Robertson Bright

RBI Insight

COMPANY

VISION

With offices strategi-

cally located across

Canada and the Unit-

ed States, RBI will be

the leading provider of

electrical & communi-

cation solutions in the

Industrial / Commer-

cial / Institutional mar-

ketplace.

COMPANY MISSION

Through the strength

and integrity of our

team, we will provide

our services on time,

on budget, every time.

The First Word From WB….. Time certainly continues to fly by as evi-denced by the friendly reminders that we as contributors to the RBI Insight receive from our editor-in-chief Irene. Hard to believe that three months have passed since my last entry when I was letting you know of the exciting announcement re-garding our new office in Nevada through Corona Electric LLC. Greg and his grow-ing team have already shown the rest of us at RBI “what they are made of” both locally in the greater Las Vegas area and by their contribution to branch wide con-ference calls and training sessions.

The great thing is that the story does not end there! As I travel to, and am in con-tact with all of the RBI branches, I regu-larly observe the same level of energy and drive to not only seek new and inter-esting opportunities, but, once we land the work, to execute it with excellence. Thank you for your important contribution in this regard because every employee makes a difference.

And speaking of thanks, as I write this article for the Fall 2011 edition we have recently enjoyed a great Thanksgiving Weekend. The Thanksgiving holiday for our American branch is just around the corner, and....dare I say it, soon after that....it will be Christmas! The celebrat-ed holidays of Thanksgiving and Christ-mas are my favorite times of the year for

a number of reasons. For one, it is about taking time to reflect upon and being thankful for how fortunate we are to live in this part of the globe. It is also a great time to get together with family and friends.

The most important time for me person-ally however, is Christmas. In this oh so politically correct part of the world I know I am just supposed to say “Happy Holi-days” or even “Merry Xmas”. But Christ-mas means considerably more than a couple of days off to me. There is a “Reason For The Season” which has made such a difference in my life and faith. I encourage you to seek out the meaning behind the first Christmas. And with that, let me wish each and everyone of you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Wally Budgell

President, RBI

this issue The First Word P.1

Business Development P.2

Mississauga Report P.3

Charity Corner P.3

Peterborough Report P.4

Calgary Report P.5

RBI Safety Matters P.5-6

Kitchener Report P.6

Las Vegas Report P.7

Birthdays P.8

ISS UE

06 F a l l

2 0 1 1

Business

Development

“The Phraselogy Evolution”

Cont’d...

It never ceases to amaze me

how the English language and

associated phrases continue to

evolve, often thanks in part to

the ever changing technology in

our world.

Here are a few examples to illus-

trate my point. Way back in

Grade 4 (and I do mean way

back in Grade 4) Miss Brown

taught our class the proper use

of semicolons, colons, brackets,

exclamation marks, etc. She

never once taught us though,

the combination of a colon : im-

mediately followed by a right

bracket ) gave the reader a

“smiley face”.

Or how about acronyms? We seem to live in a world of acro-nyms these days! Have you ever found yourself trying to be part of a conversation where acronyms are being thrown around left right and centre and you have no clue as to what is being talked about? At the same time you don’t want to let on that you don’t know the meaning of these English “words” lest you appear unin-formed. Here’s a fairly new one: CIA. No, I am not speaking of that familiar counter-espionage based secret intelligence organi-zation, I am speaking of “Connection Impact Assess-ment”, the approval required by the LDC (another one: Local Distribution Company) before we can have the ability to electrical-ly connect RBI’s completed PV

Leadership

We foster an environment

of responsibility and ac-

countability.

We teach.

We make a difference.

We find solutions, and are

resourceful.

Our Culture

Robertson Bright Inc. is

truly about people. We are

after all, serving people in

our business, and in their

businesses.

We are passionate about

the preservation of our cul-

ture and we don't just talk

about it, we mean it. From

the beginning, we were

clear about what was im-

portant to us and what we

wanted our culture to be.

This doesn’t mean we won’t

make mistakes or have set

backs, but it does mean we

have a clearly defined way

of doing things. We know

that some people simply

won't be happy working

here, and that's ok. We are

looking to attract and retain

those who thrive in this type

of environment.

solar systems onto the utility grid. This new “CIA” is very im-portant too!

