Kevin Neufeldt, Coaldale, Alberta – MEDA board member

Day job: Bears don't know it, but they should love Kevin Neufeldt, vice president of Haul-All Equipment Ltd. His family metal fabricating firm is a leading producer of bear-proof garbage bins and food storage containers for forests and national parks. As wildlife experts say, "A fed bear is a dead bear." The company also makes refuse compactors, recycling bins and collection vehicles ("for a cleaner tomorrow") as well as gas-fired heaters for construction sites.

Most fun: During his nine years on the MEDA board, Neufeldt has enjoyed getting to know a lot of different businesspeople from diverse fields – "people who have done well in the marketplace, but are also rooted in their faith and strong in their spiritual journeys."

Another highlight has been touring MEDA's work in action in Nicaragua, South America and Tanzania. "I've enjoyed seeing how MEDA makes decisions and responds to changes in the marketplace," he says. "That's different from other non-profit organizations I've been part of. MEDA is more responsive, using new economic and marketing tools and levers to make things happen."

Hobbies: Neufeldt likes hiking some of the same trails that sport his products, as well as bird-watching (189 species so far) and golf (no, he won’t tell you his handicap). Another hobby is genealogy. He has traced his family’s ancestry back to the 1580s in Switzerland and the 1770s in Prussia.

Back to the MEDAZine Frontpage