Career Highlights

Bob found much professional success and satisfaction in three different careers during his lifetime, all of which were grounded in the construction industry. Bob’s father was a well-respected general contracting executive and, in the early years, Bob followed his father (and grandfather) into construction, working in virtually every aspect of the industry from labourer to executive. He took on various managerial roles at the Foundation Group of Companies, Northcan Construction Management Group, Northern Construction, and Lear Construction.

 

Youngest Chairman Of The CCA

Already, in the early 1970s Bob was educating others in construction, teaching a civil construction course in the Masters program for the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo. Like his father before him, Bob was active in the construction association. He became Chairman of the Alberta Construction Association in 1981 and the youngest Chairman of the Canadian Construction Association in 1984. 

 

Construction Management Technologies Ltd.

In the eighties as the local construction industry suffered economically, Bob adapted his developing passion for the emerging field of computer technology and joined XI Consultants. From here he launched his career as an entrepreneur and created Construction Management Technologies Ltd., specializing in accounting software for the construction industry.

 

Schuettlaw

In 1998, at the age of 54, Bob returned to the University of Calgary to complete his LLB. Bob articled at a large western-based law firm and worked there until 2003. Determined to get back out on his own, Bob created Schuettlaw where he combined his legal education with his extensive knowledge of construction. He built a well-respected construction law firm by mentoring his junior lawyers on the nuances of the construction industry. 

 

While he continued to run his law firm, Bob was a sessional instructor at the University of Calgary for twelve years. He particularly enjoyed teaching contract law to people in the construction industry on behalf of the continuing education department, and most recently created and delivered the first ever construction law course in the Faculty of Law. 

 

To his employees, colleagues, clients and students, Bob was known as an extremely intelligent, logical, confident problem solver. He led with integrity and principle, but he was also warm, kind, generous and always fair. 

 

Bob was truly passionate about the construction industry; any conversation with Bob would inevitably include a story about a project on which he had worked. In particular he was quite proud of his work on the Pan Canadian Building in Calgary and, although he was proud to have been selected to work on the Canadian Arctic Gas Project (the largest of its kind in Canada), he was disappointed when the project did not proceed.

 

Community Involvement

Bob was an active community member all his life. He served on boards of the Canadian Mental Health Association (Alberta Division and Calgary Region) from 2002 to 2012 in multiple roles including President. He was a board member and legal advisor to Camp Cadicasu since 2008. Bob completed the Directors Education Program at the Institute of Corporate Directors from 2012 - 2014.

 

In addition to his volunteer work, Bob was passionate about lifelong learning which he activated through his hobbies. For example, he earned his Private Pilot License through the Calgary Flying Club at Springbank Airport in 2003.

 

Family

Born July 18, 1944 in Clinton, Ontario, he was the eldest of three children. Bob received his education from the Jesuits at boarding schools across the country. Bob and his wife Cheryl were married for 52 years. They met in Calgary and attended University of Calgary together where Bob completed his BSc (math).

 

He was fiercely proud of his six children and ten grandchildren. To them Bob provided the powerful gifts of imagination and belief in themselves. There was no such thing as a dream too big and no excuse not to try something new; no hesitation and never any doubt that success was ahead.