Goran Stoilov

German machinist building successful life in Grande Prairie

Goran Stoilov isn't afraid to try new things. And that's good news for Davco Machine Ltd. and the people of Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada.

Stoilov, who was born in Germany and spent eight years of his youth in Macedonia, was living in the small town of Oelde, Germany when he decided he wanted to work in an English speaking country. So he started exploring employment possibilities in the UK, Australia, the United States, and Canada.

While doing research on the Internet, pictures of Canada caught his eye. "The pictures really helped," said Stoilov, "because as they say, a picture really is worth a thousand words."

Thanks to the on-line photos, Stoilov's curiosity was piqued. So he began focusing on finding employment opportunities in Canada that matched his skill-set. Stoilov went to school in Germany from 1993 to 1996, where he studied to become an industrial mechanic. After graduation, he worked for a company as a machinist, and was a serviceman for five years as well.

Stoilov prepared his paperwork and resume and wound up attending the Bonn Job Fair in April 2005. He was interviewed by the owner of Davco, Janet Plante, and the rest is history. Stoilov was offered a job as a machinist, which he accepted. On June 29, 2005, his plane touched down in Calgary, and a new chapter of his life soon began in Grande Prairie.

One of the things that 30-year-old Stoilov has been pleasantly surprised about is how accommodating people have been. "I'm surprised at how helpful people are, especially when you're new, and your English isn't great," said Stoilov. "They really take the time to understand," he added. "People who you've never met before ask you how it's going, start to talk to you."

Stoilov has fit in well at Davco, and gets along well with his co-workers. When he's not at work, he goes to the gym, the leisure centre, and to the mall. In the summer, he enjoys bike riding and barbecuing, and during the winter, he has tried his hand at ice fishing and landscape photography.

Another thing that impresses Stoilov is Alberta's natural surroundings. "Nature here is almost untouched compared to Europe. There's lots of animals to see, that's for sure."

Stoilov has had a chance to get familiar with Grande Prairie, and has put Jasper, Edmonton and Calgary on his list of places he wants to visit. He also mentioned he would like to spend more time visiting Alberta's many oilfields and forests.

When asked to give some advice to Europeans thinking of re-locating to Canada, Stoilov said it is important to be open-minded. "People should be prepared to be flexible, because the job is only 50 per cent of it. There's also what you do after your job is finished, during the evenings and weekends. Integrating into the system means working and living in Alberta."

New workers working out well for Davco

You don't stay in business for over 30 years without being able to solve problems. At Davco Machine Ltd., a thriving fabricating, welding and machine shop in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada, innovative solutions go well beyond the shop room floor.

When the company was faced with the challenge of finding qualified workers to help with its expanding workload, they decided to do more than think out side the box. They thought outside the country, and the results have been fantastic.

In August 2004, Davco owner Janet Plante placed newspaper ads for journeyman machinists throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia. And the results were far from encouraging. "We had one phone call from Red Deer," says Plante, "and that person just wanted to compare wages."

There didn't seem to be a lot of other options available for Plante. But all that changed when she attended a Foreign-Worker-Readiness Information Seminar in Edmonton in November of 2004. At the seminar, she spoke with Alice Wong, an Immigration Officer with the Regional Development and Economic Immigration Branch of Alberta Employment, Immigration & Industry (now Alberta Employment and Immigration), and learned about a job fair that was taking place in Germany.

Plante also obtained some helpful contact information, and began corresponding with an official in the German government. Everything fell into place rather nicely, and Plante attended a job fair in Bonn, Germany in April, 2005. The trip proved to be very fruitful. "We received 52 resumes from good quality, interested people" said Plante.

Plante conducted a number of interviews at the Bonn Job Fair, and as a result, three machinists have relocated to Grande Prairie. "All have been working out really well," said Plante. "It's a bit of a culture shock, and there's been a bit of adjustment in changing over from a pure metric system to the imperial measurement system. But so far, it has been a very positive experience for all involved."

The new arrivals have fit in well with the Davco culture, and staff have scheduled regular get-togethers ranging from barbecues to bowling. Traditionally, Davco's reputation has attracted people from across Canada, and now, thanks to Janet Plante's recent visit to the Bonn Job Fair, the company's reputation is growing internationally. And in today's competitive hiring market, being known around the world definitely bodes well for the future.

Date Updated: Oct 28, 2008
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