Note from Editor, Wendy Fries:
I’ve tried my best to include everyone’s bio’s that they have either sent me or “replied to all” below and to put names in alphabetical order, by last name, to make it easier if you’re searching for a specific colleague. E&O excepted.
A comment from our Past President, Jack King:
"Wendy, seeing all these familiar names makes me feel 24 years younger. Thanks for all your communication efforts. It is appreciated by everyone. See you at the golf day, Jack”.
ANDERSON, Jim living in London, ON:
"Hello everyone, I am currently in my 33rd year with the Chipman-Syngenta group of companies as a Territory Sales Rep from London to Windsor. Jack of all trades master of none for ag chem, seed treatments and NK brand seed.
My family are in London, ON although Barb and I are empty nesters most of the time with our two daughters coming and going from college. Karen is in third year theatre production at Ryerson and Kelly is at Fleming College in Lindsay in environmental studies. They look like twins, although they are three years apart, and total opposites from city girl to total wilderness.
I have a few slides (in jackets from the red army days) and the odd video from past sales meetings that I can offer up to the group from the John Harvey collection that I inherited. We got a little bit drunk at some of those talent contests! Not sure if I can restore the stuff on original Beta though. Jim”
BREEZE, Don living in Southern PA:
"Still working a few days a week as a consultant for Dupont and living in Southern PA, about 1 mile north of Delaware state line. Dupont is in Wilmington, DE.
Planning to retire this year and move to Chatsworth, ON for half the time or so.
My wife, Joyce, has advanced Alzheimer’s Disease; still home with me but needing full time care. Have 5 grand kids and youngest daughter just got engaged and lives in Calgary; other daughters in Burlington and Peterborough and son in Switzerland.
I have my farm house gutted and should be complete by August. Sorry now I did not tear it down and put up a new one. Would have been cheaper and better all way around. Too late now. Don”
BROWN, Gary living in Hamilton, ON:
“Hello all; I may as well update everyone on my whereabouts and activities in the last 11 years.
After leaving Syngenta in the Summer of 2001, I took the summer off and started looking for work early in Sept. 2001 and found a placement consulting for AstraZeneca in Wilmington. The 6 month contract was extended to a 40 month contract and I had the pleasure of working for Jim Reid every now and then. After that there was an extended time of job searching where at one of the places where I did work I met Rick Festerini's sister "small world". I'm currently employed by E.D. Smith Foods Ltd. in Winona.
Sylvia and I are still living in Hamilton and our 2 sons have provided us with 2 grandchildren. Way Cool!!
I also spend a lot of time volunteering with disabled children and serving on the Board of Director's for T.E.A.D. Equestrian Association for the Disabled. http://www.tead.on.ca/ If any one of you are with an organization that markets feed for horses, or anything along the equestrian line, we can always use a donation. Warm Regards, Gary”
BROWN, Hugo living in Berkshire, England.
In 2011, Hugo suffered a severe stroke. After a long rehabilitation period, Hugo is still recovering. Here is a copy of the last e-mail we received from his wife, Louise, last January. We will pass on any future updates as we receive them.
"Dear All: Well, folks, I bought the Christmas Cards and I even bought the stamps and in my naivety, thought that Hugo and I would be able to sit and write the christmas cards to you all. Well - dream on as they say!! It is pretty much a 24/7 way of life in the Brown household and not a lot of time available for such luxuries as writing cards. I am sure you all understand that the sentiments were there in thought if not in deed.
"Dear All: Well, folks, I bought the Christmas Cards and I even bought the stamps and in my naivety, thought that Hugo and I would be able to sit and write the christmas cards to you all. Well - dream on as they say!! It is pretty much a 24/7 way of life in the Brown household and not a lot of time available for such luxuries as writing cards. I am sure you all understand that the sentiments were there in thought if not in deed.
We had an extremely quiet time with no family here other than Katie's girls who spent a day with us whilst here having Christmas with their father in England. That was a real joy and the highlight of the entire period. Just as well it was quiet because Hugo developed shingles and, although not a severe case, enough to really knock him off track for a bit. Still not recovered yet so not able to be out and about and not coping too well with the few people we have seen.
