Celebrating this year’s OREP award winners
In what has become a much-loved end of summer tradition, on August 28, the Operations and Real Estate Partnerships (OREP) division hosted the eighth annual Thank You BBQ & Awards event at the University College Quadrangle—a certified platinum event through the Sustainable Events Program.
More than 650 staff members gathered to celebrate the successes of the past year and enjoy lunch served by the leadership team and Food Services chefs.
Laughter and warm conversations filled the air, creating an unmistakable feeling that this gathering embodies a celebration of achieved milestones and the unwavering spirit that characterizes the OREP division.
Ron Saporta, Acting Vice-President, OREP, presented staff with 15 Distinguished Service Awards, five Impact Awards (Individual), 10 Impact Awards (Team), and 12 Service Excellence Awards.
This year, 34 Facilities & Services (F&S) staff were recognized.
Impact Award (Individual)
One F&S staff member was presented with an OREP Impact Award (Individual), which is awarded to staff members who have made outstanding contributions that go beyond the fulfilment of their duties:
- Mladen Pejic, Senior Project Manager, Accessibility
Impact Award (Team)
The Project Leap team was presented with the Impact Award (Team), which is awarded to teams who have delivered on projects by relying on and demonstrating highly effective communication and collaboration:
- Artur Syrek, Manager, Mechanical Operations
- Christine Tan, Manager, Mechanical Operations
- Flavio Bertolo, Director, Infrastructure Planning & Implementation
- Gurmel Multani, Chief Engineer of the Central Power Plant
- Jasmeet Bali, Manager, Mechanical Operations
- Jelena Vulovic-Basic, Senior Manager, Building Mechanical Services
- John Walker, Manager, Mechanical Operations
- Keith Foster, Senior Manager, Electrical Systems
- Kevin Leong, Project Manager
- Larry Yang, Energy Manager
- Marc Couture, Director, Sustainability & Energy Management
- Michael Clesle, Project Development Manager
- Michelt Carvalho, Manager, Building Operations & Automation
- Paul Alves, Associate Director, Utilities and Building Operations
- Stan Chow, Senior Project Manager
- Vic Cassano, Senior Reductions Utility Manager
Distinguished Service Awards
15 F&S staff received a Distinguished Service Award, which is presented to an employee with more than 15 years of service at the University who has made outstanding contributions that go beyond the ordinary fulfilment of the position’s duties:
- Alexandra Stamatakos, Call Centre Operator
- Alvaro Perez, Caretaking Supervisor
- Doug Graham, Property Manager
- Gurmel Multani, Chief Engineer of the Central Power Plant
- Lui Lim, Caretaker
- Peter Smith, Environmental Protection Technician
- Rita Aloi, Finance Officer
- Rita Chan, Administrative Assistant
- Rob Provost, Environmental Protection Manager
- Sandy Habus, Lead Hand, Mechanical (North)
- Shams Mian, Stores Technician
- Terry Orsatti, Lead Hand, Mechanical (North)
Service Excellence Awards
Five F&S staff received a Service Excellence Award, which is presented to our unsung heroes—those whom the department simply could not do without:
- Akmal Ishchanov, Building Engineer, Central Area
- Jessica Tucker, Senior Communications Officer
- Lambert Adlam, Control Technician
- Sofia Borelli, Junior Property Manager
- Vilma Bernardo, Service Worker and Lead Hand (Acting)
Congratulations to all award winners for their contributions—making this annual tradition a true showcase of the excellence and team spirit across F&S.