Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:01 Good morning, Fort McMurray, wood, Buffalo, and the rest of the world. You've tuned into the Mac CD morning show. I am your host, Elliot Pierre, and we're going to start this off the same way. We start off every show with some gratitude. I want to thank everybody at home for watching tuning in may it be live and, or the recorded version. It warms my heart that you have chosen to spend your time with us. Cause I know you could be doing a million other things. So thank you very much now on that note, Tanner and I'm with the intro.
Speaker 1 00:00:29 Oh, she caught me loves you're listening to the next any morning show.
Speaker 0 00:00:39 All right. And we're back. Today's going to be a banger. I actually love talking to this guy. Every time we sit together, we, uh, we kill hours of time. We're both loud talkers. So you're going to have to turn down the volume on your phone, but this is going to be a good one. Um, I don't ever introduce my guests because they do a better job at doing that themselves. So on that note, sir, can you please tell the people who you are and what you're about?
Speaker 2 00:01:02 My name is Bob McKay. I'm a happily married data, two wonderful kids. Uh, my son is a haul truck operator. I picked, uh, I've got one of the major sites up here and my daughter currently due to COVID is looking for something to do, but dad supporting her and I have two awesome grandchildren. So, and I've been living here for a while and uh, like right now, currently working at superior propane as the market manager for the region. So
Speaker 0 00:01:22 There you go. Very cool. So yeah, you've been in this community for a very long time now. You love it.
Speaker 2 00:01:28 I do. You know, it's um, when we big story with me is I emerging from Halifax and, uh, I was a fly in, fly out. I was a FIFO and, uh, quite frankly, uh, I realized that it was made sense to live here. Um, and tell you, I'll give you a little piece of the story behind that. So I was at the Halifax airport, flying, get ready to fly out here to come to work. And, uh, my little girl, she had a dance recital the next day. And anyway, long story, short story. Um, we were at the airport and she told me that she hated me. So anyway, I get on the plane, his big dude got on a plane crying. So I land in Toronto and I said to my wife, we have to make a decision. Are we going to live in Halifax? Or am I going to land at Fort McMurray? Quit my job and come home and landed in Fort McMurray called her up. She said, we're already starting to pack. So that was a story. And we landed here the day after her birthday on December 17th. So, uh, yeah, it was a what a, what a change. But I, you know, I don't regret it a bit. This is an amazing little town. Yeah,
Speaker 0 00:02:28 That's awesome. That's a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing that. Cause I'm back my previous past I was in human resources and it was one of those things where, um, we were a company that had the two options. If you are doing maintenance work, you have to live in Fort Macquarie. If you were doing shutdown work, totally understandable. Fly in, fly out. Um, but we had some guys every once in a while who would say like, you know what, I'm going to do the fly in, fly out, I'll do turnarounds. I can make it work. I'm like, it's tough on your family. Your family life is going to diminish right away. Maybe if you're a single, like when I say single, I mean, without children, um, if you ha if you're you and your partner and or if you have kids, this is going to be tough. And based on the age that you're at, you're not going to be able to pull this off successfully for 30 years.
Speaker 2 00:03:16 Nope, no, it's, you know, and it it's, uh, it's amazing. I, the, one of the hardest things I had with doing the FIFO thing, I became a stranger in my own home. That's right. Um, cause my wife, she had to a point she had to become the single mom. Um, so you know, I'd go home and I had one story sticks in my head. I'll never forget. My son was on the counter, uh, climbing up to get cookies out of the cupboard. I came in and I yelled at Robert get down. And uh, he looks at me at church. I said, but dad, mum lets me. And that, that there was like, I was like, Oh my gosh,
Speaker 0 00:03:46 You don't know the house rules. I don't know the house rules. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:03:48 Um, and I made the mistake one time, um, when I was home and I told somebody that came home to visit and my wife said, excuse me. So yeah. So they all these little telltale signs.
