.
“SJW is the largest subsidiary of SJW Group, and serves a population of approximately one million people in the greater San Jose area with highquality, life-sustaining water,” outlines President and COO, Andrew Gere.
To ensure a high quality and reliable water supply for customers, SJW is committed to maintaining and improving its extensive water system,
which comprises more than 2,400 miles of water mains, 95 wells, 100 tanks and reservoirs, 20,000 hydrants, and 35,000 valves.
Almost $120 million is invested by SJW into its water system every year to ensure it can safely and efficiently serve customers today and into the future, especially given the current water shortages facing the Western US.
“We have water scarcity here in the West due to climate change, and we see other parts of the country facing that as well, so we have to change the way we use, store, and treat water,” emphasizes Gere.
“A big part of all this is water affordability, which is not just an SJW challenge but one that is impacting the entire industry. The technological solutions in a sense are the easy part,
Founded in the 1800s, San Jose Water has evolved to be one of the most technically sophisticated urban water systems in the US. With 230,000 service connections, the utility serves over a million residents in the greater San Jose, California metropolitan era.
To help execute on AWS migration and management in order to deliver on an all-cloud initiative, San Jose Water chose managed services from Cascadeo.
“We have a wide range of projects we’re working on, both on the cloud infrastructure side and in terms of the service we provide to the community,” said Stan Blaauw, DevOps Manager at San Jose Water. “We use AWS for both customer-facing and internal projects.”
Any San Jose Water customer, for example, can look up their address to understand the fluoride concentration in their water supply. This uses an API
call to AWS and is displayed on the public sjwater. com website. In terms of employee-facing projects, in addition to enterprise asset management software, Blaauw and his team are working to deploy a GIS application that will be available to employees both in the field and in the office. The goal is a unified experience across devices and locations.
Access to information about water mains, service lines, fire hydrants - information that can be as granular as the size of a pipe, or the year it was installed - is all critical data for San Jose Water to keep the water supply clean, compliant, and reliable. For employees who interact with this data, it increases the ability to provide exceptional customer service and better collaborate with one another, whether that is for new projects, repairs, or advanced troubleshooting.
“What we have appreciated about Cascadeo is the guidance offered in the best ways to use AWS for our
specific use cases,” said Blaauw. “When we engage with a managed service provider, we need experts. We replaced another vendor with Cascadeo, and in addition to bringing technical skills, they also communicate back to us effectively. We continue to gain knowledge just by working with them.”
As part of its commitment to drive innovation and become a cloud first organization, Blaauw said that it’s not just about a particular technology, but also cultural change. “As the company brings on new applications, they might ask me to provision a virtual machine, and I have to ask: is this something we could do instead with AWS?”
At the core of Cascadeo’s managed services practice is re-factoring applications for the public cloud, and surfacing innovation opportunities within the AWS ecosystem.
With over 100 AWS certifications, engineers have the ability to deploy AWS services which help customers move away from legacy data centers, colocation, IaaS, private clouds or any infrastructure that is incumbent on the client to maintain. When freed up from server
or VM administration, teams have more time to focus on answering the questions that are critical to their business. In addition, Cascadeo offers professional services, so IT departments are never left without the people resources to solve problems impacting the organization and their customers.
San Jose Water is an investor-owned public utility serving the greater San Jose metropolitan area with high quality water with an emphasis on exceptional customer service. By sharing these services with others, we benefit the local community, lower the cost of water operations, and improve opportunities.
Cascadeo is the cloud managed services and professional services partner that helps your organization meet internal goals like employee productivity and external goals like customer experience.
ANDREW GERE, PRESIDENT AND COO: “As a water utility company and as an industry, we’re absolutely tied to ESG principles. We think all those things (environmental, social, governance) are equally important.
“To attract capital, we need investors, and if we are not a trusted place to invest in terms of governance where we’re transparent and well-run, then we’re sort of dead in the water. It’s the same with social and environmental initiatives, which really impact our employees, suppliers, and our standing in the communities we serve.
“We want to reduce our Stage I and Stage II greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 from our 2019 numbers. We’re a huge power user, and even though we’re sourcing renewable power, it needs to remain affordable for customers and not drive rates up to a level where people can’t afford water.
“I look at being strong on ESG as the baseline. We have to start there as a company in the water utility business,
but how do we implement them in such a way that consumers can still afford high quality drinking water? That’s more challenging and we’re working on those solutions.”
SJW harnesses a number of data and technology solutions to maximize water efficiency and conservation, including a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.
SCADA is the leading US urban water management system, complete with real-time monitoring of reservoirs, pumps and water quality, including hazmat and environmental compliance.
“We use SCADA to operate and automate our distribution system. In the old days, you had an operator driving around opening and closing valves, and manually turning on pumps to make sure the tanks were full and the system was pressurized,” Gere tells us.
“Our use of mobile SCADA, which means our operators literally have a data terminal in their truck that’s updating in real-time, gives us constant system status updates. What
we’ve done to enhance that is add real-time pumping plant efficiency.”
Amid a record-breaking heatwave early in September 2022, and forecasts from the California Independent System Operator (ISO) that it would not have enough power to keep the grid up and running, SJW shed a critical 184.6 megawatts of load through its SCADA operations.
“That’s the amount of peak power we would have been operating with. SCADA makes us as efficient as we can be in terms of what’s available on the grid,” explains Gere.
Preventing water loss from underground pipelines, meanwhile, helps SJW to protect water resources and promote sustainability in the community.
Water loss prevention technologies used by SJW include acoustic leak detection sensors, which are placed on special fire hydrant caps and monitor sounds within the SJW water system, to identify any acoustic anomalies indicative of a water leak.
When acoustic anomalies are found, geographic information is automatically sent to SJW’s staff for further investigation, during which leaks are more precisely located usually with a leak correlator or highsensitivity ground microphone.
“We’ve been implementing acoustic leak detection for several years, in partnership with Echologics. We’ve now got upwards of 8,000 sensors deployed; the idea is that you have multiple sensors listening at times when there would not normally be water flow, so they develop a background pattern,” Gere shares.
“If they detect an anomaly, we can figure out where that leak is coming from. They help to find non-surfacing leaks with pinpoint accuracy.”
Through acoustic leak detection, SJW has reduced its year-over-year water losses by a substantial 55 million gallons.
“Every million gallons of water that we don’t leak is a million gallons of water that we don’t have to find somewhere else in a water-scarce state. We’re leveraging technology to make sure that the water resources we have actually make their way to customers, so it’s been really successful,” adds Gere.
After facing one of the worst droughts in US history, in 2017. San Jose Water decided its traditional approach to leak detection would no longer suffice. The company turned to Echologics®, starting with a pilot of the EchoShore®-DX leak monitoring system. After seeing success, San Jose Water adopted the permanent leak monitoring system as an integral part of its water loss control program.
Over the years, San Jose Water has used the acoustic sensors to find leaks and reduce water loss. And, it has expanded its network coverage to include a network of 8,200 leak monitoring sensors. In 2021, the company discovered 121 consumerside leaks and 108 utility-side leaks. In finding and repairing those leaks, the company saved an estimated 200 million gallons (757 million liters) of water that same calendar year – energy savings equivalent to the energy offset of 6,300 trees.
Utilities across North America use the EchoShore-DX leak monitoring system to help protect critical infrastructure, address environmental concerns, and extend pipe asset life. The EchoShore-DX product line recently extended to include both hydrant-based and new, valve-based sensors, to help utilities get coverage where they need it. Echologics is proud to serve San Jose Water and support its conservation efforts.
Equally, SJW’s in-house pipeline replacement model has been enhanced and developed to predict the future performance of water mains.
SJW recognizes that partnering with Diverse Business Enterprises (DBEs) is an important part of the company’s success.
A diverse supply chain enables SJW to be more competitive, and enhances the economic vitality of the communities it serves.
The company is committed to continuously improving its supplier diversity program, which is designed to encourage, recruit, and utilize DBEs within the supply chain.
“Supplier diversity is really important to us. We think it’s good for our communities and makes our business stronger, so we’re very proud of that program,” Gere says.
The model takes input features such as pipe attributes, diameter, material, age, length, leak data, geospatial data and hydraulic modeling, to rank pipe segments in the water system.
“Every three years, we re-rank pipes based on runs of the model. From that, we develop our water main replacement program, and it has helped tremendously in our reduction of water loss,” Gere acclaims.
“We’ve also added consequence of failure to the formula, i.e., how many customers would be impacted if a main fails, whether it serves a hospital or a school, what the cost would be to restore service in the event of a failure, etc.”
The combination of the leak detection program as well as the systematic pipe replacements has allowed SJW to enjoy one of the lowest non-revenue water (NRW) system in the industry. SJW’s NRW of 7.5 percent is an incredible accomplishment given the size and age of its water system.
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SJW recently received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission to install Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) throughout its service area, an innovative technology that transforms the way customers and utilities can monitor water usage.
AMI allows consumers to access an online portal or smartphone app, where they can keep track of their usage in real-time.
Water usage data is automatically and securely sent by AMI over a wireless communications network on up to an hourly basis and stored in a cloud-based system. These hourly readings provide a better understanding of the amount of water being used, and allows quick adjustments to be made as needed.
Manual meter readings are currently provided bi-monthly, which drastically reduces customers’ ability to manage their bill, conserve water, and detect
leaks.
“This is a project we’re just kicking off now; we carried out an 18-month AMI pilot in the middle of the last drought, so it was really effective,” Gere informs us.
“During this pilot, we had numerous instances where the system identified abnormal water use in the middle of the night, which would otherwise go undetected.”
AMI technology will allow both customers and SJW staff to work together to minimize water loss from leaks, improve water management, and promote equity and sustainability, resulting in cost-savings and furthering California’s ambitious water conservation goals.
