Amber Balcaen has her sights set on NASCAR. And to make it there, she needs your help.

The 22-year-old Red River College grad recently launched an IndieGoGo campaign to help raise funds for a test run at the end of December, where she’ll be driving an ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America) asphalt car for HARE (Hassler and Associates Racing Enterprises) Motorsports, at Daytona International Raceway.

“If I showed you a picture of an ARCA car, you’d be like, ‘Oh that’s a NASCAR’ because it looks identical,” says Balcaen. “Essentially that’s what it is, it’s just another form of pavement racing, it just mirrors NASCAR. It’s another gateway into NASCAR.”

This test run is vitally important for Balcaen’s career – completing it ensures she receives her ARCA license, thereby allowing her to race in 2015. To get there, she needs to raise $6,000 by Dec. 24.

“It’s very hard to show proof of return on investment for a test, because it’s not a race. There aren’t thousands of fans in the stands; you’re just testing a car. So it’s hard to really show the numbers that sponsors want ­– that’s why I thought that crowdfunding was [a good way to raise] money for the test.”

Balcaen has been racing for 12 years, but this will be her first time doing so for ARCA, a minor but professional league of stock car racing that’s used as a feeder series for NASCAR. She had her first chance to drive for NASCAR in November of this year, when she was one of only 20 drivers invited to participate in Rev Racing and NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity. Read More →

Showcase your proud RRC connection — or that of an employee, mentor, or industry colleague — by taking part in our 2015 billboard campaign!

We want to celebrate the success of our alumni and the diverse, innovative organizations that employ our grads. Building on the momentum of our previous billboard campaigns, we invite you to join us in a creative, co-operative advertising opportunity.

You pick the grad, and we handle the purchasing and production work. Then we’ll split the hard costs — and share in the campaign’s success!

Deadline for submissions is Jan. 14, 2015.

Learn more about the new campaign →

“#InnovateOrDie,” reads the motto on the walls at Bold Innovation Group, and it’s a message the IT company takes to heart.

“We took an old motto and we renewed it for our generation,” explains Yvan Boisjoli (shown above, at left), one of Bold’s four founding partners. “[The original was], ‘If you’re not growing you’re dying.’ So what we did was just refresh it to #InnovateOrDie.”

Since Bold launched in March 2012, this mentality has helped the Île-des-Chênes-based company quickly become one of the leading third-party suppliers of apps for ecommerce behemoth Shopify.

Founded by brothers Yvan and Eric Boisjoli, Stefan Maynard and Jason Myers, Bold has already put 15 Shopify apps on the market and plans to launch another two per month for the foreseeable future. In its short time in existence, Bold has served almost 15,000 clients, including Microsoft, Time Life and Cirque du Soleil.

The Boisjoli brothers, both graduates of the Computer Analyst/Programmer (now called Business Information Technology) program at Red River College, are self-described ‘Code Pirates’ – meaning they build the apps – while Maynard is a ‘Design Ninja’ and Myers heads up Marketing. The fun job titles go hand-in-hand with the company’s ‘Work hard, play hard’ mentality; their office includes a foosball table and arcade games and the founders endeavor to ensure it’s a workplace with lots of perks.

The ‘Work hard’ part is also vitally important, as demonstrated by the company’s growth and success. Starting with just the four co-founders in 2012, Bold now has a staff of over 40. And they’re receiving accolades, winning the Young Enterprise category of the Entrepreneur Prizes handed out by the St. Boniface Chamber of Commerce, along with a national award for economic development and employability from Réseau de dévelopment économique et d’émployabilité (RDEE) Canada, the nation’s Francophone economic and employability network. Read More →

Casey Ludwick helps at-risk youth find a voice.

“Who’s there for these children when everyone they care about or look up to… is ignoring them or not there?” says Ludwick, a 24-year-old graduate of Red River College’s Applied Counselling program. “You can’t tell a child to ‘Just get over it,’ because a child takes what they’re experiencing and accommodates it into how they think and see the world.” 

According to Ludwick, the best way to help kids find their voices is to avoid labeling them.

“We’re so quick to label children in a certain way due to diagnoses or what we see presenting, and then we set the tone for them. How often do you think a child gets undivided attention to really speak and tell the world who they are without being told who they are first?”

Ludwick works as the girls coordinator and youth counsellor at Wahbung Abinoonjiiag Inc., a North End-based domestic violence support centre for children and families. The facility provides opportunities for holistic healing using culturally appropriate teachings.

“It is a safe, positive place where girls who live in the North End can come to have fun, relax, and learn more about themselves and their culture.”

Despite the challenging nature of the work, Ludwick loves her job; she utilizes a strength-based perspective and sees resiliency and positivity in all of her clients, who range in age from nine to 13. 

