North to Canada

By Bob "Hot Rod" Rohr,

Radiant expert

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Foothills Conference in Edmonton, Alberta. Over the years, I have heard bits and pieces about this show -- the great attendance numbers and the nice line-up of speakers and vendors. And it was all true!

The 80 booths were staffed by knowledgeable employees and reps. The seminars were built around the latest “hot” topics, and the show floor was busy from start to finish.

Driving from the airport to the hotel we saw incredible growth of home construction. The fellow next to me on the plane was relocating from Texas to Edmonton. He works in the oil industry, which is, needless to say, booming in that area of Canada. He has been shopping for a home lot for months, discovering a waiting list for most builders -- even if you can find a lot to buy.

All this commercial and new residential construction opens some great opportunities for hydronics. The manufacturers and wholesalers, as well as the contractors I spoke with at the show, indicated times were great right now in their industry.

The show is sponsored by the Alberta Hydronics Advisory Council (AHAC). This was their 6th show. Dave Hughes and Sean Leonard were the steering council for this year’s show. A great trade association with a hard working board, they make the show happen every two years.

AHAC hires Pivotal Events to handle all the details of putting on the show. Cheryl, Mandy and Susan did a wonderful job of keeping the energy level up while providing a smooth running event. (Thanks, gals!) Every attendee was greeted with a pleasant smile and helpful instructions.

An apprentice competition took place in the middle of the trade show floor. Teams assembled hydronic packages, including the piping and wiring. I had the opportunity to be one of the judges for the competition. The teams were working hard to demonstrate their skills. All were excited about the trade they chose and anxious to learn. Many of the students were present at the seminars and keynote presentation. Several girls were on the teams also -- very insightful on their part to consider this cool industry.

I also had an opportunity to tour a nearby Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) campus. Dave Hughes is the Program Head and was kind enough to be our guide.

The school was packed! In fact, close to 500 applicants had to be turned away, as the classes fill quickly. This year will see over 7,300 potential graduates from various NAIT programs. Ninety percent will find work in their related field within one year. More than 50% of all apprentices in Alberta train at NAIT. Six thousand students are served by NAIT.

We visited the welding, sheet metal, small engine, hydronics, plumbing and insulation classrooms. Each classroom had a unique lab area that allowed plenty of hands-on time.

Some highlights were the plumbing lab with its clear waste piping to demonstrate proper venting, and consequences of improper venting. They also had a gravel-floored room for students to install the sub-grade waste assemblies.

The sheet metal lab was abuzz with students and had a great “wall of fame” with novelty projects. Nothing like the smell of two-stroke exhaust! The Marine and Small Engine classroom had rows of donated outboard, snowmobile and small RVs for the students with which to play with learn.

The school has about a 20% female enrollment. The Canadian Technology Human Resources Board declares “skilled workers cannot be met by the existing male population.” The Pipe Insulation class seemed to be a popular choice for the gals, and I spotted women in just about every classroom and lab we visited.

We had to skip the Airframe Repair class as they were taking final exams the day we toured.

Of course, the welding, and most importantly, the hydronic and steamfitters labs were my favs. Students have built miniature working boilers for classroom training. All the various demo parts were well thought out, and labeled and stored for quick, neat storage. The NAIT campus tour was a pleasant addition to my trip to Edmonton.

This is yet another hydronic-focused event you should put on your list of “must-attend.” Put a memo on your calendar to attend the 2009 Foothills Conference. You will have a great time.

Bob "Hot Rod" Rohr is particularly interested in "hybrid" radiant systems -- systems that utilize solar and wood  energy in addition to, or in place of, fossil fuel. Also, systems that incorporate  different methods of heat delivery.  He owns and operates Show Me  Radiant Heat and Solar, Inc. in southwest  Missouri. Reach hot rod at  hotrodradiant@aol.com or by phone at  (417) 753-3998.