Conservation technologies such as AMI are more critical than ever, with previous droughts in California having left a prolonged impact on communities and scientists predicting that climate change will only continue to affect the state’s water supply.
Beneath the surface. Behind the scenes.
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The reality of future droughts has changed the way people think about water, as customers increasingly manage their water consumption.
“AMI will reduce our carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions because we won’t have people driving around every day manually reading meters. Those people will be kept in the company and put to higher and better uses, such as maintaining AMI and data handling/management,” Gere adds.
“It’s an exciting four-year project. The first year is really focused on building the backbone of the radio transmission system that collects the signals from each of the meters, coalesces them, and sends them up to a data center where all the information is stored and analyzed.
“One of the things that’s really important is making sure the data accuracy is there. We’ll continue testing AMI before the system goes live to make sure customers have confidence in the technology.”
Recent droughts have made it abundantly clear that water is a finite resource.
It’s therefore also important for water providers such as SJW to team up with industry organizations to recycle wastewater, treat and disinfect it for use in irrigation and other non-potable applications, and save unrecycled water for potable uses.
SJW works in partnership with the City of San Jose, which operates the South Bay Water Recycling (SBWR) program that is designed to provide a sustainable, high-quality water supply and reduce the region’s dependence on imported water.
“Water supply is going to continue to be critical for us. We need to begin looking at how we can enhance our water supply resiliency, so we’re working closely with the City of San Jose to grow SBWR,” acknowledges Gere.
Though recycled water is not intended for drinking water applications, it nevertheless
significantly boosts SJW’s potable water supply by taking its place in other areas such as irrigation in public parks.
Every drop of recycled non-potable water used for irrigation purposes stretches the area’s supply of potable water even further.
“Non-potable recycled water that’s used for irrigating a park or a golf course, or used in an industrial cooling tower or data center, provides an offset of fresh potable water available for customers.”
Just last year, SJW also completed a strategic water supply assessment in which it looked at current and forecasted future demand, and is now undertaking a feasibility study for brackish groundwater desalination.
“These are generational investments that we need to make in water resources. They are not inexpensive, but when we look at the next 30 to 50 years, we think we need to be a player in that,” Gere states.
“A project of that scale may require us to use a different financing model and look for state and federal grants, or have other partners come in.”
In 2018, SJW unveiled its upgraded Montevina water treatment plant, following the completion of more than $60 million in infrastructure improvements.
This included the installation of BASF’s leading-edge ultrafiltration membrane technology to modernize the facility, clean and remove bacteria and viruses from water, and ensure it meets the highest available water
safety standards.
The plant can now treat between three and five billion gallons of water each year, serving 100,000 people during the summer months and up to 300,000 in winter.
“In California we typically get these big winter storms, and even though we have a reservoir in the water system that can hold two billion gallons, it’s relatively small for the watershed that supplies it. In a typical year, only about a third of the water would be stored, whilst the remaining two-thirds would be treated right off the creeks,” Gere says.
ANDREW“WATER SUPPLY IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE CRITICAL FOR US. WE NEED TO BEGIN LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN ENHANCE AND GROW WATER SUPPLY OURSELVES”
–
GERE, PRESIDENT AND COO, SJW
“We pipe water down to the treatment plant from seven creek impoundments and treat it in realtime, but we were having to turn the plant off when it was about to hit its turbidity limit, so we knew that we needed to upgrade the treatment plant.
“At the same time, disinfection by-product standards were getting tougher and tougher. We had already built a microfiltration plant in 1994, the first municipal-scale membrane plant in the US, so we knew membranes were the way to go,” he continues.
Able to treat just about every storm condition, SJW has also reduced its disinfection by-products at the upgraded plant, making it a tremendous success from both a
water use efficiency and public health standpoint.
To minimize the amount of water loss during construction, SJW carried out a progressive design build in which it had a lot of input into the construction sequencing, technology and membrane selection.
Rather than destroying the old plant, which has stood next to the Lexington Reservoir since 1970, SJW repurposed a lot of the existing facilities.
“For example, we took the old filter boxes and converted them into sedimentation basins. We did some seismic reinforcing and obviously reworked a bunch of controls and pipes, but we retained the big civil structures,” Gere reveals.
SJW’s biggest investment, however, is in its people, who are easily the company’s most important asset.
“Pipes, pumps and tanks are fairly universal, but people are what make our business and our industry really special. We really focus on internal promotion and career development.
“This is an industry that you can build a career in, and we survey our employees twice a year to help us improve and make SJW a better place to work,” concludes Gere.
Tel: (408)-279-7900 www.sjwater.com
The energy industry is a very dynamic and ever-changing space which creates immense opportunity, more so than ever before.”
For Eric Dupont, Chief Development Officer at PowerSecure Inc. (PowerSecure), the US energy industry is characterized by rapidly evolving developments due to the critical nature of electric energy for business operations.
Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Tom McConnell
PowerSecure is focused on providing the best distributed energy solutions for its customers based on the business objectives they are each looking to achieve. The company’s
solutions typically fall within two primary business areas or categories: energy efficiency services, which focus on how energy is utilized within a consumer’s facility, and microgrid or distributed energy solutions.
“The former also includes identifying new technologies and operational practices to reduce the energy consumed by that facility; we want to make sure that the energy consumption is optimized,” Dupont elaborates. “In this business, PowerSecure’s services include the identification, development, design, installation, and commissioning of energy efficiency measures.
“As for microgrid or distributed energy solutions, this business segment of PowerSecure is focused on the vertical delivery of onsite power production, integrating a single or multiple distributed energy resources (DERs) together to work in conjunction with the grid, and to isolate an electric load from it. PowerSecure operates as an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) service provider in this field.”
PowerSecure develops the conceptual design of the distributed energy solutions based on the consumer’s business objectives
from both a technical and financial standpoint. At the same time, PowerSecure supports its customers in building the financial value stack associated with the distributed energy solution. This is all supported by the company’s team of experts who understand the utility tariffs, deregulated markets, and utility requirements, and can translate these programs or tariffs into the right system to drive the maximum value to customers.
PowerSecure is known for its microgrids in the energy industry.
ERIC DUPONT, CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER: “We stand out in the industry in many ways: our vertically integrated delivery model provides the customer with a full turnkey solution from concept to design, to own, operate and maintain. They come to PowerSecure and we deliver a fully comprehensive system for them that supports meeting their business objective.
“Our microgrid systems are designed to be flexible and adaptable to new DERs as those technologies become economically viable. As we think about designing our microgrid systems, we must remain focused on retaining flexibility in our system design to allow current and future technologies to be easily adopted into the microgrid – we call this ‘future proofing’.
“We are also technology agnostic – it is most important for us that we support our customers in meeting their business objectives and tailoring the solution to meet those objectives. We do this by understanding the most important business objectives that our customers want to achieve.”
Microgrids themselves are localized electricity grids that are connected to the main power grid, yet act as a single and controllable entity, outsourcing to a small network of electricity users, versus the vast reach of a general electricity grid.
The present-day iterations have evolved from the traditional fossil fuel-based reciprocating engines to include DERs such as solar and battery energy storage, to name a few. On top of this, the company’s microgrids boast long-life assets of over 20 years, while retaining a flexible and adaptable design to minimize loss.
“PowerSecure has implemented over 2,400 microgrids in its history, and we are currently working with Bright Canyon Energy (BCE) on the Los Alamitos microgrid in Orange County (California) on the integration of an advanced microgrid system with 31 megawatts (MW) of solar, 20 MW of battery storage, and three MW of backup generators,” Dupont explains.
“Under normal grid conditions, Los Alamitos will sell energy, capacity and renewable attributes to San Diego Gas and Electric (SDGE)
under a long-term power purchase agreement. Under emergency grid conditions, Los Alamitos will provide energy resiliency to the U.S. Army and California National Guard at Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos.”
One such microgrid example is installed in Lillington (North Carolina). Here, PowerSecure, South River Electric Membership Corporation (South River EMC) and its power supplier, North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, partnered with Butler Farms, a sustainabilityfocused pig farm, to develop a local microgrid. The microgrid connects to South River EMC’s distribution system to supplement and diversify traditional power resources.
During outages, it can also operate in island mode to power Butler Farms and surrounding homes. In this microgrid, PowerSecure integrated renewable energy resources, including solar and biogas, with energy storage to supplement traditional power sources, diversify the electric grid and provide environmental benefits.
“PowerSecure executed the Tech Square advanced microgrid with 1.4
PowerSecure, a Southern Company subsidiary, is the nation’s leading microgrid developer.
Our team of experts has developed, installed, managed and serviced 2+ GW of microgrid capacity over the past 20+ years, as well as implemented over $800 million of energy efficiency upgrades.
We take a full-facility, lifecycle approach through production and management, delivering clean, resilient energy at the best possible value, while continuing to expand and develop sustainable energy innovations.
We make energy an asset that helps businesses and their communities thrive. www.PowerSecure.com
Southern Company delivers sustainable, resilient and economical energy solutions that connect communities, businesses, and future generations to opportunity.
We are committed to meeting the needs of the nine million customers and businesses nationwide who depend on us.
With a track record of industryleading performance, all-of-theabove strategy, and a goal of net zero emissions by 2050, we’re a trusted energy partner you can depend on.
Our diverse portfolio includes carbonfree nuclear, renewables, microgrids and liquified and compressed natural gas, and energy-efficiency solutions. Southern Company is building the future of energy, today.
We’re on a mission to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. We are a trusted energy partner delivering resilient, clean and economical solutions to support your organization’s unique sustainability goals.
Together, we’re redefining what’s possible.
southerncompany.com/future
MW of generating capacity in conjunction with Georgia Power, a Southern Company subsidiary,” Dupont tells us. “This microgrid is located on the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) campus, and during
power outages, the microgrid acts as an emergency backup for Georgia Tech’s high-performance computer center (HPCC).
