Waddell Engineering builds Canada’s infrastructure and meaningful experiences for co-op students
By: the Co-operative and Experiential Education team
The structural engineering company continues to work closely with a former co-op student's AI-based startup.
Waddell Engineering, founded in 2010, provides design solutions across Canada. The company’s projects include designing commercial, industrial and agricultural buildings as well as custom equipment platforms.
Just one year after incorporation, Waddell Engineering hired its first Waterloo co-op student. That decision marked the beginning of a long-standing partnership with the University’s Co-operative Education program and a steady stream of emerging engineering talent.
“Since 2011, we’ve always had at least one Waterloo student on the team,” says Brian Waddell, founder of Waddell Engineering. “Many of our full-time engineers started with us as co-op students.”
Waddell’s decision to keep hiring Waterloo talent is rooted in experience. Students arrive ready to contribute, eager to learn and equipped with diverse hands-on exposure from prior work terms. Many specialize in structural engineering throughout their co-op terms, something Waddell finds particularly valuable.
The quality and quantity of students available through Waterloo is a huge advantage. They come in with real work experience, which makes a big difference. That variety of exposure is incredibly valuable to a firm like ours.
The company has a hands-on, mentorship-based approach and a strong technical training culture that treats co-op students like full-time employees. The team at Waddell Engineering immerse students in meaningful work and give them the opportunity to contribute across multiple areas of the business.
Co-op students have contributed directly to high-impact projects at the firm, including modernizing a pharmaceutical facility for COVID vaccine production and designing a live-fire training structure at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Through their work, students provide structural design, shop drawing reviews and onsite engineering support. They also help new student hires transition smoothly into their roles by creating co-op training manuals that supervisors pass on to each incoming cohort.
“By the time they’ve been with us for a couple of months, most of our Waterloo co-op students are doing quality, billable work,” Waddell says. “They’re motivated, organized and willing to ask questions. That’s what we look for."
From co-op to collaboration
James Hinsperger (BASc’25) joined Waddell Engineering during his second co-op work term.
He worked on a wide range of projects, from truss and barn designs to industrial infrastructure, including a paper treatment plant. He fondly remembers a project where he worked on the sugar bag platform design for Dare Foods Limited.
“One of my most formative experiences was leading the end-to-end design of a mechanical platform,” Hinsperger says. “I met with the client, translated hand sketches into a RISA model (a suite of structural engineering software tools), iterated design options in collaboration with the model and submitted the final proposal to senior engineers for review.”
On another project, Hinsperger accompanied Waddell on a site visit for a residential renovation where he helped measure the space, model load scenarios and then produce the final engineering drawings.
“From the beginning, the team entrusted me with real responsibility. As I demonstrated my abilities, they continued to push my limits by assigning increasingly complex tasks, something I remain deeply grateful for,” Hinsperger says.
That one co-op term at Waddell Engineering didn’t just sharpen Hinsperger’s technical skills, it helped shape his career direction.
James Hinsperger, Founder, Sidian and former Waddell Engineering co-op student
“I always had entrepreneurial ambitions, but my time at Waddell Engineering helped crystallize the path forward. Long site drives with Brian were invaluable; I would ask about how he started his firm, and his candid insights stayed with me,” Hinsperger says.
Today, Hinsperger is the founder of Sidian, a civil engineering consultancy focused on automating structural workflows using AI. In a full-circle moment, Waddell Engineering has become one of Sidian’s early clients.
Through Sidian, Hinsperger and his team help Waddell Engineering to automate structural reporting, streamline workflows with AI and host educational sessions on emerging technologies in engineering.
Hinsperger is also now a Waterloo co-op employer, hiring students and giving them hands-on experience.
Waddell staff lunch
A culture of growth and mentorship
At Waddell Engineering, the team treats co-op students as key team members from day one. Students receive comprehensive onboarding experiences, access to a continually evolving training manual and regular mentorship from both junior and senior engineers.
The company also creates opportunities for students to lead projects, contribute to company-wide systems and grow in a supportive environment.
“Brian has built a culture that’s both technically rigorous and people-first,” says Hinsperger.
“The regular Friday lunches, internal training sessions and team-building events exceeded what I experienced in my other co-op terms.”
Waddell Engineering’s approach demonstrates that investing in students is more than just completing short-term projects; it’s a way to drive innovation and create lasting relationships that continue well beyond a single co-op term.