I would like to thank Concrete Alberta for this Lifetime Achievement Award as this is the first Industry Distinction Award. I am very honoured to receive it. I would like to thank all the board members over the years who helped me do the job they asked of me. During all my travels over the years there was always one goal for all members and that was to grow the market. Even though they were competitors, their main goal was to grow the market and supply the best construction product where ever. All members were always wanting to provide the best product.
One of the most interesting parts of my job was visiting all the concrete producers yearly in Alberta, they always had a cup of coffee for me and they were always interested to hear what was happening throughout the province.
I would like to give a special thanks to the technical committee. They were always there to support the schools and seminars with knowledgeable speakers. They helped to develop the schools Concrete Alberta provides to the industry. Their time was always donated by them or there companies, which was appreciated by me. They helped make my job much easier.
Last of all I would like to thank Cheryl for all here support over the years.
Again I am very honoured to receive this award.
~Ed Kalis
Ed Kalis's Bio
Ed made a life-changing career move when he and his wife moved to Edmonton and he began working in Alberta’s ready-mix industry. This experience led to him being approached by members of the Concrete Alberta board who presented him with the job opportunity of a lifetime.
Ed’s focus upon taking the position, was to establish new members and promote the concrete industry and Association. He spent many hours travelling to visit each producer member and build relationships within the Association.
Ed’s role soon expanded to provide and standardize training. He worked with schools and the Portland Cement Association to create the tech courses we know and continue to train for today, known as Concrete Technology Level I and Concrete Technology Level 2. In 2005, Ed was approached by Concrete Sask to introduce and train their Association on the Concrete Technology Level I and Level 2 courses. This partnership, with permission from the Board, was such a success that it led to the same process being introduced for Concrete Manitoba.
Ed’s dedication to providing training to the industry extended to hosting various presentations throughout Alberta to contractors, builders, members and the like. He was instrumental in taking the “Show on the Road” where well over 200 delegates would gather to gain knowledge on concrete quality.
Thanks to Ed, the concrete industry has made some major advancements. His attendance at National Meetings helped to review Canadian Ready-Mix Codes and Standards and worked to have consistent standards introduced across Canada. Ed helped develop the Apprenticeship Program for Concrete Finishers by working with Members and the Technical Committee to write and get the program implemented into City of Edmonton concrete specifications.
When the ACI Flatwork Finishers Program was being introduced in Canada, Ed was involved in the process to revise the program to have it meet Canadian Standards. Thanks to this effort, it was picked up by other Associations across Canada.
When Ed started with the Association, one of the questions he was asked was ‘How long do you want this job?’ and his answer was, ‘as long as you want me’. That off the cuff answer led to 27 years of dedication to Concrete Alberta and making advancements to the concrete industry.
