by Jacqueline Gergal.
Less than a decade after completing four co-op work terms with A-D Engineering Group Ltd., Waterloo grad Chris Newman, P.Eng, M.Eng, is now a principal co-owner of the company.
After his 2009 graduation, Newman joined the Newmarket-based organization full-time. It’s a consulting engineering firm that specializes in structural design, ACAD drawings, site investigations and more. Recently, Newman partnered with two other Waterloo co-op graduates to purchase A-D Engineering.
Now, Newman is learning the value of co-op from an owner’s perspective.
“Waterloo’s co-op program saves us significant time and effort in recruitment,” he says. “A number of our former co-op students have developed into full-time staff members.”
Daniel Han, a recent Waterloo Civil Engineering graduate, is one of those full-time hires. He joined the company permanently after completing two co-op terms with A-D Engineering and now works as a structural engineer (EIT), responsible for designing, analyzing and providing structural solutions for clients.
“A-D Engineering is more than just a company I work for; it was a big part of my learning experience throughout my undergraduate degree,” says Han. “Working for A-D Engineering now is not very different from back when I was a co-op, as I am still learning and I’m constantly building on my skills.”
A-D Engineering continues to actively employ Waterloo co-op students. “The caliber of students we have hired from Waterloo has been consistently high,” says Newman. “As a company, we are comfortable giving students a fair amount of responsibility which has been a great help to the rest of the staff.”
For more information on A-D Engineering visit their website.
