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David Schellenberg, vice chair of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, speaks to the Company of Young Professionals after his address to The Vancouver Board of Trade.
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By Austin Nairn
In 2010, Canada’s aerospace sector generated more than $24 billion and employed nearly 82,000 Canadians. The Canadian aerospace industry bases its success on Canadian expertise, intellectual property and an entrepreneurial spirit. As the fifth largest aerospace country in the world, Canada is a global leader in an increasingly competitive and rapidly growing business sector. It is no surprise that Canada’s aerospace industry has been selected by the National Research Council Canada as a key industry for their potential to contribute to Canada’s economy.
This Executive Roundtable session offered members of the Company of Young Professionals (CYP) Program a unique opportunity to speak with Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) vice chairman David Schellenberg following his presentation to The Vancouver Board of Trade. Schellenberg is also president and CEO of Cascade Aerospace Inc. and had previously worked in a financial capacity for the Jim Pattison Group. CYP members learned what factors have contributed to Schellenberg’s professional success and what pitfalls they may want to avoid.
Schellenberg emphasized the importance of building strong relationships, focusing on one task at a time and adapting to the market. Cascade has had tremendous success by evolving their business model to best suit the market conditions around them. Schellenberg also discussed some key lessons he learned from Jim Pattison who ensured absolute integrity in his dealings and set realistic budgets as these are the measuring sticks for many of us, but can often become inflated.
Several guests cited this as the highlight of the event for them as Schellenberg had such a wealth of experience to pull from. CYP would like to thank Schellenberg for his generosity and insight.
More information on Cascade Aerospace Inc. is available at www.cascadeaerospace.com.