Throughout the month of March, we celebrate all the engineers – chemical, mechanical, industrial, civil, electrical, aeronautical and naval – who are vital to the safety, performance and growth of our diverse operations. 

JDI currently employs hundreds of engineers across Canada and the United States and hires an average of 90 engineering students each year. Most new hires are co-op students from valued university partners who are hired before graduation. Our engineers include alumni from eleven different universities including the University of New Brunswick. St. Francis Xavier University, Memorial University, Dalhousie University, University of Waterloo, Clarkson University, St. Mary’s University, University of Prince Edward Island, Acadia University, McGill University, and Université de Moncton.

This year, we are celebrating four key characteristics we see in our engineers: Growth, Teamwork, Innovation and Leadership.

1. GROWING A CAREER – BUILDING A FUTURE WITH JDI

Each year, JDI welcomes 90 engineering students. These students can tackle real-life problems and work with some of the most-qualified mentors around. More than 30 students are currently working in our Pulp and Division. Hear from some of them below!

2. TEAMWORK – BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS THAT MATTER

Engineering impacts all our diverse operations. Collaboration is key to successful solutions. Our engineers draw on each other’s skills, experience and knowledge to resolve challenges and pursue new opportunities. The Lift Lab at Irving Equipment is home to seven engineers, ranging from planning engineers to research and development engineers. 

“Teamwork is important to us because It allows us to collaborate on solving unique problems and coming up with the best possible lift solution for our customers”, says Julien Raby, Engineering Manager at Irving Equipment. 

Meet more of our Engineering team at Irving Equipment here:

3. INNOVATION – SOLUTION-BASED THINKING

There’s no greater asset in business than creative and effective problem solving. Our engineers bring new ideas to the table, work with state-of-the-art technologies and drive efficiency. Nowhere is the clearer than in our IT Division. Check out their stories below!

4. LEADERSHIP – THE SKY IS THE LIMIT

As a group, engineers excel in finding solutions to complex problems, a skill that translates well into leadership roles down the road. JDI currently employs over 390 engineers as a team and executive leaders across its enterprises. 

At JDI, we support our engineers as life-long learners and potential leaders. Steve Dowding is the Assistant Mill Manager at Irving Paper who began as a co-op student and has grown a 23 year career with the company. 

“When I joined this company as a coop student and young engineer, I could never have imagined the support, the technical and leadership training that I have received. I am now in my 23^rd year with the company and the training and learning never stops,” says Steve Dowding. In June, Steve will become the manager of Irving Paper. 

We caught up with a few of these individuals in JDI’s Transportation Division and asked them to discuss leadership and share some advice for aspiring engineers and/or business leaders. Check out the following interviews for more!