“This advanced microgrid has incorporated in a custom enclosed
ERIC DUPONT, CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER: “The consumer is demanding more from their energy providers, and I believe it is for a few reasons.
“Business energy consumers have investors or shareholders, boards of directors, customers and other stakeholders that are driving and demanding a focus on climate, carbon footprint reduction, and viable energy solutions to meet those goals.
“Secondly, electrification will drive an increasing demand in electricity requirements, but will further drive a higher expectation of resiliency in electric energy. This means that electric energy to business operations becomes a key risk that needs to be evaluated, managed, and mitigated. These create a really interesting, dynamically changing industry where PowerSecure is excited to participate.
“One of our primary solutions, a microgrid, is positioned to become a significant contributor to the future reliability and resiliency of the global power grid. As such, the microgrid industry, as a subset of the energy industry, is a very exciting field with strong growth potential. According to a major research firm, between DERs and the microgrid industry, these markets are expected to hit $40 billion by 2026 with a 7.6 percent and 8.7 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) respectively.”
dual fuel system with natural gas and Tier 4 Final Volvo Penta generators for long-term resiliency, a 300-kilowatt (kW) fuel cell and 500 kilowatthour (kWh) battery energy storage systems (BESS).”
PowerSecure is always working on advancing new technologies to provide enhanced value for its customers. The microgrid industry continues to evolve with new technologies, new products, and new fuel sources, among other things. PowerSecure is constantly evaluating new technologies to be utilized in its microgrid and energy efficiency services.
PowerSecure, as a subsidiary of Southern Company, has the additional benefit of working closely with Southern Company R&D, which is responsible for identifying future technologies and how they can commercialize and support PowerSecure’s business model.
“PowerSecure provides an enhanced service to its customer after the microgrid system is installed. This is a critical service that enhances the value to our customers. It ensures a hands-off approach by the customer
We created solutions that deliver more power, reliability, and fuel savings. Leveraging the R&D resources and proven experiences of the Volvo Group to bring our customers to the forefront of sustainable driveline technologies.
Together, let’s rethink the possibilities and take your operations – and bottom line – to the next level with Volvo Penta´s industry-leading Tier 4 Final solutions.
to know that the microgrid system is going to deliver the best value,” Dupont says.
“Our customer care functions are
extremely important. Microgrids are critical investments and significant to both our customers and the communities they serve, and they must be reassured with confidence in our microgrids when it comes to driving value and achieving returns.”
PowerSecure’s PowerControl 24/7 service which monitors, manages, dispatches, and controls microgrid systems is key to driving value for the microgrids. PowerControl 24/7 ensures that the operation of the microgrid creates value from the energy markets or utility programs,
while also ensuring that there is a high level of microgrid reliability to ensure electric resiliency is achieved during grid outages.
This energy asset/microgrid control is also coupled with data analytics to drive performance optimization and maximum value capture. Equally important to the equation is a strong service division that develops and executes servicing plans for the microgrid systems.
“Our PowerControl 24/7 is integrated with service division through our customer care model.
“THE ENERGY INDUSTRY IS A VERY DYNAMIC AND EVERCHANGING SPACE WHICH CREATES IMMENSE OPPORTUNITY, MORE SO THAN EVER BEFORE”
– ERIC DUPONT, CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, POWERSECURE INC.
When there is an issue identified within the microgrid by PowerControl that cannot be resolved remotely, our service technician is dispatched to rectify any issues. This efficient service model is highly valued by our customers,” Dupont adds.
PowerSecure is the leader in mobile microgrid deployments to date in the US, with market leadership in both basic and advanced microgrids. As a market leader, the company continues to expand its offering
to maintain its position and serve its customers with the best in the industry.
“Our industry is constantly evolving, and consumers are demanding more. Our key priority for the coming year is to ensure that PowerSecure is aligned with consumer requirements to meet their business goals today and in the future,” Dupont continues.
“We have announced our expansion into using renewable diesel and renewable natural gas in our reciprocating engines, which are a part of our microgrids. We need to continue to improve distribution to get that to our customers’ doorsteps in an efficient and viable approach. Our goal is to continue to expand the technologies that we integrate into our advanced microgrid systems and provide a low to no-carbon solution for our customers that is economically viable.”
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has also created a window for microgrid controllers to get the investment tax credit (ITC). For PowerSecure, this is something that its customers can leverage, with the additional incentive to drive growth in the adoption of microgrids in the market.
Further, the IRA should also have a significant impact on the ability to economically deploy stand-alone BESS, so PowerSecure is looking forward to deploying such technology into its solutions more often.
“As we look across the landscape of the technologies within the IRA and the related tax credits available, we need to ensure that our customers are educated on IRA, further getting the full benefit of these tax credits, and moving with a sense of urgency to maximize the value,” Dupont concludes.
POWERSECURE INC.
Tel: (919) 556-3056 info@powersecure.com https://powersecure.com
Canada is a green nation of green thinkers. Within the sustainability sphere, QM Environmental undertakes works across rivers, lakes, and mines, helping to create harmony between nature and cities. President and CEO Agnes Wietrzynski tells us more
Canada is taking environmental, social and governance (ESG) and its practices to the next level.”
Just like the Canadian forests during warmer seasons, the national mindset is overwhelmingly green. According to Agnes Wietrzynski, President and CEO of QM Environmental (QM), Canada is seeing continuous efforts by residents and companies to not only restore Earth’s natural processes, but to also implement new and improved technologies and plans that will help shape the path for environmental advancement for generations to come.
In line with this, QM plans to further its ESG goals by measuring the sustainability and ethical impact of its projects and investments.
“It’s exciting to be part of a company like QM, and constantly working on thrilling large-scale national projects within an industry that is assisting in bettering our future,” Wietrzynski says. “The environmental services industry within Canada is well positioned to meet environmental concerns with innovative solutions developed by talented people. Due to the ongoing efforts throughout the world to restore our planet and prolong its lifespan, the concept of sustainability has become a topic of interest throughout the past couple of years.”
QM’s history spans over 35 years, and within that time, it has quickly become one of the most accomplished environmental and industrial services providers for businesses throughout the nation. QM’s offices are located across the country in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and spanning these locations are over 400 industry experts who leverage an extensive, tested network of highly qualified subcontractors, vendors, and equipment suppliers to help clients minimize waste, manage costs, and reduce their impact on the nation’s environmental footprint.
“My educational background is in business. My career path is not a traditional one for a business student, and I dare say that most business students don’t even realize that “environmental” is its own business sector. It wasn’t a prominent career path when I was trying to secure my first job. I was recruited into this industry because a former colleague thought I would find it interesting.
“To be honest, I think you either love it or you hate it! There is no in-between. I loved it, and I am genuinely passionate about the industry. Anyone that works in this space truly understands the impact they have on many historical moments. From cleaning up hazardous spills to remediating/ reconstructing, every project is unique and often has years of history behind it. It’s interesting to drive by a location and understand the role you played.”
Today, QM provides a wide range of solutions that adhere to all forms of environmental services. These include environmental remediation and speciality construction, waste management and facilities, water treatment, demolition and decommissioning, hazardous materials abatement, emergency management, and environmental response.
Toronto is Canada’s largest city and the capital of the state of Ontario, with around 2.8 million inhabitants. It is critical for QM that such environmental practices and efforts reach these urbanized and populated centers, to both protect hubs of activity from natural disasters, and instill positive environmental practices into a large number of people.
The Don River is a watercourse in southern Ontario which empties into Lake Ontario on Toronto’s doorstep. Because of this, QM seeks preventative measures that will help stabilize the region in the face of potential flood risks.
“The Port Lands Flood Protection project consists of completely revitalizing the mouth of the Don River in Toronto,” Wietrzynski explains. “The main goal is to ultimately transform the existing mouth of the Don River, that includes the Keating Channel, into a healthier and more naturalized river outlet.
“This will instantaneously provide critical flood prevention to 240 hectares of Toronto’s eastern waterfront. QM is honored to be working on this historic project with our key aspects within the project including the excavation of the river valley, soil treatment, the construction of a natural barrier stretching 150,000 square metres (sqm), soil tracking, bioengineering and planting of river finishes within the Don River. The underwater placement of 3,300 sqm
In April of 2021 Hub Equipment was invited to participate in QM Environmental’s Portlands Flood Protection project in Toronto.
The scope of work on this interesting project has involved demolition of a historic dockwall, dry and wet excavation, including dredging, managing and tracking of excavated material, underwater placement of marine geotextile and subaqueous barrier layer, and placement of river finishes.
This was conducted using conventional and long-reach excavators from land and a floating barge section.
Hub is proud to have been the trusted supplier of some of those excavators and will look forward to continuing this relationship on future projects.
www.hubequipment.com
subaqueous barrier layer comprised of granular activated carbon has been installed on the site, which then required an equally large marine geotextile placed over it, acting as a layer of separation between the different materials.”
Following this, QM installed over 2,000 metric tons (MT) of river finishes including riprap, armor stone and habitat boulders.
On top of this flood protection, the project will provide the city with a number of new amenities including new ecological habitat restoration, infrastructural development, and a whole new recreational area for the city to enjoy and utilize.
QM has worked on a wide range of monumental projects over the course of the past few years. Currently, one of its largest projects is the Gunnar Mine and Mill Site in northern Saskatchewan. This site
is a uranium mine located on the north shore of Lake Athabasca, roughly 68 kilometers (km) south of the Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan border.
“The Gunnar Mine and Mill Site posed potential risks to the surrounding communities and environment as it had developed into brownfield land due to the limited previous efforts for decommissioning within that area,” Wietrzynski elaborates.
“The project involves remediation of the Gunnar Mine and Mill Site to reduce the overall risk to the immediate
environment and to transform the site to its natural use to allow for the re-establishment of vegetation and traditional use of the land.”
