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After a 34-year successful career with SED/Calian, Wendy Cronin will be retiring on June 3, 2022. Wendy retires as manager of engineering services.

“I started at SED Systems on Oct 5, 1988. I was interviewed for two positions. The director at the time needed help getting himself and the department organized. This was a new position, and it was quite a challenge to define the position and make it work,” says Wendy. “In the 34 years I have been with SED/Calian, I have seen eight different directors, each one with their own style of management. It was not always easy, and some were easier to work with than others, but I really enjoyed working for the company; it was always interesting and challenging.”

As you can imagine, working in a mainly male-dominated industry over the past three decades has had its own set of unique challenges.

“I have to say what I am most proud of was building a rapport with the engineers, it was a rewarding feeling,” says Wendy. “To gain their trust and be viewed as credible in a mainly male environment was certainly a challenge. Often people would say to me ‘I don’t know how you do it'.”

“I greatly valued Wendy’s guidance, leadership, and support over the years,” says Calian, Advanced Technologies VP, Engineering Darryl Kacher. “Wendy's superpower was her ability to work with anyone in the company to get something accomplished, whether by calling in a favour, a compelling argument, gentle arm-twisting, or just plain force of will. She'd stand her ground against someone twice her size if it was the right thing to do.”

Wendy has impacted the lives of many team members over the past three decades.

“When I have had issues in my life Wendy has helped me through that time, listening and making the odd suggestion,” says Calian, Advanced Technologies Section Head, Drawing Office, Hardware Engineering, Reinhold Mattheis, who worked with Wendy for the past 30 years. “I will miss Wendy when she leaves. After knowing someone for that long it’s hard to see them go.”

“She is an important part of the engineering management team and looks after everyone in the department,” says Calian, Advanced Technologies Section Head, Technical Publications, Engineering, Lori Durant, who worked with Wendy for the past 33 years. “She will be missed dearly but is very deserving of retirement after 34 years with the company.”

Wendy said that she’s been talking about retirement since 2018 and when she finally made the decision to retire this year, no one believed her. “People have told me you will know when you are ready, and I am ready to move to the next chapter of my life with my husband. I will enjoy summers at Candle Lake golfing and fishing and travel in the winter,” says Wendy.

“She believed in this place through thick and thin, and the great things we've done as a company resonated deeply with her” adds Darryl. “She made friends easily and will be missed by all.”