Or how about phrases? Credit

card companies who want you to

use their product have come up

with a significant number of

catchy slogans, phrases, re-

wards programs, prizes, etc. But

in the end they all basically

strive for you arrive at the con-

clusion that you must get that

“thing” realizing you both need it

deserve it....all before you might

actually be able to pay for it,

simply: Charge It! It sounds so

easy and somehow so empow-

ering. (Until you get the real bill

that is...)

But, once again, “Charge It”, is a

familiar phrase that also is taking

on a whole new (and exciting

and “empowering”) meaning

because of...the Electric Vehicle!

(Or “EV” for the acronym ver-

sion) All of the major car com-

panies have got on board this

time and the advertising is ramp-

ing up, all for a good reason:

The EV is here to stay. And

that is a very good thing. It is a

very good thing for our world,

our industry, and therefore RBI!

As pictured in the Summer edi-

tion of the RBI Insight we have

installed Leviton Chargepoint EV

Chargers at GM for GM in Osha-

wa. Now we have also installed

a Schneider Electric EV Charger

at Schneider’s new Mississauga

headquarters as shown. These

components are now referred to

as EVSE (Electric Vehicle Sup-

ply Equipment).

EVSEs are available in three

versions of charging rates

identified as Level 1 (Standard

120V / 15A receptacle), Level

2 (208/240V 40A) and Level 3

(V & A vary, but it connects

directly to the DC battery of the

vehicle for a high rate / fast

charge).

Across all branches, we are

actively seeking opportunities

through EVSE manufacturers,

EVSE installation service

agencies, developers, govern-

ments, utilities, existing clients

and design-build proposals

where we can implement this,

another evolving technology

that already has and will con-

tinue to bring us more work

opportunities.

Looking for the perfect stock-ing stuffer for that difficult to buy for person on your Christ-mas list? Hey, do we have an idea for you....

Dave Graham, VP Business Development

At GM test driving the new

Chevy Volt

Dave Graham

VP Business Development

CHARITY

CORNER

Christmas is coming in the

very near future we en-

courage you to select a

gift from World Vision of

Canada Gift catalogue

(https://

catalogue.worldvision.ca/

Gifts)

You may select a gift i.e.

2 hens & a rooster for

$50.00 that will be given to

a family which can help

them out tremendously.

The RBI charity committee

will match any employee’s

personal donation (up to a

maximum of $1,000.00 for

the company). Just pro-

vide a copy of your receipt

and we will purchase a gift

for the same $ amount of

your choice. Please con-

tact Diana Issa or Ross

Armstrong for more infor-

mation.

The committee has met

three times since the last

RBI insight and has made

the following donations:

The Town of Goderich

Tornado relief fund

through the United Way

for the amount of $200.00

The Crisis in Somalia

through World Vision Can-

ada for the amount of

$200.00 (this was

matched by the Canadian

Government)

Easter Seals through a

Golf Tournament Hole

Sponsorship for the

amount of $250.00

We encourage RBI em-

ployees to offer sugges-

tions for donations or

charity groups you have a

personal involvement in.

For further information

contact Diana Issa 905-

813-3005 ext 207 or di-

anai@rbigroup.net

The salesman was standing in the middle of the office with a smile from ear to ear… All were gather around wait-ing for the first glimpse. A low rumble of questions and comments could be heard as the clasps were unlatched and the lid slowly opened… You could hear a pin drop as the crowd went silent. Ru-mors had circulated for years, but to have sight of the real thing! Perhaps it would never work as many had sug-gested, or could it be the so-lution that others thought it might be? There it was in all its glory, the first cellular tele-phone available to the public. It was in a large briefcase and occupied every square inch of space, perhaps there was space for a single piece of paper. It is just one of

about basic electrical needs. For one of our recent design build projects, we have now switched from being a tradi-tional electrical contractor, providing the system to pow-er their building, to a contrib-uting member of their IT group, identifying and provid-ing network infrastructure solutions.

Each morning when our feet hit the floor, we need to take on the day with an attitude of learning! As we learn, it will change our perspective of the world around us.

Sometimes, when I am searching on my desk for my ringing cell phone, through all the papers I stacked on top of it… I wish it was the size of a briefcase!

Brian Watson,

General Manager

Michael has been with Robertson Bright for the last 7 years starting out as a pre-apprentice, and is now the Team Lead-er in our panel building shop.

