Membership Committee Report: Winter 2025

As we close the chapter on another year of growth and challenge in Alberta, I am pleased to report that we have gained some new members this past year and are currently, as an Association, representing the interests of 58 member companies.

Why do these firms want to be a Member of AMBA? 

Certainly, the roots of AMBA were firmly planted in creating the Metal Building System Erector as a certified trade here in Alberta.  This makes us unique across Canada and raises our provincial industry above all other regions in our great country.

Some other key factors in belonging to any professional Association include:

Advocacy – Which is at the heart of AMBA.

Networking – We all grow stronger when we can get together with like minded professionals and share ideas and concerns.

Access to Resources – The MBSE courses, exam and professional designation are all a result of countless hours of service to this industry by those who have preceded us in this association.

Comradery- Our primary social gatherings each year include the upcoming AGM in March and our very popular annual Golf Tournament in June, which this coming year is dedicated to the memory and service of our friend John Weran.

Learning – We as a Board continue to explore ways to add more opportunities to share innovations and ideas with all of our members.  Small table top presentations at our AGM help showcase new products and services that can help our members build their businesses.  Also, look for articles in our newsletter titled “What’s New” where we showcase new and innovative products that complement Metal Building Systems.

Exposure – The Board continues to work on ways to increase our industry’s “on-line” presence and help improve access to our Associations and our Members whenever anyone searches for Metal Buildings online.   Online and in our Newsletters you will see “Project Profiles,” where members can proudly showcase special or unique projects.

We encourage every member to consider what they could offer to either “What’s New” or “Project Profiles.”  Your Board would welcome any submissions – we will even do a professional write-up so you don’t have to do the work – and will post them in our newsletters, on our website and on all our social media feeds. 

We all know that Metal Buildings Systems of today are a far cry from the old notion of an ugly tin box.  Let’s work together to show the market the best of what we can be.

If you know of anyone working in the industry who you think should be a member, please pass their information on to any of the Board members so that we can encourage them to join.  There is strength in numbers and we want to continue to grow the Association for the future generations of MBSE specialists.

Kent Freeland

Membership Committee

Message from the Chair: Winter 2025

AMBA’s board had another busy year: planning and presenting the Annual General meeting and Annual Golf Tournament, exploring various ways we can support members and promote metal building construction and working with industry partners to improve apprenticeship and training programs.

We are pleased to announce that the Metal Building System Erector (MBSE) 2nd year bursary award has been increased to $1500, the Worksite Training Subsidy has been extended for another year and we have added a Metal Building Product Installation Training subsidy. Check out the AMBA website for further information: Here

Sadly, on September 5, we lost John Weran. John had been active in our industry for over 40 years and was a dedicated AMBA board member for 20 years, organizing many of the golf tournaments. We will miss John. Please join us at the AMBA 2025 Golf Tournament on June 12, 2025 at the Ranch Golf & Country Club to honor John.

We go into 2025 with a lot of uncertainty: Trudeau’s shaky political future, Trump’s threat of a 25% tariff on Canadian exports, a Canadian dollar in decline, slower projected global demand for oil and a slowdown in provincial population growth. Will lower interest rates, fiscal stimulus and potentially a change in federal government be enough to strengthen construction demand and provide our industry with another busy year?

We are looking for new board members. Being a part of the AMBA board has enriched my career and I’ve enjoyed learning from and working with a great team of industry professionals. If you would like to join our board, enhance your career and give back to your industry, reach out to me or any of our board members. AMBA could not exist without the support of our members and a diverse and dedicated board of directors.

Wishing all our members and member companies a Happy and Prosperous New Year! 

Worksite Training Subsidy for AMBA Members

Would you like a free AMBA membership?

Some of our members had their 2024 AMBA membership dues reimbursed by simply doing what AMBA promotes! Train your employees and you could be eligible for a free 2025 AMBA membership… 

AMBA Members are eligible to receive up to $500 in subsidy towards in-person training of employees for the following certifications: Telehandler, Aerial/Elevated Work Platform, First Aid and Fall Arrest/Protection Training.  

The following conditions apply: 

• Only for in-person training 

• Available to AMBA Member employees 

• 50% of training course cost (up to $500 annual maximum per AMBA member company) 

• Reimbursement of courses will be applied towards 2024 AMBA membership dues 

• Must provide Certificate of Completion and invoice 

• Training must be provided by a reputable accredited institution 

• Subsidy available for all courses completed by December 31, 2024 

To apply: click HERE

Derek Traviss Receives The Jim Mitchell Memorial Award

Congratulations to Derek Traviss! 

Walter Gegolick from Vantage Builders, presented employee, Derek Traviss with the $1,500 AMBA Jim Mitchell Memorial award for completion of his 2nd year in the MBSE program. Congratulations Derek!  

If you are an AMBA member and have an employee enrolled in NAIT or SAIT’s MBSE program, they may be eligible to receive an AMBA bursary or award. To learn more about this program click HERE.

AMBA Membership Committee Report - Summer 2024

Following up on the heels of a very positive and thought provoking AGM in April, it was a real pleasure to host our 20th Annual AMBA Golf Tournament (so appropriately renamed as the Ralph Ward Golf Tournament).   With a full slate of 18 foursomes, we couldn’t have picked a better day, weather wise, at The Ranch.   This event is a highlight of our year for members and friends alike.  Along with healthy competition on the links, there was plenty of good-spirited conversation over drinks and dinner. I did notice how quickly the room quieted down once the food was served.    

As we continue to look for ways to increase our membership, I would strongly suggest that if you invited someone to golf, or know of someone who was at the tournament who is not a member already, please take this opportunity to encourage them to become members.  You can pass on to any Board member the contact information of firms in our industry that you think may benefit from membership. 

We are pleased to welcome Norsteel Building Systems and Azimuth Builders Ltd. as our newest members.  

The strength of any industry association is embedded in a strong membership that reasonably represents as diverse a cross section of its industry as possible.  Collectively, we all need AMBA to remain a strong unified voice for our members who are actively involved in the Metal Building Systems market here in Alberta. The more diverse and larger the body, the more effective we can be as an association in representing the interests of the membership.  

Respectfully, 

Kent Freeland 

Membership Committee Chair 

Message from the Chair: Winter 2024

Happy New Year! 

2023 was a great year for the Alberta Metal Building Association (AMBA), starting off with our Annual General Meeting in April.  We had well-respected and informative speakers: Nicole Mahoney, NAIT Ironworker Chair, and Raymond Massey, Chair of the Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board. NAIT’s culinary students prepared us a tasty meal – a real haute cuisine experience! We presented a retirement gift to Harv Friesen, a long-time AMBA member, board member, and influential erector in the Metal Building industry. 

The 2023 Golf tournament was also a great success, hosted at Alberta Springs in Red Deer.  With a record number of golfers at 78 and 11 hole sponsors, we were able to give away some pretty awesome prizes and raise $2,050 for the Ukrainian Refugee Fund.

In 2023, the AMBA board increased the Jim Mitchell and Larry Derksen Memorial Awards from $750 to $1500 each, increased the first and second-year bursaries to $750, and added the AMBA Worksite Training subsidy. The board met with industry partners, educators, and the Alberta Government to explore training opportunities, review curriculum modifications, and further support education.

Our strength is in our numbers. With the support of our members, we are able to leverage our industry knowledge and expertise and work with industry stakeholders to promote safe and quality construction of metal buildings throughout Alberta and beyond!