Olds Institute hires two new employees

Olds Institute (OI) has hired two new employees – one full-time permanent and one full-time contract.

Patti Simoneau has been hired on a full-time permanent basis as an administrative coordinator, succeeding Colleen Gustavson. She started work last Monday.

NISH NAIDOO

Nish Naidoo, perhaps best known for his online Humans Of Olds series of interviews with local residents, has been hired as a project assistant and marketing person. He has a nine-month contract with OI (theoretically a year-long contract, but it expires at the end of this year).

His job is to assist OI's approximately 150 volunteers get various projects done and to market OI groups, committees and businesses – primarily Mountain View Power and O-NET.

Theoretically, Naidoo's job was to start yesterday (Monday, April 11) but it started unofficially this past weekend when he attended the Didsbury Trade Show on behalf of OI.

OI executive director Mitch Thomson says Naidoo doesn't have a marketing degree or experience in that field, but through his Humans of Olds work and his volunteerism on various community projects, he has potential worth harnessing, he says.

“Essentially what we've done is we've recognized that he's got some talent and energy and enthusiasm and we support a breadth of initiatives and could use some more support on the project level as well as with our communications,” Thomson says.

“We recognize in Nish that we have a young individual with lots of promise and so we've entered into a term contract that we think will allow him to grow with us in the organization. So we're really excited to have him on board, for sure.”

Thomson says that community involvement includes working on student council at the high school, being involved with the Boys and Girls Club, and helping his father in various Rotary Club activities and fundraisers.

“We do expect to utilize some of his social media skills and we do anticipate having him assist us with volunteer support, and both of these things will help us communicate better,” Thomson says.

He says there's a possibility Naidoo will be kept on with OI on a permanent basis, once his contract is up.

Naidoo is looking forward to the job.

“It's exciting because it's a whole new ball field for me in the terms of, I get to do what I really would like, which is making an impact on people and it's in a whole new area,” he says.

PATTI SIMONEAU

Over the past 25 or 30 years, Simoneau has been a graphic artist, receptionist, run her own business, done contract management and freelance writing. She has also done web design and worked with social media.

Thomson sees a great chance to utilize all of her skills and abilities – with Naidoo and with others at OI.

So does Simoneau herself.

“There will be some graphics work involved, but that's only part of the puzzle and I think that's what's really quite exciting about this new role – I get to use some of my graphic design background, but in combination with so many of the other skills that I acquired over the past 25, almost 30 years,” she says.

“It really does feel like I've spent the last 30 years collecting all the pieces of the puzzle. Now I get to sit down and finish the picture.”

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