Welcome to our employee spotlight series, featuring profiles of team members across all departments. In this series you will learn more about the people behind the company and why Simpcw Resource Group is a great place to work! Meet Mary Mackenzie currently working as the Indigenous and Community Liaison on the Reactivation project in Jasper, Alberta with SLLP.
Simpcw Resources LLP and Ledcor Pipeline together they have embarked on a piece of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project. Trans Mountain has two major pipelines that have been maintained in a deactivated state that will be reactivated. The Jasper Mount Robson reactivation spans 150km from Hinton, AB to Hargreaves, BC. The West Barriere Reactivation spans 42kms from Darfield to Black Pines BC. The Simpcw Ledcor Partnership will provide 134 pipeline integrity digs, 16 natural hazard mitigations sites, seven water crossing upgrades, installation, or replacement of 25 valves and hydrostatic test recertification program on the combined 192 kms of pipeline. Both Simpcw Resources LLP and Ledcor Pipeline bring experience, knowledge and commitment that make this partnership and project successful. The Simpcw Ledcor Partnerships unites Simpcw Resources LLP’s guiding principles and Ledcor’s values to provide safe, quality, and sustainable work while preserving Simpcw culture and heritage while respecting both the community and the environment.
What division of Simpcw Resources Group did you start in?
I started as a bookkeeper and project administrator. I then moved over into Business Administration and still did project administration for Estsék’ Environmental our partner organization.
What is it like working on the Pipeline?
Working on this project has its challenges, this is my first time working on a project and being away from home. I am having a difficult time adjusting, and it has been a year. I am a homebody and miss my dogs.
At the beginning of the project, it was interesting with everyone trying to figure out how to work with their new teammates for both the staff in the offices and the craft on the ground. Our Jasper yard was not quite ready for us and we were forced to work at the Sawridge conference center all together in one room, I believe this helped strengthen our team from the very start having to work in such close quarters. This project has not been without its challenges, but Simpcw Ledcor and Trans Mountain seem to always find ways to work with one another to get the work completed.
What do you like most about your position?
There are so many things that I love about my job, I have developed a passion for wanting to see Simpcw succeed. I love seeing people succeed in positions and being there to help them along with the process. It has been wonderful to see Simpcw Resources Group working towards a goal of being the largest employer in the valley. In the few years that I have been with Simpcw Resources, it has been crazy to see us grow from 8 to 10 people in the office with a handful of PLM crews and Environmental personnel to having 120+ working for us, it is amazing.
Where do you see yourself in 2 years from now?
I would like to be more involved with the Human Resources department, I am currently taking my Human Resources Management Certificate, as well as a Project Management certificate. I would love to work more with the community on creating training programs or mentorship programs for a variety of the positions that Simpcw Resources has. We seem to focus a lot of our summer students or mentoring around Environmental, and Forestry which is fantastic. But I think it would be great to see mentoring in more office positions, have administration summer students, business internships or project management mentoring. Succession planning to have more of our Simpcw band members in leadership type roles would be fantastic. I have so many ideas for training for soft skills and life skills training to help our employees succeed further in their careers.