Employee Spotlight – Kristy Ivanic
- March 29, 2022
- 11:47 am
When Kristy Ivanic was looking at post-secondary education, she was originally thinking she would study to become an architect, but she decided that would be boring. She wanted something challenging so she picked civil engineering because she thought it seemed like it would be hard, she was right. After finishing her Diploma at SAIT she has spent over 20 years doing civil and structural inspections in the construction industry.
At a certain point in Kristy’s career she decided she wanted a change. She had once worked with Heather Thomas, a member of BGC’s Health & Safety Team, and Heather had previously suggested that she should consider joining BGC.
Heather thought Kristy would be a great fit here and would really enjoy working with the team. Kristy had previously dismissed this, thinking it didn’t make sense because she’s not a Geotech. But now, looking for a change, she decided to explore openings at BGC and has since discovered that Heather was right.
Outside of work Kristy enjoys travelling, fishing and spending time outdoors, and singing with a local community choir. Fun fact, she was a performing arts vocal major before pursuing engineering and is a formally trained opera singer. After years of singing in Latin she prefers to sing pop songs with her choir.
How long have you been with BGC and what do you do here?
I have been at BGC just over 2 years and I’m a Lead CQA in the Tailings Group.
How would you describe your job to a class of Kindergartners?
I work on construction sites making sure people build what they ask them to build. Or, as I told my husband the other day, I watch big trucks drive back and forth.
What is your favourite thing about working at BGC?
I like working here because of the ‘one team’ model. BGCers just embrace everybody and you have the opportunity to learn from everyone. It’s a really supportive and friendly environment.
What is the one piece of advice you’d give to new hires at BGC?
Don’t let the initials behind people’s names intimidate you. There are a lot of incredibly smart and experienced people here, those with Master’s degrees and Ph.D.’s and a host of other initials that follow their names, but that doesn’t mean they are any different than anybody else. They genuinely just want to see BGC and every individual that works here, succeed regardless of background or experience level.
If you could switch jobs with someone in BGC, who would it be and why?
Lindi Braund because she does so many different things across BGC and gets to talk to everybody and learn their stories. I wouldn’t mind a week at her desk.
If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing, what would it be?
Coffee, particularly Costa Rican coffee which I became addicted to when I traveled to Costa Rica many years ago. Or maybe time, but you really need coffee to do all the things you could do if you have more time.
What is the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?
I do a lot of international travel and I try to eat something weird everywhere I go. In the Northwest Territories while working in Inuvik I ate smoked beluga whale. The part with the meat was ok but the blubber was not the best tasting.
What fictional place would you like to visit?
Hogwarts, the school in Harry Potter or the moon planet of Endor, who wouldn’t want to hang out with Ewoks?
If you had to listen to one song for the rest of your life what would it be?
It’s hard to think of just one song but generally I could listen to classical music for the rest of my life. Or the original hard rock bands from the 80’s/90’s (GnR, Metallica, etc).
What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Trust your gut and believe in yourself. I was lucky to have engineers I’ve worked with tell me this right out of school. Self-doubt can be really destroying.