Last fall, we reached out to our alumni community, industry partners, and the public to nominate RRC Polytech graduates that work with and for them to be part of a co-operative advertising opportunity: the Polytechnic Proud campaign.

Now, 40 RRC Polytech grads are being highlighted in billboards across the province. Over the next two months, you will see dozens of proud RRC Polytech alumni featured in billboards in Winnipeg, Portage La Prairie, and Selkirk, and in print and online versions across Manitoba. We look forward to share their success stories with you in the coming weeks and months.

The campaign aims to represent diversity across programs, industries, and generations. From recent to seasoned graduates, the alumni featured are CEOs, directors, entrepreneurs, engineers, account managers, nurses, horticulturists, teachers, chefs, and many more from a variety of industries.

“The partnerships we have with industry are so valuable to the work we do here at RRC Polytech, and we are thrilled that so many nominated their talented employees – our proud alumni – for this campaign,” says Fred Meier, President and CEO, RRC Polytech. “The diversity represented in Polytechnic Proud is a testament to the quality of work that our grads are doing and the wide variety of career paths that a polytechnic education prepares them for.” 

The first feature story being released as part of the campaign is Amanda Buhse of Coal and Canary Candle Company, who started her business in 2014 and has since had products sold across the world and featured at The Oscars and The Grammys. 

“RRC Polytech provided me with an environment where ideas weren’t just encouraged, they were also celebrated,” says Amanda Buhse, Founder of Coal and Canary Candle Company and a 2006 graduate of RRC Polytech’s Advanced Graphic Design Program (now the Communication Design program). “My experience at RRC Polytech really was a catalyst for my success today in so many ways. It was honestly one of the best times of my life – both fun and challenging and prepared me for where I am today.”  

Profiles for more than half of these grads, including Amanda, will also be published on our Alumni News page and shared with the wider RRC Polytech community throughout the year – including the more than 80,000 RRC Polytech graduates in Manitoba and around the world. Subscribe to our blog to follow along with these incredible stories.