Employee Biographies

Dan Lambert

President & Founder

Daniel Lambert is semi retired and lives in Seaforth, Ontario. The day to day business is now managed by his son-in-law Philip Ashwin. Dan is still active within the company with a special interest in WindTrans Systems Ltd. Dan wants to emphasize that the success of these companies has been achieved only through the dedication of his employees.

Philip Ashwin

Vice President

Philip grew up on a family dairy/sheep farm in South West England. He completed higher education at Lackham Agricultural College. Philip worked in many areas of agriculture in England before immigrating to Canada in 1999, shortly after this he started with Sun-North.

He has been involved with all aspects of the business from production & installation, R & D to design and application and progressed to Vice President in 2009.

As V.P. Philip oversees all general business for Sun-North and focuses on the future progression and growth of the company. He is always looking at new and improved products and designs to ensure Sun-North and Envira-North stay at the leading edge of the field, this will help service existing customers and expand markets around the globe.

Cathy Vanneste

Senior Administrator

Cathy grew up on a cash crop farm just outside of Seaforth and stayed in the area until heading off to Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario to pursue her diploma in Architectural Technology. It was shortly after graduation when she made a switch to mechanical drafting that her career first started to flourish, while on route to British Columbia.

During Cathy’s time in BC, her work has lead her from sawmill equipment and class 8 truck fabrications to agricultural sprayer designs. From developing systems and controls to manuals and processes and always looking for cost effective methods, Cathy has developed a clear and strong sense of manufacturing and business management as a whole.

It was the lush fields and the rapidly expanding family back in Ontario that called her back home after 10 years. Upon her return, Cathy began working part time for Sun-North Systems as drafting / design technician.

Cathy finally joined the ranks of Sun-North as a full time employee in 2008 and works as Senior Administrator working with Philip from both the business side of things as well as manufacturing.

Dean Wood

International Sales Manager

Following successful completion of his Diploma from Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario, Dean furthered his education at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia where he completed his Bachelor’s Degree with honours. After finishing his education, he moved back to Ontario where he now lives with his wife and daughter.

In 2007, Dean joined the Envira-North Systems sales team as a Technical Sales Representative inside Canada where he sold, serviced and installed numerous Altra-Air Fan and Hurricane Turbine projects in a number of commercial/industrial applications including; sports arenas, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, office atriums and airplane hangars.

In 2009, Dean’s efforts were refocused to International Sales where he developed and now manages Altra-Air Fan distribution throughout a number of worldwide markets in Asia, Australia, Europe, Middle East and South America. His primary focus is to ensure the success of our dedicated worldwide partners through onsite training, service and sales support. Dean also spends time developing leads for potential partnerships in emerging international markets around the globe.

Dave Stewart

Sales Representative

Dave has been in the agricultural ventilation business since 1976. He has been involved in virtually all aspects of the industry both in Canada and the United States from system design and sales, to equipment manufacturing, distribution and Dealer sales. His broad knowledge in the Dairy, Hog and Poultry industries includes both mechanical and natural ventilation equipment, controls and design.

Dave’s long time interest in industrial ventilation along with the introduction of the Altra-Air fans gave him the opportunity to introduce and market this unique product to an entirely new customer base.

Dave has represented Sun-North Systems Ltd. for several years in Ontario and Western Canada. In the past six years, Dave has represented Envira-North Systems Ltd to his agricultural accounts in western Canada and to Commercial and Industrial accounts in eastern Canada.

Murray McPhail

Sales Representative

Murray McPhail grew up in the rural area of St. Marys, Ontario completing the Construction Engineering Technologist Management Program (CET) in 1988 at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. He is a Licensed General carpenter and attained the Certified Construction Project Manager (GSC) through the Canadian Construction Association Gold Seal Program. Murray’s technical expertise supports the engineering design of systems supplied by Sun-North and Envira-North Systems.

John Van Bakel

Sales Representative

John grew up on a mixed farm in Huron County. He got into the ventilation business in the late 70’s and has continued to work in all aspects of ventilation including animal confinement for swine, dairy, poultry, etc. along with horticultural and industrial/commercial markets as well. His course has taken him across Canada and abroad selling ventilation products and agricultural confinement equipment.

Having been involved in all aspects of metal fabrication and the construction industry, John brings with him a history and background very familiar with the natural ventilation market at Sun-North and Envira-North. Having also worked in Product Development for many years has given John the ability to see both sides of products, problems and solutions.

In 1977 John and Janet were married and they have two children, Jennifer and Brad. Brad is now married to Pam and they have their first daughter, Anica. John enjoys camping, golfing and the whole Grandpa and Grandma experience.

Joan Wood

Sales Co-ordinator

Joan was born and raised in Seaforth, Ontario. During her teen years, Joan decided to pursue a career in Business and Commerce. Upon completion of her education, employment was obtained at a local agriculture company. This is when she and her husband decided to make Seaforth their home. Joan has worked within manufacturing, accounting & retail environments, gaining a wealth of experience. In 2005, Joan was offered a position with Envira-North Systems Ltd. and is presently their Sales Coordinator.

Ian Wood

Plant & Production Manager

Ian Wood is the Plant and Production Manager at Envira-North Systems with the responsibility for all incoming and outgoing product, shipping, and quality control for the last 4 years. Ian has accumulated a total of nine years in the natural ventilation business between Envira-North and its parent company Sun-North Systems.

Prior to joining Envira-North, Ian worked in the HVAC industry for two years as a licensed gas technician for a large propane distributor. Ian has had nine years experience working in the construction field as a general contractor in both commercial and residential sectors. Ian also has 13 years experience as a volunteer fire fighter including first response. Ian left the position of Fire Prevention Officer in 2007 when he relocated with his family to Zurich, ON.

Stephan Gingras

R&D, Technical Support

Stephan grew up on a farm south of Montréal, Québec and attended college in aeronautical and electronics engineering. He spent 25 years in the Canadian Armed Forces in the communications and electronics engineering branch, designing and maintaining electronics systems around the world.

He retired in 1999 and joined Sun-North Systems Ltd in 2000 in the R&D department and is providing technical support for Sun-North Systems Ltd, Envira-North Systems Ltd and WindTrans Systems Ltd.