Seventeen employees celebrate 25 years with KGS!

Adam Pawlikewich

It would be difficult to find someone more passionate and dedicated to KGS than Adam Pawlikewich. Adam is known for taking on challenging work and contributing beyond his role. Over the years, he’s worked within our electrical teams, advancing to the role of Electrical Department Head in Winnipeg and then to Principal. He has also worked tirelessly to develop our U.S. operations and our IT team.

“Adam has continued to grow in many ways throughout the years,” says Founding Principal Dave MacMillan. “He has developed in confidence and capabilities, and he has kept his engaging personality and kind heart.”

Bonnie Hoffensetz

Confident, compassionate, approachable. Bonnie Hoffensetz’s leadership style can be described as all these things, and it goes hand in hand with her depth of knowledge in the environmental field. Bonnie is an expert in contaminated sites projects and has worked her way up to Department Head of our environmental group in Winnipeg. She has also made positive impacts across the organization as an Associate Principal.

Bonnie never shies away from a challenge. She meets them head on and will get through them with the expertise required for the situation.

Carlos Carvalho

Carlos has been an invaluable member of the KGS IT team for many years. Over the years, his expertise has helped KGS navigate significant technological advancements, from the dial-up era to today’s complex digital landscape. He has helped shepherd KGS through major growth and exponential changes in software, hardware, digital security and more.

“Carlos has been instrumental in KGS’ growth over the years. He has made it all look effortless,” says Founding Principal Helmut Graumann. “He has brought about changes to KGS’ IT practices that have become fundamental in the way we do work.”

Colin Siepman

During his tenure with KGS, Colin has developed as a structural engineer and project manager, taking on leadership roles in some of the most significant projects KGS has ever undertaken.

He has also enjoyed his work as Department Head of our Winnipeg structural group. He has an open door and encourages people to come to him for help with their projects, or whatever it might be, even if it adds more work to his already full plate. In recent years, Colin moved into the role of Principal and has taken on increased responsibility in the organization while still nurturing relationships with his team.

Craig Rowbotham

As a professional, Craig’s career has revitalized neighbourhoods and cities. To name a few notable career achievements, he was a major part of the team that redeveloped Waterfront Drive in Winnipeg and was instrumental in bringing roundabouts to Kenora and Northwestern Ontario. “For the longest time, Craig was transportation at KGS Group. He is technically acute, and a true leader in the field,” says Ray Offman.

Craig has also taken on leadership roles at KGS and is a great mentor to staff. He served as Assistant Department Head of our municipal team in Winnipeg for many years before becoming the Assistant Department Head of our newly formed Transportation Department.

David Brown

Throughout his time at KGS, Dave Brown has excelled as a leader. According to Founding Principal Dave MacMillan: “Dave has created a model department at KGS for mentoring younger staff. As the Water Resources Department Head, he created a team that developed an appropriate level of mentoring responsibility and confidence and has allowed each individual to bring their unique talents and personalities together to make the team stronger as a whole.”

Dave also has an electric personality and loves working with clients. Now as a Principal, he has been instrumental in developing our business development and marketing functions.

Dustin Wilson

Dustin Wilson has had a willingness to help since his earliest days at KGS. Those early days were also where his interest in automation controls began. He gravitated towards that type of work from the beginning and has continued down that path throughout his career.

Dustin’s extensive expertise is incredibly valuable in his role as an Assistant Department Head and mentor to younger engineers. While he likes to let others come up with solutions on their own, Dustin won’t shy away from stepping in when it’s needed, and offering his expertise, suggestions and guidance to help get over difficult hurdles.

Gord Siebert

Gord’s expertise in the construction industry was needed across KGS. Until his retirement, Gord was involved with most projects KGS was contracted for that had a construction component, be it industrial, commercial or hydro focused.

Gord’s influence extended beyond project work to maintaining KGS’ head office space. In addition, his familiarity with handling different trades in a construction project was an instrumental part of developing KGS’ Health and Safety Committee.

Hugh Williams

With his extensive expertise and leadership abilities, Hugh moved up through the ranks, serving as the Mechanical Department Head in Winnipeg for many years. In his current role as Principal, Hugh continues to develop our mechanical teams and capabilities. He is a thoughtful, accessible leader who is a true asset to KGS.