Anyway, hope to give you a more fulsome update in due course but wanted to wish you all a Happy and most importantly to my mind, a healthy New Year - and yet again, our thanks for the wonderful support as well as all the lovely cards and good wishes you all sent. Love - Louise"
BUCKLE, Pat living in Smithville, ON:
"Just thought I would give you an update. I left Zeneca in 1998 and worked in Purchasing in Burlington Hydro for 1 year on a Maternity Leave. Dave and I live in Smithville, ON with our daughter Vicki and her son Jacob. We have a trailer in Port Rowan on Lake Erie. We spend most weekends and some weeks during the summer. Dave retired from the Dofasco Fire Department and does a lot of digital photography and his work is on Glasscat Artwork. My son has a Landscaping business and has a farm in Beamsville.
We have 3 grandchildren. My daughter Vicki Steele worked at Zeneca for a while and she now works in the Computer Dept. for Oakrum Bakeries in Ancaster. She is also working on her Masters degree.
I hope to attend the Golf dinner in June and look forward to meeting many old colleagues. Wendy, you are doing a wonderful job at getting everyone in touch. Pat"
I hope to attend the Golf dinner in June and look forward to meeting many old colleagues. Wendy, you are doing a wonderful job at getting everyone in touch. Pat"
Sidebar from Wendy - Carol Wachniuk reminded me that Pat Buckle & Jane (Rusk) Harrington first started the Christmas Dinner Reunions at Tucker's Marketplace in Burlington quite a number of years ago. We always used to get together the first Friday in December at 7 pm. It was a standing date every year.
BUTT, Gus living in Seashelt, BC:
"I was with Chipman from 1959 until 1981 when I transferred to CIL. I ended up as Stanchem's Business Manager of Western Canada until CIL got tired of me and spit me out in 1986. I then decided to become my own boss and was able to survive and retired (almost) again in 1996 and Marilyn and I moved to Sechelt in the Sunshine Coast area of Coastal BC.
I'm still (too) active and I have a large garden, volunteer too much, get in lots of fishing and always have a good supply of Dungeness Crab and Salmon. I round that out with a annual hunting trip to Alberta with old buddies. I also make far too much wine and regularly get medals at competitions for making good stuff.
That's the short form with lots of stories in between. We are both healthy and just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary with our whole family for a weekend in Whistler. Cheers, Gus"
CARON, Louis living in Ottawa, ON:
"After leaving Zeneca in 1996, our son Ben and I ran Norac Concepts for just under 12 years. During that time we continued to work with Zeneca and Syngenta, first as one of our suppliers then as a supplier to them. Yes, our small company became a supplier to the big multinational Syngenta. We had to prove that our product was superior than anything currently on the market – much to the surprise of the company’s research department. Then we had to be particularly accomplished in negotiating skills – something I learned over the years at Chipman. It was a game of David versus Goliath. And in the field, we were also competitors. So it made for strange bedfellows but the relationship was always positive (most of the time).
When Lucile and I decided to go on our own, she asked me if we could move the business to Ottawa. I promised her that if the business was successful, we would move within a couple of years. So in 1998, we moved to Ottawa – a great city where all our family now lives. Our daughter Lili lives only 15 km from here and she has taken over Lucile’s translation business in 2004. Ben and his wife Martine and their 11 month old son Cédrik (and more on the way) live a few km from her, near Rideau Hall – the Governor General’s residence. So far they are still waiting for an invitation to one of the GG’s dinner parties.
On October 30th 2007, we sold our company to Bob and Ingrid Chyc who still operate it under the Norac brand. And the day after, we folded our order pad. I was particularly apprehensive of retiring since I was unsure of how to fill my time post retirement. Funny, I am still trying to figure that out since I am as busy as before. The big difference is that I choose what I like to do and when I want to do it – curling in the winter, gardening in the spring and summer and travelling in the fall.
Year after year we have been checking off distant countries from our travel bucket list. At last count we have visited over 30 countries so we still have lots to visit. For some reason there are countries we have no interest in visiting at the moment – Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, North Korea are not on our list. In my spare time I am on the board of directors of a Franco-Ontarian genealogical society.
And just to make sure I don’t get bored, I got involved in politics. No, not as an elected representative (I can’t stand the BS oops I mean rhetoric) but as a campaigner against building a bridge between Ottawa and Gatineau through the east side of Ottawa’s Greenbelt. This is a jewel in Canada’s Capital and there is no way it will be destroyed by a major 10 story high bridge that would cut through this emerald necklace. Some may classify me as a thorn in their side, while others may not use the most polite of adjectives – @#$% disturber! This story is still unfolding so I will keep you posted.
