This spring, the college approached the brink of its $25 million fundraising goal thanks to the generosity of five local companies and organizations that donated more than $1 million in cash, technology and equipment in recent months. These companies – D.A. Building Systems, the Lethbridge Construction Association, Simpson Plumbing, Timber Tech Truss and Western Tractor – have ensured that generations of Lethbridge College students will have access to the facilities, scholarships and programs needed to succeed in their professional lives. Continue reading through page 46 or go to lethbridgecollege.ca/possibilities, to learn more about the lasting effects these gifts have on students and learning.
D.A. Building Systems Ltd. donates $50,000 to create new classroom
A local company with a history of using local products is once again investing in its community, as Lethbridge-based D.A. Building Systems Ltd. has announced a $50,000 gift to Lethbridge College. In business in Lethbridge for 36 years, D.A. Building Systems is owned and operated by Doug and Scott Grenier. The gift to Lethbridge College will create the D.A. Building Systems Ltd. classroom in phase two of the new trades and technologies facility.
“Lethbridge College adds value to both industry and our community by training the workers of tomorrow,” says Doug Grenier, co-owner of D.A. Building Systems. “The new, modern facility allows for greater efficiencies and exciting opportunities to train a greater number of students and offer new trades in the region.”
Many of the company’s welders and carpenters have completed their apprenticeship training at Lethbridge College, while D.A. Building Systems also hires employees from the college’s Engineering Design and Drafting Technology program.
To read more about D.A. Building Systems’ gift to Lethbridge College, go to learn.lc/dabsgift.
Timber Tech Truss Inc. builds on long-standing partnership with $200,000 gift
Timber Tech Truss Inc., Lethbridge’s largest manufacturer and supplier of wooden trusses, is helping to build the future of Lethbridge College through its $200,000 gift, which was announced on May 25 and will benefit skilled trades and technologies training at the college. The gift will create two classrooms, named after Timber Tech, in phase two of Lethbridge College’s trades and technologies facility.
“The new addition of the trades and technologies facility is a great asset to the college and the city,” says Derrill Murphy, founder and President of Timber Tech Truss Inc. “Having this facility here in Lethbridge contributes greatly to keeping our young, skilled tradespeople right here in southern Alberta. Lethbridge needs these workers and we don’t have to go elsewhere to hire trades personnel.”
Timber Tech Truss Inc. employs many Lethbridge College graduates, including alumni of the Carpenter Apprenticeship Training, Engineering Design and Drafting Technology and Business Administration programs. Timber Tech Truss Inc. is a locally-owned family business founded by Derrill and Pearl Murphy in 1980, and many of the company’s employees (including two of the Murphy’s children, Ryan Murphy and Wendy Going, as well as CEO and 1986 Business Administration grad Kelly Skauge) have ties to the college.
To read more about Timber Tech’s gift, go to learn.lc/tttgift.
Simpson Plumbing invests in its future with $200,000 gift to college
One of Lethbridge’s largest plumbing companies is investing in Lethbridge College, as Simpson Plumbing announced on May 11 a $200,000 gift to benefit skilled trades and technologies training. Simpson Plumbing’s gift was spurred by the development and implementation of the new Plumber Apprenticeship program which was launched by Lethbridge College for the January 2016 semester. The program allows Simpson Plumbing to keep its apprentices in town for the first time, instead of having to send them away for training. The gift will create the Simpson Plumbing classroom, which will be located in phase two of Lethbridge College’s trades and technologies facility.
“I am very proud to be a partner with Lethbridge College,” says Simpson Plumbing owner and President Roger Simpson. “Having the Plumber Apprenticeship program added to their existing Alberta trades programs shows continued commitment and growth in investment of our southern Alberta students and community. This first-class building will offer a state-of-the-art educational experience in a modern learning space. This gift is an investment in existing Simpson Plumbing staff as well as future apprentices in southern Alberta.”
Simpson Plumbing is a locally-owned family business that has served Lethbridge for more than 30 years. Owner and President Roger Simpson is currently the chairman of the Local Apprenticeship Committee and was instrumental in the creation of Lethbridge College’s Plumber Apprenticeship program.
To read more about Simpson Plumbing’s gift, go to learn.lc/sp2gift.
Western Tractor Company Ltd. commits $750,000 in one-of-a-kind gift to college
An industry leader committed to the southern Alberta agriculture community is taking a hands-on approach to education, as Western Tractor Company Ltd. announced in June a $750,000 multi-faceted gift to Lethbridge College. The gift will support the college’s new trades and technologies facility through the creation of the Western Tractor Technology Lab – an advanced electrical room inside the first phase of the new building that will house industry-leading technology to benefit both Agricultural and Heavy Equipment Technician apprenticeship training.
“It’s great to see the renewed focus and investment that Lethbridge College is making in the future of agriculture and the next generation of farming,” says Western Tractor President and General Manager Steven Dyck. “Western Tractor is very excited to be in partnership with this initiative.”
Western Tractor has also signed a five-year agreement to supply John Deere equipment to Lethbridge College, allowing hands-on training for students, while providing the opportunity for them to stay in southern Alberta and take all four years of Agricultural Equipment Technician Apprenticeship training in Lethbridge for the first time. Western Canada has four locations in southern Alberta in Lethbridge, Taber, Burdett and Medicine Hat, and the company values programs that support rural communities, young farmers and sustainable farming practices.
To read more about Western Tractor’s gift, go to learn.lc/wtgift.
Lethbridge Construction Association shows united commitment to college with $100,000 gift
Individual members of the Lethbridge Construction Association (LCA) have shown their commitment to Lethbridge College on countless occasions over the last decades. On April 19, the organization as a whole continued that show of support with a $100,000 gift to benefit trades and technologies instruction at the college. The generous gift will create the Lethbridge Construction Association classroom, which will be located in phase two of Lethbridge College’s trades and technologies facility.
“The planning and foundation that LCA members and boards have set in place over the years gives us this opportunity to invest in the future workforce of the trades in southern Alberta,” says LCA President Nathan Neudorf of Ward Bros. Construction. “The need for skilled trades and a highly trained workforce is constantly in demand. And this facility will play a crucial role in that development for not only the city of Lethbridge and southern Alberta, but as far reaching as the province and country.”
For more than 60 years, the Lethbridge Construction Association has worked together to benefit its members by ensuring the continued success and growth of the industry and the region. Nearly 250 companies are members of the LCA and together they employ more than 3,000 workers. The LCA relies heavily on graduates and apprenticeship training from a variety of Lethbridge College programs.
To read more about the Lethbridge Construction Association’s gift, go to learn.lc/lcagift.