Specifically, the remediation project objectives and endpoints are; the containment and stabilization of the unconfined tailings and waste rock piles to minimize human health
risks posed by gamma radiation, the minimization of contaminant releases from the tailings and waste rock to Lake Athabasca, permanent disposal of all waste materials in a manner that is environmentally sound and meets regulatory requirements, and the remediation and contouring of the landscape in a manner that is compatible with the natural surroundings.
It is because of QM’s staff that the company has been able to thrive within the industry for a prolonged period of time. Their dedication to QM’s values and beliefs has ensured the company’s success across all its activities and operations, such as the critically important remediation of the Gunnar Mine and Mill Site.
Therefore, QM takes corporate social responsibility (CSR) very seriously. Within QM, a “Living our Values Recognition Program” has been introduced, to provide employees with the opportunity to identify and celebrate those extraordinary colleagues who are living and breathing the company values.
“In terms of diversity, 2016 was a monumental time for us as QM (at the time, known as ‘Quantum Murray’) became part of Wes Hall’s (Wes) KSS group of companies,” Wietrzynski says. “Wes has helped the company deeply internalize the Canadian values of diversity, fairness, and inclusion. With his influence, QM was one of the earliest signatories of the BlackNorth Initiative, which shows our commitment to addressing anti-Black systemic racism within corporate environments in Canada.
“CANADA IS TAKING ESG AND ITS PRACTICES TO THE NEXT LEVEL”
– AGNES WIETRZYNSKI, PRESIDENT AND CEO, QM ENVIRONMENTAL
“On some of our exciting main projects, onsite labor staff is comprised of 70 percent indigenous, Métis, and Inuit peoples, who later go on to secure long-term employment within the industry.”
As a leading provider of environmental emergency training within both the private and public sectors, QM has trained over 700 indigenous, Métis, and Inuit peoples in a range of company divisions across the nation. Consequently, many of these graduates have been hired by various employers in several industries or by QM to join its team.
“The younger generation is more susceptible to information; therefore, QM works with staff and students from high schools in remote communities to identify, train, coach, and motivate our future workforce to work onsite to gain crucial experience and credits towards graduation,” Wietrzynski continues.
“QM’s Specialized Independent Competency Program allows us to partner with the Niagara Peninsula Aboriginal Area Management Board (NPAAMB) to extend a (separate from our ER/EM Training) intensive eightweek program for Aboriginal youth and adults.”
This program teaches a broad range of specialized skills and life competencies, helping these individuals to shape their futures, and allowing them to enter a variety of industries while being prepared.
Moving forward, QM expects its proven culture to continue to power company growth. QM is already seeing strong organic growth in its primary service areas, including remediation, hazardous material abatement, emergency response and demolition.
“This growth has been strengthened by exciting new hires as well as substantial investments in equipment and systems,” Wietrzynski comments.
Over the years, QM and its constituent companies have successfully and safely completed thousands of projects across every Canadian province and territory, combining a total value of well over CAD$1 billion. According to Wietrzynski, QM’s unparalleled
track record is due to a heightened dedication to quality, attention to detail, integrity, vigorous adherence to health and safety protocols, and of course the welfare of the environment.
“We look forward to continuing to expand our company across the nation and taking on even larger projects that will not only restore our planet to its natural glory, but also help put us one step closer towards environmental stability.”
QM ENVIRONMENTAL 416.253.6000 info@qmenv.com www.qmenv.com
Kodiak Gas Services LLC focuses on providing safety and contract compression services to oil and gas producers and midstream customers throughout the United States. We delve deeper with Vice President of ESG Innovations, Kathy Norris
Writer: Ed Budds | Project Manager: Tom CullumBusiness is our priority, but safety is our foundation.”
It is this opening statement of intent that defines Kodiak Gas Services (Kodiak) as a behemoth of the US oil and gas industry, recognizing that business success starts with a solid safety culture.
Kodiak focuses on providing its contract compression services to oil and gas producers and midstream customers in highvolume gas gathering systems, processing facilities, multi-well gas lift applications, and natural gas
transmission systems.
As part of Kodiak’s service offering, pad drilling allows midstream companies to create large networks of low-pressure gathering systems that require large compressor stations.
Compressor stations consist of one or more compressors that boost the pressure of gas coming from the location in order to move it to processing facilities. From processing facilities, fractionated methane is transported to end markets including gas utility lines, industrial applications, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants.
With the rise of shale oil and the proliferation of hydraulic fracking, the need for compression in oil production has risen dramatically in recent years and is required immediately after the completion of a well in certain basins across the US.
The multi-well gas lift has become the preferred method of artificial lift for many producers and is an integral part of producers’ drilling and completion plans, driving demand for larger high-pressure solutions offered by Kodiak.
With many of the easy-to-produce reserves already recovered in North America, producers are exploring tertiary techniques to recover even more of the existing oil reserves. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is one such tertiary recovery process by which producers inject heat, steam, or natural gas and CO2 at high pressures to extract and recover as much as 30 to 60 percent more oil from existing wells.
EOR requires specialty compression equipment, and Kodiak offers a fleet of specially engineered natural gas EOR compressors and
the expertise to effectively manage customers’ EOR efforts.
“At a young age, I was really drawn to where we were getting our power and how the whole world has become reliant on it. That’s where I then started investigating and exploring the oil and gas side of it, following my natural curiosity and seeing how we were trying to make changes, to be cleaner and more sustainable as a society,” opens Kathy Norris, Vice President of ESG Innovations at Kodiak.
Reflecting on her experience of a career in the oil and gas industry, she is nothing but exuberant, telling us how “working in this field is probably the most exciting time I’ve had. I feel like we are truly working as a team to try to continue to lower our greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint, and a lot of people don’t realize that over the past 20 years, the oil and gas business doubled its output while lowering its GHG emissions by about the same percentage.”
At present, Kodiak is the largest privately held contract compression company in the US, which means that
With over 3,000 successful packages under its belt, McClung has firmly established a reputation for building both custom and prepackaged natural gas compression units with unrivaled reliability. Consistently ranked by the Gas Compression Association as one of the top manufacturers in the industry, McClung is continually bringing superior products and performance to gas compression applications.
As more companies clamor to meet the push for net zero emissions and a more sustainable operational environment, compression packagers like McClung are working diligently to differentiate themselves from the pack. With improved access to electrical infrastructure, fewer moving parts and maintenance, lower operating expenses, and less downtime than their gas powered counterparts it’s easy to see why more companies are choosing electric drive compression equipment. It’s even easier to see why more fleet owners and capital operators are trusting McClung with their electric compression package builds - they’re simply made to outperform. With over 250 electric units to its name, McClung has the experience and capabilities to provide unparalleled product performance to end users while optimizing GHG emission reduction.
KATHY NORRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF ESG INNOVATIONS, KODIAK GAS
SERVICES: “When I first came into the industry, there wasn’t at all. You didn’t have any camaraderie, and now I feel like I’m part of a group that has some very strong, amazing women that are thriving in the Oil and Gas sector.
“I am talking almost daily to remarkable women, some of them customers, partners, or Kodiak colleagues, whom I have touch points with, who are directors, CEOs, VPs, and incredible leaders. This is the first time in my life that I feel like we have a strong group of women who want to work together in showing what an amazing industry this is.
“How women can come together and make significant and positive changes simply because we want things to be better in the future is amazing.”
With an Engineering and Design department that boasts decades of experience and highly skilled engineers and drafters, McClung is uniquely positioned to provide custom solutions in the most demanding applications. Whether that is modifying an existing package design or building something from the ground up, McClung has you covered. www.mcclungenergyservices.com
NORTH AMERICA OUTLOOK: HAVE YOU FOUND A GREAT SENSE OF CAMARADERIE BETWEEN YOUR FEMALE COLLEAGUES IN THE SECTOR, AND HOW HAS THIS DEVELOPED AND GROWN?
Highly skilled technical and engineering teams will custom design a compression solution for your application.
Over 250 state-of-the-art electric drive compression packages built and deployed.
Experts in small to midsize horsepower packages that deliver high-end performance.
visit us at mcclungenergyservices.com or call 903.643.8513
Providing greater than 99% mechanical uptime utilizing industry leading components.
it provides not only gas compression that moves the natural gas down the pipeline but provides the people on site to keep the equipment in shape, up to date, totally maintained and always running, which helps to cut the emissions of operations.
One of Kodiak’s recent flagship projects is the new GHG emission and real-time operations monitoring system, known as EcoView. This new tool advances operations, reliability and emissions reporting across the company’s compression assets.
Kodiak is looking forward to evolving the capabilities of EcoView as customer and industry needs continue to adapt.
“We’re particularly excited about
our new EcoView system,” Norris tells us.
“This new technology basically took our vision of analyzing our equipment for any potential mechanical or operational issues and made it a reality. We now have a leak detection camera that monitors emissions from the engine and detects the levels of any gas leaks so that we can resolve them immediately.”
A proprietary data collection and high-fidelity transmission system that monitors emissions and streamlines efficiency for the company’s compression assets, EcoView provides Kodiak with unparalleled, comprehensive views of all operational data captured through the 150 sensors on its equipment.
The development of EcoView offers Kodiak’s technicians, management, and clients an unprecedented ability to monitor operational data in real-time and enhance the already industry-leading mechanical availability guarantee.
With ESG initiatives front and center for the industry, this technology eliminates the guesswork for Kodiak’s customers and drastically increases the accuracy of the data related to the GHG levels they report.
“It has lowered our emissions on site and streamlined our jobs” Norris acclaims.
Through 2022, Kodiak has committed a significant investment to EcoView as part of the company’s pledge to sustainably provide critical midstream infrastructure and related compression equipment and services for the US energy sector.