Lucile and I missed last year’s Alumni Golf Tournament since we were waiting for the birth of our first grandson which coincided with the event. But we already marked our calendars for this year’s get together. We look forward to seeing you then. Louis”
DREGER, Norm living in Cochrane, AB:
When Lucile and I decided to go on our own, she asked me if we could move the business to Ottawa. I promised her that if the business was successful, we would move within a couple of years. So in 1998, we moved to Ottawa – a great city where all our family now lives. Our daughter Lili lives only 15 km from here and she has taken over Lucile’s translation business in 2004. Ben and his wife Martine and their 11 month old son Cédrik (and more on the way) live a few km from her, near Rideau Hall – the Governor General’s residence. So far they are still waiting for an invitation to one of the GG’s dinner parties.
On October 30th 2007, we sold our company to Bob and Ingrid Chyc who still operate it under the Norac brand. And the day after, we folded our order pad. I was particularly apprehensive of retiring since I was unsure of how to fill my time post retirement. Funny, I am still trying to figure that out since I am as busy as before. The big difference is that I choose what I like to do and when I want to do it – curling in the winter, gardening in the spring and summer and travelling in the fall.
Year after year we have been checking off distant countries from our travel bucket list. At last count we have visited over 30 countries so we still have lots to visit. For some reason there are countries we have no interest in visiting at the moment – Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, North Korea are not on our list. In my spare time I am on the board of directors of a Franco-Ontarian genealogical society.
And just to make sure I don’t get bored, I got involved in politics. No, not as an elected representative (I can’t stand the BS oops I mean rhetoric) but as a campaigner against building a bridge between Ottawa and Gatineau through the east side of Ottawa’s Greenbelt. This is a jewel in Canada’s Capital and there is no way it will be destroyed by a major 10 story high bridge that would cut through this emerald necklace. Some may classify me as a thorn in their side, while others may not use the most polite of adjectives – @#$% disturber! This story is still unfolding so I will keep you posted.
Lucile and I missed last year’s Alumni Golf Tournament since we were waiting for the birth of our first grandson which coincided with the event. But we already marked our calendars for this year’s get together. We look forward to seeing you then. Louis”
DREGER, Norm living in Cochrane, AB:
"I spent 2 years in Fernhurst (96-97) as a global product mgr with Zeneca; then 2 yrs as country head of Hungary (98-99); then returned to Canada at the merger.
Did sales mgmt for AB/BC, then “Customer Experience Mgmt” for Canada which was building the systems, tools, processes for our grower focused go-to-market approach. Then started Business Development (new ventures/scouting, 3rd party negotiations, data compensation, industry sales etc), then Cereals Lead as part of a global prototype, before becoming the North American Head of Cereals last year.
I live in Cochrane just outside of Calgary although in midst of move towards Canmore where we’ve built a place on the Bow in the mountains. Still married to my 1st wife Shelley (J), daughter Lindsay is 24 and living in Vancouver, and son Blair is 18 and just finished 1st year college. Life if good. Norm”
Did sales mgmt for AB/BC, then “Customer Experience Mgmt” for Canada which was building the systems, tools, processes for our grower focused go-to-market approach. Then started Business Development (new ventures/scouting, 3rd party negotiations, data compensation, industry sales etc), then Cereals Lead as part of a global prototype, before becoming the North American Head of Cereals last year.
I live in Cochrane just outside of Calgary although in midst of move towards Canmore where we’ve built a place on the Bow in the mountains. Still married to my 1st wife Shelley (J), daughter Lindsay is 24 and living in Vancouver, and son Blair is 18 and just finished 1st year college. Life if good. Norm”
EMILSON, Mark living in Manitoba:
"I started in 1977 - 1985 in the Technical Dept. for Ron Costen. I was in Western Canada. I now own a ranch in Manitoba, but I did a fair bit of temp. work in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s as well. Mark"
GRANDONI, Tony living in Fernie, B.C.:
“Thanks Wendy: It has been some time since I have been able to catch up with the Chipman / ICI Chipman / Zeneca / Syngenta group. What a story and history.
Val and I now reside in Fernie BC after fully retiring in 2007. Skiing and a lot of out door activities keep us young. Also a new arrival (Nelson Franklin) last week for our son Wade and wife Kari brings a great deal of joy. That makes 3 grand children. I still do some curling which revives memories of the Kirkbride bonspiels that Chipman use to dominate for while back in the ‘70's.
