I work with Al-Terra as Manager of Special Projects, maintaining our company’s solid reputation and commitment to ethical engineering. My engineering career has been diverse and rewarding. Initially, our work at Al-Terra focused on municipal engineering and land development but we expanded to include transportation engineering during the economic recession of the 1980s. For the past 25 years, I’ve been a project manager for Al-Terra, working on complex transportation projects like the Yellowhead Trail Freeway Conversion, Terwillegar Drive Expressway, Walterdale Bridge and the Calgary Trail/23 Avenue Interchange.
After earning my civil engineering degree from the University of Alberta, I joined my brother Leo’s company, Al-Terra Engineering Ltd., which he founded in 1976. I followed in his footsteps, serving as President and CEO for a decade after his 32-year tenure.
What I enjoy most about civil engineering is its intuitive, common-sense nature and incredible versatility. I take pride in showing my grandchildren the projects I’ve worked on – they even call the Walterdale Bridge “Opa’s Bridge”, though I always remind them that I only planned and designed the roadways.
I have a lifelong passion for engineering that began on our family’s farm in Winfield. Growing up, my brothers and I were instilled with a strong work ethic by our immigrant parents from the Netherlands, who made education a top priority. As both a family and a company, we firmly believe in giving back to the community by supporting the University of Alberta Engineering program through a family bursary endowment, the co-op program, local charities, and various community professional initiatives.