Bill De Angelis balances successful career and busy family life

Bill De Angelis and wife, Lisa, are not unlike many couples. Both are striking the balance between the pressures of successful careers and a busy family life. In the case of the De Angelis family, Lisa is a Senior Project Manager with a large municipality. Bill recently accepted the position as the new General Manager and Vice President of Associated Engineering’s Ontario operation. The couple have four children, aged 5 to 20.

What’s their secret to success? Bill and Lisa agree, it’s teamwork. “Communication is very important,” Bill advises. “We cross-check our calendars daily. If we have a conflict, she wins. That’s why it works!”

A man on a mission

A man on a mission, Bill’s goal is to “make Associated Engineering a powerhouse in Ontario”.

Bill joined Associated Engineering in 2004. “I was attracted to Associated Engineering because of the firm’s stability, reputation, and people,” Bill says. Recalling his meetings with Associated staff, Bill Chisholm, Alistair Black, John Fussell, and Ian Wright, Bill remembers, “What impressed me about them was how much they loved the company, as well as the potential of the firm that is such a force in Western Canada. I thought this would be a perfect base from which to grow the company in Ontario. As it turns out, it is.”

It’s been almost one year since Bill joined the firm, and he is well on his way to achieving his goal. Bill has successfully recruited key staff in our water treatment, wastewater treatment, infrastructure, and instrumentation and controls groups in our Toronto and St. Catharines offices. He has been instrumental in increasing our profile in the highly competitive Ontario marketplace, which is no easy achievement.

However, Bill is not complacent. “We will continue to hire key staff, raise the company’s visibility, and leverage our competitive advantages in pilot testing, auditing, and optimization,” he advises.

What is the key to success for Bill? He draws from his favourite quote: Failure is not an option. Bill states, “I got to where I am today by not giving up. I want to set a positive example for my staff, so they too can find the means to achieve success.”

From flying airplanes to running treatment plants

Bill has come a long way from the small child who loved to take things apart and put them together again. He loved airplanes, and enjoyed building model airplanes, cars, and boats.

It’s not surprisingly that Bill’s first career aspiration was to be an aeronautical engineer; however, with the aerospace industry in recession as Bill started college, he entered into the civil engineering technology program at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. Bill recalls, “I figured there would likely always be a need for people who could design roads, bridges, pipelines, or treatment plants.”

After completing his diploma, Bill joined James F. Maclaren Limited, a consulting firm, as a draftsperson. While the work was interesting, Bill sought a more diverse scope of work. He was intrigued by the work that his graduate engineering colleagues were undertaking and decided to return to university to obtain a degree in engineering.

After university, Bill joined the Metropolitan Toronto Department of Works, Water Pollution Control Division as a process engineer for the 90 million Imperial gallons per day (410 million litres per day) Humber Wastewater Treatment Plant. He later became Plant Manager of the Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant, Canada’s largest wastewater treatment facility at the time. A very sophisticated plant, the Ashbridges Bay facility incorporated multiple hearth incineration, Zimpro thermal conditioning, cloth and coil filters, belt filter presses, high solids centrifuges, high pressure sludge cake pumps, high pressure steam generators, and anaerobic digestion. Bill recalls, “Keeping the processes running and operating safely, maintaining harmony among more then 400 staff in a unionized environment, and ensuring effluent quality was maintained were very challenging, but also very rewarding.

After many years with Metro Toronto, Bill moved to a multinational consulting firm offering services in operations and engineering. Over time, Bill decided to focus his career on engineering, and made the move to Associated Engineering.

A people person

Bill’s staff and clients are his priorities. In the workplace, Bill believes in teamwork and a respectful environment. For this, Bill draws from lessons learned from his father. “My father worked for Massey-Ferguson for many years, where he supervised workers on the assembly line. He was honest and open, communicating clearly what needed to be done, laying out his expectations, and respecting his staff. I watched and listened to my father, and applied what I learned at my own workplace. I try to use the same model today.”

“I treat everyone as a professional in our office. I work on a team/deliverable basis – how you get the work done is up to you. As long as the work is done, I am happy. Working collaboratively as a cohesive team is important to me. Staff who get along are happier and produce better results.”

Bill’s philosophy for good relationships with our clients is a simple one: “Respect the client at all costs. Our best sources of work are repeat business and references from satisfied clients. My advice to staff is to keep their clients informed of job progress on a regular basis, and don’t give their clients surprises.”

Giving back to the profession

After more than 25 years in the industry, Bill is actively involved in “giving back” to his profession. He volunteers with the Water Environment Association of Ontario (WEAO) Government Affairs Committee, Ontario Public Works Association Education Committee, Ontario Ministry of Environment Operator Certification Exam Review Committee, and Environmental Science and Engineering Technical Advisory Board. “My career has been very fulfilling for me. I want to give something back to the industry that has made me a success. I am happy to give my time to industry and professional organizations that helped me when I was starting out.”

Bill has also been a role model and assisted the careers of others. At the WEAO Conference in April, he was deeply moved when a former staff member, upon his appointment as the new President of the WEAO, thanked Bill for helping him succeed in his career. Bill is really proud to have helped others become successful. As he puts it, “Their successes are my successes.”

Lisa and Bill with children, Stephanie 17, Ian 9, and Elliot 5. (Son Andrew, 20, missing from photo).

Family and fast cars

In his free time, Bill enjoys spending time with Lisa and the kids and working around the house. In addition, Bill has always had a fascination for cars and tinkering with them. He has had MGB’s, Midgets, Fiat Spiders, and Corvettes. Fifteen years ago, he bought his beloved Porsche 911. Bill states, “I’ve had it on the race track and in autocross events, but now I just drive it to work.” He also has a 1976 Austin Mini in the garage, which provides for quality time with his eldest son as they work on the electrics and constant oil leaks.

Reflections on success

Asked about influences in his life that have led to his success, Bill advises, “We all like to think we can make it on our own. I think the reality is we need work / life balance and a partner who will support our chosen careers. My biggest supporter is my wife, Lisa. She looks after the kids when I jet off to places like Edmonton and Vancouver, yet still manages to hold down a high-pressure, full-time job without complaint. I couldn’t be as good at what I do without her encouragement and support.”