Speaker 0 00:04:00 Yeah. Yeah. You better move. You better move the format quick. Yeah. Yeah. So then you moved your family out here and then you raised your children. So you've been here for 12 years. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:04:09 And uh, one of the, one of the greatest things that I really loved, what I love about this community is really when I first came here, I tell you when I first came out here, when I was, when I did the FIFO thing, um, I really compared Fort McMurray to a big camp because it wasn't really, you know, the old oil, the oil can or something that they're going down. And I spent a couple of nights there and, and, but just still, it was just all these guys working because we're all, we're all here to build. What is today? Right. So anyway, uh, when I bought my family out here, um, got my daughter involved in dance where she carried over out to you from dance from Halifax and, and the opportunities that afforded my son. Um, he started with scaffolding and just, just, it gave her, give them both such good direction to go.
Speaker 2 00:04:49 But with the dance thing, I was able to immerse myself into dance. I actually have a tattoo that says dance band. And, uh, I was so heavily immersed in the dance world and still am to this day. Like I still communicate with everybody there. We were, I think a 300 pound guy is into dance. Right. But, but then I was just, this, this community is, I don't know, you hear people complain about different things, but I like, I like to find something that would compare it to make it any better. Like, I mean, it just it's so family-based, there's so many things here that
Speaker 0 00:05:16 That's right. No, that's awesome, man. So when you came here, this is something we share in common. What company were you working with? Started with ever ready go. And I'll tell you
Speaker 2 00:05:26 A little funny story about whatever already. So I, when I got the job with ever, and I was still living in Nova Scotia and, uh, it was long story, short story. Um, I was, I applied for work and the guy called me up said, yeah, we want to hire you as a manager for pigging. Okay.
Speaker 0 00:05:42 Right. The hell is piggy. I was thinking, okay, what am I going to see? So anyway, yeah,
Speaker 2 00:05:48 I, they flew me out and I landed and then sort of met the Wally Dumont, who was the president of the company. And, uh, so anyway, he took me for a drive down to red deer and he said, so Bobby, you know, I'd like to meet, I would like you to meet your crew. He said, I want you to actually be one of the crew managers. Okay, cool. Yeah. My background back in Nova Scotia, I was in the safety world and work with teams and all over the Maritimes. Right. So I went there and then I said, so what is it? What is this pigging thing? So anyway, they quickly taught me. But the crazy thing is when I went to red deer, I was the only Maritimer that worked for them in red deer. Oh wow. And they were like, who's this stranger coming in.
Speaker 0 00:06:24 Okay. I was like, wow. That is neat. Yeah. I used to work for everybody now, clean harbors. Um, I did human resources for them. Like I started off, uh, doing training and uh, just process mapping at the time. That's how long ago this was like what the training looked like for them in regards to like, Oh, you have to do CSTs. You have to do HQs alive putting that together. And then I moved up into recruitment and then my job turned into like full time recruiter. I would literally live like two weeks in Fort McMurray, two weeks in the East coast and recruit people back to work in Fort McMurray. We could have, we might have might've. I did it for three years back and forth. I can honestly say I probably interviewed over 5,000 people over that stretch and brought back at least minimum a thousand people like easy. So yeah. Great company. I got nothing but love for clean harbors now Eveready back in the day, but yeah. Vac truck, water, truck pigging. Oh yeah. Like, yeah, the good company. I spent nine years there. 19 years. Okay. Yeah. I don't know how many years I spent there. I started when I was 22 and I was about three or four years. Four years. Yeah. Yeah. They were great. Like, yeah. Carmella Carmella. <inaudible>
Speaker 0 00:07:47 that's my partner in crime. Bumped heads. Yeah. So Carmella. She was my boss. Carmella was my boss. She was the head of human resources for, for McMurry. Um, she started after I did phenomenal boss and then our, her boss was, um, Carolyn Hoffman. Yup. Carolyn. So, uh, yeah, no, it was so me and Carmela used to be on the road and uh, we need, we need to segment to town or just, so you got to clip this up. I'm not going to tell any of mine and Carmella road stories, but coil boy, like she was the best. She taught me a lot about human resources. She taught me even more about how to handle myself on the road. Um, leisurely and professionally, um, true mentor. Obviously when you're in human resources, you're going to butt heads with operations, but, uh, I have nothing but love and positivity for that woman. So Carmella Forbes, you are the best.
