UNews - Bill Spenceley

Flexahopper supports ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Campaign for Students

caroline.zentner — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 20:59:53 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and Flexahopper Plastics have partnered in numerous ways over the years and now the company is pledging $125,000 to the central scholarship fund in support of both merit- and financial need-based awards.

Bill Spenceley, Flexahopper president, and Adriana Mercader, CEO are pleased to support the Campaign for Students.

Flexahopper Plastics, established in Lethbridge in 1967, is an international plastics processing company serving the aerospace, oil and gas, agricultural and food-processing industries. ULethbridge 2018 Alumnus of the Year Bill Spenceley (BSc ’81), principal owner since 1998, was named president in 1995. His relationship with ULethbridge includes giving undergraduate lectures and becoming a donor in 1993. In 2018, Flexahopper invested in the establishment of a Green Polymer and Technology Centre in conjunction with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. The collaboration helped secure a grant from the federal government to establish the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s polymer characterization laboratory, with the eventual goal of reducing plastic waste and reliance on fossil fuels.

“Supporting the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s scholarship campaign was an easy decision for me,” says Spenceley. “Not only am I a proud alumnus, many of my current staff members were educated at ULethbridge. With this donation, my goal is to help both undergraduate and graduate students with the costs of their post-secondary education and to recognize their achievements.”

“It means so much to students to know that leaders from our community like Bill Spenceley are willing to invest in their future,” says Kathy Greenwood, vice-president external relations. “Gifts like this help support and inspire the next generation. On behalf of the entire ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community, thank you to Flexahopper Plastics for this forward-thinking gift in support of ULethbridge students and future community leaders.”

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors will match Flexahopper’s donation as part of its $10-million pledge in matching funds to establish new endowed student awards. In addition to significantly increasing the sustainability of its student awards program, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s current scholarship drive aims to build a base of support to remove barriers, increase accessibility and unlock opportunities for future generations of students.

In addition, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ will recognize Flexahopper’s contributions with permanent signage at the entrance to a chemistry lab (SA7102) in Science Commons.

Visit the Campaign for Students for more information.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ ready to celebrate graduates at Fall 2018 Convocation

trevor.kenney — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 20:42:01 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is excited to celebrate the culmination of years of hard work and achievement of its newest group of graduates at the Fall 2018 Convocation ceremony, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018 in the 1st Choice Savings Centre gymnasium.

The U of L will award a total of 249 degrees, diplomas and certificates at the ceremony, with close to 200 students expected to participate in person. The public is welcome to join the festivities, either in person or by watching the streaming version at https://livestream.com/uleth.

Graduands will be assembling in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall starting at 8:30 a.m. The academic procession from ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall to the 1st Choice Savings Centre begins at 9:50 a.m. Media are welcome to interview graduands between 8:45 and 9:15 a.m. in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall’s sixth floor hallway, or following the ceremony. Media are also invited to attend the ceremony, which includes the bestowing of an honorary degree, the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year and Young Alumnus of the Year awards.

Arlene Dickinson, venture capitalist and Canadian entrepreneur, will be bestowed a doctor of laws, honoris causa. Dickinson is one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in Canada, going from humble beginnings as the child of immigrant parents to becoming one of the country’s most renowned marketing communications entrepreneurs. In addition to her business savvy, she is a generous philanthropist who supports numerous worthy causes.

The U of L Alumni Association (ULAA) will recognize Bill Spenceley (BSc ’81) as the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. Spenceley, a chemistry graduate who joined Flexahopper Plastics Ltd. shortly out of school, has guided his local company to worldwide success, all while taking a leading role in environmental sustainability and empowering the next generation of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students through collaborative projects and ventures.

The ULAA will also recognize Young Alumnus of the Year, Bryn Hewko (MFA ’16). Hewko has quickly made a name for himself in the cinematic industry through his startup company OUTPUT Media, all the while giving back to his community and creating opportunity for the next generation of U of L graduates.

More information: Fall 2018 Convocation

U of L partnership with Flexahopper, WD, leads to new Green Polymer and Technology Centre

trevor.kenney — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 16:22:40 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, in collaboration with Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) and Flexahopper Plastics, is taking a leading role in combatting environmental pollution through the establishment of a Green Polymer and Technology Centre.

The centre’s goal of developing biodegradable plastics that don’t use fossil fuel feedstocks or require fossil fuels to process is still years away, but the research can begin now thanks to a $1-million investment from WD.

From left to right, Dr. Farhad Faghihi, Dr. Paul Hazendonk, Bill Spenceley and Mohammad Kajkouly, research and development assistant at Flexahopper, examine a polymer extruder.

“The Government of Canada recognizes green technology as a way to create good middle-class jobs for Canadians while also meeting climate change objectives," says The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada. "With our investment, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will develop a green polymer and technology centre to reduce plastic waste and reliance on fossil fuels. Thoughtful and strategic investments like this drive innovation, make Canada a world leader in research development, and protect our environment. Today we are one step closer to our vision of a more sustainable, greener future to ensure Canadians have healthy, productive places to live, access to jobs, and expanded business growth opportunities.”

