Board of Directors
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Executive
Clarence Jonker
President
With over eight years of business development experience in the construction industry, Clarence is currently responsible for geothermal business development within the HVAC industry and oversees the design and installation of commercial and residential systems. Clarence has a Bachelor of Commerce (Hon.) from the I.H. Asper School of Business.
Gerry Paradis
Vice-President
Gerry is a founding director of the MGEA. He started in the plumbing and HVAC trade full time in 1981 and has been involved with the installation and service of GSHP since 1985. Gerry been involved in over 800 unit installations of residential, commercial, ice rinks, curling rinks, numerous churches, community halls and credit unions.
Crystal Thibeault
Secretary Treasurer
Crystal has been involved in manufacturing of piping for many applications including geothermal pipe as well as the distribution of fusion equipment and fittings for the past 10 years. She has had the opportunity to work on projects of notoriety from Coast to Coast. Crystal carries expertise within standards and industry regulations and has been a dedicated volunteer amongst the various industry associations promoting the geothermal industry nationally.
Fran Giesbrecht
Executive Assistant
Fran comes to MGEA with over 30 years of administration experience. She has a background in bookkeeping and construction safety. Currently serves as president of Envision Community Living and enjoys her hobby as an event planner.
Board Members
Peter Fehr
Peter started in the mechanical field shortly after high school by taking his 5th Class Power Engineering Certificate at Red River College. Peter was an engineer for several facilities and ended up at Providence University College in 1993 working as an engineer for several years before ending his tenure as Director of Operations. In 2006 Peter formed Nexus Energy Products with several partners to meet the rising need for alternative energy solutions. We provided solar, wind, bio-mass, with a primary focus on geothermal energy. With a large demand for ground loop heat exchangers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan in 2008, Peter purchased a vertical and horizontal drill with all the supporting equipment and formed a ground loop installation company. Peter has been involved in hundreds of residential and commercial projects from Ontario to Alberta. As the owner of X-Terra Geothermal Worx, Peter is heavily involved in the geothermal industry.
Brent Laufer
Brent is the founding President of the MGEA, specializing in complex geothermal design, installation and training. He has had geothermal in his own house for 29 years, and shop for 14 years.
Kirsten Laufer
Since graduating with a diploma in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Red River College in 2020, Kirsten has specialized in residential and commercial geothermal design. Kirsten also provides training on the installation of residential geothermal systems for individuals around Western Canada.
Mike Millard
Michael has over 17 years experience in the geothermal industry in Manitoba and is the former Vice President of the MGEA. As a consultant, he assists building owners explore the economics of geothermal HVAC systems vs. conventional (electric or natural gas) HVAC systems. As a business development manager, he oversees the sales, design and installation of horizontal drilled, horizontal excavated, shallow vertical drilled, deep vertical drilled, well-to-well and hybrid ground loop heat exchangers in Manitoba and Northwest Ontario. Michael has a Bachelor of Commerce (Hon.) from the I.H. Asper School of Business.
Jonas Rogalsky
Bio Coming Soon
Chris Snelgrove
Chris has performed various roles in the ICI construction industry for more than 30 years. Since 2005 Chris has been involved in the installation of over 600 units of open loop GSHPs, including district systems. He is an accredited installer with the Manitoba Geothermal Energy Alliance.
Steven Wollman
Bio Coming Soon