Kodiak units with EcoView technology will gather real-time operations data every second. Approximately five billion data points per compression asset, per year are collected on-site, interpreted within Kodiak’s software and associated hardware, and transmitted back to cloud-based servers every 30 seconds.
Cypress Engine Accessories (CEA) has amassed an impressive portfolio of products and services designed to help customers improve equipment reliability and environmental compliance.
Founded in 2005, CEA specializes in natural gas engines and compressors used in midstream oil and gas and power generation applications.
At CEA, our business model is focused on the ‘last mile’ service and support of our customers. Simply put, we provide customers the partnership they need to keep their equipment and systems operating efficiently.
We invite you to learn more about our operations at www.cypressengine.com
Here at M&J Valve Services, we don’t just repair and supply the highest quality compressor parts in the natural gas industry, we keep your equipment running.
Since 1987 our commitment to quality, safety, and unbeatable service has earned the trust of America’s industry leaders. Our consistent performance has also earned us distribution partnerships with the world’s best brands.
It’s a combination of knowledge, commitment and an intense hunger to be the best that has made M&J the #1 choice for over 30 years.
www.mjvalve.com
With this technological advancement, Kodiak can provide its customers with access to instantaneous operational visibility, unmatched anywhere else in the compression industry which will drive both environmental and financial sustainability.
EcoView will enable Kodiak to make truly predictive maintenance a reality through future partnerships with machine learning (ML) companies, driving down costs, improving operational efficiencies, and minimizing the equipment’s environmental impact by reducing unplanned downtime incidents.
Kodiak’s number one asset is its employees, and ensuring their safety. The health and safety of employees and customers remain the key driver of Kodiak’s premier Environment Health and Safety (EHS) program.
Kodiak follows a three-pronged approach: balancing safety, productivity, and quality. It is this dynamic safety culture that goes beyond simply checking a box.
“In our company culture, people are number one; we’re a company with heart,” Norris says proudly.
With in-depth training that addresses industry standards, internal processes and procedures,
We timely solve problems with permitting and logistics issues to keep your delivery on schedule.
Rig Runner is a specialized trucking company with headquarters in The Woodlands, TX.
Rig Runner operates flatbeds, single drops, double drops, extendable trailers, multi-axle lowboys and multi-axle dollies and rig moves. Commodities moved include legal flatbed loads and over-size, overweight loads up to 165,000 lbs. We will move your high-value
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“BUSINESS IS OUR PRIORITY, BUT SAFETY IS OUR FOUNDATION”
– KATHY NORRIS, VICE PRESIDENT, ESG INNOVATIONS, KODIAK GAS SERVICES
as well as customer expectations, Kodiak’s employees are deployed to job locations prepared to excel at all times.
Kodiak’s safety and risk management teams have regular and open dialogue with employees and customers, fostering a strong organizational culture of safety within the company. This includes monthly safety meetings attended by each employee, a behaviour-based safety
(BBS) observation program, and workplace hazard identification and correction analysis. This is in addition to training with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and regular safety “spot checks” conducted to ensure the HSE program is working and up to date on all applicable laws, rules and regulations.
Kodiak’s safety department strives to build strong relationships within its own ranks, as well as with the company’s extensive customer base. Regional Safety Specialists administer PEC-based training coupled with training in Kodiak procedures and safety equipment during the hiring process and annually thereafter. To address the dangers of gases, such
as H2S, each employee undergoes comprehensive annual training, regardless of H2S levels in their assigned units. This creates flexibility within Kodiak’s workforce and allows each employee to recognize changing environments.
Each employee assigned to locations with H2S presence participates in the Respiratory Protection Program, receiving hands-on training on respiratory equipment, medical evaluation, and equipment-specific fit-testing.
Employee training is further supplemented with certification in first aid and CPR, utilizing industry approved techniques. Kodiak recognizes the hazards of the oil and
“PEOPLE ARE NUMBER ONE, WE’RE A COMPANY WITH A HEART”
– KATHY NORRIS, VICE PRESIDENT, ESG INNOVATIONS, KODIAK GAS SERVICES
gas industry don’t start and stop at the compressor station. Therefore, each employee receives defensive driving training.
To put safety in the hands of the employees, Kodiak has adopted a behavior-based observation program. Introduction to this program is conducted during new hire training and then subsequently, reinforced in the “on the job”. Each employee is taught how to recognize behaviors and unsafe conditions that could lead to an incident or damage to property and the environment. Employees can complete the observation electronically or manually, and the program is supported at all levels of leadership within Kodiak.
The company’s safety department instructors, under the leadership of Executive Vice President of EH&S Carrie Hodgins, are all certified in PEC Core Compliance, PEC Safeland/ Safegulf, PEC H2S Clear, and first aid/ CPR.
The Kodiak family has always had a strong commitment to its people and communities. To help extend the heart of Kodiak to the community at large, the Kodiak Cares Foundation (KCF)
was created in 2021 with one key focus: to create positive change by supporting charities, employees, and the overall community in which the company operates and calls “home”.
“It is important to remember that electricity is not a natural commodity and must come from somewhere.” As we explore ways to improve renewable power sources, natural gas continues to be our most affordable and viable option because it is cleaner than coal and, at this moment, is more reliable than wind or solar.
KODIAK GAS SERVICES LLC sales@kodiakgas.com www.kodiakgas.com
Celebrating its 70th anniversary, we uncover how Waterville TG has rubber stamped itself as a leader in automotive weatherstripping with President, Benoit Tetreault
Writer: Jack Salter | Project Manager: David Knott
Vehicles are incredibly complex and technologically advanced machines.
A number of important parts immediately spring to mind, from fundamentals such as brakes, engines and wheels, to modernday luxury accessories including satellite navigation and parking sensors.
But one component that often gets forgotten about, yet serves a vital purpose in protecting a vehicle, is weatherstripping.
The rubber material that seals the
edges of doors, windows, windshields and more, weatherstripping is responsible for retaining warmth and keeping rain, dirt, and bugs out.
The world’s biggest automotive manufacturers, including Ford, General Motors, Honda, Stellantis and Toyota, continue to choose customized weatherstrips designed and manufactured by Waterville TG (Waterville), whether for their massmarket or more luxurious models.
“We are a supplier of dynamic and static weatherstrip systems for the automotive industry,” says Benoit
Benoit Tetreault, PresidentTetreault, President of Waterville.
“We offer a turnkey service to our customers, from the custom design, through to material development and the manufacturing process, up to the mass production of these parts.”
It was Tetreault’s interest in understanding these multidisciplinary aspects of the business, and the challenges of design and manufacturing, that allowed him to be promoted to President in 2017, having worked in the automotive sealing industry since 1994.
“Throughout my whole career, my
technical expertise combined with my market knowledge and appetite for the future of sealing systems brought me to where I am today,” he reflects.
The history of Waterville, a wellestablished company celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, is one defined by the search for the best solutions.
From its founding in 1952, Waterville stood out by becoming the first producer of sponge rubber in North America.
Since then, the company has become a key player in the design and manufacture of weatherstrip seals and systems, today employing more than 1,100 members of staff and operating three production plants, as well as one distribution center, across Quebec and Ontario.
For Tetreault, longevity is one of Waterville’s biggest competitive advantages.
“We have continuously improved our materials, manufacturing methods, and processes to provide the best products,” he tells us.
“That know-how keeps us one step ahead of our competitors, and we can build on these foundations. We have several employees with more than 30 years of seniority!”
Many trends have come and gone over the last seven decades, in which time Waterville has also developed a strong understanding of the market by working with multiple customers, even the likes of Ferrari and Porsche, across various product types.
Indeed, the company has been recognized internationally as a convertible vehicle sealing specialist, with the quality and reliability of Waterville’s products setting it apart from the competition.
“We have the capability to develop the full product, from design to dayto-day support and delivery, and a very strong program development team that supports our customers
through the complete lifecycle of their vehicles,” Tetreault says.
“Furthermore, we have an experienced material development team that can quickly develop new formulations, ensure compatibility between various materials, and our chemists ensure the support of our sister companies as well.”
Waterville’s engineering team is just as integral to the organization, specializing in various fields of expertise from artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to manufacturing and engineering.
“This team is leading the way towards global competitiveness and developing new technologies,” adds Tetreault.
As an active member of the community, being a good corporate citizen is a priority for Waterville.
Dow ChemicalsTransportation is racing forward, evolving at its fastest pace in more than a century. Electric, hybrid and autonomous vehicles are reshaping our world and how we will travel, requiring advanced solutions to meet the challenges of individual and societal mobility.
To meet these rapidly evolving needs, Dow partners with key players in the value chain to develop solutions for targeted automotive application needs including weather seals. For example, NORDEL™ EPDM is used in high performance weatherseals today, and Dow continues to develop the materials for the next generation of ultra-lightweight, color stable, and high-performance weather seals aimed at meeting the needs of battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
Furthermore, Dow created its MobilityScience™ Studios which offer a collaborative workspace that features a world-class suite of testing capabilities focused on acoustic and powertrain solutions for fast-moving automotive applications.
“Understanding that vehicle requirement needs are in transition, MobilityScience™ Studios is always looking for ways to develop next generation materials for a variety of applications,” said Beth Talaga, Dow Transportation Marketing Manager. “These studios, located in Midland, Michigan and Lake Jackson, Texas, combine unparalleled expertise and a broad product portfolio, offering a comprehensive development network with access to experts and a focus on formulation, fabrication, and testing capabilities.”
Whether companies are looking for solutions for electric or autonomous vehicles, Dow customizes solutions to drive enhanced safety, performance, reliability, and sustainability.
Looking for lighter weight? Amazing acoustics? Improved weatherability? Increased manufacturing efficiency? Enhanced sustainability…from raw materials selection through end-of-life options?