It would be great to hear from others so drop a line. Tony”
(HAMILTON) KIENAPPLE, Sharon living in New Hamburg, ON:
Carol Wachnuik talked to her and said "Sharon was surprised to hear the group was still going as her and Joe came to a few Christmas dinners but hadn't heard about anything for years. She has no e-mail but I told her when I received notices I would mail to her or call. She is definitely interested - not probably in June but maybe in November. She is still working at Erb Transport in New Hamburg. She started there when she married Joe and moved up that way."
IYENGAR, Sesh living in Ottawa, ON:
"Have returned to Canada and we (Kim, myself and the kids) are living in Ottawa. I am the Director of Science Affairs for Bayer Crop Science. Thanks a lot Wendy for updating the Zeneca/ Chipman Alumni on my current status. It is great to be back home. Will definitely make it a point to come down this summer to Southern Ontario to see you all at one of your get togethers. Cheers & Best Regards, Sesh.”
JONES, Randy working in Winona, ON
"Wendy, It's nice to receive the updates from the alumni.
Since leaving Zeneca, I worked for Triple M Demolition as the Health & Safety Officer until 2010. Since then I have been employed at Aim Environmental at same position. They are located at 400 Jones Road, Stoney Creek!!! So I am back home. I can't remember who's office I am in but it is the first office to the left facing stairway by reception. My daughter works in Toronto part time as a Law Clerk and does volunteer work in the Vietnamese community. My son is married, works part time as a CGA & does volunteer work in the Spanish community in Hamilton. Thanks again for the recent news. Randy"
MARSHALL, Gary living in Calgary, AB:
“I was aware of the Chipman reunion through some of the others on your list. It just seemed like a long distance to travel to participate. Last summer on one of our Ontario visits, Barb and I stopped by to have a chat with Wayne Ingell. One of our daughters lives just a few blocks from him in Burlington. On the same trip we encountered John Marchewka and his family at (of all places) Hutches on the beach. We had our grandchildren on an outing to the amusement area nearby and he was taking one of his kids to school - believe it was Waterloo.
It's amazing how such a large group of past employees still keep up together annually. There must have been something special about Chipman!?
By all means, put me on your "Alumni Club" mailing list. We don't usually get back to Ontario in June and, as I said, it's a long way to travel for a golf tournament or banquet. Brent McLennan and Laurel live just a block or two from us in Calgary and we see them occasionally for dinner and bridge. We are some of the ones who got left behind in Calgary after 'reengineering' and merger to Syngenta.
Although I worked at several projects after 'retiring' from Zeneca, I never got back into the ag industry and declared official retirement a little later. Barb and I are enjoying life in Calgary and the Rocky mountains. I continued with Rotary and spent considerable time as president and secretary of the Fish Creek Rotary Club in Calgary.
Lately, we've been participating in the Rotary Friendship Exchange and have had Rotarians from New Zealand and Australia visit us. We travelled to Australia on the exchange in 2010 and are scheduled to go to Sweden this summer. We bought a 5th wheel RV a few years ago and have been using it in the US (Utah and Arizona mainly).
Barb and I like to golf, cross country ski (great trails out here), hike, and play bridge. Three of our daughters are now married and we have 6 grandchildren (2 in Banff and 4 in the metro Toronto area). We're trying to get in some cruising and other travel while we still have good health (and a bit of money).
If anyone is coming our way, we have lots of room so drop by at 228 Evergreen Heath SW, Calgary, T2Y 3B6. Gary”
McDONALD, Brad - living in Cobourg, ON:
"To All Chipman Friends, it is my turn to step up to the plate with an update. Wendy, the first thing that I must acknowledge is your great contribution in bringing all of us together.
As Gary Marshall has now pointed out, many of us now are Grand Parents, tells of our age! A time to look back and a time to look forward. Yes, Chipman was a very special place to work and it is now good to see where everyone is and what others are now doing. Gary, as my oldest son and family live in Calgary, it would be good to have your e-mail address, to coordinate when I am in Calgary. Say Hi to Barb.
Ron Costen, I agree with you on your comments to W.M. regarding the dropping of certain items within our product line. Also think of you many times as I now understand being away from home so much as you were from your farm during critical crop seasons.
For going on 22 years, I have been working for Plant Products, an old customer of Chipman. My last Chipman trip to Plant Products, was with John Harvey. This visit was to tell Dave Appleton, VP of Sales with Plant Products, that he would not get (PP333) Bonzi, as a product. ICI had decided that “street trees”, would be the target market for this product, as, “Clipper”. Turned out that, Plant Products was the only company that got this compound as, “Bonzi”.
