Associated Engineering bids happy retirement to Dick Vest, Gary Nilsson, and John Theiler

Dick Vest retires as Kelowna Branch Manager

Dick with wife Jinny

Associated Engineering bids happy retirement to long-time colleague, client, and friend, Dick Vest. Dick started his career with Associated Engineering in 1968 as a junior engineer, after graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Alberta. A year later, Dick left the company to do some traveling, and later joined the Water, Sewer and Drainage Board in Sydney, Australia, followed by some work in the oil patch in Portuguese Timor.

Dick returned to B.C. in 1972 as an environmental engineer with the B.C. Ministry of Environment in Victoria. Dick’s career advanced quickly, with a promotion to Assistant Regional Manager in Vernon, B.C. In this role, he was responsible for regional wastewater management and policy development.

In 1977, Dick joined the City of Vernon, ultimately becoming City Engineer. As City Engineer, Dick developed comprehensive water and wastewater utility management programs. Dick was a respected and valued client for 16 years while with the City. Associated Engineering worked with Dick to develop several innovative, leading edge projects, including British Columbia’s first Liquid Waste Management Plan, which set the stage for a state-of-the-art, advanced wastewater treatment plant for the City.

Dick retired from the City in 2001, and subsequently re-joined Associated Engineering, in our Kelowna office. During his five years with Associated Engineering, Dick provided consulting services in utility assessment, planning and administration, drawing upon his unique combination of hands-on experience, utility planning, policy and bylaw development, and government administration experience.

When Associated Engineering required a Branch Manager in Kelowna, Dick stepped up to the plate.

As Branch Manager, Dick has provided leadership and mentorship to our Kelowna staff. He has expanded the office to include full service teams in infrastructure, water, and transportation engineering.

In his professional career, Dick made valuable contributions to technical societies such as the B.C. Water and Waste Association, Municipal Engineers Division, and Okanagan University as Advisory Board Chair for Civil Engineering Technology. He was also active in the community as a member of the Vernon Rotary Club and the Vernon Search and Rescue team.

In 1988, Dick received the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C.’s prestigious R.A. McLachlan Memorial Award. The award recognizes professional engineers who combine a solid professional career with outstanding service to the community.

An active outdoorsman, Dick also enjoys mountain climbing and skiing. He has been an active participant in the Associated Engineering “Back Country Ski Troupe”, which also includes Rick Corbett and Julien Henley. The group are known for their annual trek to the backwoods of B.C. and Alberta. Dick and Rick Corbett are also known for their epic motorcycle touring trips. To Dick and his wife, we wish you good luck and good health as you settle into retirement on Vancouver Island.

Gary Nilsson and John Theiler retire after combined 74 years of service with Associated Engineering

Senior Inspector, Gary Nilsson has retired from Associated Engineering after 41 years with the company. Gary started his working career with Associated Engineering in 1965, right out of high school.

Alistair Black (L) and Gary Nilsson

Gary was our resident inspector on many key projects over the years, such as the Vancouver International Airport Runway Repaving in the 1980s, Fraser River Flood Control Program, SkyTrain maintenance yards and shop, and Annacis Island Wastewater Treatment Plant secondary treatment upgrade. In recent years, Gary has been resident inspector on a number of infrastructure projects for the City of Burnaby.

Gary’s strength is his ability to work well with people – particularly clients and contractors. As a construction supervisor, Gary gained the respect of the contractors with whom he worked.

Senior Electrical Technologist, John Theiler has retired from Associated Engineering after 33 years with the company. John and his wife, Hulda, came to Canada from Switzerland in 1963, whereupon, John joined Allen Bradley in Ontario as an electrical technologist. However, the lure of the mountains beckoned John and Hulda to the west. After a year in Ontario, John moved to Vancouver and joined Swan Wooster.

Alistair Black (at back) and John Theiler

In 1973, John joined Associated Engineering’s Vancouver office. In the early days, John was involved on many drainage pump station projects for the Fraser River Flood Control Program. Over the years, he has completed the electrical design of most of the water and wastewater pump stations and treatment plants that Associated Engineering designed in B.C. John also designed electrical works for industrial projects for Alcan, MacMillan Bloedel, and Crown Zellerbach. In addition to his local work, John also spent some time overseas, on projects in Ethiopia, Bermuda, and China, where clients respected John for his quiet, courteous manner.

At their retirement reception held earlier this year, colleagues, friends, and family acknowledged Gary and John’s steadfast service to Associated Engineering, their technical strength, and their valued mentorship to staff. Chairman, Alistair Black, remarked at their reception, “It is not often that we host a retirement party for two staff members whose service totals 74 years – 41 years for Gary and 33 years for John.”

Gary Nilsson (L) and John Theiler

In their retirement, we wish Gary and his wife, Sharon, and John and his wife, Hulda, many years of health and happiness.

The seismic systems used for projects of this type vary according to the objectives such as investigation depths and resolutions. The survey conducted at Gray’s Bay, for instance, used a bubble pulser. This system produced a 400 Hz wavelet, with an approximate bandwidth from 200 to 800 Hz. The bubble pulser allows the mapping of sediments from water bottom to bedrock up to 75 metres deep. The results at Gray’s Bay with this source were of particular interest. Results clearly showed the water bottom, sedimentary sequences above bedrock, and the bedrock topography. Of significance from a design perspective is the relatively narrow bedrock occurring at approximately 200 metres chainage. The results of the survey illustrated bedrock topography and water bottom bathymetry as isopach maps as well as cross sections of the sub bottom. The survey was conducted for Holgar Hartmaier, P.Eng., M.Eng. of BGC Engineering Inc. in Calgary by Claude Robillard and Robert Perrin of AMCL. Associated Mining Consultants Ltd. (AMCL) is a subsidiary of the Associated Engineering group of companies. AMCL has offices in Calgary and Burnaby. Contact Jim Henderson at hendersonj@amcl.ca for more information.

Associated Engineering 2005 Service Awards

Associated Engineering is pleased to recognize the following staff who have reached milestones with the company in 2005. Congratulations and thank you for your hard work and dedication!

Alberta 30 Year Bill Wong 25 Year Mary Hicks Ian Wright 20 Year Larry Papke 15 Year Steve Croxford Richard Watson 10 Year Adam Rees Stella Tanner Barry Way 5 Year Hamed Azim Debra Babiuk Donna Bonk

Christian Brumpton James Melnyk Nelson Dos Santos Carol Scott British Columbia 40 Year Gary Nilsson 30 Year Doug Falkins Ben San Wong 25 Year Ed Bird 15 Year David Forgie Grant Harder Lianna Mah Robin Uren 10 Year Chris Cheng

Alan Emery Dean Shiskowski 5 Year Dejan Erdevicki Samuel King Kendall Neave Nigel Wootton Saskatchewan 30 Year Wayne Lalonde 10 Year Marvin Loewen 5 Year Carma Holmes