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StandardAero promotes a family-friendly work culture

When Andrea Bedia thinks about what drew her to StandardAero Ltd., she smiles: it was the positive feeling her husband, Rolando, brought home every day. While Andrea returned from her customer service job at another company stressed and drained, Rolando — a Red Seal machinist at StandardAero’s gas turbine engine division — walked through the door satisfied, knowing he worked in a place that valued him, supported him and helped him leave work worries behind.

Seeing that difference, Andrea thought, “I want to feel that way too.”

The couple wondered at first whether StandardAero welcomed family members. To their surprise, not only does the company embrace the idea, it even rewards employees with a bonus for referring qualified candidates.

That encouragement — along with the chance for a fresh career — motivated Andrea to enrol in the aerospace manufacturing and maintenance orientation program at Winnipeg’s Tec-Voc High School, one of StandardAero’s key local training partners. Within two months of graduating, she joined the company’s gas turbine repair and overhaul training program, which is dedicated to providing new employees with classroom and on-the-job training to develop into an aerospace technician.

Today, Andrea is a detail inspector and is already working toward becoming a quality inspector. She and Rolando now return home from their shifts with the same sense of balance and satisfaction that first inspired her to make the leap.

Family friendliness is woven throughout StandardAero’s culture. Working the same shifts allows the Bedias to share time at home, and the company’s generous benefits — such as up to three weeks of vacation in the first year, depending on experience — support family life outside the workplace. Team-building events, from summer golf tournaments and park picnics to winter billiards, potlucks and bowling, help co-workers form connections that feel more like extended family. Annual traditions, such as the company-wide barbecues served by senior leaders, turkeys handed out at Christmas time, and holiday parties for both employees and their children, reinforce a culture of appreciation and togetherness.

For Andrea and Rolando, these activities — and the company’s sports teams, including basketball, baseball, and hockey — create an environment where work-life balance is more than a slogan. “They really give us that balance,” Andrea says.

Career growth is another hallmark of the StandardAero experience. Peter Wheatley, vice-president and general manager for the CF34/CFM56 business unit, began as a 19-year-old summer student, drawn in part by shared conversations about hockey during his interview. Over 21 years, he has progressed through engineering, quality control, sales operations and customer-facing roles before stepping into leadership of a major business unit with 600 employees.

His journey reflects a company culture that empowers employees to expand their skills and shape their own careers. StandardAero supports ongoing education — including Wheatley’s MBA from the University of Manitoba — and encourages employees to take initiative. “If you raise your hand and want to fix something, the team here empowers you to help fix it,” he says. “We thrive by being customer-oriented and quick to adapt.”

From welcoming families into the workplace to providing clear pathways for advancement — as well as partnering with local schools to open doors for future aerospace professionals — StandardAero offers more than a job, says Wheatley. “It offers a place to grow, belong and build a career for life.”