Like Chipman, Plant Products is also a very special place to work and I very much enjoy going to work every day. I look after sales for our International Division and am responsible for all countries outside of North America. An interesting and wonderful experience! Not looking to any retirement soon as very much enjoy my work but will step down as Sales Manager.
My wife, Rita and I, live in Cobourg, Ontario. Gary Marshall, I think of you many times as we watch the sail boats going out of the harbour.
I hope that I will see many of you later this year for a few holes of golf. My very best to all, Brad"
McLENNAN, Brent living in Calgary, AB:
"I do get a bit of info from time to time passed along either by phone or email from Ed Thiessen, Gord Rogers, or others, and of course run into various alumni at industry functions.
In event, if you don't know, living in Calgary, working for Nufarm doing regulatory stuff. Life's good. Regards, Brent"
McNAUGHTON, Bob living in St. Thomas, ON:
"My wife, Gail, and I moved to St. Thomas in 1997 and have a doodle dog and 3 cats. I was raised on a farm near Ailsa Craig in Middlesex County that was purchased from the Canada Company in 1858.
My grandfather was Alex M. Stewart who founded Stewart Seeds in the 40s and his Uncle, John A. Stewart, sold it to Ciba-Geigy in the 70s. I love creative projects that involve on-farm video and photography. My roots are from the land! Served two years as President of the Canadian Agri-Marketing Association and turned around a declining membership.
I’m a cottager, naturalist, world traveler (every continent except Antarctica and Australia), fitness buff, marketing consultant, social media strategist, speaker, project manager, video producer, photographer and writer. Have a passion for engaging and inspiring others to tell their story to get results!
After several years in sales (Chipman 1975 to 1982) and marketing management (Ciba-Geigy, Sterling Drug) with large corporate clients and advertising agencies (Quarry, Young & Rubicam, MC Group), I founded Dog & Pony Productions Inc., a communications company, in 1999. I enjoy being ahead of the curve and was the first to introduce virtual tours, interactive CDs and animated graphics to the agricultural industry.
I’m a life-long learner - have a B.Sc. (Agriculture) from U. of Guelph and an MBA in Marketing from the Schulich School of Business at York University. Obtained certificates in advertising, several pharmaceutical therapeutic categories, financial investing (CSC), life insurance and am a Certified Social Media Strategist by SMM University. Bob"
MYERS, Wayne living in Mississauga, ON:
"Wendy, I will echo all the others before me, to say thanks for this email and the work you have done over the past few years to keep us all informed.
As for me. my wife Kathy and I live in Mississauga, and I work as Marketing guy, as Eli calls it, for Plant Products Co. Ltd. Here, at Plant Products, we also have another Zeneca / Chipman Alumni, Brad McDonald. Plant Products markets water soluble fertilizer all over the world, and Brad is our International Sales Manager.
I started out with Chipman in the Ontario Sales group (hi guys) and from there joined the Western Horticultural Group (Don Breeze, Mark McLear, Louis Caron, Peter Mitchell and Don Roubos), then a brief stint with the Western Group selling Achieve (that was cool, still love the song).
Next BASF in Toronto (Hort Marketing Manager) and after that it got interesting - The Weather Network, Ad Agencies, Agricorp - Ontario Crop Insurance, then Plant Products for the last 8 years.
My wife Kathy runs her own business centered in the GTA. She features refurbished antiques for home décor. The business is called the Eclectic Pelican. Here is her site http://www.eclecticpelican.ca/.
My daughter Melissa is a married to Ryan Storkson. He is an excellent musician and most importantly a guitar technician. Some in-laws want Doctors and Lawyers, but for me a guitar tech is top of the heap. Melissa has her own business, Yahbag.com hand bags made from reclaimed vintage materials, she is doing very well with it, if you happen to attend the One-of-a-Kind show in Toronto, you will see her there, she won best booth last year. Melissa and Ryan made us Grandparents about 5 years ago with grandson Lyric and again last August with new Granddaughter Frankie.
My son Blayne lives at home and attends Sheridan college, studying fine art textiles and is doing well. My son Jon , is also living at home and working hard for a landscaping company. He hopes to become a professional arborist.
