JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

carol blakephoto by Michelle Lazettenaseem bashirElectrical Engineering Technology ’88naseem bashir knows the difficulties of managing a mid-sizedcompany in Western Canada today. Competitors from outside theprovince, even country, are showing up hungry for work, and thatdemands creative leadership from the president and CEO of WilliamsEngineering Canada. Talent, brand and sustainability are constantpriorities, as they would be for any savvy executive.What sets Bashir apart, however, is his ability to hold a companytogether despite disaster.That was tested five years ago. In October 2007, a company planepiloted by CEO and founder Allen Williams crashed, killing him andthe CFO. Five months later, another plane flown by Allen’s son Reagan–his successor as CEO – also went down, claiming his life and those oftwo other top executives and two contract employees.Called up to Edmonton from his Calgary post as vice president,Bashir postponed grieving to focus on the company’s viability. “There’sno map to tell you what you should be doing,” at a time like that, hesays. “All you can do is rely on your own basic instincts and principles.”He admits to thinking it would be easier to let someone else stepin. Calgary was home; he’d be uprooting his family and leaving friends.But that risk had to be weighed against that faced by the company.The future of every employee, him included, lay in the balance.Today, the company is ready and eager to grow. A regional firmwith a reputation for reliability, environmentally friendly designs andcommunity-mindedness, Williams Engineering is eyeing the possibilityof going international. The current economic climate – involving moreclouds than sunshine – may delay those ambitions, but Bashir seemssatisfied with progress under his leadership. Looking back, as hard asthe decision to lead the company may have once seemed, “I think Imade the right choice.”— S.M.web extraVisit techlifemag.ca/naseem-bashir.htm forNaseem Bashir’s take on the challenge of running aprofessional services firm in the current economy.Dental Laboratory Technology ’84carol blake’s decision to jointhe Canadian military in the late1970s set her on a path to becomea dedicated community-builder.“I learned so many valuablelessons in the military, but themost important is that it’s notall about you,” says Blake, whotrained in a unit that deliverssupplies and equipment to frontline troops. Since then, thatphilosophy and skill set havemotivated her to lead fundraisingefforts amounting to more than$250,000 for schools in herDave BuchaskiElectronics Engineering Technology ’84diagnostic medical sonographystudents benefit every day fromthe impact Dave Buchaski has oncampus. A long-time electronicsaficionado, Buchaski now teaches,mentors, funds and promotes NAITultrasound students – helpingto prepare them for roles inAlberta’s vital allied health-caresector. (Because of his efforts, hisemployer, Philips Healthcare, alsopitches in with resources, includingstate-of-the-art sonographyhometown of Kincardine, Ont., onthe shores of Lake Huron. It hasalso influenced her professionallife. Just like in her military days,Blake keeps on the move, thistime through nearby countrysidewith her mobile dental technicianbusiness, serving the dentists anddenturists responsible for ruralcommunities. As resourceful asshe is conscientious, Blake alsouses the route to spread the wordabout programs she supports thatencourage health and fitness andenvironmental conservation.— Sandy Robertsonequipment.) Buchaski also keepsNAIT instructors current byarranging seminars and bringingin stellar speakers. For him, thekey is to not just promote reliable,upgradeable equipment, but toensure it is understood by staff–and so by the grads that NAITproduces. “No matter how goodthe technology is,” he says, “it’sno use unless we empower thepeople who use it.”— Cheryl Mahaffyv6.1 2012 49