“Rather than seeing these kids [according to the negatives] – they could be involved with criminal activity, they’re lacking basic food and shelter, they’re involved in tons of maladaptive behaviours – you can either focus on that, or you can look at them for their strengths.” Read More →

Big rigs and bite-sized burgers drove a road-worthy crowd to Red River College’s 2014 Alumni Reception, where former grads, current students and RRC supporters celebrated decades of success and forward momentum.

Certainly no one minded the traffic at the College’s Heavy Equipment Transportation Centre (HETC), where this year’s “GO!”-themed event — with its focus on transportation trades — gave our growing network of grads a chance to re-connect with old friends, while toasting the achievements of their peers.

Held Sept. 27, the event drew an estimated 250 guests to the HETC space, where the centerpiece was an elevated semi cab put on display by presenting sponsor Maxim Truck & Trailer. Manshield Construction (Yellow Light Sponsor) and Assiniboine Credit Union (Red Light Sponsor) also came on board to help make this year’s signature celebration a success.

Guests enjoyed performances by local artists Luke Reimer (RRC grad), Rhia Rae (current Creative Communications student) and Matt Worobec (RRC grad who’s part of the group Alyx Knight).

During the evening, they also sampled culinary creations by RRC Chefs of Distinction Craig Guenther (Urban Prairie Cuisine) and Barbara O’Hara (Dessert Sinsations Café).

Also on tap: beverage tastings courtesy of Banville & Jones Wine Co., Crown Royal, Farmery Estate Brewery, De Luca’s Coffee, and Green Carrot Juice Company, and the much-anticipated Slider Contest, featuring mouthwatering mini-burgers created and served by industry partners from Freightliner, Bison Transport, Turk Enterprises, Custom Transport and Payne Transportation. The winner of the contest was Freightliner’s Ken Talbot, whose smoked meat slider won his team top honours.

Click here to see a video of the event, or here to see a photo gallery.

Shown above, from left: Angela Chambers, alumni council member; Tom Payne Jr, President of Payne Transportation LP; David Rew, Interim President and CEO of Red River College; Dave Tyrchniewicz, President of Turk Enterprises; Harry Dornn, Vice President of Marketing, Maxim Truck and Trailer; Ken Talbot, President/Dealer Principal of Freightliner Manitoba Ltd.; Steven Orbanski of Bison Transport; Kirk Warren, President/Owner of Custom Transport.

As a kid riding his bike through Assiniboine Park’s “monkey trails” and doing tricks on “Devil’s Dip”, Kevin Hunter would never have guessed he’d one day be in charge of singing the park’s praises to the world.

“Assiniboine Park and Zoo were both a huge part of my childhood,” says Hunter, the Director of Marketing & Community Engagement for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy (APC), which oversees Winnipeg’s historic park, including its zoo. “My friends and I would spend entire days here during the summer and, now that I have a family of my own, it means a lot to be part of making this place something really special for them and so many other families. I really feel I have the best job in the world.”

When Hunter joined four years ago, the APC had already begun working on its 10-year, $200-million redevelopment plan, launched in 2009 to expand and improve the zoo and other public spaces. He’s charged with promoting the park and these new initiatives, including the Assiniboine Park Zoo’s brand-new Journey to Churchill northern species exhibit which just opened earlier this month, featuring animals including polar bears, seals, wolves and snowy owls.

“So much of our role here is to create new and exciting things, which is a big part of what makes what I do so much fun,” he says. “The whole redevelopment of the park and zoo is really unbelievable, and it naturally played a big part in what attracted me to this position.” Read More →

“Simple food made good.”

That’s the motto of Laneil Smith, manager of the newly-opened Marion Street Eatery. Smith, 28, a graduate of Red River College’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program (2006), runs the St. Boniface restaurant with chef Melissa Hryb, a graduate of RRC’s Culinary Arts program (2005).

Located in the Marion Hotel (393 Marion St.), Marion Street Eatery offers such comfort foods as chicken pot pie, meat loaf, and mac ’n’ cheese, reasonably priced dishes that reflect the working-class clientele of the bar and the community it serves.

“We both said we want to do something that’s not pretentious, that’s down to earth, like a small town restaurant but done in a nicer fashion. A greasy spoon minus the grease,” says Hryb (shown above, at left), 28, who grew up in Niverville, Man.

“That’s what we were going for and I think that’s what we achieved. It’s very basic, very down to earth, but at the same time it has a little kick.”

Marion Street Eatery opened its doors in mid-February. Smith’s family owns the hotel and eatery space, which was formerly leased out to a Polish restaurant for 18 years. Smith started working for the family business six years ago, and said she had her eye on the space right from day one.

