It’s a donation 35 years in the making.

Red River College grads Ron Margolis and Tony Balaz have gifted nearly $1,000 to RRC’s annual Directions Conference with money from a group project they helped complete in their graduating year – 1984.

[Editor’s Note: 1984 was the year the World Wide Web and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg were born, Steve Jobs launched a boxy little number called the Macintosh PC, and Bill Gates shared the cover of Time magazine with a floppy disk. Historical records indicate that 1984 was also the epoch of the cassette tape, pager, answering machine, and peak Murder, She Wrote.]

At that time, Margolis (shown, above) and Balaz (below) were studying Business Administration and working on a huge final project with a team of over a dozen other students. The group raised funds to pay for the layout and printing costs needed to produce their group’s business plan, only to find out, just before the plan was due, that the printing company couldn’t produce the accounting tables and wouldn’t be able to complete the job.

“Cut to a dozen of us hammering away on typewriters around the clock, trying to get this thing into some kind of presentable form when we should have been prepping our oral presentation instead,” Margolis recalls.

[Editor’s Note: 1984 was also before word processing and layout software were basic human rights.]

“The final result wasn’t pretty, but we ended up with something we could hand in.”

The money to cover the printing costs sat in the account in case it was still needed, and was then forgotten – until Margolis discovered the bank statement book in a pile of papers just over a year ago.

The discovery prompted Margolis, now president of Margolis Capital Group Inc., a commercial mortgage firm, to reach out to Balaz, another member of the group still living in Winnipeg. (Balaz is vice-president of Kensington Homes.)

“It made sense to both of us to donate it back to the College on behalf of our group, Seminar 13.”

They earmarked their donation for this year’s Directions Conference, which connects RRC Business and Applied Arts students with industry and business leaders through a series of speakers, information sessions, and a roundtable networking event. Obby Khan, local restaurateur and former Blue Bomber, will share his story of family, football and entrepreneurship at the conference’s keynote address on Thu., Feb. 6, inspiring the next generation of professionals and leaders.

“We love how this donation gives a group of our grads the opportunity to bring their Red River College experience full circle,” says RRC Alumni Engagement Officer Katrina Sklepowich. “We couldn’t be more grateful to this awesome group of people for boosting the impact of potentially career-shaping networking events like Directions for our students.”

Thinking of making a gift to Red River College? Donate now!

Together with representatives from the Gene Haas Foundation and Thomas Skinner & Son, Red River College (RRC) proudly opened its new Gene Haas Innovation Lab on May 8, 2019. Outfitted with the most current and cutting-edge equipment from HAAS Automation, the new space will be used by students in programs like Manufacturing CAD, Manufacturing Technology and Precision Metal Manufacturing. It is an integral part of the College’s new Skilled Trades and Technology Centre, which will help train up to an additional 1,000 students every year.

“Today is about more than opening a lab. Thanks to the generous support from the Gene Haas Foundation – with strong advocacy on behalf of Red River from Paul Krainer (President and CEO, Thomas Skinner & Son) and a great relationship with Kathy Looman (Administrator, Gene Haas Foundation) – our students will graduate with the knowledge and training they need to enter their careers as leaders,” said Paul Vogt, President and CEO of RRC.

The lab was made possible through a $500,000 donation from the Gene Haas Foundation in the early stages of planning for the STTC. The gift was integral in moving the project forward. Close to 100 guests from the manufacturing industry and Red River community attended the event and took part in a tour and demonstration of the new state-of-the-art space.

“The Gene Haas Innovation Lab stands on its own as an excellent example of an opportunity for industry to work with education to further develop manufacturing in Manitoba,” said Krainer.

“This lab is the culmination of more than 20 years of Red River College, Thomas Skinner and Haas Automation working together to provide the means to produce skilled workers that fit the needs of precision part manufacturing today. Gene Haas himself and his company have proven what can be done in manufacturing in the United States or Canada.”

The lab’s equipment includes everything from the VF-2 model, with 3 axis of travel, to the UMC 750 with 5 axis simultaneous machining capability and 3+2 machining. Training on this equipment is critical for students who will be entering an industry that continues to evolve every year.

Jessica Burzminski, a recent graduate from the College’s Manufacturing Technician program, and a three-time recipient of Gene Haas Foundation Student Awards, was on hand to speak about how her experience with hands-on training at the College helped her enter her career with confidence.

“The College having partnerships with industry organizations is so important. Being able to offer scholarships, mentorships and the right equipment to learn with is what makes Red River College the best place to study for all students. It’s important because students get the opportunity to try new things and see what they find fascinating and what they want to pursue in the career goals,” she said.

Thank you again to the Gene Haas Foundation and Thomas Skinner & Son for your generous support of student success at Red River College.