On October 22nd, 2009 Conestoga held our first Alumni of Distinction Awards night at the Masonry Centre. We also hosted the Welcome Home awards as an event, within an event, and had a great turnout of students and parents. Over 170 guests enjoyed spectacular array of desserts expertly prepared and presented by the students of our culinary program. Since 1997, the Alumnus of Distinction awards have recognized and honoured the outstanding career and community achievements of our accomplished graduates. The Awards are handed out by the college annually in seven categories: Business, Community Services, Engineering & Information Technology, Health & Life Sciences, Media & Design, Trades & Apprenticeship and Recent Graduate category.
To date, more than 130 alumni have been recognized. Our nominees come from a variety of backgrounds and work in a wide range of fields, but they have this in common: they have set individual standards of excellence for themselves and have worked hard to succeed. In doing so, they do more than meet individual goals. They make their workplaces more effective and their communities better places to live.
A hearty congratulations to this year’s Alumni of Distinction 21 nominees and 7 award winners.
2009 Alumnus of Distinction Award Recipients
Business:Sharron Gilbert, Materials Management, 1985
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Septimatech, which manufactures innovative container handling solutions for the global packaging industry.
Community Services: Corey Hill, Law and Security, 1991
London Health Sciences Centre team leader and security co-ordinator for 10 years, becoming the manager of Corporate security for the City of London.
Engineering and Information Technology: Jeffrey Wiesel, Electrical Engineering, 1983
Vice-president and General Manager at COM DEV’s Switch business unit, where he implemented the international benchmark lean manufacturing to maximize capacity and profits.
Health and Life Sciences: John Prno, Ambulance and Emergency Care, 1978
Director of Emergency Medical Services for the Region of Waterloo, overseeing ambulance service in the region.
Media and Design: Ron D. Smrczek, Graphic Design, 1996
Executive Creative Director at the advertising agency TAXI, New York, which creates multimedia campaigns. Winner of numerous international, national and regional awards for his work.
Trades and Apprenticeship: Don Gosen, Resource Technician/Electrical Apprentice, 1974
President of Gosen Electric Ltd. Successfully lobbied the provincial government to harmonize master electrician licensing, leading to the formation of the Electrical Contractor Registration Agency.
Recent Graduates: Drew Leslie, General Machinist, 2005
Owner of Leslie Precision Machining, which makes cutting-edge medical and educational robotic systems.