Originally from Toronto, Michael spent a couple of years growing up in Israel as his father is an aircraft engineer working abroad.

Michael is having a difficult time being away from the rink after receiving his second concussion at the hands of the opposing team.

When he is not riding his motorcycle or at the cottage, you will find him cuddling on the couch with Laura and their pet Hedge Hog Harley.

those days that you remem-ber… as I stood in that office, I did not realize the impact that one device would have.

As we go to work each day, the impact of quickly chang-ing technology is evident in everything we do. We can now start our coffee maker at home, pay our bills and check the weather forecast all from our cell phone!

Although the basic principal of electricity and light has not changed since creation, what we are capable of doing with it certainly has. Recently we received our new laser en-graver in the panel shop. It is incredible to see the results, the accuracy of the concen-trated beam of light. It is able to outperform the old technol-ogy in so many ways.

And as technology changes, so do our customer’s require-ments. It feels like I spend more time each day talking with our clients about tech-nology related items than

Mississauga Office News

Brian Watson

General Manager

Employee Spotlight

Michael Watkins

“The Quality Goes In Be-fore…”

If you were able to complete that sentence with no prob-lem, you were likely around in the sixties and it came to you like breathing: “The Quality Goes In .... Before The Name Goes On.” This slogan was part of an ex-tremely popular marketing campaign by Zenith for their televisions. It must have been somewhat successful too because I still remember it! (I say somewhat success-ful only because I never ac-tually bought one.)

“Quality” is something that we have not only come to expect as consumers in our society, we consider it our right, especially if we are paying for it. Our customers

Peterborough Office

News David Bremner

General Manager

are no different! Sometimes all it takes is the extra five minutes that can make all the difference to a complet-ed job that truly is … com-pleted. Did we confirm all connections were properly tightened? How about the panel directory, is it legible so that others can read it too? All circuitry checked to confirm it is functioning as it should? And how about cleanup around our installa-tions? Far better to take those five minutes with a broom to take care of that pre-existing garbage on the

floor, than having to explain it was there first. Perception is reality as they say … and as we continue to put the RBI standard of quality into our installations, then the RBI names goes on! (and on….)

So far as ongoing work in our branch area, we contin-ue to be strong in a wide range of markets and cli-ents for which we are very thankful. Just recently we

attended the grand opening of the Lily Lake 10MW Solar Farm for which we have and continue to have some inter-esting and key roles to play in the success of this ex-citing and innova-tive local green pro-ject.

Keep up the great work!

David Bremner

General Manager Employee Spotlight

Doris joined the RBI team in October 2007, initially as an accounting assistant working with the Peterborough division, and currently with head office in the Controller’s office.

Doris is a graduate of Trent University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, and brought considerable employment experience with her, having worked previously for Westburne Ruddy Electric and Guillevin International.

Her day touches all facets of the accounting department; payroll, ac-counts receivable and especially accounts payable. Her job keeps her in constant contact with employees from all divisions as well as ven-dors and customers. Most recently Doris has been integrally involved with the successful integration of our Las Vegas division.

Doris has 2 children, Noah 12 and Holly 9 years old. Both are very successful students as well as star soccer players for the Peterbor-ough league and rep teams. Shuttling them to practice and games through all 4 seasons keeps her busy. Doris enjoys movies and camping with the family in her spare time.

Doris Gaudet-Wilson

Quality

Quality is not an act.

It is a habit.

Aristotle

Be a yardstick of quality.

Some people aren't used to

an environment where excel-

lence is expected.

Steve Jobs

Flaming enthusiasm, backed

up by horse sense and persis-

tence, is the quality that most

frequently makes for success.

Dale Carnegie

Quality in a product or service

is not what the supplier puts

in. It is what the customer

gets out and is willing to pay

for.

Peter F. Drucker, American

Management Guru

I consider a bad bottle of Hei-

neken to be a personal insult

to me.

Freddy Heineken

It is a funny thing about life: if

you refuse to accept anything

but the best you very often get

it.

W. Somerset Maugham

A cardinal principle of Total

Quality escapes too many

managers: you cannot contin-

uously improve interdepend-

ent systems and processes

until you progressively perfect

interdependent, interpersonal

relationships.

