MBiz

35 MBiz | june 2017 Nicole Peloquin Controller, Larry Penner Enterprises Inc. Learn more at an info session asper-mba.ca An Asper MBA will give you the con dence and knowledge you need to lead in your workplace, your community and abroad. What will yours do? My Asper MBA is giving me a voice in the boardroom. Sometimes, you have to look back to see how far you've come. A dedication ceremony in April for a C-41 Tutor jet on permanent display at the entrance gate in Southport was significant on many fronts. A 25th anniversary celebration of Southport's progress since it opened in 1992, the day also showcased the rich history of flight training at the former CFB Portage la Prairie. The Canadian Forces Snowbirds added a loop-the-loop and an extra pass to what was expected to be a single flyby. The air demonstration team follows in the flightpath of the Golden Centennairies, a team of eight Tutor pilots formed in 1967 to celebrate Canada's Centennial. "This year is actually the Golden Centennaires' 50th anniversary, because they only flew for one year during Canada's Centennial, and it's Canada's 150th and it's our 25th so we had lots to celebrate that day," Southport CEO Peggy May says. The new Tutor is painted in Golden Centennaires' colours — gold, blue and red. May says the non-profit property management and development company had been seeking a replacement for its former "gate guard," a prototype Tutor that the military reclaimed a few years ago. By chance, Manitoba aviation historian Bill Zuk discovered a museum in Pasco, Wash., was looking for a new home for its Tutor, which was disassembled and sent to Southport, then reassembled in KF Aerospace's hangar. Royal Canadian Air Force pilot training has continued through the 3 Canadian Forces Flight Training School, now operated by KF Aerospace. Over the years, Southport added tenants, including manufacturer Airport Technologies Inc., Red River College's Stevenson Aviation Campus and Assiniboine Community College. Its recently expanded Central Plains RecPlex houses a day-care centre, cardio and weight facilities, a climbing wall and a coffee shop, and Southport is now home to 600 residents. The dedication ceremony was attended by several dignitaries, including Premier Brian Pallister, who recalled it was a blow to the local economy when CFB Portage closed. "And 25 years years later, here we are," May says. "We have 570 jobs out here now and we make a big impact on the economic footprint of Portage and district of about $170 million. "It was the 25th anniversary, celebrating the past and the present, but we're really looking forward to the future and all of the exciting growth opportunities that we have here." ■ SOUTHPORT CONTINUES TO SOAR The Canadian Forces Snowbirds fly their CT-114 Tutor jets over Southport's new "gate guard," a CT-41 Tutor painted in the colours of the Golden Centennaires air demonstration team.

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