Jillian Morison ’81, Robb Webb ’74 and Patrick Bermingham...
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to English with Bryan Wylie and art with Graham Clements. “I spent the rest of my time daydreaming and inventing things,” Patrick recalls. “The teachers gave me a sense of self-confidence which has served me very well in life.” Despite describing himself as “not academically gifted,” Patrick won both the McMaster Science Fair and Stagecraft Award while a student at HSC. He thanks his teachers for believing in him. “It was as if they knew I had some hidden potential, for which they had not yet devised the proper sort of exam.” After graduation, Patrick studied at Queen’s University before moving abroad to attend St. Martin’s School of Art in London, England. Today, he is an accomplished sculptor, painter and inventor with a number of patents and inventions to his credit. He has also held shows of his paintings at galleries in Toronto and Washington, D.C., as well as completing public sculpture commissions. In addition to his many artistic accomplishments, Patrick is a successful entrepreneur. His company, Bermingham Construction Ltd. in Hamilton, is Canada’s most experienced foundation contractor. They specialize in building foundations for infrastructure, and design and manufacture specialty equipment for the energy, mining, and construction sectors. He has grown his fourth-generation family business exponentially by instituting employee ownership and hiring professional management. This model has allowed Patrick to focus on developing technologies. His contributions to engineering earned him the Martin Kapp Foundation Engineering Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1996 and, in 2008, Patrick was honoured by Ernst & Young with an Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Under his guidance, Bermingham Construction has become a global leader in its field and was acquired by French company Vinci. As he accepted his Alumni Hall of Excellence Award, Patrick was quick to encourage students to follow his lead and pursue what they love. “My advice is to focus on your unique abilities,” said Patrick. “Don’t worry about the things you are not perfect or exceptional at. Try and become really good at a few things, and then find other people who are good at what you are not.” Jillian Morison ’81, Robb Webb ’74 and Patrick Bermingham ’78 with the 2015-16 Prefects, Alumni Association President Erica Otaguro ’07 and Head of College Marc Ayotte. 23
Transcript of Jillian Morison ’81, Robb Webb ’74 and Patrick Bermingham...
to English with Bryan Wylie and art with Graham Clements.
“I spent the rest of my time daydreaming and inventing things,” Patrick recalls. “The teachers gave me a sense of self-confidence which has served me very well in life.”Despite describing himself as “not academically gifted,” Patrick won both the McMaster Science Fair and Stagecraft Award while a student at HSC. He thanks his teachers for believing in him.
“It was as if they knew I had some hidden potential, for which they had not yet devised the proper sort of exam.”
After graduation, Patrick studied at Queen’s University before moving abroad to attend St. Martin’s School of Art in London, England. Today, he is an accomplished sculptor, painter and inventor with a number of patents
and inventions to his credit. He has also held shows of his paintings at galleries in Toronto and Washington, D.C., as well as completing public sculpture commissions.
In addition to his many artistic accomplishments, Patrick is a successful entrepreneur. His company, Bermingham Construction Ltd. in Hamilton, is Canada’s most experienced foundation contractor. They specialize in building foundations for infrastructure, and design and manufacture specialty equipment for the energy, mining, and construction sectors. He has grown his fourth-generation family business exponentially by instituting employee ownership and hiring professional management.
This model has allowed Patrick to focus on developing technologies. His contributions to engineering
earned him the Martin Kapp Foundation Engineering Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1996 and, in 2008, Patrick was honoured by Ernst & Young with an Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Under his guidance, Bermingham Construction has become a global leader in its field and was acquired by French company Vinci.
As he accepted his Alumni Hall of Excellence Award, Patrick was quick to encourage students to follow his lead and pursue what they love.
“My advice is to focus on your unique abilities,” said Patrick. “Don’t worry about the things you are not perfect or exceptional at. Try and become really good at a few things, and then find other people who are good at what you are not.”
Jillian Morison ’81, Robb Webb ’74 and Patrick Bermingham ’78 with the 2015-16Prefects, Alumni Association President Erica Otaguro ’07 and Head of College Marc Ayotte.
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