Page 17 - Suncor 360 - Summer 2017

“I remember sailing
past Signal Hill
outside of St. John’s
Harbour on the Terra
Nova FPSO in 2001.
We made a special
side trip to show the
city North America’s
rst oating platform
as we headed for
the Grand Banks
of Newfoundland.
We were bursting
with pride.”
– Frank Martin, manager A&D Program, Calgary
“I started working with Great Canadian Oil Sands in February 1967 as a startup operator in plant 4, the nal extraction plant. I was employee number 310. In that role, I personally observed the rst grains of sand travelling up the conveyor belt into a conditioning drum in plant 3. I will never forget that moment and the satisfaction we all felt as we took over the plant from the primary contractor, Bechtel Limited.”
– Brian McClelland, retiree, former start-up operation
“I was, and remain, amazed at the dedication and tenacity of the operations and maintenance people. It is a testament to their determination that this world- class operation rapidly achieved and exceeded target production under unique adverse conditions of weather and mechanical failure, and became a model for subsequent similar operations.”
– Dave Rose, retiree, former area supervisor, froth treatment (secondary extraction)
“I immigrated to Canada back in November 2002, and got a job interview with Petro-Canada in May 2003, but did not get the job. So, I started to work in a survival job to support my family. Coincidentally, during the cold weather, I would wait in the lobby of the Petro-Canada building in Calgary for the bus, always dreaming about working in that building. My dream came true a year later in 2004. Petro-Canada, now Suncor, has been my second home since.”
– Arnoldo Hernandez,
sr. project engineer, Calgary
One of the most memorable milestones of my career was achieving rst oil at Hibernia. I was very fortunate to be working on the Hibernia platform, 350 kilometres out on the foggy Grand Banks. On Nov. 17, 1997, after ve years of building an engineering marvel, we nally achieved rst oil production. This milestone signaled a new chapter for the o shore oil business in Canada, a new prosperity for Newfoundland, and welcomed Petro-Canada as a major player in Canadian o shore oil.”
– Tom Diamond, general manager, HR, Calgary
“There are so many things I remember fondly over the years such as driving over the bridge for the rst time to the Steepbank Mine Complex. However, all of my favourite memories revolve around the people I have worked with. It has been the wonderful people, the great leaders, and the dear friends I have made here on this site, that have made me look forward to coming to work every day.”
– Rhea Smith, specialist classi cation,
Fort McMurray
FROM TOP:
“My most memorable experi- ence was when we switched to truck and shovel. It was a matter of survival for our company and a huge gamble because it was a new way of doing business with new technology. It was one of the biggest challenges we faced during my time with Suncor. After the rst year, we started to see some progress and the rest is history.”
– Hubert Fortier, retiree, operator
Hubert Fortier recently retired after 40 years. Cyril Degenstein counts the 1988 Olympics among his favourite Suncor memories. Arnoldo Hernandez with son Alex in 2006 at Petro-Canada Archer Central Station near Fort Nelson, B.C.
Replacing the bucket wheel with truck and shovels was a big deal in 1992.
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SUMMER 2017
360