Amber Balcaen has her sights set on NASCAR. And to make it there, she needs your help.

The 22-year-old Red River College grad recently launched an IndieGoGo campaign to help raise funds for a test run at the end of December, where she’ll be driving an ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America) asphalt car for HARE (Hassler and Associates Racing Enterprises) Motorsports, at Daytona International Raceway.

“If I showed you a picture of an ARCA car, you’d be like, ‘Oh that’s a NASCAR’ because it looks identical,” says Balcaen. “Essentially that’s what it is, it’s just another form of pavement racing, it just mirrors NASCAR. It’s another gateway into NASCAR.”

This test run is vitally important for Balcaen’s career – completing it ensures she receives her ARCA license, thereby allowing her to race in 2015. To get there, she needs to raise $6,000 by Dec. 24.

“It’s very hard to show proof of return on investment for a test, because it’s not a race. There aren’t thousands of fans in the stands; you’re just testing a car. So it’s hard to really show the numbers that sponsors want ­– that’s why I thought that crowdfunding was [a good way to raise] money for the test.”

Balcaen has been racing for 12 years, but this will be her first time doing so for ARCA, a minor but professional league of stock car racing that’s used as a feeder series for NASCAR. She had her first chance to drive for NASCAR in November of this year, when she was one of only 20 drivers invited to participate in Rev Racing and NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity. Read More →

Showcase your proud RRC connection — or that of an employee, mentor, or industry colleague — by taking part in our 2015 billboard campaign!

We want to celebrate the success of our alumni and the diverse, innovative organizations that employ our grads. Building on the momentum of our previous billboard campaigns, we invite you to join us in a creative, co-operative advertising opportunity.

You pick the grad, and we handle the purchasing and production work. Then we’ll split the hard costs — and share in the campaign’s success!

Deadline for submissions is Jan. 14, 2015.

Learn more about the new campaign →

“#InnovateOrDie,” reads the motto on the walls at Bold Innovation Group, and it’s a message the IT company takes to heart.

“We took an old motto and we renewed it for our generation,” explains Yvan Boisjoli (shown above, at left), one of Bold’s four founding partners. “[The original was], ‘If you’re not growing you’re dying.’ So what we did was just refresh it to #InnovateOrDie.”

Since Bold launched in March 2012, this mentality has helped the Île-des-Chênes-based company quickly become one of the leading third-party suppliers of apps for ecommerce behemoth Shopify.

Founded by brothers Yvan and Eric Boisjoli, Stefan Maynard and Jason Myers, Bold has already put 15 Shopify apps on the market and plans to launch another two per month for the foreseeable future. In its short time in existence, Bold has served almost 15,000 clients, including Microsoft, Time Life and Cirque du Soleil.

The Boisjoli brothers, both graduates of the Computer Analyst/Programmer (now called Business Information Technology) program at Red River College, are self-described ‘Code Pirates’ – meaning they build the apps – while Maynard is a ‘Design Ninja’ and Myers heads up Marketing. The fun job titles go hand-in-hand with the company’s ‘Work hard, play hard’ mentality; their office includes a foosball table and arcade games and the founders endeavor to ensure it’s a workplace with lots of perks.

The ‘Work hard’ part is also vitally important, as demonstrated by the company’s growth and success. Starting with just the four co-founders in 2012, Bold now has a staff of over 40. And they’re receiving accolades, winning the Young Enterprise category of the Entrepreneur Prizes handed out by the St. Boniface Chamber of Commerce, along with a national award for economic development and employability from Réseau de dévelopment économique et d’émployabilité (RDEE) Canada, the nation’s Francophone economic and employability network. Read More →

Kyle Goertzen has been sober for three and a half years. He attributes part of his recovery to helping others overcome the disease of addiction.

“Working in addictions, being able to give back in that capacity is huge for my recovery,” says the 29-year-old. “Being in recovery, for me, is about helping other people get well and eradicate the stigma associated with the disease of alcoholism and addiction.”

A graduate of the Applied Counselling program at Red River College, Goertzen now works for three addictions recovery organizations: Addictions Foundation of Manitoba and Tamarack Recovery Centre, where he’s a residential care worker, and 210 Recovery, where he’s a peer support worker. His own experience getting sober is a big help in his work.