Stephen Covey

8 MVA 4160/600 volt sub station transformer

for Peterborough Distribution Inc. at Dam 22 -

Hydro electric project.

RBI Safety Matters

Distracted Drivers

Did you know?

80% of collisions include driver inattention as a con-tributing factor

People using a cell phone while driving are 4 to 6 times more likely to be in a

car crash

People texting while driving are 23 times more likely to

be involved in a collision or near collision

In Alberta driver distraction

is associated with more than 100 deaths and 5,000 injuries from nearly 40,000

collisions each year.

What are you doing behind the wheel?

Alberta

The Distracted Driving Law goes into effect September

1st, 2011 and applies to all vehicles, whether you are on a bicycle, waiting at a

red light, stopped for a train or backed-up in traffic.

As of Sept. 1, a province-

wide bylaw passed by the Alberta Government will take effect where drivers

will be fined $172 if not properly concentrating on the road.

Bill 16, the distracted driver legislation, will now prohibit the use of handheld cell

phones, texting or e-mailing, and the use of elec-tronic devices like laptop

computers, video games, cameras, video entertain-ment displays and program-

ming and portable audio players. Entering infor-mation on GPS units will

also no longer be allowed as well as any reading, writing, or personal groom-

ing.

(Cont’d Page 6)

The future for electrical work in

Calgary is brighter than it has

been for the last 18 -24 months.

To that end we have hired 6

additional people to help with

the workload and we anticipate

that we will continue to grow.

On the design build side of our

team, Rick is working hard with

Scott Builders, Ricklan and

Opus to name a few and has

just completed a design build

project with Omican on a pro-

ject at the Drumheller Peniten-

tiary (90 miles east of Calgary).

We are also working on a large

mining truck facility in Spar-

wood B.C.

On the service side of the team

we are steady. James and

Danny are at the helm which

gives me more time to work

with small projects and busi-

ness development. There are

times when these contacts with

the small projects turn into

on a regular basis on many of

our projects and we appreciate

Brian and his team’s efforts.

My last note is to give credit to

all of our employees here for a

job well done. To quote our

Mission – Through the

strength and integrity of our

team, we will provide our ser-

vices on time, on budget every

time.

Brian Stoddart

General Manager

Eric is working at FH #25 installing an antenna

Eric started with Breaker/Robertson Bright in January 2007 when he started his apprenticeship. While he worked on a few large projects, he primarily belonged with the service side of the company.

The past year Eric has been working on smaller pro-jects and has recently settled into running a service van. He prefers this aspect of the business because he enjoys the diverse work environments, and interac-tion with the customers. Eric gains satisfaction in meeting different personalities, figuring out the exact goal of their project, and executing the plan.

When Eric is not working, he enjoy renovating his house, taking the family camping, and coaching Tim-bits hockey.

Every now and then, Eric finds time to take in an Oil-ers game, and watching as Edmonton slowly but un-deniably retake their crown as the most dominant franchise in the world of pro-hockey.

something much bigger. For

example we are doing a small

reno for Coteba in their Calgary

office and they are part of a

much bigger group - Artelia.

Artelia is doing some work in the

Toronto area so I helped arrange

a meeting with Dave Graham.

BJ Services is another company

who we have done work for the

last few years and they were

acquired by Baker Hughes.

Through our contacts with BJ

Services we were introduced to

Lexan Projects (a company out

of Edmonton). We have done

two small projects with Lexan

and we are now working on a

design build project for the Baker

Hughes Tube & Coil Building

addition.

We have recently completed a

project with the City of Calgary

Fire Department – Alerting Sys-

tem Upgrade. This system is

slated to go live in mid Decem-

ber. I would like to thank Scott

Sanders and our sub contractor

Caltronics for a job well done.

Dave Graham has been helping

me with the business develop-

ment here in Calgary in regards

to introductions and contacts.

Brian Watson has been involved

Calgary Office News

Employee Spotlight

Eric Walbridge

Rick McMurray & Brian Stoddart

General Managers

Update from the KW

Courthouse

Flurries are on the radar

as I write my column for

this Fall’s edition of the

RBI Insight. As we move

into the last quarter of

Kitchener Office News Robert Bamford

Senior Project Manager

2011, I would like to con-

gratulate all of our team

members for their dedi-

cation and continued

hard work under some

difficult circumstances.