“I said to my parents ‘Whenever that space comes open, tell me first,’”says  Smith (shown at right). “It’s a beautiful space and I knew it had potential and I know that my heart is 100 per cent in restaurants and food. I knew if I could twist her (Hryb’s) rubber arm I’d have a pretty good chance of making a go at it.” Read More →

Photo credit: Dan Harper/Tourism Winnipeg

Congratulations to Red River College grad Karla Extence (Hospitality and Tourism Management, 2013), who was recently named Employee of the Year by Tourism Winnipeg.

Extence, a Hotel and Restaurant Management major now working at Hilton Winnipeg Airport Suites, was honoured at the 2014 Winnipeg Tourism Awards of Distinction, for going above and beyond to provide outstanding service that enhances visitors’ experiences for increased customer satisfaction.

According to Tourism Winnipeg, Extence is renowned for delivering a warm welcome and outstanding hospitality to hotel guests and staff.

“Her dedication to and interest in others make her an asset as she takes time to respond to individual guest requests, provides unexpected gifts to acknowledge a guest’s special occasion, and goes above and beyond to aid those who need additional assistance,” says Tourism Winnipeg.

“Karla is a mentor to the front desk associates, and was also recognized in 2013 as one of the hotel’s top performers at a corporate seminar held in Minneapolis. Karla is a “poster child” for the ideal guest services employee.”

Click here for more information on this year’s award winners.

The creation of art is not enough for Danika Bock. What inspires her is crafting pieces that serve a greater purpose.

“Realizing I could create something that was not only fun to make, but also looked good and was useful was the ultimate accomplishment,” she says.

This love of attractive yet practical things led her to take the Graphic Design program at Red River College.

“Studying graphic design was a great way to explore this integration of usefulness, beauty and communication,” says the 2011 grad.

And although it may not be the most outwardly linear connection, this same pragmatism led her to open a stationery and gift shop.

Twenty-seven year old Bock, along with her printmaker husband Drex Serduletz, opened Tiny Feast in the Exchange District in October 2013. The store features high-end paper products and office supplies, housewares and art prints, amongst other things.

“My husband and I have always been drawn to well-made, thoughtfully-designed products. As creatives and homebodies, we think that products one uses on a daily basis should be both a pleasure to use and nice to look at.”

Hence the store’s name – Tiny Feast – which is a phrase the couple coined years ago. To them, it refers to items that “feel celebratory, lavish, almost extravagant – yet are intrinsically simple and useful, and therefore justifiably attainable on a personal, everyday level.”  Read More →

Congratulations to the most recent recipients of Red River College’s Lieutenant-Governor’s Medals for Proficiency, awarded as part of our 2014 Spring Convocation ceremonies on June 3 and 4.

Each year, a maximum of four Lt-.Gov.’s Medals are awarded to RRC students who best combine good character, academic and technical achievement, and involvement in College and/or community activities. This year’s winners are:

Richard Grenier (Business Administration, 2014)

A graduate of RRC’s two-year Business Administration program, with a major in Banking and Financial Services, Richard Grenier joined the College community after serving with the Canadian Armed Forces for seven years.

Currently employed as a financial advisor with London Life, Richard is the 2014 winner of the College’s Academic Achievement Financial Services Award and its Outstanding Mentorship Award, as well as the Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce Award for community involvement.

While attending RRC, Richard served as a student member of the Business Administration Board, and also as a student mentor and tutor for fellow Business Administration students, a class representative for the Red River College Students’ Association, and a volunteer with the Red River College Food Bank.

He’s equally active in the community, where he’s served as a volunteer for the Canadian Air Force Run, Habitat for Humanity, Francofonds Inc., and the Winnipeg Cheer Board, and as a fundraiser for the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation.

Jorge Laba (Construction Management, 2014)


A graduate of RRC’s four-year Construction Management degree program, Jorge Laba has been heavily involved in both his industry and the College community over the years.

Currently employed as a Site Superintendent with Bockstael Construction, Jorge is the 2013 winner of the ACI Manitoba Chapter Red River College Scholarship, a 2011 winner of the College’s Paul Charette Award, and a four-time winner of the Winnipeg Construction Association Award from 2010 to 2013.

While attending RRC, Jorge served as a tutor for civil engineering and trades students, and as a student ambassador for Open House events, class representative for the Red River College Students’ Association, and Construction Management representative for the college at the Rotary Career Symposium.

Outside of classes, he’s been designated a Canada Green Building Council LEED Green Associate, and a member of the Project Management Institute, the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, the Certified Technicians and Technologists Association of Manitoba, the Chartered Institute of Building, and the ACI Manitoba Chapter.

Jorge served as a member of the board of directors for RRC’s Day Care program, and is currently a board director for the Manitoba Brain Injury Association.