“I can put myself in others people’s shoes. I’ve been in that same situation, so I think in that sense it’s an asset. I have a solid understanding of what the illness is all about and am able to approach it with compassion [and] non-judgment.” Read More →

Profile by Stacy Cardigan Smith (Creative Communications, 2006)

As a woman working in a male-dominated trade, Alicia Demare has faced her fair share of hardships. But if you ask her, it’s all been worth it.

“I was lucky enough to find something that I love to do,” says Demare of working as a cabinetmaker.

She’s loved woodworking since the age of 10, when she and her younger sister made picture frames and “bedazzled them out” with assorted gems and jewels.

She’s come a long way since then; at just 24-years-old, the Red River College Cabinetry and Woodworking grad is about to receive her Red Seal in Cabinetry.

Despite excelling in her trade, she’s come up against many who discredit her based on her gender. As the only female employee at her last job, every day she would leave work “upset with what someone had said.”

“I’m going to be honest with you, [it’s] very difficult,” says Demare. “One guy – he’s retirement age and he’s just set in his ways. He would get right in my face and tell me he [didn’t] want to babysit me and it’s very hard for me not to take that personally because it’s not me, it’s my gender.” Read More →

Casey Ludwick helps at-risk youth find a voice.

“Who’s there for these children when everyone they care about or look up to… is ignoring them or not there?” says Ludwick, a 24-year-old graduate of Red River College’s Applied Counselling program. “You can’t tell a child to ‘Just get over it,’ because a child takes what they’re experiencing and accommodates it into how they think and see the world.” 

According to Ludwick, the best way to help kids find their voices is to avoid labeling them.

“We’re so quick to label children in a certain way due to diagnoses or what we see presenting, and then we set the tone for them. How often do you think a child gets undivided attention to really speak and tell the world who they are without being told who they are first?”

Ludwick works as the girls coordinator and youth counsellor at Wahbung Abinoonjiiag Inc., a North End-based domestic violence support centre for children and families. The facility provides opportunities for holistic healing using culturally appropriate teachings.

“It is a safe, positive place where girls who live in the North End can come to have fun, relax, and learn more about themselves and their culture.”

Despite the challenging nature of the work, Ludwick loves her job; she utilizes a strength-based perspective and sees resiliency and positivity in all of her clients, who range in age from nine to 13. 

“Rather than seeing these kids [according to the negatives] – they could be involved with criminal activity, they’re lacking basic food and shelter, they’re involved in tons of maladaptive behaviours – you can either focus on that, or you can look at them for their strengths.” Read More →

Kirk Mann thrives on helping Aboriginal businesses realize their potential through effective marketing and communications.

“It’s good to see a business that’s Aboriginal come out and be successful,” says the entrepreneur from Peguis First Nation. “[Helping Aboriginal businesses flourish] has always been a goal of mine, and it makes me feel good when I help a business that’s Aboriginal get to the next level.”

According to Mann, many First Nations-led businesses don’t realize the importance of polished marketing and communications strategies, nor do they utilize the resources available.

“There’s a pretty big learning curve for Aboriginal businesses,” he says. “Simple things like logos: [Aboriginal business owners] just make one up and get it down, not realizing that if you think about it at first and get a good logo and have some meaning behind it, later on it evolves.”

Which is where Mann can help. The 2005 graduate of Red River College’s Business Administration program is a founding partner and client development director at Modern Clan Marketing Communications, a full-service marketing, design and digital technology firm with a strong focus in the values and traditions of First Nations communities.

“We bring an Aboriginal perspective, that’s the way we look at it,” he says. “When we meet a new client we let them know the issues and struggles they’re dealing with, we’ve dealt with through our company already.” Read More →

Big rigs and bite-sized burgers drove a road-worthy crowd to Red River College’s 2014 Alumni Reception, where former grads, current students and RRC supporters celebrated decades of success and forward momentum.

Certainly no one minded the traffic at the College’s Heavy Equipment Transportation Centre (HETC), where this year’s “GO!”-themed event — with its focus on transportation trades — gave our growing network of grads a chance to re-connect with old friends, while toasting the achievements of their peers.