The project is now some

13 months from Substan-

tial completion. The per-

manent power is now

energized and has been

extended up to the Level

8 Mechanical Penthouse to

facilitate the running of the

AHU’s for provision on win-

ter heat.

Elsewhere, electrical rough-

ins continue up to Level 4,

drywall and taping has com-

menced and cabling of the

low voltage systems, Voice

& Data, AV, Fire Alarm and

Security have started.

RBI has also recently bid on

a project at the University of

Waterloo. I would like to ex-

tend my personal thanks to

all who contributed to our

pre-tender review meeting

conference call. I for one

thought it was highly pro-

ductive. We should find out

if we were successful by the

end of October.

Robert Bamford

Senior Project Manager Employee Spotlight

Dave Hicks started with the company as a Journey-

man Electrician in 1989 and hasn’t looked back.

Over the years he has found himself involved in a

variety of projects, most recently at Lakeridge

Health and the Durham Region Courthouse.

After his involvement with the installation of security

systems at Durham Courthouse, Dave’s experience

is being well utilized as he oversees the installation

of security systems at the Waterloo Region Consol-

idated Courthouse in Kitchener.

Dave is married, has two children and a lab named

Molly. His time off work is spent building his cot-

tage, deer hunting and downhill skiing.

Dave Hicks

RBI Safety Matters cont.'s

While drivers will not be able to

operate handheld devices, cell phones are permitted if they are in hands-free mode.

Radio communication through hands-on C.B. radios and Mike technology is now only permit-

ted for the drivers of escort, pilot or trail vehicles, and for the purpose of participating in a

search, rescue or emergency management.

Drivers may use handheld

phones if they are trying to con-tact emergency response units.

If a driver wishes to use a porta-

ble audio player like an MP3 or an iPod, it must be programmed before driving in order to elimi-

nate distracting use while driv-ing.

Ontario

Ontario's ban on hand-held devices while driving took effect on October 26, 2009.

The law makes it illegal for driv-ers to talk, text, type, dial or email using hand-held cell

phones and other hand-held communications and entertain-ment devices.

Using a hands-free device is permitted as long as the device is placed securely in or mount-

ed to the motor vehicle so that it does not move while the vehicle is in motion. The driver should

be able to see it at a quick glance and easily reach it with-out adjusting his or her driving

position. Driving requires your full attention.

Nevada

Cell, texting news: Nevada’s governor has approved legisla-tion banning handheld cell

phone use and text messaging for all drivers. The Assembly’s final vote came May 30 and the

Senate signed off June 4, 2011.

Nevada is the 34th state to ban texting while driving.

The measure, SB 140, has was approved by Gov. Brian Sando-val, who made it clear that he

would support a state-wide ban on text messaging while driving. The law will go into full effect

Jan/1/2012. Fines are $50 then $100 and then $250.

Safety is a choice, and one worth making.

Well, the only constant is

change.

Effective December 15, 2011

Corona Electric will be changing

its name to “Robertson Bright

Industries LLC”. Our hope is that

this change will help solidify our

new place in the Las Vegas mar-

ket. This is a big change for us

here and the associated govern-

ment paperwork and hoops to

jump through is daunting. How-

ever with our new moniker we

hope to capitalize on the good

name that RBI has built in the

Canadian market and begin

building the “RBI” name in the

US market to the same high

standards.

Our current projects have contin-

ful that Las Vegas has seen the

worst of our slowdown. Con-

struction work always waxes and

wanes, we simply became im-

mune to that for about 10 years.

The ride back to reality has been

abrupt to say the least.

All of us here in the Las Vegas

branch wish to convey our grati-

tude and appreciation for the

many hours of assistance given

to us by the Home Office, and

Jim and Doris. We are growing

and realizing capabilities that

were not available to us in the

past, and having quality folks to

work with has been a source of

refreshment and excitement.

Best wishes to you all for a safe

and profitable 2012!

Greg Crader

General Manager

Glen Nelson - Field Foreman

Glen Nelson started with Corona Electric in February 2008.

He has served in many positions and his input and experi-

ence have helped us grow and survive. Glen has been in

the trade for nearly 20 years, with a family history of work in

the electrical construction trade. Coming to Las Vegas in

2003, he found opportunity here and has raised a wonderful

family. With the needs of a small company constantly

changing, Glen has adapted on a daily basis assisting us

greatly for us to be successful.

