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www.mcac.ca
E
verybody talks about labour short-
ages; it takes somebody like Kyle 
Getty to do something about them. 
Now general manager at Sutherland-
Schultz Ltd. in Cambridge, Ont., Getty 
recalls his early career days when he 
ran into very few people his own age at 
industry events. Over time, he conceived 
the idea of “starting a group to get young 
people into the industry, either on site 
or in the office.” After the concept was 
presented at the MCAC AGM, the Future 
Leaders Advisory Council (FLAC) was 
born in the fall of 2023, with Getty as its 
founding chair.
“Its primary role is to provide a forum and 
an opportunity for mentorship within that 
demographic of the industry – that future 
leader group,” says MCAC COO Ken 
Lancastle. “It’s a broad term, and that’s 
done intentionally, because it’s not just 
those young construction leaders under 40 
– it’s people who are going to be stepping 
into leadership roles over the next few 
years and to help build succession within 
the association as well.”
MCAC’s FLAC was conceived as a 
national forum dedicated to empowering 
emerging professionals in the mechanical 
construction industry through 
networking, mentorship, education and 
leadership opportunities. It also helps 
MCAC member companies attract, 
develop and retain high-performing  
young professionals.
“It’s provided a very substantive 
opportunity to address some of the 
challenges in the industry by providing 
peer mentorship as well as networking 
with senior leadership,” says Lancastle.
The FLAC’s activities fall into two main 
areas: emerging leaders between the ages 
of 23 and 40 and post-secondary students. 
It is already connected with student 
clubs at Toronto Metropolitan University 
(formerly Ryerson), the University of 
Manitoba in Winnipeg and McMaster 
University in Hamilton, Ont. Several 
other institutions in Ontario and British 
Columbia are in the pipeline.
Getty mentors members of the 
engineering students’ club at McMaster, 
who convene for events like industry tours 
to “real, live, active jobsites where they’re 
PAVING THE WAY TO INDUSTRY SUCCESS 
SARAH B. HOOD
The Future Leaders Advisory Council is connecting with upcoming industry professionals across the country

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