Speaker 2 00:08:44 Uh, I tell you it's um, when I look back at the HR days of goodness and I'm talking hardcore oilfield stuff like today, like, I don't know today. I don't want to lighten the load of today. Back then. It just, we didn't have the compressed work weeks. We had guys working. Like, I'll tell you when I first heard with everybody, I was working nine weeks on. Right. They go home for like four or five days, Bob, you got to come back. So anyway, HR, I do got to give them props because I mean, the things they had to put up with just to fill the seat because there was such a huge demand. And then, you know, and just, and I, we always, we saw the guys coming in and then all of a sudden you see them all go like the ones he just slowly trickle out and that'd be pushed out the door because they just couldn't handle.
Speaker 0 00:09:27 That's exactly it. And that's why I had to go back so much. We were constantly like people are coming in and leaving almost as fast as I could fly to these coasts. And, uh, yeah, but it was a culture thing. And then we built a culture and all of a sudden, you see, you saw the retention, but yeah, it was tough being in human resources back in the boom where you needed like warm bodies and they knew it. Yeah. Okay. Let's go. Yeah. You can be a swamper today. Yeah. So, okay. And then from there you went to which company next Clearstream and you were there for quite some time. I think that's how I,
Speaker 2 00:10:02 Yeah, no, it is, it was actually, um, we were going through some challenges at clean Harbor. So, so my job with clean harbors and my last, my last position with clean harbors are overseeing all the operations at CNRL horizon. So CNRL horizon took a different direction and they brought a different group in and so clearly should clean harbors or found me another role, but this wasn't for me, if you want to call it that anyway, but I never left. So it actually left her on really good terms with clean harvest. But when I did leave, it's kind of a weird thing. So I had an interview, uh, with the, uh, COO of, of uh Clearstream and he told me, he said, Bobby said, we have a real problem at Syncrude, significant safety issue to the point that we may be removed from site. If we have one more incident, I need you to fix it.
Speaker 2 00:10:44 And he said, I understand you're a pretty heavily safety guy you're into that, making sure it happens. So anyway, yeah, I, uh, he said, but I will tell you this. He said, if you're not successful, uh, fortunate, you will be unemployed. Yeah. So I went home and I told my wife still had the job at clean harbors and uh, told the wife the, kind of the challenge that was set before me. And she said, you want this? Don't you? I said, you're damn right. I did. So, yeah. So that's where my, my career at Clearstream started. Yeah. So it was quite a, it was quite a, for me, it was an exciting time. Um, climbed the ladder quite quick, uh, was there as general manager initially. And then, uh, on about a year after the year and a half after that, I went to vice-president with Buffalo. And then I went to a level of vice-president what they call heavy oil, which was everything from Lloydminster to Edmonton, to Fort McMurray. So it was, it was a good run. I really enjoyed it there. Good for good, good bunch of people, but like anything time runs by and things that things change and change
Speaker 0 00:11:35 And move on. Yeah. There's no such changes in good or bad. It just, is
Speaker 2 00:11:39 It absolutely constant as well? That's
Speaker 0 00:11:41 Right. Well, that's what I love about you, Bob is like, your attitude in regards to life in general is super positive and you recognize like, Hey, it is what it is. Let's just keep moving on, stay professional, put a on my face and like conquer the next challenge.
Speaker 2 00:11:56 And then it got to, you know, honestly, man, you've got to maintain it because like, for instance, when, when my time came to leave Clearstream to this day, so that was in 2018. And to this day I still chat with pretty much everybody. It was very professional. And when I, when I left, I shook the CEO, his hand and I said to, Savannah said, decisions had to be made. And I said, I don't hold, I don't hold any personal feelings about this. And that's one of the things I think a lot of people got to realize, especially in these times when you're, if you're in a position where you're about to be laid off or let go or something that there it's not personal. And if it is personal, it's probably because of you. But otherwise it's not personal. These people are making extremely tough decisions.
Speaker 2 00:12:32 Right. And nobody enjoys saying you don't have a job anymore. That's right. It is. And, and so like, so, so I've learned a long time ago that move on. It's easy and not. And one of the things that I, that if you actually really look at my profile, basically I'll even go on LinkedIn and check, check them out. Um, you'll notice that I don't have to have the same jobs. Right. I always went to something new. That's correct. And Oh, like I've jumped completely. And it's it's cause I love new adventure, man. I just love, truly love new adventure. So that's where it got me oriented.
