May 7, 2012 - Chips - Mary Soltes & Ric Festarini

Mary Soltes - living in Winona, ON 

"Hey Guys - Remember us, the Home and Garden Department?  We got moved from Stoney Creek to a satellite office at Parkdale Avenue in Hamilton in the late 80s. 

There was Graeme McDougall, Don Roubos, Ron ?, Ray Skochelas, Mark McLear and a couple of new folks, a guy and a gal who eventually were hired by Hillview Farms in Woodstock, the Company who bought out the Home and Garden Department.

Lynne Borkovich and me, Mary Soltes, were the Admin persons.  We lost both Graeme and Lynne tragically while there.

After Chipman, I was hired by Mainstream Access Corp to open their new offices in downtown Hamilton.  After 6 1/2 years they too closed and I did temp assignments to eventually retire in Winona on my son’s Pick Your Own Cherry Farm.  He lives in Grimsby with his wife, Donna, and my four adorable grandchildren.  

My hobbies are reading voraciously, gardening and ballroom dancing, twice weekly,  although I have not yet heard from DWTS hee, hee.  See you at the Golf Dinner in June.  Mary"

Ric Festarini - living in Norwich, NY

"Thanks for reaching out to me. I appreciate the effort you are making and trying to keep people in touch. I’d love to be part of your network and continue to hear about what people are up to. I will try and summarize a little of my history for you below:

I joined CIL in 1982 and worked in the Labor Relations group in Toronto, just at the time the HQ was being moved from Montreal. After about 4 years, I went to the Chlorine factory in Cornwall for another 4 and in about 1990 I transferred to Chipman in Stoney Creek as the HR Manager. Wendy and I were very interested in hobby farming at the time and we had about 45 sheep, chickens, pigs, rabbits and anything else we could find that was smaller than a cow. We also started our family there – and that is where my son Vinny and daughter Angelina were born.

In 1994, there was a major reengineering effort going on with the Zeneca Ag business and I went down to Wilmington Delaware to provide the Canadian perspective to the work. Eventually that turned into a much bigger project that I ever expected and led to my accepting the role of North American HR Leader for Zeneca Ag Products. I had the good fortune to work for Bob Woods during the next 7 or so years.

My experience with CIL, Zeneca and Syngenta ended in 2001, with the creation of the Syngenta business. Many of the Zeneca Ag people left during this period of major change. I ended up joining an entrepreneurial venture in upstate New York – Norwich Pharmaceuticals. We struggled financially for the first years, but now are on our feet and looking forward to a bright future. We have an association with another generic pharmaceutical firm called Alvogen, and I am acting as its international Director of Compensation and Benefits.

I’m trying to keep up some hobbies and acquire new ones along the way. Right now my interests are bow hunting and motorcycle touring. I have had my best few seasons ever with a bow and have plenty of venison in the freezer. Last year I road my motorcycle on a 9 day trip up through Atlantic Canada and this July I am headed south through the Blue Ridge Parkway. I still keep up my hobby of making wine, which I began when I joined Chipman and have been making much too much every year for the past 20. I golf and ski when the conditions are right.

Vinny visited 14 US colleges to try and select where he would study Chemical Engineering – but ended up picking Queen’s. He has just completed his 3^rd year and is working the summer making pharmaceuticals. Angelina spent a year in France with a Rotary exchange program and has decided to study Mechanical Engineering at McGill, so she can continue to be immersed in the French culture.

Wendy is well and we are living in the small community of Norwich, New York about 3 hours from the Canadian border at the Thousand Islands. We still travel home frequently to see family and I always look for the Chipman building when we drive by on the QEW – although it seems to be getting harder and harder to find with all the surrounding development.

Great to hear everyone’s stories!  Ric"