FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Richard Lipman, Wood Manufacturing Council
Office: 613-567-5511 E-mail: rlipman@wmc-cfb.ca
The Wood Manufacturing Council is pleased to announce additional recipients of its 2019-20 HR Awards. The WMC HR Awards honor companies and individuals who develop and implement creative solutions and contribute to best practices in the wood manufacturing industry. The program was established to promote the importance of HR in our sector and give outstanding individual(s)/firms an opportunity to share their innovative ideas with others.
The Post-Secondary Educator Award was given, for the first time, to Mark Bramer, Professor, Conestoga College. This award is for someone from a Post-Secondary woodworking program or institution who demonstrates dedication and leadership with students and who supports and promotes education and academic learning in the woodworking industry. Mark was recognized for a remarkable career supporting student success in their preparation for careers and his active promotion of post-secondary woodworking education. His extensive participation and support of local, provincial, national and even international skills competitions and his work internationally in the promotion of skill and competency standards has been exemplary.
The Employee Recognition Award recipient is Amanda Gay, Marketing and Product Manager, Planit Canada. This award is presented to an outstanding individual who excels in their role, someone who either has overcome challenges, proposed creative solutions to a problem or exemplifies a great work ethic and an enthusiasm that motivates others around them. Amanda was recognized for her constant forward-thinking along with her willingness and success at trying new things. She has thrived in a supportive work environment to research, learn and bring new technology and thought to the company. When things go wrong, she is the person you want at the table working on the solution. She invests so much planning into each event and all marketing material. Amanda is also a rare creative person who is ultra-organized and brings positivity and energy to all tasks. She has demonstrated and been noticed for her efforts, not only on behalf of her company, but also on behalf of the industry. She has freely contributed her marketing expertise, which is self-taught, to several industry organisations.
As previously announced, The Innovation in Human Resources Award (Individual) was awarded to Amrita Bhogal, HR Manager, Sunrise Kitchens Ltd, Surrey, BC, who received the Innovation in Human Resources Award (Individual). The purpose of the award is to discover, celebrate and inspire innovation in the HR field. It is for an individual that makes a difference to people or business management, through an innovative HR program or practice. Amrita has embraced the principles of Kaizen from the Kaizen Institute and is applying those business principles at Sunrise Kitchens to shift the culture within her organization. She is using Kaizen because of its focus on people. She firmly believes that you must take care of your people first if you want to improve production. But while Kaizen provides a framework, it’s up to the individual to apply the methodology. This requires creativity and innovation because Amrita is taking a theory and turning it into a practical tool within her company. She has shared her experiences and best practices with the industry, through her trade association, the CKCA.
The WOODLINKS Success Award has been awarded to Gloucester High School (formerly Rideau High School) and to teachers Mark Backmann and Robert Aucoin for their work on the 1917 Streetcar Restoration Project. Numerous local volunteers wanted to see an old streetcar restored to its former glory. The high school group was invited to assist and has been participating since 2013. They have to date volunteered more than 4,000 student hours, building and fabricating parts. The initiative has allowed for multiple grades and skill levels to participate and the engagement of female students has been noticeable. Such an extended and comprehensive project would not happen without the strong leadership and commitment of the teachers. From an educational prospective, the cross-curricular involvement, where the streetcar project has proven to “leap” subjects, has been impressive. Students and teachers from woodworking and transportation classes, co-op education, graphics, English and history have all contributed to the effort.
See the full stories on the recipients in our upcoming columns in Woodworking Magazine, and on the WMC website. More award winners will be announced shortly.
