Tag: people

Meet Matt Fisher – Guidance and Oversight

Posted on by Keri-Ann

Meet Matt Fisher - Guidance and oversight

Matt serves as the Chief Legal Officer of The Metrontario Group, which is the parent organization of AnyWay Solutions. In this capacity, he plays a key role in overseeing a diverse range of business ventures within the Metrontario Group’s extensive portfolio. These ventures span various industries, including residential and commercial real estate development and management, nuclear medicine, marine agriculture and consulting engineering for climate resiliency, to name just a few. 

Matt has played an active role in AnyWay Solutions since its inception over 25 years ago, having co-founded the company alongside Zeevik Halber, the CEO, and Alex Campbell, the Director of Engineering. Throughout his career, Matt has thrived on the camaraderie and shared sense of humor that exists within the company. He values the close-knit, eclectic team of employees who are spread out across the globe, working together to achieve their common goals. 

One of Matt’s most cherished memories from his work with AnyWay Solutions dates back to a project in the early years of the company. AnyWay played a critical role in building soil block homes for a struggling community located just outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. This experience was particularly impactful for Matt as he witnessed firsthand the difference that his team’s work could make in the lives of people in developing regions. It was a defining moment that shaped his understanding of the positive social impact that the company could have. 

Since that pivotal project, AnyWay Solutions has continued to contribute to numerous infrastructure projects in developing regions around the world. The company remains committed to its mission of connecting communities through the development of infrastructure that prioritizes both accessibility and climate resilience. As the team moves forward, it continues to innovate and expand its reach, always striving to make a lasting impression on the communities it serves. 

Looking ahead, Matt is excited about the prospect of further expanding AnyWay Solutions into new countries and regions. “I’m confident that our people will continue to forge meaningful relationships and have a positive impact, wherever we go,” he says, reflecting on the company’s promising future. 

Matt Fisher headshot

Meet Alfer Parreño – A Rising Star

Posted on by Keri-Ann

Meet Alfer Parreño - A Rising Star

Alfer Parreno is a Design Engineer at AnyWay Solutions and the newest member of the team. He was drawn to AnyWay after learning about their climate resiliency solutions in developing nations, and about the innovative engineering projects designed to make transport infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of climate change. 
 
Alfer earned his Civil Engineering degree from the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos in the Philippines and became a licensed Civil Engineer in 2021. After completing his studies, he worked at the Philippines’ Department of Public Works and Highways before joining AnyWay in July. 

At AnyWay, Alfer appreciates the learning opportunities provided to him and is always eager to enhance his skillset. He enjoys working on a diverse range of projects around the world, solving unique engineering challenges, and learning from a team of experts. Alfer embraces using new technologies such as Lidar, satellite data, and AI. He enjoys finding ways to integrate these digital tools into engineering solutions to solve clients’ problems while streamlining workflows. 
 
As a young engineer, Alfer finds great satisfaction in seeing his projects come to life. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see how the bridges, roads, and flood mitigation structures I’ve helped create improve people’s lives,” he says. 

Alfer believes that communication and listening are key to both personal and team success. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, exploring new places, and photography. 

Looking ahead, Alfer is committed to helping AnyWay provide climate-resilient solutions to clients, particularly in remote areas of the world. He looks forward to continuing his work with developing countries to provide long-lasting solutions for transport infrastructure and flood mitigation. “The continuous improvement of satellite data, along with advancements in AI, gives us the opportunity to take a data-driven approach to remote locations that lack reliable data. I hope to see this technology continue to improve,” he says. Optimistic about the future, Alfer believes that technology will play a critical role in accelerating climate resilience efforts, enabling communities to adapt and recover from the impacts of climate change. 

Alfer1

Meet the Team – Herb

Posted on by Keri-Ann

Meet Herbert Betz – Bridging the gap

Herb Betz represents AnyWay Solutions in the Philippines. His connection with AnyWay began in 2008 while he was working in Bentiu, South Sudan. Over the years, Herb and AnyWay collaborated to develop the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) base, specifically for Rotary Wing assets. Fast forward to today, Herb continues to work with AnyWay as part of a team in the Philippines, where he focuses on introducing climate-resilient transport infrastructure solutions to government agencies and local partners.

Herb values the family-like culture and tight-knit community at AnyWay. He appreciates the team’s dedication, the multicultural diversity, and the valuable insights he gains from the many leaders within the company.

In his current role, Herb is committed to bringing AnyWay’s solutions to the communities in the Philippines that would benefit from them the most. He describes his work as “bridging the gap”—understanding the challenges the Philippines faces in connecting to outside markets and leveraging AnyWay’s solutions to address these issues. With a strong focus on the effects of climate change, Herb is dedicated to finding solutions that can help Filipino communities become more resilient, especially in the face of recurring flooding. Herb feels that his role is a natural fit because he is passionate about environmental issues and poverty. As he puts it, “No child should go hungry, and every child needs a home. Climate change will create more climate refugees in the future, so we must find solutions now.”

One of Herb’s most memorable experiences was meeting AnyWay’s current CEO, Zeevik Halber, and the team in Tel Aviv during their early work days on the first South Sudan road. He deeply values the trust and friendships he’s built with the company over the years. “I feel blessed to work with this organization and lead the team in the Philippines,” he says.

Outside of work, Herb is motivated by his family and his faith. He enjoys golfing and spending time outdoors, especially in the Philippines, which he describes as one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, with over 7,000 islands to explore. “If I have my family with me, it’s the best,” he says.

Herb believes that his success is found when the team succeeds. He looks forward to continuing to help the country and his company achieve greater success in the years to come.