Backed by MobilityScience™ Studios – our exclusive, comprehensive development network – we’re working side-by-side with customers and NORDEL™ EPDM to help create a new generation of weatherseals for BEVs and beyond.
Want to get in on the excitement? Let’s talk.
Please contact a Dow representative or visit us at www.dow.com/nordel to learn more.
are.
“For us, social responsibility is about the positive impact our company can have on preserving the environment, creating pleasant workspaces, and helping to build communities that people want to live in,” Tetreault emphasizes.
“Our company contributes to the local economy by providing quality and stable jobs for hundreds of families locally. We also partner with local engineering firms, develop new suppliers, and purchase tools and components from local vendors.”
Waterville’s commitments to the community include support for organizations such as Centraide Estrie (United Way), taking part in the nonprofit’s awareness campaign every year.
Many employees also make donations to Centraide Estrie through automatic payroll deductions, with special prizes given out to donors by Waterville to encourage employee participation.
Elsewhere, the company makes financial and material donations to the likes of Blue Massawippi and FSWC Québec, and supports a variety of projects in the city of Waterville.
“We also like to encourage university students by supporting their engineering projects and competitions, as well as sports organizations.”
Equally, Waterville’s Better Health program is centered on wellness and allows staff members to enjoy a fulfilling lifestyle.
Better Health focuses on physical and mental wellbeing in five specific areas: Eat Better, Breathe Better, Be Safer, Live Better, and Move Better.
“We try to implement different types of activities so that the program appeals to everyone,” Tetreault shares.
“For example, we have a massage therapist that comes to the Waterville plant every week, we have several gym and spa discounts, and we hand out fresh apples in the fall.”
Acrolab provides thermal, design and sourcing solutions for several manufacturing applications and industries. Partnering with us brings you full optimization of thermal engineering and supply chain management.
Speed, precision, profit and sustainability are key features of Acrolab. We develop thermal management technologies and manage discrete industry partnerships with reliable suppliers that result in superior comprehensive technology solutions for our customers.
Our products and services optimize output, resources, cost and carbon footprint. Acrolab operates along the principles of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to maximize output while reducing contributions of environmental emissions.
Instron
For more than 75 years Instron has been a world leader in the materials testing industry, offering cutting edge solutions for tensile, compression, flexural, fatigue, impact, dynamic, melt flow, HDT, Vicat, and torsion testing applications as well as structural durability and crash simulation testing.
Instron materials testing systems are used in industry, academia, and government to evaluate the mechanical properties and performance of raw materials, components, and final products.
The extensive Instron product line is backed by a global infrastructure offering a broad range of local service capabilities including installation, calibration, verification, training, technical support, and onsite service.
www.instron.com
To minimize its environmental footprint, and eliminate the landfilling of production waste, Waterville has recycled waste weatherstrip rubber processed outside the factory for almost 20 years.
“We have surrounded ourselves with processors, and brought our technical expertise with rubber into the equation to allow a significant reduction of material going to waste,” outlines Tetreault.
More recently, the company was awarded the Eastern Townships environmental excellence prize and is now recycling 70 percent of its residual materials.
Waterville is also constantly optimizing its coating systems to reduce landfilled waste, lowering the amount of silicone used and alleviating volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
Numerous recycling projects, meanwhile, have been implemented to prevent other materials from going to landfill, including paper, cardboard, glass, metal, wood, and plastic.
“We also promote composting, and in our recycling business relationships, we prefer local businesses in order to reduce our carbon footprint to the maximum,” Tetreault notes.
Another of Waterville’s environmental goals is to increase the reuse of reclaimed EPDM rubber in compound mixing, based on a new ‘cradle-to-cradle’ mantra.
This year, the company will be pursuing an R&D project with the intent of increasing the ratio of reclaimed material inside new batches of rubber.
“The end goal is to revalorize products by reintroducing them into the production process. One of the challenges is the reclaiming process itself, to design the product with reuse in mind and the collection of material following its usage.”
Waterville has a track record of environmental leadership, having been a member of the Canadian
Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC) since 2004.
CIPEC recommends best practices in energy management, and encourages reductions in the consumption of energy per unit of production whilst improving economic return. Waterville has subsequently had an electricity management system (EMS) in place since 2014, enabling the implementation of systematic energy management.
The company has also been involved on the Board of Directors of the Fondation Estrienne en Environnement (FEE) since 2007, promoting environmental protection and sustainable development in the Eastern Townships region.
As a FEE member, Waterville has now participated in expert networks and drafted guidelines dealing with the adoption of best practices in the industry for several years.
“Waterville participates in the sharing of knowledge, with the goal
Established since 2017 in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Usinage Blaxes CNC has been known to compete and help the big companies of this market.
We have made our name strong by making quality parts at a good price and by shipping them promptly.
Usinage Blaxes CNC specializes in CNC manufacturing, now possessing two 5-axis milling, one 3-axis milling, an EDM Wirecut and recently a 4-axis lathe.
We are now able to help our customers more than ever. This is why we are a major asset for Waterville TG in the process of making their molds.
www.blaxes.com
of having a positive impact on the industry,” Tetreault states.
“We are also involved on the CSMO Caoutchouc Board of Directors, participants in Elastomer Valley, members of the Association des Élastomères du Québec (AEQ), and have participated in the Maison régionale de l’industrie (MRI) for more than 30 years.”
For the year ahead, Waterville’s big focus will be on supporting its customers in the disruptive Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) environment.
The company is collaborating with manufacturers, who are facing fresh challenges associated with BEVs, to
ww w.blaxes.com I 819 636-0246
importance of weather seals to block airborne external noise and manage squeaks and rattles is considerable,” he continues.
reduce mass, improve acoustics, and comply with new regulations.
“As car manufacturers start to master BEV powertrain technologies and competition increases, we think their focus will change to improve noise, vibration, and harshness (NHV) and weight saving,” Tetreault says.
“We would like manufacturers to recognize the technical complexity of quality weatherstrip sealing systems, the benefits of which will show in this new era of mobility.
“Our parts need to withstand not only doors and windows opening and closing, but also exposure to external elements. The body sealing system has an impact on a vehicle’s perceived quality from an NHV perspective; the
It comes as Waterville continues its efforts towards automation, having invested heavily in manufacturing robotics over the last few years to ergonomically improve its processes and increase global competitiveness.
“This vision makes even more sense now in the context of labor shortages.
“However, the challenge here for automated operations is the fact that weather seal parts are soft,” Tetreault acknowledges.
On the cutting edge since 1952, the next 70 years of automotive rubber weatherstripping at Waterville is set to be as exciting as the first.
Tel: 1 (819) 837-2421 isabelle.tremblay@wtg.ca www.watervilletg.com
With a focus on the trucking industry, we delve into Acuity Insurance and the products and services that truckers can benefit from, after speaking to Director of Loss Control, Angela Banerjee
Writer: Jack Salter | Project Manager: Tom CullumAcuity – the ability to hear, see, or think accurately and clearly.
By definition, Acuity Insurance (Acuity) allows customers and businesses to do just that, with its innovative property and casualty insurance products.
A top regional insurance carrier with over $6 billion in
assets and $2 billion in annual premium, Acuity is one of the best-performing, well-run companies in the industry.
“Acuity has been named on Ward’s list of 50 top-performing property-casualty customers for 23 consecutive years, putting us in the top two percent of insurers nationwide,” acclaims Angela Banerjee, Director of Loss Control.
“We actually have a 100 percent customer claims satisfaction rating, where customers rate our service as good or higher. Among all claimants, including third parties, it is 96 percent.”
Protecting what matters most to customers is the number one goal of Acuity, whose claims satisfaction is
testament to its ethical and fair treatment of people.
Indeed, recognized with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Torch Award for Ethics, the company embraces a philosophy of “daring to care” for customers to provide unmatched service.
Claims are handled from start to finish by Acuity’s
own representatives, rather than third-party adjusters, so customers and agency partners always have one point of contact no matter the complexity or coverage involved.
“Our goal is always one-call resolution. We answer incoming calls within 16 seconds, and our claims service includes same-day, meaningful claim contact,” Banerjee outlines.
“Our claims philosophy is based on the understanding that we “rebuild shattered lives”. It also reflects our company’s common purpose: “With kind hearts, we dare to care for our family of employees, agents, and customers by staring down risk”.”
Trusted by more than 120,000 businesses, Acuity is unwaveringly committed to doing business through a network of independent agents, allowing customers to engage with people they know and trust in their communities.
An award-winning trucking insurance provider, Acuity is headquartered in Wisconsin and provides cover for over 300,000 vehicles, including 45,000 trucks, for customers ranging from owner-operators to large fleets.
“We know trucking. We’ve always been an insurer of truckers and motor carriers, and we want to support everything that they do.
“We start with all the coverages you expect, such as commercial auto, cargo, workers’ compensation, general and excess liability, as well as trucking-specific coverages such as deadhead (no trailer), bobtail (empty trailer), trailer interchange, and cyber insurance,” details Banerjee.
“Our truckers’ enhancements provide over 20 coverages with truckers in mind, and we make all the necessary federal and state filings that customers need,” she continues.
Acuity offers a plethora of other products and services that truckers benefit from, including a motor carrier toolbox.
This free online resource provides access to tools, programs, and policies designed to help motor carriers comply with regulations such as the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program, and improve their overall safety and operations.
based on the merits and niches of each business,” Banerjee informs us.
“For our trucking accounts, we know that a weak CSA score does not mean a poor fleet safety program. If motor carriers don’t have the knowledge or tools to understand their data and improve, we partner and provide those to them.
– ANGELA BANERJEE, DIRECTOR OF LOSS CONTROL, ACUITY INSURANCE
A vast collection of trucking safety materials and resources are likewise offered by Acuity at no cost, whilst a network of 62 dedicated loss control professionals provide risk assessments and consultations to trucking insureds.
