Heavy Equipment
Operator SCHOOL
Winfield, BC | Innisfail, AB | Edmonton, AB
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Our leadership team are a passionate crew with over twenty-five years work experience all united in a clear purpose: exceptional customer experience and quality, heavy equipment training.
Passion, purpose, and professionalism fuse, as we find a way forward each day and week to meet the needs of our student body, our employee partners, and our agency and government stakeholders.
With decades of experience at IHE, our front-line teams’ experience seeps out to our students daily as we guide them how to move their machines safely, and efficiently, to move themselves forward in their own life and careers – new or existing.
Together, we impact generations and provide a ready-to-work, entry, and experienced HEO workforce since 2005.
Mike first joined IHE back in 2008 and has guided IHE from a one-man operation into what is today recognized as Canada’s leading HEO equipment training institution.
Both a visionary and a calculated risk taker, he thrives on challenges and is known for his out-of-the-box thinking. Working as one of the youngest drillers in the Alberta Oilpatch in his late teens and raised in Grande Prairie, AB he has an instilled hard work ethic matched by few.
Mike consistently shapes a competitive edge forward for IHE by seeing the whole picture in the context of today. His financial stewardship and careful management of resources, and choices, is appreciated by many.
Christine is a driven, resourceful, and open-minded business executive with a strong sense of integrity, intuition, and over 20 years progressive experience. A graduate of MRU’s Journalism program in 2001, she cut her teeth working in the heyday of the oil and gas sector downtown Calgary, AB running marketing, communications and public relation needs of clients.
A move to the Okanagan in 2008, saw her found a successful communications and real estate services company. Her world collided with IHE in 2011 and the rest was history. Learning the organization from the ground up, she started by answering phones. With great people, great commitment, and the support of her ownership group, Christine oversaw the school grow from a private-owned fleet of 18 machines to over 70+ pieces by 2016. Today, she oversees the three sites and team leads as Director. Together, Mike and Christine are the one-two punch.
A Key Manager of the HEO Mobile Training Division at IHE, John offers a vast and current background in Heavy Equipment operations, assessments, and safety practices. He has over 25 years combined experience as an Operator and former Owner/Manager in the following sectors: Oil and Gas, Civil/Infrastructure Construction, Mining, Demolition, Environmental Services, and Forestry. John’s last post involved work on a high profile, government-funded project site in a General Foreman capacity. He specializes in Water Management/Steep Slopes/Environmental Awareness/Material Management.
John is BC-ITA [Industry Training Authority] certified on six pieces of equipment – Grader, Dozer, Loader, Backhoe, Excavator & Articulated Rock Truck. He has also enjoyed working on numerous Indigenous projects for communities across Canada during his career and is well respected by many in the field.
A former superintendent of IHE College, John oversaw the continued land development and growth of IHE across western Canada for many recent years past, including our initial site openings of Edmonton, AB (2018) and Mission, BC (2016) campuses. John is one of IHEs’ go-to Field HEO Trainers/Instructors for any employer requests/needs. He has assessed numerous operators over the years at IHE sites, as well as on the job, from entry positions thru to supervisory capacity levels.
John continues to work closely with the College Director to ensure that IHEs’ hallmark programs stay relevant and in-tune with Industry needs overall. When he’s not behind the controls himself, or evaluating someone else, his other huge passion in life is spending time with his son John Jr. in the great outdoors.
A former commercial diver and veteran, John is well suited to handle himself in a variety of situations – including high pressure ones.
Richard a native of Australia with decades of experience with heavy equipment, moved to Canada in early 2018 with the goal of utilizing his specialized skill set and leadership capabilities to provide a personal impact on the industry he has so much passion for. Richard has over a decade and a half of experience in the mining industry in Australia, he was an active heavy equipment operator and trainer with an extensive specialization in the Komatsu FrontRunner system. Richard’s time as a Mine Coordinator and Pit Patroller allowed him to apply his knowledge of advancing technologies and his leadership skills to great effect and has allowed him to prosper in this industry as he advances his career.
Richard has come far from his sunny homeland and embraced our admittedly frigid winters but is enjoying every minute he spends in our great outdoors. He is excited to join the IHE team and apply his knowledge and capabilities to their fullest extent as he develops his role as our Site Superintendent.
Office Operations, Manager & Human Resources Generalist
Sarah, born and raised in BC, is dedicated to creating and maintaining the operational foundation for the team at IHE Operator School. She comes from an education in business and psychology, an extensive background in administrative and operations roles, and offers up a full range of knowledge and experience from both the manufacturing and service industries. She’s not afraid to jump into the mud with both feet forward to help lead and facilitate innovation in our industry. A true advocate for positive company culture Sarah stands by the belief that supported, encouraged employees create strong teams that drive company success.
Lincoln is a results-driven Business Development Professional with over 20 years of experience successfully aligning customers with business operations. This extensive background, combined with over 15 years of hands-on heavy equipment operation experience, has provided him with a unique skill set to drive growth and deliver exceptional results. Throughout his career, his inquisitive approach and innate ability to discover customer wants and needs has allowed him to forge strong relationships with clients and help align their requirements with the services provided by organizations. He attributes his success to his friendly and approachable personality. He has a proven deep understanding of the importance of active listening and effective communication in developing long-lasting business partnerships. Colleagues and clients alike have commended Lincoln for his professionalism, excellent communication skills, and the ability to foster trust and rapport!
Corporate Head Office
#22 – 11852 HWY 97 North
Lake Country, BC V4V 1E3
Telephone: 250-766-3853
Toll Free: 1-866-399-3853
Toll Free Fax: 1-877-347-6384
IHE would like to acknowledge that our corporate offices, as well as our training sites are located on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan, Treaty 6 and Treaty 7 people of Canada.
