AMTA November Driver of the Month: Rob Rempel, Lafarge Canada Inc.
When Rob was a young kid, he looked up to his hero. Not Superman or Batman, but rather his father.
Rob stated “My dad was a hard worker”, which instilled an outstanding work ethic that became one of Rob’s core values.
In his teens, Rob worked for his father with “Rempel and Sons”. Due to some unfortunate events with the business, Rob wanted to make sure his future was secured, and decided to join the military as an infantry man.
After basic training, Rob moved to Victoria, before spending three years in Germany which changed his life forever. Seeing how people were treated in such inhumane ways through parts of the Middle East, Yugoslavia, and other areas has given Rob a deeper compassion and he is honored to work with the UN, NATO, and HCR (High Commission for Refugees). Rob tells a story of how the locals would set the forest on fire to burn off land mines, causing large explosions, creating even larger fires. His team would grab the grader to tear up the ground to prevent the fire from jumping.
Later in his career Rob moved back to Canada to live in Winnipeg, and became a tractor trailer driver and heavy equipment operator. Rob finally retired from the military in Edmonton after 26 years of service representing Canada to settle down with his wife of 30 years, and enjoy time with his two kids, aged 31 and 35.
Being out of the military, Rob continued his love for driving by becoming a ready-mix truck operator. One day, a friend of his who worked for Lafarge approached Rob and told him the benefits of working for Lafarge. From that moment, Rob became a valuable member of the Lafarge RMX team and has been with the company for over 14 years
Lafarge is a place where Rob enjoys talking to people, seeing various types of construction projects, scenery, exciting places, and the enjoyment of just being behind the wheel and feeling the road beneath you. Which is why one of Rob’s hobbies is riding his motorcycle.
Rob is a mentor, a leader, and helper to so many people. Rob is thankful for the many people in his Lafarge life, meeting a lot of great people, who demonstrated truck cleanliness, driving skills, even a stronger work ethic, and tips to be an outstanding driver. Outside of work, Rob really admires people who came over from overseas to start a new life. It’s a big move from there to here.
Having flown a glider, and a plane, and having traveled many parts of the world, Rob enjoys seeing the stars with his love for astronomy. Rob wishes to win the lottery to travel more and move to Europe, maybe Greece.
Rob is honored that Lafarge nominated him for this award. We are blessed to be in a county of peace and freedom, and a company with great values.
Bio submitted