“Our field loss control representatives’ analyses of potential and existing customers enable us to underwrite
“We use analytical tools that model the impact of motor carriers’ efforts to reduce Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) violations that impact their scores, so we can show where they can have the biggest impact.”
The modeling of CSA scores and technology advancements provide Acuity with measures to share and
“WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN AN INSURER OF TRUCKERS AND MOTOR CARRIERS, AND WE WANT TO SUPPORT EVERYTHING THAT THEY DO”
consult on, thus having more of an impact on its insureds’ performance and road safety.
Acuity’s consultations to insured motor carriers also includes Cliff Johnson, Trucking Specialist at Acuity, who has 30 years of personal experience in the trucking industry as a driver and owner.
These loss control efforts not only help the individual motor carrier, but also contribute to highway safety for all.
“Many of us drive nearly every day, and do it without much thought. Anyone who has been impacted by a vehicle accident knows that any effort to improve safety on our roads is worth the effort and can save lives,”
Banerjee acknowledges.
“We also partner with Truckers Against Traffickers, to distribute their information to our insureds and agents so they can help us fight human trafficking.”
Meanwhile, a dedicated in-house customer focus team works to stay on top of industry trends and help create new products and services that truckers need.
Trucker Focus, Acuity’s quarterly newsletter, is also delivered to all trucking clients.
“We create engaging customerfacing content, which helps truckers to address operational, safety, and compliance challenges,” Banerjee says.
Acuity is active in over a dozen state and national associations, including Women In Trucking Association, Inc. (WIT).
As a member of WIT, Acuity has enjoyed a close relationship with the association, sponsoring and attending the annual Accelerate! Conference & Expo event and donating to the Women In Trucking Foundation.
“The mission of WIT, to encourage women to enter the trucking industry and foster their development and success, is an important one,” emphasizes Banerjee.
“Our relationship with WIT, other trucking associations, and the industry as a whole are important to us, not only to insure them but to support what they do.”
The company also sponsors an annual contest for National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, to celebrate and acknowledge the work of truckers.
However, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), there is a national shortage of about 80,000 truck drivers, with women heavily underrepresented.
WIT’s initiatives empower women, create a path for them to find a career in trucking, and enhance their leadership skills, which will also
enhance the resiliency of the industry in years to come.
Acuity is active in a number of other schemes to support women in trucking-related industries. For instance, as a member of the Auto Care Association, the company helped to provide toolkits through the Women in Auto Care initiative to alleviate the toolkit cost barrier for women in the industry.
Through WIT, the importance of diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) to Acuity is clear.
“It is a fundamental part of our success. We are fiercely committed to the respect of, and for, the individual,” Banerjee affirms.
“Our commitment to DEI is reflected in our entire organization, from our board of directors, to the executive team, to our managers and employee base. We select the best person for the job and empower everyone to pursue professional and personal development.”
“THE MISSION OF WIT, TO ENCOURAGE WOMEN TO ENTER THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY AND FOSTER THEIR DEVELOPMENT AND SUCCESS, IS AN IMPORTANT ONE”
– ANGELA BANERJEE, DIRECTOR OF LOSS CONTROL, ACUITY INSURANCE
Equally, Acuity has an ongoing, iterative strategic planning process that involves everyone in the company.
“Our approach to strategic planning earned us the top overall Innovation Award in 2021 from the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC),” reveals Banerjee.
Acuity’s strategic planning and overall approach to business has helped the company to grow over 12 percent in the last 12 months, sevenfold since the turn of the millennium, and double its top line revenue in the past nine years.
“There are several key promises we make to agents and employees. They include remaining an independent, mutual company, delivering a worldclass claims service, and maintaining a broad appetite for business,” Banerjee shares with us.
“We also promise to pursue innovation, maintain our technology leadership, and to not just be a great place to work in the insurance sector, but the best place to work in any industry, guided by sound underwriting principles.”
Tel: 920.458.9131
/ 800.242.7666 www.acuity.com/contact-us www.acuity.com
You’ve got companies not wanting to own their data centers anymore, even shutting down their corporate headquarters, and people working remotely. On the other hand, you’ve got those that may have overcorrected a little bit in the public cloud and are looking to recalibrate where their workloads run.”
At the intersection of these two macro-workload movements sits the global data center platform, Cyxtera Technologies (Cyxtera).
Providing deeply connected and intelligently automated infrastructure, Cyxtera enables businesses around the world to scale faster, meet rising consumer expectations, and gain a competitive edge.
For experienced technology executive Holland Barry, Senior Vice President and Field CTO of Cyxtera and orator of the opening statement, the company was his first taste of data center service provision.
“I’ve been in technology for exactly 30 years, but I’ve always been on the consumer end of the data center industry. I’ve been in various IT roles and part of start-ups that consumed
Writer: Jack Salter Project Manager: Marvin Iseghehidata center colocation services, so Cyxtera is my first time behind the scenes, seeing what it’s like to be on the provider side of the business,” Barry reflects.
With more than 60 data centers in over 30 markets, world-leading data center colocation and interconnection services are provided by Cyxtera to around 2,300 customers globally, including leading enterprises, government agencies, and various service providers.
This global network of data centers offers industry-leading performance and exceptional reliability, whilst on-demand access to secure, direct and dynamic connections allow businesses to scale and accelerate growth through Cyxtera’s Digital Exchange. The Digital Exchange offers on-demand access to solutions in four main categories: compute, storage, network, and security.
“Cyxtera has built a future-ready global platform that lets you manage and monitor pretty much any aspect of the data center experience,” explains Barry.
“We provide our customers with access to on-demand hybrid IT
Cyxtera Technologies is helping innovative enterprises to increase agility and accelerate growth. We delve into the global data center platform with Senior Vice President and Field CTO, Holland Barry
solutions. We are very technologyfocused, more so than almost anyone else in our industry, and have built pretty much everything that’s on our core platform from the ground up.”
Being a global platform is a true differentiator for Cyxtera, who takes a wholly API-first approach to its digital infrastructure services.
This API-first approach means clients can take advantage of futureready and extensible Cyxtera platform
features, enabling maximum flexibility, cross-platform versatility, and custom solutioning.
“We try to facilitate connections between our customers and global ecosystem of partners. If you were to take the roof off one of our data centers, you would see hundreds of customers and providers doing business with each other,” Barry says.
“It’s our job to create a fabric, an automation system to allow those people to do business together. That ecosystem is really what makes it all
As a global leader in colocation and interconnection services, Cyxtera is committed to empowering customers and partners to build sustainable businesses, minimizing its own environmental footprint, fostering diverse and connected communities, and increasing trust and transparency.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY – Reduce reliance on energy-intensive resources, empower customers and partners to build sustainable businesses, and design data centers with the environment in mind.
SOCIAL IMPACT – Foster a culture of diversity and inclusion, give back to the community, and invest in employees.
GOVERNANCE – Partner with independent oversight to lead the organization, integrate ESG across the entire corporate strategy, and strengthen governance with board diversity.
The HPE GreenLake platform powers data modernization from edge to data center to cloud. HPE brings a unified cloud experience to apps and data everywhere, unleashing data for companies to deliver continuous innovation to move their business forward, faster.
Cyxtera’s Global Platform empowers businesses to build their hybrid IT infrastructure through a softwaredefined platform, Digital Exchange, that offers on-demand provisioning and customisation of the elements of a traditional data center.
Through Cyxtera Marketplace, customers access an ecosystem of solutions, such as Enterprise Bare Metal, direct cloud connect and a world of on-demand solutions offered through strategic technology service providers.
Together, HPE and Cyxtera offer a comprehensive cloud portfolio providing the outcomes you need - consumed anyway you want, wherever you want.
happen, so our API-first mindset is extremely important.”
As part of the NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center Program, many Cyxtera data centers have also been reviewed and certified as ready to meet the demands of customers implementing artificial intelligence (AI) applications, which are growing at an aggressive rate.
AI applications demand highperformance compute resources and specialized power and cooling, making it costly for enterprises to build and maintain, whilst the amount of data that needs to be managed and processed at low-latency rates is skyrocketing.
By partnering with NVIDIA, a global leader in AI hardware and software, Cyxtera ensures enterprises can deploy AI applications while avoiding many of the challenges associated with infrastructure planning, which can delay operations.
The partnership with NVIDIA is one
of Cyxtera’s centerpiece AI initiatives, according to Barry, enabling AI workloads for NVIDIA DGX Systems customers.
“We’re also proud to be an exclusive provider within NVIDIA’s Inception program, where they provide credits and compute resources for those who are just getting their journey started in the AI world,” he adds.
“Because we have a footprint of DGX compute systems deployed globally, premium tier Inception members can log in and get a twoweek free credit to validate their solution and carry out performance and compatibility testing, as opposed to going out and having to write a large cheque or borrowing one from someone else.”
As part of the Cyxtera ecosystem, the company is also focused on enabling the cloud service providers who are building full-service AI platforms to offer customers a multitude of infrastructure options
that fulfill their AI requirements.
“If customers need access to infrastructure, and we don’t have the right flavor or the right service on our core platform, we can easily connect them to these cloud service providers in our ecosystem who are doing AI,” Barry shares.
Cyxtera likewise works with a lot of the world’s top OEMs, like HPE, to deliver their technology within its Enterprise Bare Metal platform. Traditional HPE customers can now consume HPE-as-a-Service, for example, whilst NVIDIA customers can deploy DGX-as-a-Service.
An attractive complement to public cloud environments, the Enterprise Bare Metal platform combines the financial and operational flexibility of the cloud with the control, performance and security of enterprise-grade dedicated infrastructure.
“If DGX is overkill for example, or might not be the right solution, it means that clients can still experience the NVIDIA platform by leveraging Cyxtera’s other OEM partners or ecosystem CSP partners,” Barry tells us.