I have always wanted to make the golf tournament, but there is always something that comes up. Plus while I have nothing against golf, it is not very kind to me. But this year, again, I will see what I can do. Wayne”
O'SHAUGHNESSY, Don living in Cub Run, KY:
"Good day to you! Those were good days, mostly. Certainly the best bunch of people I have ever worked with. You may recall I was due to be sloughed off to a minor Zeneca operation in California, but opted instead to leave Canada to go to Terra (the organization that bought the Agromarts from Zeneca) in Sioux City Iowa.
It was at least educational ... an intensive immersion in EPA and State registration. But it ended badly, with Terra being a practice run for Enron - it was owned mostly by deBeers in South Africa, and they decided to give huge (like 100 million) bonuses to a few bigwigs and bankrupt the company, and the town to boot.
Some of your list will recall that Chipman was a distributor for Cheminova in Canada, and Kurt Halling from Cheminova brought me to their New Jersey office to run their North Am (and Australia) regulatory and toxicology matters. After 5 years of shuttling between England, Ottawa, DC, Australia, France, and Denmark, I went off on my own (or at least together with Colette who already had a small label development business).
So "D. O'Shaughnessy Consulting" is now 11 years old. Consulting means you need to be versatile, and we have been that. I started doing mostly neurotoxicology work, did some field exposure studies, but kept on doing registration work. Right now, I am mostly involved in data compensation work, dealing with a flood of Asian generics, and have become involved in such areas as disinfectants, water purification, animal health products, etc. etc.
I will look forward to updates. Don".
PARTYKA, Eli living in Switzerland:
"Sherrie and I (plus 2 dogs and a cat) have moved back to Basel after living in Warsaw for 3 years where I was marketing guy. Now I'm Sales & Marketing for Africa and the Middle East - get to see some cool stuff.
After leaving Canada, we moved to India for a year; Sydney, Australia for 1 - 5 years; Seoul, Korea for 2 years; then the rest of our time in Europe. It’s been great. JP, our oldest son, reluctantly came to Australia for a few weeks holiday when we lived there - and never went back to Canada. He's now an Australian citizen. Nick, our youngest, finished his high school in Switzerland and then went to U of Toronto to do an English degree. He's now in New York working for an ad agency as a copywriter.
Sherrie quite likes Switzerland - but we are looking forward to slowing down in a few years. Likely will move to Australia since our son can sponsor us - the weather is a lot nicer than Canada (but I like Canada better). Eli”
"Sherrie and I (plus 2 dogs and a cat) have moved back to Basel after living in Warsaw for 3 years where I was marketing guy. Now I'm Sales & Marketing for Africa and the Middle East - get to see some cool stuff.
After leaving Canada, we moved to India for a year; Sydney, Australia for 1 - 5 years; Seoul, Korea for 2 years; then the rest of our time in Europe. It’s been great. JP, our oldest son, reluctantly came to Australia for a few weeks holiday when we lived there - and never went back to Canada. He's now an Australian citizen. Nick, our youngest, finished his high school in Switzerland and then went to U of Toronto to do an English degree. He's now in New York working for an ad agency as a copywriter.
Sherrie quite likes Switzerland - but we are looking forward to slowing down in a few years. Likely will move to Australia since our son can sponsor us - the weather is a lot nicer than Canada (but I like Canada better). Eli”
PINSONNEAULT, Frank living in St-Michel, QC:
"Hello to all of you! At first, when I was getting these e-mails, most of the names that I was seeing were of people that I did not even know. But then, I saw Don Breeze's and Bob Wood's update. Talk about memory lane! So, I decided that maybe I should participate too.Then, I saw Bob McNaughton's pedigree come through and I said to myself, "Wow, mine's going to be really dull!"
I, presently, have intentions of showing up for the golf and banquet on June 21 ... so, rather than repeat to everyone about what I've been doing since leaving Chipman's, here is a brief summary of the last 47 years.
Chipman's 1965, I was hired by Lang Godfrey and then I spent some time at the Hamilton office. They then put me out with Dave Christie for a few days of training. Can you imagine the training?? I went into sales in Quebec and eventually became sales manager of Quebec and the Maritimes under Gus Butt.
Leaving Chipman in 1980, I went into the Lawn Care business and farming and also picked up a Pioneer Seed sales territory. After nine years of farming the land was sold. In 2001, the Lawn Care business was sold to one of my employees. I thought that I could slow down and just sell Pioneer seed corn after investing 14 years with them but unfortunately for them, they made a "faut pas" with me, and I left them in 2003.
