How SunnyBrook Welding will benefit the farming industry

Kyla grew up in Breton, Alberta living on a farm West of town with her mother Lorraine Mackenzie and step father, Dale Mackenzie. She started her career in business early on and has become an accomplished business professional. She works to achieve organizational objectives using her skills in Finance and Accounting, Strategic Human Resource Management, Operations, Project Management, and Information Technology. She embraces the use of technology to aid in streamlining processes, driving efficiency and productivity in order to achieve business goals and improve the overall bottom line. Through strategic planning, Kyla has assisted Sunnybrook Welding to accomplish its goals and to meet or exceed the financial targets.

Over her career she has gained experience in many challenging industries including manufacturing, construction, legal and insurance. Her knowledge provides a well-rounded and accomplished career, a breadth of knowledge and expertise, allowing her to be creative in her business solutions.

Kyla values growth and development and earned her MBA in February 2021. This is in addition to her formal education in Business Administration and Accounting & Finance. As her commitment to her own personal and professional growth, she also continues her learning and growth through various association memberships, educational conferences and seminars to ensure she remains on top of market and business trends. She is committed to working collaboratively as part of a team who can lead, influence and motivate others. She never stops striving for excellence, not only for herself, but for those around her.

In her spare time, Kyla enjoys playing many sports including boxing, basketball, dodgeball and slo-pitch, traveling and spending time with her family.

Pieter Boogaard is the President of Production at Sunnybrook Welding, helping farmers with everyday problems by creating innovative products to maximize their yields and minimize their downtime. Growing up in Zeeland, Holland on a farm and continuing his farming lifestyle today, has provided Pieter with the same hands-on experience as the farmers he serves.

Pieter is an accomplished Welder with years of experience. With a passion for metal-working, he began his welding career at an early age completing his certification in Holland by age 19. Moving to Alberta in 2006, Pieter worked on a farm near Barrhead followed by one in Calmar. Pieter later began his career at Sunnybrook Welding in 2011 growing in his role as a welder and machinist extensively, becoming part of the ownership team in 2016.

Pieter comes from a large family of ten and has a wife and five children of his own. His family values run deep and carry through to the values of the company. Pieter sees the farming community as an extended family of sorts and is always happy to talk to customers about their farming needs. The problems that he and other farmers experience is what drives his commitment to innovation and seeking efficiencies in the way they work. His strong family values have also formed many strategic business relationships along the way.

In his down time, Pieter can be found spending quality time with his family or tinkering on the farm.

Audin & Evelyn Njarheim founded Sunnybrook Welding after an encounter with a local farmer needing a concave repaired. Audin made the repair then decided to innovate the design to repair the existing flaw and from that Sunnybrook Welding was born and has since grown into an outstanding manufacturing organization.

Gerald started at Sunnybrook Welding in 1983 as the Marketing Manager with a background in Ag Engineering, having studied at the College and Technical University of Nova Scotia. He along with Dale, was an indispensable part of the innovations and technological advancements that Sunnybrook has developed. Dale and Gerald were an amazing team, with Gerald being the creative dreamer and Dale having the skills to build the concepts and designs. Gerald was part of many SBW projects over the years and has credit for co-inventing such things as the air assisted thresher, concave for rotary combines, concave for combine harvester and boronizing [a metal workpiece]. Gerald has since retired and spends his time coaching youth football and doing volunteer work for the restoration of the aquatic species in Canadian lakes and rivers.

Lorraine and Dale began ownership in Sunnybrook Welding (SBW) in 1998, 5 years after Dale had worked with the company. Dale had been welding since he was a teenager and brought that experience with him when he relocated from his hometown, Bethune, Saskatchewan in 1991. Lorraine is a native of the area having grown up in Breton her whole life. She worked for years at a local insurance agency and started actively working at Sunnybrook Welding in 2017 bringing with her, her exceptional background in customer service. Dale grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan which provided him with the hands-on experience to become an integral part of the innovative ideas brought to life at SBW. Dale is credited for his part in co-inventing several items such as the concave for combine harvester, air assisted thresher, concave for a rotary combine and boronizing [a metal workpiece].

Sunnybrook Welding was founded as a family business carried on by Dale and Lorraine. While the ownership group was not all biological family all the time, the comradery of the owners has been as close as family throughout the years and continues today with the values of the current owners, Piet and Kyla.

Steve has over 15 years of experience in the agricultural equipment industry, beginning as a parts counter clerk at the age of sixteen. His career has spanned various roles, including parts manager, service manager, and territory sales manager. A proud Albertan since 2013, Steve enjoys woodworking, fishing, camping, and spending time with his two young sons. He is on a mission to make Sunnybrook Combine Parts the industry leader in threshing and separation of harvesting equipment.

As a Machinist, Jim took pride in manufacturing precision, high-quality products for the customer. His abilities and this attitude won him a position as a Manufacturing Quality Inspector, where he expected the same quality and precision from all the tradespeople on the shop floor.

Here at Sunnybrook Welding, Jim observes that very same attention to detail in the products manufactured. This attitude starts at the top, with ownership and the management team. At Sunnybrook, quality is not just a slogan—it’s the way they do business!

As a new member of the Sunnybrook sales team, Jim feels confident knowing that the team is committed to manufacturing a high-quality product every time.

Jon grew up in the UK and moved to Ontario Canada in 2008, relocating to Alberta in 2024. For most of his working life he has been in technical sales, sales management and project management in the construction, lighting, and pre-engineered agricultural building sectors, with major European manufacturers and distribution agencies. He has worked on projects ranging from McLaren F1, Lamborghini and Buckingham Palace in the UK to the Skylon Tower, Maple Leaf Gardens and Roger’s Centre in Canada. With his hands on attitude Jon has gained an extensive knowledge of mechanical, construction, electrical and engineering practices which has shaped his ability to really help customers identify their requirements and obtain the correct solutions for them. His focus has always been the needs of his customers first by being both a resource and solution finder for them.

When offered the role with Sunnybrook Welding Jon accepted without hesitation, saying “accepting a role with such an innovative, forward thinking, family based and customer focused company” was one of the easiest decisions he’s ever made.

In his spare time Jon is a competitive Barebow archers, winning titles across Europe and North America, he collects knives, practices bushcraft, coaches’ youth soccer, plays golf and enjoys time outdoors with his family.

Deven brings over a decade of experience as a crop inputs agronomist and Ag Retail manager, where he has expertly guided farm producers to optimize crop yields and maximize their investment returns. His expertise includes field scouting, weed and pest identification, and marketing fertilizer commodities.

A Manitoba native, Deven holds an Agribusiness diploma from Assiniboine Community College and has dedicated 15 years to working in Ag retail. Raised on a grain farm, he has firsthand experience with Sunnybrook concaves, utilizing them to enhance the performance of his family's combines. In his free time, Deven enjoys an array of outdoor activities including camping, fishing, golfing, snowmobiling, snowboarding, and farming. He also cherishes spending quality time with his growing family.