Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine March/April 2022 - 24

PAINT AND COATINGS MANUFACTURING: WOMEN IN COATINGS
award. A long and consistent history of recognizing excellence
and honouring innovation can be traced back to the numerous
individuals who have contributed to the development of the
coatings industry throughout the years. Members and colleagues
alike who have committed their lives to change the industry,
moving innovation ahead and building a legacy of devotion to
both the Canadian industry and the CPCA are among those who
have received awards this year. Micheline Foucher will receive
the Industry Achievement Award, awarded with other deserving
candidates. Individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary
performance in furthering the interests of the industry and the
Association are qualified to receive this award.
Stephanie McCallum
from Kuntz Electroplating Inc
Stephanie McCallum is a
multi-faceted
professional.
An
Environmental Compliance
Coordinator at Kuntz Electroplating,
with an established history of
working in the automotive industry
while also providing support to CASF as a Government
Liason. Environmental Compliance and Awareness, Industrial
Ventilation,
Sustainability, Risk Management, Emergency
Response, Root Cause Analysis, Occupational Safety and
Health, and ISO 14001 are just some of the many skills. She has
a Master's degree in Science for Environmental Practice and
is currently enrolled as a doctorate candidate at Royal Roads
University in Canada.
McCallum has been working in the profession for
approximately twenty years. She began with doing general labour
at Kuntz and gained a great deal of knowledge there. " Compared
to now, the business is very different than when I first started. "
McCallum states, " There has been a lot of innovative change.
The adaptability of the business and its people is exciting to me.
I always try to keep morale positive, but it has been tough for the
last two years, " she says regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
She considers one of the most significant rewards in her
role is helping people. " I'm on the emergency response team for
Kuntz, dealing with the medical side of things, being able to give
good support and being able to support them in a crisis. Knowing
you did the best job you could to help someone is one of the
biggest rewards. "
When she considers her most prominent source of inspiration,
she mentions how grateful she is to have her family as a support
system. " My family are key players in my success today. My
parents supported me going back to school; they stepped in and
helped with that - if they had not have done that, I probably
would not be here today. Their love and support throughout my
entire life have been the same level. "
Aside from her family, McCallum recalls her early days in
the industry and how Mike Flood, the air quality manager at
Kuntz at the time, was one of her mentors who had a significant
influence on her career. " He was my first supervisor at Kuntz.
Christine Rowe began working at
Peerless Custom Rack Co. Ltd. six
years ago in North York, Ontario. It
was an administrative position that
she began with before working her
way through the company's ranks.
Rowe studied Geography at the University of Waterloo before
entering the workforce, and she believes that her education
prepared her for her current position. Customer service, cash
flow, checking in with the owner, assessing what must be fixed,
investigating material shortages, and determining where she
and the team can acquire their supplies are all part of her day-today
at Peerless as General Manager.
One of the most rewarding aspects of her job is that she
gets to learn something new every day. " Learning something
new every day makes it interesting, and that's what keeps me
motivated because there's so much variation in the field, and it's
continuously evolving, " Christine said. " I came to Peerless out of
nowhere, and I had no contacts at all when I first got here. The
general manager at the time, as well as the owner, took a risk on
me, which proved to be really beneficial. I ask a lot of questions,
which is not always appreciated by everyone. I'm here to ask
questions and soak in as much information as I can. If you can
find a place where you can ask the questions, that's fantastic.
You must also be able to listen to the answers and learn from
them, as well as be open to more possibilities if you are asking
questions. Nobody is above you in terms of knowledge; everyone
has something to teach you. "
The following is the advice Rowe gave us when we asked
her what she would tell young individuals just starting out in
When I first started, I was very quiet, and he brought me out of
my shell and helped me learn how to talk to people. He also saw
abilities in myself that I did not notice, and he encouraged me to
train in those areas. "
Another one of her mentors she would give accolades to was
Rick Warren, " On the mechanical side, Rick Warren has been
one of my biggest advocates. He was a millwright then a project
coordinator for a lot of my work there. He told me a long time
ago: 'No is not in my vocabulary,' he would always find a way to
make things work, and I never forgot that. "
McCallum's advice to young people entering the industry is to
look behind the curtain. " Look behind the curtain because there
are more opportunities in this industry than you would think.
With a place like Kuntz, there are so many different pathways
of opportunities you can move into. I could have applied to many
different positions in my years of being with Kuntz. Sometimes,
there is a bad connotation with factory work - people assume
that it is just general labour and there is no room for growth, but
that is not true. You create your opportunities; you don't know
where the business is going to take you; you need the enthusiasm
to grow. "
Christine Rowe
from Peerless Custom Rack
24
www.cfcm.ca
http://www.cfcm.ca
Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine March/April 2022

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