Enterprise Bare Metal is an on-demand model designed to meet a broad range of workload needs. It is perfect for seamlessly extending an existing colocation environment, or rapidly expanding into new markets without the burden of capital expenditures, lengthy implementation cycles, depreciating assets, or adding to local staff.
“We describe ourselves as cloud adjacent, and a leg of a multi-hybrid strategy which we’re seeing a lot of our customers execute on. I would even put Cyxtera in that category; we also leverage public cloud services for a certain class of workload, even though we have all the resources to run it here.
“We like to talk about ourselves in that context, so when we describe our Enterprise Bare Metal platform, we highlight why it’s different to the public cloud and why you can complement what you’re doing in the public cloud a lot of the time,” Barry outlines.
Cyxtera’s dedicated single-tenant environments are therefore the optimal venue for the workload of customers who want full control over
infrastructure. At a time when most companies have cloud-first mandates, Cyxtera ticks all the boxes.
“People are getting a little savvier around the calibration exercise of which workload is the best fit for which venue,” notes Barry.
“We’re seeing people consume a multitude of public cloud services, and then a multitude of services from companies like ours. It’s all about that calibration with the right venues to run your workload, and we’re in the middle of those conversations.”
Another offering that Cyxtera continues to evolve and iterate on is its on-demand, single-tenant dedicated colocation cabinets.
SmartCabs come complete with built-in power and network connectivity as well as access to the Digital Exchange, accelerating time to market.
“You can think of SmartCabs as colocation on demand. These are ready-to-consume colo environments with core networking included,” Barry informs us.
“The whole idea is that you can send us your infrastructure, send us the power cord, and we’ll do the rest. You can bring that infrastructure to life without having to go through the exercise of creating a colo environment. If you have a specialized piece of equipment, you can send it to us, and we can shorten the delivery time and workload readiness for that particular piece of infrastructure.”
With SmartCabs, clients get preconfigured space and power within a Cyxtera data center, a unified environment managed through the company’s self-service customer
“CYXTERA HAS BUILT A FUTURE-READY GLOBAL PLATFORM THAT LETS YOU MANAGE AND MONITOR PRETTY MUCH ANY ASPECT OF THE DATA CENTER EXPERIENCE”
Command Center.
The Cyxtera Command Center is a dedicated platform that allows infrastructure to be monitored, managed, and controlled from anywhere.
With a user-friendly, mobileoptimized user interface that makes it easy to gather insights and act from any device, the Command Center allows custom reports to be created, activity to be constantly monitored, and teams to be managed with enterprise-level control and security.
Access to everything is in one place, including hardware configuration, maintenance tasks, and personnel management, which helps achieve business goals faster.
“We’re really proud of the Command Center that we’ve built, it’s something that sets us apart in the industry,” Barry acclaims.
Earlier this year, meanwhile, the company announced the newlylaunched Cyxtera Labs, a new program that offers support and resources to accelerate customers’ innovations to market.
An encapsulation of the idea that growth can and does drive innovation, Cyxtera Labs is designed to support R&D projects by offering cost-effective, consumption-based solutions without compromising performance, control, or scale.
The program builds off the power of Cyxtera’s Digital Exchange, to help customers connect to raw infrastructure in the form of Enterprise Bare Metal and SmartCabs.
“Cyxtera Labs is very similar to NVIDIA’s Inception program in that it helps accelerate our customers’ prospects and ideas to market, from start-ups who maybe need a little bit of a leg up to large enterprises who may not have the budget,” states Barry.
THE LIFEBLOOD OF CYXTERA Partners are the very foundation of all these services that Cyxtera delivers to customers.
Barry describes supplier and
partner relationships as the “lifeblood” of the company. In addition to strategic partnerships with OEM partners like HPE, Barry cites the role of technology and Managed Service Providers in providing a unique, robust route to market.
“They put their extra layers of service on top, and really complete the offerings we provide as a colocation and data center platform,” he recognizes. “Cyxtera customers can then easily connect to a world of technology solutions through our Digital Exchange fabric to use on-demand, whenever they need them.”
Likewise, it goes without saying that there would be no Cyxtera without the company’s 800 or so employees.
“There is ongoing investment into educating and training staff, and we fund community outreach projects to help our employees make a difference in the community.
“We also give out what we call Spotlight Awards that recognize employees across every functional area of the business. We’re always keeping an eye on those people who go above and beyond.
“I’m proud of the way we treat the crew here. The culture is super start-up minded, technology-focused, and we’re constantly introducing innovations and new solutions to market,” Barry smiles.
It’s thanks to the team at Cyxtera that a comprehensive portfolio of data center and interconnection services is provided to customers globally.
CYXTERA TECHNOLOGIES
Tel: 305-537-9500 sales@cyxtera.com www.cyxtera.com
HOSTED BY THE Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), ADIPEC is the world’s most influential event for the energy industry.
ADIPEC 2022 will gather policy makers, energy CEOs and energy professionals from across the globe, to spearhead discussions focused on key global energy trends, policy formation, and geopolitical factors.
ADIPEC 2022 will accelerate the energy transition, unlock real value in a decarbonized future, showcase ground-breaking technologies and explore actionable strategies and solutions to the challenges and opportunities created by complex global energy market dynamics.
Taking place a week before COP27, ADIPEC 2022 is the global forum for leaders to reinforce strategies and commitments that will drive the industry towards reducing emissions and meeting net zero goals.
ADIPEC by the numbers:
• 150,000 energy professionals
• 140,000 gross SQM
• 2,200 exhibiting companies from across the globe
• 12,000 conference delegates
• 1,200+ conference speakers
• 350+ conference sessions
• 54 NOCs, IOCs and IEC’s
• 28 international exhibiting country pavilions
Alongside the exhibition and conferences, ADIPEC 2022 will also host four specialized industry zones that will enable the global energy industry to strengthen existing business partnerships and form new models of cross-sector collaboration to unlock and maximize value across businesses and drive future growth. These zones include:
The Offshore & Marine Zone is one of the world’s foremost meeting places for the marine transport and logistics sector to understand the latest developments in technology,
meet new buyers and develop new business opportunities with NOCs, IOCs, and IECs, service companies, EPC contractors, subsea engineering, supply chain companies and the full energy value chain. For more information, visit https://www.adipec. com/offshore-marine/
The dedicated digitalization exhibition at ADIPEC 2022 will continue to be a global showcase of the technological solutions that can help the energy industry unlock untapped value and opportunities as digitalization becomes more deeply integrated into all aspects of operations. For more information, visit https://www.adipec. com/digitalisation-zone/
The ADIPEC Smart Manufacturing Zone will continue to provide a unique platform for the manufacturing industry to gain insights into the energy transition and identify the challenges and opportunities for manufacturing in the drive for a net zero carbon economy. For more information, visit https://www.adipec. com/smart-manufacturing/
The newly launched Decarbonization Zone will provide the platform for the global energy ecosystem to navigate the decarbonization pathway. It will provide the opportunity for participants to discuss key lowcarbon technologies and the role the oil and gas sector plays in creating a foundation for the transition away from fossil fuels to cleaner energy. For more information, visit https://www. adipec.com/decarbonisation-zone/ Be a part of the conversation and shape the future of the oil, gas, and energy industry at ADIPEC 2022.
Register to attend: adipec.com/visreg
“The world is full of great ideas, but success only comes through action. Stop talking and start doing something. Don’t be afraid to invest time to learn from the automotive sector. Success frequently necessitates learning from others who have previously attained their objectives. The biggest motivation is to keep challenging yourself. We never know how our efforts will turn out unless we try them. Patience and positivity are essential for success. Energy is the fuel that feeds our attitude. Don’t overthink it; take calculated risks. Don’t be blinded by technical jargon and don’t be afraid to ask plenty of “stupid” questions. The automotive industry represents
a lot of opportunities, and we need fresh blood to think out of the box, experiment with new ways of working, or to implement new concepts and technologies to drive efficiency and productivity.”
Ellen Voie
our industry to come back to a place where the agent is the extended arm of the customer, and your job is to protect them and do what’s right for them in a transparent way.”
Andrew Gere
President and COO, San Jose Water
President
and CEO, Women in Trucking Association, Inc.
“I would change the image so that anyone who is outside of our industry would have greater insight into how much trucking affects them personally by bringing their products to their local store. I would also show how the trucking industry is vital to the economy and how many people are employed in trucking careers.”
Frank OlsenCEO,
Inchcape Shipping Services
“I want to remove the opaqueness. We want to drive transparency and avoid all this profit maximization. Fundamentally, I want
“The water industry is too fragmented. There are over 50,000 water systems in the US, and 55 percent of them serve less than 500 customers. These small systems often lack the financial and technical capability to renew their infrastructure, keep up with water quality regulations, and provide safe and reliable water. Finding a way to streamline the process for consolidation could make a tremendous difference for tens of thousands of Americans.”
Are you a CEO/Director with a company story to tell? Contact North America Outlook now!
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be?
To round off each issue, we ask our contributing business leaders for their views on the same question
reading for business executives wanting to keep up with the latest in global news and trends affecting US and Canada businesses across all industries. Reaching ever increasing audiences across the continent and beyond, your company can take advantage of this global exposure with a FREE article and FREE digital brochure, as well as access to further digital and print-based marketing tools that could transform your business. To share in this unrivalled opportunity, contact one of our project managers today!
Complementing the production of North America Outlook, APAC Outlook, EME Outlook and Africa Outlook magazines, Outlook Publishing’s award-
winning in-house team is now utilizing these same specialist production skills to offer a full and bespoke range of editorial, design and marketing services via its new Outlook Creative Services division.
For more information on how we can work with you in providing a plethora of completely flexible and customizable production services, please visit: www.outlookpublishing.com/creative-services
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