The first round of inductees for the provincial Trades Hall of Fame includes two individuals with ties to Fort McMurray.

Doug Golosky and Eric Newell were among the first five nominees to be inducted after the government of Alberta kickstarted the Hall of Fame late in 2019.

Golosky was born in Fort McMurray and, over the years, founded multiple business ventures in the region where he’s been able to employ thousands of skilled tradespeople.

This includes turning one of his businesses into Lynco Eagle, a First Nation and Mtis partnership that provides training and employment for Indigenous peoples by hiring from First Nation and Mtis communities in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Golosky has also helped encourage many younger individuals to choose a career in the trades by offering apprenticeships.

“I’ve always been a big believer that everybody should have the opportunity to apprentice,” he said. “Get into it, stick with it, and get your ticket. It’s always something to move forward with or fall back on.”

He continues to live in Fort McMurray.

Meanwhile, Newell is the former Chairman and CEO of Syncrude.

During his tenure, the company started to focus on satellite mining that moved according to where resources were richest. The extracted bitumen was also fed back to one central upgrader.

Like Golosky, Newell was a big advocate in getting the younger generations to choose a career in the trades.

“Parents want their kids to be lawyers and engineers and doctors,” he added. “Trades were viewed as a career of last resort.”

To help combat this, Newell co-founded CAREERS: The Next Generation, an organization that helps individuals get a start in the trades, back in 1997.

“At CAREERS, we’ll take whatever they are passionate about and help them figure out a good career path.”

Newell continues to live in Edmonton.