tury milestone in business.
Walkes estimates that he was
likely the 5
th
or 6
th
person in
the province of Manitoba to
receive the designation at a
time when sustainable devel-
opment was a relatively new
concept. Prior to embarking
on his current 15-year career
with SMS, Walkes worked in
support of the environmen-
tal department of a consult-
ing firm where he met a col-
league who was outspoken
about sustainable develop-
ment, and had written a few
articles on the subject.
“It was always in the back
of my mind to do some things
that were environmentally
sustainable, whether it’s for
conservation or economically
a little better for the client to
have a more efficient build-
ing,” said Walkes.
That was just the begin-
ning of a new era for SMS.
In 1965, the company was
founded in partnership of
three mechanical profession-
al engineers: Ray Scouten, Bill
Mitchell, and Dennis Sigurd-
son. Initially it was under the
name of Scouten Mitchell Sig-
urdson & Associates Limited.
Teaming up provided
the company founders with
greater opportunity to get a
variety of projects on differ-
60
business elite canada
H
JUNE 2014
