John Aldred, founder of a major oil and gas supply company and major supporter of SAIT, passed away at the age of 71.
Aldred immigrated to Canada in 1968 to work as a mechanic, and eventually founded Enerflex Systems, a Calgary-based supplier to the oil and gas industry. He built the company to over 2300 employees and $1.6 billion in annual sales.
He used that success to fund his other passion: education. John and his wife Cheryl formed a philanthropic foundation focused on supporting education and the trades. In April 2010, the Aldreds made a record‐setting $15 million personal donation towards SAIT’s Trades and Technology Complex. The Aldred Centre was named in honour of the gift.
He served as a leader and advisor on a number of major projects, such as co-chair of the Promising Futures Campaign at SAIT, as the Vice-Chair of SAIT's Board of Governors (2001-2006), and as a chair of the Invest in Technology fundraising campaign (2001-2006).
Aldred has been inducted into the Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame and the Calgary Business Hall of Fame. He was also awarded an honorary degree from SAIT Polytechnic. John Aldred passed away March 7, 2016 at the age of 71.
SAIT will hold a Celebration of Life on Saturday, March 12 in the Aldred Centre on the SAIT campus at 1 pm, followed by a reception.