Dr. Paul Hazendonk, a U of L professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry with expertise in polymer chemistry, says the collaborative approach is designed to meet industry need.

“I do understand the issues that businesses have to deal with,” says Dr. Paul Hazendonk, a U of L professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry with expertise in polymer chemistry. “We hope to find ways for businesses to go greener without them being exposed too much to the up-front development costs. We have a good suite of instrumentation now, thanks to WD, and we have the expertise.”

“I’m really excited for Lethbridge and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ because this collaborative work will hopefully seed the growth of other projects with industry and help attract more companies to the region,” says Bill Spenceley (BASc ’81), president of Flexahopper, an international plastics processor headquartered in Lethbridge serving aerospace, oil and gas, agricultural and food-processing markets.

The investment is part of the U of L’s SHINE campaign announced last Thursday and this partnership highlights the importance of the U of L’s connection to the community, specifically how expertise available at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ helps solve problems at the local level and beyond and leads to opportunities for economic growth and a more sustainable future.

The polymer industry is built on the use of polyethylene, which is made from fossil fuel feedstocks and natural gas byproducts. The processing of polyethylene requires heat, also sourced from fossil fuels. Polyethylene has unique properties that make it extremely well suited to a vast array of processing techniques for making plastic products. Unfortunately, plastic pollution is becoming an increasingly serious problem affecting wildlife, wildlife habitat and humans.

“We have a whole line of plastics out there that can be sourced from feedstocks from agriculture,” says Hazendonk. “For instance, cornstarch is used to make polylactic acid (PLA) and it’s biodegradable. The problem is that you can’t just substitute one polymer for another when it comes to processing. There are a lot of hurdles to overcome and we probably are in for decades of development before we can even come close to making viable green plastics.”

The first step in creating green-based plastics is to make composite materials. Designing the appropriate additives requires researchers to gain insight into their molecular structure and phase behaviour using a suite of instruments, including a 500-megahertz NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectrometer, an electron microscope, a powder X-ray diffraction instrument and a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC).

“These are the ideal suite of instruments you need for a lab that specializes in the characterization of advanced materials,” says Hazendonk. “We’re also working on some advanced process technologies to further reduce the energy requirements in the industry. This technology that we’re developing allows us to use electricity so, ultimately, the processing could be run off of solar panels and that would be adaptable throughout the world.”

The Green Polymer and Technology Centre came about after Dr. Farhad Faghihi (PhD ’15), a polymer engineer and Hazendonk’s former doctoral student who is now director of research and development at Flexahopper, approached Spenceley about doing research and development work. Faghihi came up with the proposal and put the ideas together for the green polymer centre.

The polymer lab, part of the U of L’s C-CRAFT (Canadian Centre for Research in Advanced Fluorine Technologies), will be located in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s new Science and Academic Building and will bring expanded opportunities for students to participate in research, not just in polymers, but in agriculture, fossil fuels, pharmaceuticals and environmental remediation.

Flexahopper Plastics president Bill Spenceley named 2018 Alumnus of the Year

trevor.kenney — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 14:32:51 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association (ULAA) is excited to announce Bill Spenceley (BSc ’81), president and owner of Flexahopper Plastics Ltd., as the 2018 Alumnus of the Year.

“Bill is an exceptional representation of how influential ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumni are in our community and in communities throughout the world,” says Lyndsay Montina, manager, Alumni Relations. “He is a very successful businessman who has made a huge difference in the plastics industry and, beyond that, has continued to support the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ through research partnerships and investments. We’re thrilled to be able to honour him with the Alumnus of the Year.”

Alumnus of the Year – Bill Spenceley

A business leader with a strong research background, alumnus Bill Spenceley (BSc ’81) has guided his local company to worldwide success, all while taking a leading role in environmental sustainability and empowering the next generation of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students through collaborative projects and ventures.

Spenceley originally planned to be a dentist and was enrolled in the pre-dentistry program when he discovered chemistry was his true calling. After completing his studies in the U of L’s Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, including a joint year of undergraduate work in Chemical Engineering at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, Spenceley took on the role of Director of Design Engineering at Flexahopper Plastics Ltd. In five short years, he was the General Manager/Director of Design Engineering and by 1995 he was President of the company and then principal owner three years later.

During that time, Spenceley grew Flexahopper into one of the largest processors of rotational molding products in the Pacific Northwest, exporting products worldwide from its headquarters in the Lethbridge Industrial Park. Believing that sustainability is good business practice, Spenceley’s company has been at the forefront of environmental initiatives in the plastics industry.

As a proud U of L alumnus, Spenceley often returns to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to give undergraduate lectures and has served as a judge for the annual Chinook Research Symposium, lending valuable community and industrial perspective to the event. More recently, Spenceley worked closely with members of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry on a successful polymer characterization research grant that will further study of the structure and properties of polymers and be of great benefit to industry. His company’s investment in the process helped secure the grant and bring to life the U of L’s new polymer characterization laboratory, which promises to have a profound impact on the plastics industry in years to come.

Spenceley will be honoured at 2018 Fall Convocation on Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 10 a.m. in the 1st Choice Savings Centre gymnasium.

UNews - Bill Spenceley

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