As long-time colleague Ashley Dent puts it: “Hugh is an approachable leader that will always take the time to pass along his experience.”

Jason Bouchard

Hardworking, honest, and easy to get along with. In a nutshell, that is Jason Bouchard, but he is so much more. Jason’s years at KGS have been spent lending his growing expertise in electrical engineering to some of the most notable projects in KGS’ history.

Jason is also a skilled leader. As the Department Head for the electrical team in Winnipeg, he mentors and guides the next generation of engineers. Jason shares his knowledge and experiences in a supportive and approachable manner.

Jason Mann

Jason has been an instrumental part of our environmental team since he began his career at KGS, advancing to Department Head and now Principal. His expertise as a Professional Geoscientist and commitment to developing this area of our business has been invaluable.

As a project leader, Jason is dedicated to ensuring everything is done right. And as a people leader, he makes sure his team never feels like they’re left out on their own. In tricky situations, Jason is there, helping the team succeed, and making sure that every aspect of the project is done well. According to Bonnie Hoffensetz: “Jason always has the overall picture in his head. He wants what’s best for KGS and for his team. He is confident, decisive and supportive.”

Josephine Rokyta

Josephine is one of the original members of KGS, starting out at the office on Roblin Boulevard. She was the third member of the administrative team.

Josephine has become an irreplaceable support for the Winnipeg Environmental Department. She is well-known for being caring, hardworking, and an amazing person overall. As her boss Pina Di Canio puts it: “We can always rely on Josephine. She is trustworthy, always willing to help and always gets the job done with a smile on her face.”

Prasan Silva

Of all the engineers at KGS, Prasan Silva might just have one of the most diverse portfolios of projects worked on by any one individual. Prasan originally started on our commercial team, but after a few years moved over to the mechanical industrial side of KGS and has never looked back. According to Hugh Williams: “Prasan is a very versatile engineer, maybe the most at KGS. He has a lot of different design abilities.”

Working on award-winning projects isn’t out of the ordinary for him either. Prasan has provided his knowledge and skills to several renowned projects in KGS’ portfolio.

Rick Carson

The sheer depth of Rick’s knowledge is beyond comparison. As a world-renowned expert in ice engineering, he’s represented KGS well, enthusiastically sharing his knowledge at conferences, with countless clients and with staff. According to Dave Brown, his influence extends even further: “Rick didn’t grow at KGS, as much as he grew KGS. The legacy of his engineering work stretches across Canada, but his true legacy is mentoring and growing the water resources group at KGS.”

Rick remains a valuable resource to clients and staff. He’s always ready to offer advice and guidance whenever someone needs it.

Rob Sinclair

Rob has always been a caring and supportive mentor, in addition to an expert in hydrogeology. He has served in several roles throughout his time at KGS including Department Head and Specialist Advisor for our Winnipeg environmental team.

Rob’s exceptional expertise was recognized when he was one of only two engineers chosen from outside of Ontario to help alleviate the Walkerton e. coli outbreak in 2000. He also played a pivotal role with CN, providing technical support and logistics for their environmental work. Today, Rob is focused on his passion for geothermal work.

Scott Larson

While Scott Larson brings a wealth of knowledge to his work as a structural engineer, it’s his fun loving, positive demeanour that truly shines through, and has had a lasting impact on KGS. Scott’s colleague said it best: “Scott is an approachable, personable person. He’s an expert in post-tension anchoring and dam safety, but another strength he has is handling clients. I can think of a few clients that have stayed glued to Scott because they love the way he works.”

Scott is also a great mentor and takes pride in the success of the young engineers that he works with.

Werner Rempel

Werner excels at the full spectrum of hydro structural services KGS offers. He is technically skilled and very thorough with extensive experience in the hydro field. He’s also known for his dedication, having lived at a job site for nearly two years when the work required it.

Young engineers working under Werner have the opportunity to learn from one of the best mentors at KGS. “Werner instills a good framework and work ethic into the young engineers. He helps mould their technical knowledge into something that can help them succeed in their careers,” says Gord McPhail.