CALGARY – John Aldred, known for founding Calgary-based oil and gas company Enerflex as well as his significant contributions to SAIT Polytechnic, passed away on Monday at the age of 71.
Aldred and his wife Cheryl made history in April 2010 when they gave $15 million to SAIT’s Trades and Technology Complex. At the time it was the largest personal gift ever given to a polytechnic or college in Canada.
SAIT cited the donation as “a gift that helped transform the SAIT campus,” and chose to honour Aldred by naming the largest building in the Trades and Technology Complex after him.
On Tuesday, SAIT said in a news release Aldred was a “great friend to the community” and one of SAIT’s “great champions.”
Aldred was born and educated in Oxfordshire, England and arrived in Canada in 1967 with just $400 in his pocket. His first job was as a mechanic’s helper in Winnipeg. In 1971, Aldred began working with Pamco, and within four years became the company’s president. He later established Enerflex in 1980.
“John was a brilliant entrepreneur and a philanthropist who had a strong vision of education and the betterment of individuals pursuing careers in the trades,” a Tuesday news release from Enerflex said. “He created a community not only within Enerflex, but within trades and education, and across the entire natural gas industry.”
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.
SAIT will hold a Celebration of Life in his honour, followed by a reception, in the Aldred Centre on the SAIT campus at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 12.
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