Cross-training aids employee growth at NovAtel

Allan MacAulay started working at NovAtel Inc. – part of Hexagon, the global leader in digital reality solutions – as an application engineer 16 years ago, right out of university. Technology has changed a lot in the intervening years, as have the operations at the Calgary-based tech company, which provides navigation and positioning systems for agricultural, aviation, marine, transportation and other uses.

Thanks to NovAtel’s training and support, MacAulay has been able to keep pace with those changes, taking on several different roles before landing in his current position as vice-president of sales enablement. “It’s been exciting,” he says. “Every few years, there’s a different challenge or opportunity to take on, and that keeps it interesting.”

MacAulay has taken advantage of a number of NovAtel’s professional development programs, including a mentorship program that pairs employees with leaders in different areas.

“Mentees are matched with the right mentor for what they’re trying to get out of it, whether that’s learning about technology, networking, sales or marketing,” MacAulay says. “I’ve participated every year, initially as a mentee and then as a mentor, and now I’m paired with people around the world at different stages of their career, which is really fun.”

The company also supports continuing education for staff, which is particularly important in a field where tools and standards are always changing. “I was supported to do an MBA part-time while working full-time,” MacAulay says. “People do continuing education courses at the University of Calgary, and we also have a platform for online courses.”

Haley Wiese is an agriculture segment manager focused on global navigation satellite system-based positioning, autonomy and machine control for agricultural vehicles. Like MacAulay, she appreciates the opportunities she’s had for learning and development.

“I come from an engineering background, and they’ve really supported my cross-training in marketing and business,” she says. “They support employees to cross-train in different areas and move to different roles. And there’s a Women in Leadership program with training and mentorship that has helped me expand my network and given me tools to excel as a leader.”

Wiese also appreciates the company’s flexible work environment. “I work in hybrid-mode, so part of the time I’m in the office, which is awesome for in-person collaboration and meeting up with colleagues, and then I get more focused time at home,” she says. “That flexibility has been really nice.”

NovAtel supports employees’ health and wellness with a flexible health spending account and a focus on fitness. “There’s a gym and a walking path that’s nice for one-on-ones during the work day,” says MacAulay. “Instead of sitting at a desk, you can go for a stroll around a pond. And we encourage people to bike to work, so there’s bike parking and storage.”

There are also employee-led sports meetups. “Every week, a set of employees meets at lunch to play soccer, a long-standing thing I’ve participated in, and there’s another group that goes rock climbing,” says Wiese. “And the company runs coffee socials where everyone can get together.”

NovAtel employees are encouraged to participate in the annual Calgary Corporate Challenge, which raises funds for local charities, and the company matches their charitable giving to various causes.

“We do Movember every year, and last year we combined it with a Pink Ribbon Campaign to support both men’s and women’s health,” says MacAulay. “The company is very supportive of employees engaging in these things, and the corporate match for employee donations multiplies the giving to a really nice level.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Alberta’s Top Employers winners, published January 28, 2025 in the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

NovAtel’s green programming affects all its operations

Energy efficiency is a challenge for tech companies like Calgary-based NovAtel Inc., which requires labs and server rooms operating with air conditioning 24/7 to support its business of providing positioning solutions for agriculture, aviation, marine, transportation and other uses.

And yet NovAtel, part of Hexagon, has implemented an impressive environmental management system that includes everything from solar panels on the roof to LED lighting in the offices and free electric vehicle charging for employees in the parking garage of the Calgary office.

“The first thing we achieved a decade ago was getting certified to the ISO 14001 environmental standard,” says Mike Sieben, senior director of infrastructure and standards for Hexagon’s Autonomous Solutions division. “It’s about identifying things like energy use and waste generation, tracking them and continuously working to improve them.”

The Calgary office obtained LEED construction certification, which requires meeting sustainability standards in materials, energy efficiency, water usage and indoor air quality. They also installed solar panels on the roof.

“It’s not enough to cover our entire energy consumption, but we were able to cover some of it — as much as we’re allowed to in Alberta, since there are limitations on solar panels,” says Sieben.

The next challenge is a mandate from NovAtel’s Stockholm-based parent company, Hexagon, to eliminate all carbon emissions by 2030.

“We’ll have to convert our natural gas boilers to geothermal, heat pumps or electric boilers,” Sieben says. “Europe has green mandates for suppliers and customers, and with Hexagon being a global company, it is important for us to accommodate many of these initiatives in our facilities.”

As the company’s continuous improvement specialist, Cathy Hopkins oversees its environmental management system and chairs its environmental committee.

“The building management system was built to a green standard with high-efficiency systems,” she says. “We’ve replaced fluorescent bulbs with LEDs and installed blinds that automatically lower and rise according to the sun, and lights that turn on when you walk into a room and turn off on a timer.”

The green initiatives extend to individual office and eating areas.

“We’re constantly looking at waste management and how to educate our employees,” Hopkins says. “We made a decision not to put garbage bins at every desk. We want people to think about using a reusable container instead of a plastic bag, and in the cafeteria, we have china place settings instead of paper plates.”

Hopkins’ committee also established a bike-to-work program that includes a bike storage room with a repair station as well as lockers and showers. “We give quarterly prizes to employees who have logged the most mileage,” she says.

The parking garage is equipped with electric vehicle chargers that are provided to employees for free. “We recently doubled the number, from 10 to 20, and they’re full, so we’re looking at getting more,” says Sieben. “A lot of our employees are on board with electric vehicles.”

Sieben believes the company’s growth over the past few years presents opportunities for spreading its environmental programs across the industry.

“We’ve acquired locations around the world with different technologies and integrated them, and they’re looking at our building as a model of a green workplace,” he says. “It’s exciting, because you realize there’s a big impact you can have around the world.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Greenest Employers winners, published April 22, 2025 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.