Speaker 0 00:13:06 Yeah. So I want to skip over because this is time and we could talk for hours so you can gloss over quickly. You went somewhere next, but I want to talk about where you are next because I haven't spoken to you since you started your new role. So I'm more excited about that. So are you okay with us skipping in the middle? Okay, cool. What are you doing now?
Speaker 2 00:13:25 So the role here at superior propane. So I am the, in my, in my role, they give you an oil, oil sands road. We would called the regional manager for operations. Okay. In a superior. Well, they call it a market manager. So in the market. So my market is basically all of our MWB. Um, so right down to as far South as Conklin up to Fort chip one. So we, uh, I oversee a, we have a service and bulk division. So we deliver as well as installed. What have you. So I oversee our group of guys here and then group of gals in the, and he, or she, the whole business up here. So it's been, uh, it's been fun so far because you know, again, learning something brand new, um, never, ever dealt with propane in my life, except by turn on the barbecue.
Speaker 2 00:14:05 Um, but uh, the things I've learned so far, the staff are phenomenal. They're really helped me learn the ins and outs of a, of a propane. But, uh, I didn't even get to know another people. Like I was telling Tanner earlier when we first came in that, uh, spent some time in Fort chip wine and it never would never have had a reason to go there before. And now I do. And I've met a few people. I spoke with chief Allen Adam a few times and, and spoke with the counter up there and she's been awesome. And, uh, was just giving me opportunity to really expand to another off the bucket list. Right. So,
Speaker 0 00:14:33 No. Okay. Now I have a question, but I'm going to wait because we have a segment it's called the Mac CD minute. This is Tanner's. He asks five questions. I don't know what he's ever going to ask. So best of luck to you. Tanner hit him with the Mac city minute.
Speaker 2 00:14:47 Alrighty. Question number one for you today. What is one way
Speaker 3 00:14:52 People may not know propane is used
Speaker 2 00:14:55 As a refrigerant. Oh yeah. That is a, it's a, there's a thing called <inaudible> propane. Otherwise known as <inaudible> that they use it as a refrigerant. Did not know that. There you go.
Speaker 3 00:15:07 Question number two. What is it like working both at site and in town for one company?
Speaker 2 00:15:13 Uh it's. It is a challenge. Like we talked about when I came in here, everybody sees the, uh, the goatee. This is disappearing tonight. Cause I got to head to site tomorrow. So little challenge. I got everybody, you know, um, it is a cool balance. And like again, living in Fort McMurray is a neat balance to have for sure.
Speaker 3 00:15:28 Question number three. What is your favorite way to spend an evening in Fort McMurray?
Speaker 2 00:15:34 Pre COVID campfires. They're going to be out there and uh, just to spend in my backyard at the fire pit going, I got there and I want folks over to the house and stuff and having a few bevies around the fire and stuff and uh, yeah, the wife and I used to frequent the movie theater as well. It's a common thing with us, but, uh, right now we're just getting back into the open restaurants, whichever we're gonna dabbling everyone. Right.
Speaker 0 00:15:52 Right. So I say, Oh, you got it. Okay.
Speaker 3 00:15:55 Question number four. What is your favorite type of dance?
Speaker 2 00:15:59 Tap, tap dancer. I actually tapped dance for a couple of years, so I have size 13 tap shoes at home, so. Okay. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:16:07 And your final question, what was the best part of moving your family to Fort McMurray?
Speaker 2 00:16:13 The best part? I think the straight up is a cultural part of it. Um, we really in Nova Scotia, weren't really taught much my kids and not even myself. I could tell you, I didn't learn much about anything in regards to the indigenous part of our country. And I think truly for both my kids coming out here and just seeing the way that that works and how it should work has been a tremendous thing. So I'd probably, I'd say one of the biggest gifts to, I found me by coming here is just gaining that, that kind of awareness of how indigenous rights and everything are, have been compromised and how we're trying to, you know, take that back, help them out. Right. So that's, I'd say probably the biggest thing.
Speaker 3 00:16:47 Those have been your five questions.
Speaker 0 00:16:50 My sister is going to love that. My sister, Alicia, big shout out, she watches every show. She's our editor. Actually, every time we have a show, she calls and said, this went well, this didn't fix it. So she's watching. Yeah. She's a, she's a tap dancer.
