Manitoba's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 34
MANITOBA’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
34
A people-centred approach is NFI’s key to success
F
or Crystal Pattyn,
who has been with
Winnipeg-based NFI
Group Inc. for 13 years
and served as human
resources director with subsidiary
Carfair since 2022, it’s “first and
foremost” the people who make it
a top employer.
Positive culture is
driven through genuine
connections with
leadership engaging
with people, taking
the time to build
connections that
strengthen how we
work together.
— Crystal Pattyn
Human Resources Director,
Carfair
“It’s across the organization,” she says of NFI, which
manufactures transit buses,
single-and double-decker buses,
and motorcoaches across its
seven subsidiaries (Carfair itself
produces fibreglass-reinforced
polymer components for a variety
of vehicles). “Positive culture is
driven through genuine
connections with leadership
engaging with people, taking
the time to build connections
that strengthen how we work
together.”
NFI’s workforce includes a range
of skilled trades such as vehicle
assemblers, welders and painters,
as well as professional engineers
and sales, marketing, finance,
NFI Group welcomes team members, their families, and members of the public during an open house event.
IT and supply-chain specialists,
among others.
And diversity, equity and
inclusion (DEI) is “extremely
important” at NFI, Pattyn notes.
“There are both formal programs
and an informal culture of
acceptance. We’ve really prided
ourselves on getting DEI threaded
throughout the organization.
We’ve got training for the whole
range of employees on policies,
communications, all the stuff that
we live day to day.”
For Joecelle Candelaria, a materials administrator at Carfair who
counts himself as a member of the
LGBTQ+ community, that climate
has been a godsend. “I’m always
excited to go to work and talk to
my fellow employees,” he says. “I
feel safe here. My boss has trusted
me to do my job, and everyone has
been respectful. It’s easy to work
when you have people around
who support and respect you.
“Even when my starting time is 6
a.m., I’m here at five because I’m
always excited to go to work.” Plus,
he adds, “the benefits are good,
and the pay is also good.”
As for Pattyn, she notes that
in an industry traditionally
underrepresented by women,
NFI is actively creating pathways
for broader participation. “NFI
has partnered with the Women
of Steel initiative and with the
Canadian Welding Bureau, which
offers a seven-week program for
women to acquire welding skills,”
she says. “Since I started 13 years
ago, we’ve had a lot more women
in senior leadership roles, and
we continue to pride ourselves in
having that type of diversity within
a business. “It’s definitely come
a long way,” she continues. “And
I feel that, as an HR leader, I am
able to contribute meaningfully
to shaping our direction.” She
notes that half of the company’s
independent board members are
women.
Candelaria also appreciates
the fact that NFI provides many
opportunities for career growth.
He’s been at the organization for
a decade, starting in production
and moving to lead hand before
landing his current job. And the
company supported his upward
movement. “Every time you move
to a different department,” he says,
“you receive training, so you know
exactly what to do.”
