This year, engineers are proudly celebrating 100 years of the Iron Ring tradition — a uniquely Canadian symbol of the engineering profession’s commitment to integrity, humility, and service to the public good. For many engineers, this small ring remains a powerful reminder of the promise they made as engineers and the values they uphold in their work and communities.
Waterloo Engineering alumni are invited to a celebratory evening hosted by two alum-founded companies, Vidyard and Elora Brewing Company, for the exclusive launch of Ring Road Lager, brewed in honour of the Iron Ring centennial. Mary Wells, dean of Waterloo Engineering, will provide a special centennial cheers to the Iron Ring.
Waterloo Engineering alumnus Jim Murphy (BASc ’95, chemical engineering), chief executive officer of Elora Brewing Company, will chat briefly about his career journey from tech to craft beer and provide a tasting note about the Ring Road Lager.
Special thanks to Michael Litt (BASc '10) and Devon Galloway (BASc '10), co-founders of Vidyard, for hosting the event!
The registration fee is $20.00 per person, which includes light refreshments and the opportunity to be among the first to try Ring Road Lager.
Please note: No physical tickets are required to attend this event. Once your registration is completed, you will be added to the guest list. Please check in at the door upon arrival at the event location.
CHEERS TO THE ENGINEERS!
Ring Road Lager - crafted by alumni, brewed for engineers.
Cannot make it to the event? Want to buy Ring Road Lager as a gift? Live too far away to attend? Want to celebrate the Iron Ring's centennial with Ring Road Lager at home?
We've got you!
Commemorate this Iron Ring centennial milestone with a limited edition Elora Brewing Co x University of Waterloo Engineering beer - packs of six, 12 and 24 are available - as well as a commemorative t-shirt!
Ontario residents can purchase Ring Road Lager directly from Elora Brewing Company - or gift it to friends and family in the province.
Orders can be picked up at Elora Brewing Company in Elora, at the May 8 alumni event at Vidyard in Kitchener, or at Reunion on June 7 in E7 (main campus). Shipping is available in Ontario for a fee.
A portion of the proceeds from all Ring Road Lager beer pack sales will be donated to the Faculty of Engineering's 100 Years of Canadian Engineering Fund to support educating the engineer of the future. Want to support the fund directly? Make a donation online. Under 'other', please add "100 Years of Canadian Engineering Fund".
SPEAKERS
Jim Murphy
BASc 1995, Chemical Engineering
Chief Executive Officer
Elora Brewing Company
Jim Murphy is a serial entrepreneur, software engineering leader and advocate for hand crafted, locally produced food and beverage. He graduated from Waterloo Engineering in 1995 and spent the next 13 years in tech hot spots from Boston and Texas to New York and the California Bay Area before returning home to Ontario. Jim's companies have spanned technical simulation software and Internet infrastructure to enterprise software and multi-sided marketplaces.
In 2016, Jim sold his company, Boltmade to Shopify to help lead Shopify's Waterloo office. He and his team bolstered the explosive growth of high volume, complex merchants on Shopify e-commerce platform in the years since.
In 2015, Jim and his partners founded the Elora Brewing Company, a craft brewery in the heart of beautiful Elora, Ontario. Today, beer from Elora Brewing Company is available at LCBO stores across the province and at select bars and restaurants and of course at the brewery itself!
Connect with Jim Murphy on LinkedIn.
Professor Mary A. Wells
Dean, Faculty of Engineering
University of Waterloo
Mary Wells is Dean of Engineering at the University of Waterloo (since July 1, 2020), the ninth dean since the Faculty was founded in 1957. From 2017-2020, she was Dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Guelph.
Prior to her time in Guelph, Wells was a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo for 10 years. She received awards for graduate supervision from both the Faculty and the University in 2017.
An accomplished materials engineer, Wells also served as the Associate Dean of Outreach for Waterloo Engineering between 2008 and 2017, and chaired its Women in Engineering committee for many years. She chaired the Ontario Network of Women in Engineering from 2013 to 2018.
Wells began her academic career as a professor in materials engineering at the University of British Columbia from 1996 to 2007, and has worked in the steel industry in Canada and internationally.
The co-author of two books including one on Canadian women innovators and the second on Canadian women in materials, her research focuses on the relationship between processing, structure and properties for advanced metallic alloys used in the transportation sector.
Connect with Mary Wells on LinkedIn.