Currently Glen is the field foreman for our Regional Justice

Center remodel project. This project requires 4-10 hour

nights and our success so far on this project has been very

encouraging. Glen has worked in the field and office at vari-

ous times over the past few years and that experience has

given him a well rounded view of why policies and practices

have to be a certain way. Always willing to do whatever is

needed, Glen has been a tremendous influence on our op-

eration. When not at work Glen loves camping, and four

wheeling with his family and friends!"

ued to progress nicely and we

are receiving good feedback

from Clark County on the RJC

(Regional Justice Center) pro-

ject, and also the City of Las

Vegas on the Fire Station pro-

ject. There will be at least 2 more

of the Fire Stations out for bid

after the first of the year and we

hope to target those as we have

now seen varied ways to im-

prove our construction methods.

The fire station is of foam block

construction and having now

verified some “best practices” for

that type of construction, we are

excited to do some additional

projects of this type.

We have also landed some nice

smaller projects for Amazon,

OfficeMax, a Fiat Dealership,

and a United Way office remodel

that will keep us jumping through

the Las Vegas “winter”. I’m sure

that sounds like a joke, but yes

we will get into the 30’s

(Fahrenheit) in December. That’s

our winter, and no I don’t expect

any sympathy. There are some

nice projects that are opening up

in this market and we are hope-

Las Vegas Office News Greg Crader

General Manager

“It is amazing what can be

accomplished by a group of people when

nobody cares who gets the

credit”

John Wooden

“We cannot do everything at once. But we can do some-

thing at once.”

Calvin Coolidge

Employee Spotlight

Calgary - #2 215-36th Avenue N.E., Calgary, AB, T2E 2L4 Mississauga - 2875 Argentia Road, Unit 1, Mississauga, ON, L5N 8G6

Tel: 403-277-3077, Fax: 403-230-3986 Tel: 905-813-3005, Toll Free: 1-877-813-3005, Fax: 905-813-8878

Kitchener - 154 Duke Street East, Kitchener, ON, N2H 1A7 Peterborough - 618 Neal Drive, PO Box 1048, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7A5

Tel: 519-578-3005, Fax: 519-578-3008 Tel: 705-742-5447, Toll Free: 1-866-442-5447, Fax: 705-742-3139

Las Vegas - 452 E Silverado Ranch Blvd # 172, Las Vegas, NV, 89183-6290

Tel: 702-914-2290, Fax: 702-914-2237

Mississauga

Ross Armstrong Jan/18

Arthur Verway Dec/27

Rob Walker Jan/31

David Wheelan Nov/22

Responsibility

You cannot escape

the responsibility of

tomorrow by evading

it today.

Abraham Lincoln

RBI Insight Issue 06 Fall 2011

Calgary

James Berrigan Dec/04

Robert Davidson Nov/03

Ryan Georgopoulos Nov/30

Edvir Hidri Nov/09

Richard McMurray Nov/04

Arthur Mons Nov/04

Daniel Paschke Jan/27

Scott Sanders Jan/06

Kitchener

Peter Connolly Dec/18

David Cross Nov/15

Kevin Crowley Jan/16

Leigh Ferguson Nov/25

Braden Klassen Nov/23

Walter Klenner Dec/31

Cornelius W Murrin Dec/14

Todd Priebe Jan/11

Steve Primeaux Dec/25

William Richardson Dec/29

Ken Sellen Dec/04

Josh Szabo Dec/11

Christopher Thomas Dec/27

Chris Walter Dec/11

Lance Weber Jan/03

Head Office

Wally Budgell Nov/26

Carolyn Ferguson Dec/03

Peterborough

David Bremner Dec/31

Mark Brown Jan/27

Michael Giraudy Nov/17

Sean Heffernan Nov/14

Donald Penticost Jan/02

Frank VanHoekelen Dec/15

Keith VanHoekelen Dec/17

Robert White Dec/02

Birthdays

Branch Office Locations:

www.rbigroup.net

Las Vegas

Greg Crader Jan/24

Eben Cruz de Garcia Dec/02

Jon Haney Nov/13

Jon Hunt Nov/06

Ronald Johnson Nov/19