2004 opened a franchised Sushi Shop restaurant, which my youngest daughter, Natalie, now runs. Purchased another Sushi Shop in 2006 which I recently sold to my employees.
2005 started a cargo trailer sales and distribution (exclusive) for the province of Quebec with the same fellow that bought my Lawn Care operation. We now have two exclusive manufacturers for trailers ... out of Indiana and Michigan.
A year ago, my wife, Diane and I, purchased something in Fort Myers, Florida, where we intend to pass the winter months in the very near future. I can handle some of my business from there.
Nicole, our other daughter lives in Calgary with our only grandchild, Coty. She's an esthetician, working out of my brother's shop, Jerome's hair salon.
Now that that's out of the way, I hope to meet with many of you on June 21. Frank"
ROUBOS, Don living in AB:
"This is Don Roubos from Home & Garden Dept. - when I started. I recently started working for Brett Young in the Peace River area. I love it up here so far and lots of challenges at work. I did work for a Dynagra for 3 year in Southern Alberta before moving up here in January.
The only guy from my past up here is Dennis Nordhagen and I haven't met him yet but he was the Zeneca rep up here around 1990. The other guy I keep in touch with is Dave Reburn. I trust you have his email somehwere as he is still in Ontario. Keep me in the loop though, as I am a long way from Ontario these days. Don".
SIGURDSON, Brent living in Grand Forks, ND:
“Hi Wendy. I left Zeneca in 2000, when Syngenta started.I was in North Dakota and live there today.
We live in Grand Forks and work with Nufarm as a National Account manager. Brent"
SMITH, Brad living in Cochrane, AB:
"I am working for Syngenta in Calgary as a Business Process Analyst. Post Zeneca I moved to Elora, ON and worked out of the Guelph office for a few years while managing the Eastern Field Development team and the research farm at Plattsville.
I then moved back to Calgary to take on the role of Customer Resources Manager (managed the new National Call Centre and did a lot of CRM related marketing work). That role developed into an IS Role (Commercial Business Solutions Manager) and then into an SBS (Syngenta Business Services) role as a Business Process Analyst in the Sustainable Excellence team.
I live in Cochrane along with Ed Thiessen, Duane Johnson, Trevor Heck and Norm Dreger.
Three of our four children are married and we now have 6 grandchildren 3 years old and under. Two of our daughters are still in school including the youngest (Breanne) in medical school at the U of A in Edmonton (her husband is also a medical student) and our oldest daughter Melissa who is at the U of Calgary in the Education after degree program (plans to be a high school teacher after one more year of school). Brad"
VALDIVIA, Albert living in Winnipeg, MB:
"It was good to see the many names in your Send to list. What memories it brought! Thanks to Ed Thiessen for your e-address and I'd appreciate being included in this very prestigious list and receive any updates there may be.
Debbie and I live in Winnipeg and after 36 years of wonderful experiences at work I decided to retire last June. I have been traveling much of this free time.
Anyone visiting Winnipeg please call - Albert Valdivia, Winnipeg, Manitoba 204 - 488-2387"
WACHNUIK, Carol living in Wiarton, ON:
“Hi everyone! This is great hearing from you all. Don & I moved to our cottage in Wiarton about 7 years ago. Do a lot of travelling. Have taken up curling since we moved here, though it is an "old peoples' league" and most of us use the stick to deliver rock. Son, Dave, moved to Connecticut about 12 years ago - company move - and has 3 "Yankee" girls.
Hope some of you can make the golf or Christmas get-together. It sure is fun seeing all the "old" faces. I miss telling a lot of you where to go, how to get there and all those other things for our Meetings! If you're ever in the Wiarton area, look us up. We're the first “W” in the phone book. Thanks, Wendy, for doing a great job! Take care. Carol”
WESTERTERP, Peter living in Grimsby, ON:
“Hello everyone: I'll join in as well with an update. Hearing from all those who have sent updates recently is really interesting.
I have continued to work for Alchem (Nalco) since the last day of work at Chipman in 1989. You may recall I transferred to Alchem when the Chipman manufacturing facility closed. I am still managing the plant in Burlington but I am starting to look forward (a bit) to retirement which, if all goes to plan, will happen in exactly 4 years. I had my 61st birthday yesterday, April 15.
During the four years from 2002 to 2005 I was fortunate enough to do a period for Nalco in western Europe with home base in The Netherlands. It was a real cool experience.