Held Sept. 27, the event drew an estimated 250 guests to the HETC space, where the centerpiece was an elevated semi cab put on display by presenting sponsor Maxim Truck & Trailer. Manshield Construction (Yellow Light Sponsor) and Assiniboine Credit Union (Red Light Sponsor) also came on board to help make this year’s signature celebration a success.

Guests enjoyed performances by local artists Luke Reimer (RRC grad), Rhia Rae (current Creative Communications student) and Matt Worobec (RRC grad who’s part of the group Alyx Knight).

During the evening, they also sampled culinary creations by RRC Chefs of Distinction Craig Guenther (Urban Prairie Cuisine) and Barbara O’Hara (Dessert Sinsations Café).

Also on tap: beverage tastings courtesy of Banville & Jones Wine Co., Crown Royal, Farmery Estate Brewery, De Luca’s Coffee, and Green Carrot Juice Company, and the much-anticipated Slider Contest, featuring mouthwatering mini-burgers created and served by industry partners from Freightliner, Bison Transport, Turk Enterprises, Custom Transport and Payne Transportation. The winner of the contest was Freightliner’s Ken Talbot, whose smoked meat slider won his team top honours.

Click here to see a video of the event, or here to see a photo gallery.

Shown above, from left: Angela Chambers, alumni council member; Tom Payne Jr, President of Payne Transportation LP; David Rew, Interim President and CEO of Red River College; Dave Tyrchniewicz, President of Turk Enterprises; Harry Dornn, Vice President of Marketing, Maxim Truck and Trailer; Ken Talbot, President/Dealer Principal of Freightliner Manitoba Ltd.; Steven Orbanski of Bison Transport; Kirk Warren, President/Owner of Custom Transport.

Finding your new career can be as simple as strapping on a virtual reality helmet, thanks to a Winnipeg-based new media startup company.

The Campfire Union specializes in e-learning using digital learning resources, games and virtual reality. Their latest creation is Tower Crane VR, designed with the Manitoba Construction Sector Council to help prospective students decide whether they’d be interested in a career as a crane operator.

“[Tower Crane VR] gives access to people who might not want to get into an actual crane right away,” says Rachael Hosein, Chief Creative Officer and co-founder of The Campfire Union. “They can try it out before making that investment in furthering their education

The Tower Crane simulator uses Oculus Rift, the world’s first consumer virtual realty helmet, and allows users to control the crane’s hook, trolley and rotation using a video game controller.

“One of the things we always say is, ‘Practice makes perfect.’ So with any sort of training instance, the closer you can get to reality, the better – taking someone through an experience where they react to a situation that’s as close to real life as possible.”

Luckily for Hosein, a 2009 grad of Red River College’s Digital Media Technology program (now called Digital Media Design), deciding what to study wasn’t difficult.

“I’ve always enjoyed combining art and technology. A friend of mine… suggested that I look into the DMT program. As soon as I read up on the program, I decided that I wanted to learn how to make games and applied.” Read More →

How many philosophers does it take to change a light bulb?

If the philosopher in question is Daniel Blaikie, the answer is one. Blaikie – the son of former Elmwood-Transcona MP Bill Blaikie – works as an electrician with McCaine Electric Ltd., but also holds a master’s degree in philosophy from Concordia University in Montreal.

Blaikie is a recent graduate of Red River College’s Pre-Employment Electrical program and is currently working towards completing the Electrical Apprenticeship program. The 30-year-old, who lives in Transcona with his wife Janelle and his 18-month-old son Robert, said the decision to move from philosophy to electricity was made in order to stay in Winnipeg.

“My wife and I decided we wanted to stay in Winnipeg and raise a family, so I needed to figure out something else, and I had actually started out in the Carpentry program [at RRC],” says Blaikie, who’d attended carpentry classes in 2006 and 2007.

“I wasn’t able to do the second half of that program, but it whet my appetite for the trades and I realized I like working with my hands, so when I was contemplating what else to do when we moved back to Winnipeg, the trades were high on the list. One of the great things about the trades right now is you can get paid to learn, and you’re learning something that other people value and are willing to pay for.” Read More →