Art VanderMeer turns childhood hobbies into professional career

Drawing has always come naturally to Art Vandermeer. As a young boy, he spent many hours drawing. Later, in junior high and high school, his interest in drawing and art evolved to drafting and woodwork. Construction was also part of his youth. “When I was young, my father would pick me up after school and we would go to my grandparents’ acreage in Strathcona County. We built a home and barn for my grandparents,” says Art. “Those construction projects enabled me to visualize the finished product to the design plans.”

Art’s high school drafting instructor encouraged him to enroll in a work experience program focusing on drafting, in which he received honours marks throughout high school. That work experience program placed Art at Associated Engineering’s Edmonton office, under the guidance of Technologists, John Charchun and Bill Wong. This was Art’s first exposure to Associated Engineering. He found the supportive culture and mentoring environment positive characteristics of the company.

This early exposure to the engineering industry led Art to enroll in the Engineering Design and Drafting Technology program at NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) and a career in design and drafting, a perfect fit to his love of drawing and construction.

Art completed his diploma in 1982 and joined Associated Engineering’s Edmonton office. Mentors played an important role in Art’s development as a Civil Engineering Technologist. “During my early years at Associated Engineering, mentoring from senior engineers and technologists was part of the office culture. At Associated, you are never far from a co-worker who is always there to help out or to answer a question,” says Art.

Today, the mentoring environment remains strong at Associated Engineering. As a Senior Technologist and Project Manager, Art now mentors junior technologists and engineers. “The one thing that I advise all young professionals is that there is no such thing as a dumb question,” Art states. “By asking questions, you continue to learn and increase your knowledge and skills.”

When asked about the early challenges in his career, Art reflects on the challenges of the transition from manual drafting on drafting boards to Computer-Aided Design—CAD. Art took courses in AutoCAD and MicroStation drawing production software to supplement the company’s in-house training program. “At the time, computers were at a premium. I invested in an XT computer and did CAD tutorials at home to help me with my training and the transition to CAD.”

Art’s early interest and investment in CAD and computers have turned into a long-term involvement in CAD and computer systems at Associated Engineering. Art participated in the implementation of computer networks in the early 1990s and has had an ongoing role in the development of the company’s CAD standards. “Y2K (Year 2000 turnover) was an interesting experience,” Art reflects. “I was involved in running preventative Y2K software on all the company networks. I still remember the news highlights up to the evening of December 31, 1999 and morning of January 1, 2000.”

A member of Associated Engineering’s Industrial Group, Art enjoys his role in delivering projects. Art is involved in all phases of industrial project development, from planning and conceptual designs through to detailed design and commissioning. One of Art’s most memorable projects is the oil sands extraction facility north of Fort McMurray. Art was involved in the on-site engineering and project management.

Outside of the office, Art and his wife, Christine, are actively involved in their two sons’ activities, including coaching hockey for their younger son. In the summer, they spend time at the cabin they built at Hastings Lake. They enjoy boating, wake boarding, kayaking, trail riding, golfing, and hiking.

Art also finds time to volunteer with his local community league by building and designing the playground, and writing and distributing the community newsletter. He also helped the local elementary school with the computer lab layout. Art is also involved with NAIT and the drafting technology program, where he sits on the advisory board. In his spare time, Art still enjoys woodworking.

A favorite quote of Art’s pretty much sums up his philosophy in life: “Until you give it everything that you got, you’ll never know if you’ve got what it takes.”