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Your Gift In Action
Felix Lopes Junior
When driving into the Coniston Industrial Park, one gets the sense of entering an industrial 'Neverland.'
Situated on the site of Inco's decommissioned Coniston Smelter, Lopes Mechanical and Electrical Ltd. is a family-owned and operated company that has carved a niche for itself under the shadows of the twin stacks.
Housing the company's head office, steel fabrication complex, mechanical and electrical shops, the site also features a flying school, a private airstrip and a 9-hole executive golf course. Immaculately maintained, the largely re-greened property is now a far cry from the images of Sudbury's bygone era of sulpher-blackened rocks and tailings ponds!
The grounds are also a reflection of the family that has built a thriving business from modest beginnings in a garage in Sudbury's Minnow Lake area. Friendly banter and chatter offset the frenetic pace maintained by office and industrial staff alike, and the ever-present Mister and Molson - Felix Lopes Junior's shop dogs - provide a friendly, tail-wagging greeting to visitors.
Started by Felix Lopes Senior in 1976, the company employs over 100 people. Its owners and employees are proud of its success and of the recognition it has received, including a 1999 Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award for Company of the Year - in the over 50 employees category.
Now run by Felix Junior, the company continues to expand its hold on Northern Ontario's mechanical and electrical disciplines market, including HVAC, industrial and commercial process piping, and custom steel fabrication, to name a few.
The company's success has enabled Felix Jr. to turn his attention to philanthropic pursuits. While many local auction and fundraising events have featured a precision-cut, steel-fabricated T-rex from Lopes Mechanical and Electrical Ltd., Felix Jr. has taken his passion for lifelong learning and for Greater Sudbury's economic well being to the next level through the establishment of the Felix Sr. and Maria Lopes Bursary.
"In order to build a prosperous future for our community, we have to start investing in our educational system," says Felix Jr. with a passion and conviction that cannot fail to impress.
It is this same passion for investing in the future that sees Felix Jr. contacting Cambrian College first whenever he is looking to add to his industrial or administrative teams and to his golf course staff.
And, while helping a deserving engineering student to pay for his or her education each year through scholarships and bursaries is an end in itself, Felix Jr. has also opted to provide each year's recipient with an opportunity for summer employment in their field of study. That chance for extra money and the viable hands-on experience that the summer employment provides, makes the Felix Sr. and Maria Lopes Bursary a popular selection amongst Cambrian students.
More so, it also gives Lopes Mechanical and Electrical Ltd. an opportunity to identify, train and retain Northern Ontario talent, and is a shining example of how to build a future by investing in one student at a time!
Cambrian Foundation • 1400 Barrydowne Road • Sudbury, Ontario P3A 3V8
phone: 705.673.2900 • fax: 705.671.1417 • e-mail: foundation@cambriancollege.ca