Meet Alex Campbell

Posted on by Keri-Ann

Meet Alex Campbell - An AnyWay Trailblazer

Alex Campbell is the Director of Engineering Solutions at AnyWay, with a history that traces back to the early 2000s in South Africa. As one of the original employees, he was instrumental in the company’s early development. His career began with a degree in Chemistry from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, followed by a transition to environmental geochemistry at the University of Cape Town. He eventually undertook grad work in engineering at the University of Waterloo which completed the professional tools he needed to thrive within the transport infrastructure industry with a multidisciplinary background that includes chemistry, geochemistry, and engineering. This diverse foundation has enabled him to tackle challenges from various perspectives.

Starting at AnyWay when the team was still small, Alex was able to engage in multiple aspects of the company. Over the years, his role has evolved, and he has become a crucial member of the consulting services team. “I have seen AnyWay grow and am excited to see where it will end up,” he says.

Alex is passionate about working in developing regions, where he can make a tangible difference. The combination of travel, experiencing new cultures, and solving unique challenges makes his career fulfilling. He values the opportunity to bring positive change to communities and believes that listening, reflecting, and providing thoughtful input are essential skills he brings to his projects and teams.

Throughout his long career at AnyWay, Alex cherishes memories from his early trips to Israel. More recently, he takes pride in his work in Papua New Guinea, where he and his team have improved roads and rehabilitated critical infrastructure for local communities. “To have the opportunity to make a positive impact on people’s lives is pretty cool,” he adds.

Travel is a theme that extends into Alex’s personal life as well. He loves experiencing different sceneries, cultures, and cuisines. An avid golfer with a handicap of 4, he also enjoys spending his summers at his off-grid island cottage in Canada.

Looking ahead, Alex is excited to continue advancing AnyWay’s solutions, incorporating consulting engineering services and new technologies like AI to help clients achieve their goals more efficiently while contributing to AnyWay’s growth and success.

Meet Neil Dale

Posted on by Keri-Ann

Meet Neil Dale - A passionate and pragmatic engineer and road designer

Neil Dale is a Design Engineer at AnyWay Solutions. Known for his rational thinking and practical approaches to problem-solving, Neil is leading the design team to maximize impacts and minimize risks on projects. During his 11 years at AnyWay, Neil has gone from implementing solutions of pavement rehabilitation through stabilization, working in the field, conducting both quality control and training of local workforce, contractors, operators and engineers, to leading the development of design capabilities of AnyWay and designing larger projects.

As someone who naturally enjoys travel and working in different countries, the career he has found with AnyWay is a perfect match for him. While recalling one of his proudest moments at AnyWay, Neil remembered how he was driving along a road he had previously worked on ten years ago. The portion of the road that he had diligently spent his time on, as part of the AnyWay team, was still in great shape, while other nearby roads, not designed and upgraded by the AnyWay team, had noticeably deteriorated. The roads where Neil has left his stamp are a reflection of his conscientious nature.

Looking forward, Neil wants to tackle new challenges related to transport infrastructure in developing nations. He hopes to see reliable data sources available in those countries so that projects can be more efficient and help improve resiliency against climate events.  

When not at work, Neil can be found at his home in Capetown, South Africa, enjoying fishing, diving, and hunting. He is passionate about nature conservation and describes himself as an open book, transparent, and telling it like it is. 

Neil Joined AnyWay solutions as a young engineer straight from the Stellenbosch University and has developed both personally and professionally to be an exceptional team member that will continue to lead on with AnyWay for many years to come.

 

Meet Dereje Tesfu – A Diligent Site Engineer

Posted on by Keri-Ann

Meet Dereje Tesfu - A Diligent Site Engineer​

Dereje Tesfu is a Project Coordinator on the AnyWay team. In his role, he is responsible for supervision, coordination, and quality control of transport infrastructure projects which AnyWay has designed. He diligently oversees that the constructed projects meet the design specifications and clients’ vision. His career started in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he worked as a Project Manager for the Addis Ababa  City Roads Authority (AACRA). It is through his work with AACRA  that he got to supervise projects that AnyWay designed and implemented its stabilization technology and technique for the upgrade of roads within the city. The connection with the AnyWay team and personnel has led to his joining AnyWay in 2014. Since then, he has amassed 17 completed projects under his belt in different continents across the world.

Above everything else, what Dereje enjoys most about his job is overcoming the day-to-day challenges. Every day on site is different – from the vendors and contractors you are working with to the geographic or weather conditions. His favourite part about his job is seeing a project through and the satisfaction he gets when the project is completed and he can see the difference that’s been made in the community.  Not only does he value the impacts that his projects have on the communities but personally, he enjoys participating in community outreach programs on behalf of AnyWay.

Dereje values each team member that he encounters and believes that that each individual person  contributes to the overall team success. He enjoys getting to know his colleagues from different cultures and backgrounds and learn what they are about. He believes it is through positive intentions, respect and an open mind where you can really learn from each other and get to know the unique talents and special contributions that each team member brings.

Even with a successful career, the accomplishments Dereje has outside of his work are his proudest. He is a husband and father to three children. At home, you can catch Dereje spending time with his family or relaxing reading a good book. In the future, he aspires to continue to learn as engineering technologies advance. He also aspires to grow personally by continuing to build on his communication skills, learn from others and share the knowledge he has.

For more than two decades, AnyWay has been a global expert in providing climate-resilient solutions to the global transport infrastructure industry. AnyWay is a member of the Canadian Metrontario Group of Companies, with over 75 years of business experience. Its total commitment to quality is what has fueled AnyWay’s success.

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