Speaker 2 00:17:06 She probably knows my daughter then.
Speaker 0 00:17:07 Yeah. She, uh, she lives in Calgary now, so maybe not, but she grew up here, went through everything and she's taught in South America actually as a tap instructor. So she teaches, uh, in Calgary and I'm going to get in trouble. Cause I don't know the dance studios name. Sorry, but uh, yeah. So, and she loves to teach cattle. She says, they're the best. They're the funnest.
Speaker 2 00:17:28 I should say. I will tell you this, man, if you ever want to work out, I know that you do your jogging on your treadmill and what have you got there. But when you have to be on untapped, you gotta be on your toes a lot, a lot. And I'll tell you when you're my body size and you gotta be propped up all the time. I came home and I just straight to the shower.
Speaker 0 00:17:46 Now what I want to talk about. Cause we're running out of time. I know we are, but you, and I don't know if you're still doing it, but you were doing what I would constitute as the most romantic couple building. I'll call it exercise ever with your wife. Last time we spoke and I loved it. So she was doing, I want to say it was skip the dishes. Yes. And you would go, so you would skip the dishes and you would go with her just so you guys could spend time in the car together and chat. Yeah, that's true. Like this is the best story ever. Please elaborate on how this all transpired. Because honestly, when you told me this, I'm like, now that is love. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:18:28 Well my wife, she's a dentist stay at home. Mum. She always, and that's part of our relationship is always, she's always been the mom at home. Right. So anyway, she just said, look, love, want to make a little bit cash on my own. So anyway, um, she didn't know everybody. I think everybody knows that. Skip the dishes, you make your money at night. Right? So anyway, working during the daytime I'd come home and she would, uh, she'd leave. And so you to sit or stand and said, how do we spend some time together? So it literally was a thing. She says, he said, what he means is I'll drive this for, let's just hang out, you know? And uh, so anyway, long story, short story, that's already evolved too. It's just having the chance to hang out, really chat and whatever they got there. And just, it just, and it was really good because it always then, but it's kind of fun because then it became an expectation.
Speaker 2 00:19:06 But obviously it wasn't man. It was just, we would spend, it was this matter. We've we've been married. We've been together married for 28 years and married for 30 are together for 32, married for 28. And I love the lady. She's an awesome, she's not some gallon. And we do, we just do this day, we still get along phenomenal. Right. This is just, we have fun. And that was just one of the fun things to do just to hang out together and just, uh, you know, just one of the things is to spend time with your wife there. And all we had was the car stereo in each other. Right.
Speaker 0 00:19:30 That's right. Cool. No, it's beautiful. And if that's not a story that skip the dishes should pick up, I don't know what it is. So yeah, I wanted, that was in, I know I don't prepare for my interviews at all. For everybody at home, it's off the dome. I never write anything down and send it out. But that was one I had in the memory bank. It's like, he's got to tell that story. So on that note, Bob, we're done my man. So before I cut you loose, this is your shameless plug. It is. I want you to tell the people at home once again, who you are, what you're about and just give a little shine to your current organization.
Speaker 2 00:20:02 Again, it's Bob McKay a long time. Resident just love living here in Fort Mac, uh, worked for spirit propane. Uh, you've got your tanks, your 20 pounders or barbecues, or they know the season's coming up. We're open Monday to Friday from eight 15 to three 45, a really good price. I forget what it is now, but it's cheaper than his racks at the gas station. Let me put it that way. So bringing that way there and we can help you out with that. There, we got the parts area as well. You can, if you need to hook up any hoses, wherever you have all the parts. So, and you'll find two coming in our gal, there, she's a great person at the parts counter shelf out. No problem. So thanks a lot for this today. I'd love to chat with you and then it's just got to hear, but as I look forward to the next time, yeah,
Speaker 0 00:20:41 Good time to catch up, right? Yeah. So come back again and again, that's what the shop floor sweet. All right. Well Fort McMurray, wood, Buffalo, and the rest of the world. That's been another show in the tank once again. Thank you very much. It warms my heart for everybody that's tuning in. So we'll be having a great day and we'll see you tomorrow.
Speaker 4 00:21:01 <inaudible> talk about quenching your ugly thirst.