My wife, Engeline and I live in Grimsby where she works as a Personal Support Worker at Shalom Manor, a long term care home for the aged.
Our three children are all married. Josephine lives in Beamsville with her husband Jon and they have 4 children. Marjorie and her husband Adrian live in Binbrook. They have 2 children but, as I write this, Marjorie is on the verge of delivering their 3rd child. Daniel and his wife Corianne live in Ancaster and do not have children. Needless to say, the grandkids are fun and keep us pretty much occupied.
Our three children are all married. Josephine lives in Beamsville with her husband Jon and they have 4 children. Marjorie and her husband Adrian live in Binbrook. They have 2 children but, as I write this, Marjorie is on the verge of delivering their 3rd child. Daniel and his wife Corianne live in Ancaster and do not have children. Needless to say, the grandkids are fun and keep us pretty much occupied.
It's great to get this update from everyone. I recognize many of the names but the post-1989 ones are new to me. Nonetheless, I really appreciate and value the update. Best regards to all. Peter”
WOERLEN, Tim living in Ottawa, ON:
“Thank you Wendy for keeping us all informed. Last week I had lunch with Sesh Iyengar, who I hadn't seen.....well we figured it was at least 12 years.
I left Zeneca when they moved the head office to Calgary....did contract work for them for another year or so and then went full time farming. I bought a turnkey turkey farm and did that for about 4 years and then sold the quota. In 2004 my brother and I sold our farming operations in the Niagara peninsula and relocated to the Ottawa valley. In the valley we
cash crop corn and soybeans and custom crop spray.
My oldest daughter is in 1st year studies at Carleton University intending to get a degree in biology/biotech. My second daughter is pursuing hair design, my third plans to begin a massage therapy diploma at Algonquin College. All three completed a one year youth exchange program with our church in Europe. The three youngest are in middle and high school.
Farming doesn't take so much of our time, so we keep ourselves busy with a lot of volunteer work, boating in the summer and snowmobiling in the winter. Tim”
I left Zeneca when they moved the head office to Calgary....did contract work for them for another year or so and then went full time farming. I bought a turnkey turkey farm and did that for about 4 years and then sold the quota. In 2004 my brother and I sold our farming operations in the Niagara peninsula and relocated to the Ottawa valley. In the valley we
cash crop corn and soybeans and custom crop spray.
My oldest daughter is in 1st year studies at Carleton University intending to get a degree in biology/biotech. My second daughter is pursuing hair design, my third plans to begin a massage therapy diploma at Algonquin College. All three completed a one year youth exchange program with our church in Europe. The three youngest are in middle and high school.
Farming doesn't take so much of our time, so we keep ourselves busy with a lot of volunteer work, boating in the summer and snowmobiling in the winter. Tim”
WOODS, Bob living in Kennett Square, PA:
"Wendy, Bruce Jones gave me your email address and I thought that it would be nice to stay connected to the group that I started with in 1965!!!
Bruce sent me a few of the clips of folks' comments and I actually remember many of them ---- just like Jack King.
Joining Chipman in May of 1965 seems like such a long time ago. Bruce was my first boss and a life long friend. People like Ron Costen, Laury Ego, Bert Halliday, Ivan Warr, Fern Plante, Grant Bergey, were all part of the original group when I joined or they joined just after me.
Nicole Plante is one of our very best friends and we miss Fern but his oldest son is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania near where we live, so we get to see them.
I retired a few times but still do consulting and I am on some very interesting boards, all of which supplements my wife Lynn’s desire to see the world.
I am sure that everyone, me included, appreciate the effort that you have put in to keep the group all connected. Well done. Bob"
ZAVARELLA, Norma working in Amherst, NY
"On April 27, 2012, I will celebrate my Twentieth year of service with SPX Flow Technology North America (formerly APV North America) as Systems Administration Manager. My position has allowed me to travel to the UK, Mexico City, Brazil, Chicago, North Carolina, Boston as well as visit some of our work at Customer plants such as Nestle in Anderson, Indiana.
I truly enjoy my job and it’s rewards. I work for the Director of Engineering and Project Execution who really knows how to mentor his employees and understands how to motivate and achieve results. I currently work from the Amherst, NY office (past nine years), my previous eleven I spent at our office in Woodbridge, ON.
I love the updates I’m receiving, some sad but excited to hear about everyone’s adventures and status.
I plan to attend the golf tournament dinner in June and am excited to see everyone again. Norma"
No comments:
Post a Comment