about
Meet Sandalwood’s senior level team of experts.
Michael Butts
Operations
What is your favorite food? Meat-based omelet
What book are you currently reading? The Man in the High Tower
If you were a world leader what would you change? Simplify taxes
What can you simply not resist? Nothing I’d admit to
What is the first thing you do when you wake up/start your day? Call the dogs up on the bed
Francesco Costa
Systems Integration
Who would you most like to meet and why? An honest politician because I already know what a unicorn looks like.
What do you do for fun? Nothing…doing nothing is fun…
Any hidden talents? Ability to stop bullets with chest hair.
Best advice anyone has given you? Yellow snow is fine if you dig deep enough.
What can you simply not resist? Answering questions asked by co-workers in an email.
Rhea de Verteuil
Continuous Improvement
What is your favorite food? Pizza
What book are you currently reading? Better than Before – Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives
Any hidden talents? I’m a pretty good ping pong player
What can you simply not resist? Peanut M&M’s
What is the first thing you do when you wake up/start your day? Go to the gym
Pam Dwyer
Injury Prevention
What is your favorite food? Mac and Cheese
What do you do for fun? Playing with my daughter and husband.
Best advice anyone has given you? Treat others as you would like to be treated.
What can you simply not resist? Cheesecake
Most famous person you met? Prince Charles (seriously!)
Rosolino Gaglio
Systems Integration
What is your favorite food? Food in general, but Italian food is the highest on my list.
Who would you most like to meet and why? Leonardo da Vinci, because he was an Italian polymath whose areas of interest included invention, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, history and cartography.
What do you do for fun? I like to camp and hunt.
What can you simply not resist? Donuts!
Most famous person you met? Chris Chelios, I met him at opening day of a Detroit Tigers game back in 2008 – great guy!
Kali Gawinski
Injury Prevention
What do you do for fun? Run, bike and explore!
Best advice anyone has given you? Find a career doing something you are proud of and that you enjoy
What can you simply not resist? An athletic competition – darts, frisbee or a good old fashioned race, count me in!
Who would you most like to have dinner with? Zadie Smith is one of my favorite authors – I’d like to sit down with her. And Glenn Jimmerson, on the Sandalwood team, he tells the best stories!
What is the first thing you do when you wake up? I like to wake up early and start my day with coffe, a bowl of oatmeal and the newspaper.
Interested in joining our team?
Shawn Henderlong
President, Sandalwood Engineering & Ergonomics
Who would you most like to meet and why? Condoleezza Rice. I’d like to get her insight on politics, leadership and life.
What book are you currently reading? American Icon by Bryce Hoffman
Any hidden talents? Accomplished Handyman
What can you simply not resist? Chocolate chip cookies
Favorite meal? Steak, salad, and a beer with family/friends.
Kelly Hogan
Injury Prevention
What is your favorite food? Popcorn
Who would you most like to meet and why? Oprah Winfrey – so many reasons, to discuss her humanitarian endeavours, her approach to success, her spirituality and view of the world, even to ask her what it was like to meet Liz Taylor and Maya Angelou.
If you were a world leader what would you change? Put more women in decision-making positions.
Any hidden talents? The ability to remember stupid trivia and win games with it.
What can you simply not resist? Movie theatre popcorn with lots of butter.
Paul Lagroix
Systems Integration
What is your favorite food? I love nachos with melted cheese.
What do you do for fun? I love traveling and golfing in my spare time. Even better when I can combine the two!
If a genie gave you a wish what would you wish for? For the ongoing health and happiness of my children.
Who would you most like to have dinner with? Bill Clinton, I still find him interesting and I think he’d have great stories.
Most famous person you met? I met Arnold Palmer on a buddies golf trip last year.
Dan Mines
Injury Prevention
Who would you most like to meet and why? Andre Agassi. I’m a huge tennis fan and I’d love to hear about his life on and off the court! People also say we look alike!
What do you do for fun? I like to go backcountry camping with my best friends and leave my phone in the car.
Best advice anyone has given you? Run your own race!
What can you simply not resist? Ice cream – mint chocolate chip or classic vanilla!
What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Turn on my kettle and make coffee in my Aeropress!!
Ed Opie
Systems Engineering
What do you do for fun? Fly-fishing, and beer and wine tastings
If you were a world leader what would you change? You could not pay me enough to be a world leader.
Any hidden talents? Riding a unicycle
Best advice anyone has given you? If you are going to step on someone’s toes then do it without taking the shine off of their shoes.
Most famous person you met? Bozo the Clown
Catherine Rae
President, Sandalwood of Canada
What is your favorite food? Chocolate
What book are you currently reading? Just finished The Nightingale – it was one of the best books I have read in a long time!
Best advice anyone has given you? Don’t sweat the things you can’t control. Focus on the things you can.
What can you simply not resist? Chocolate
Most famous person you met? Mike Myers at the Rivoli in Toronto – during his Austin Powers days!
Matthew Steigerwald
Systems Engineering
What is your favorite food? Potato chips – they contain most of the major food groups (carbs, fat, salt) and go with any meal.
Who would you most like to meet and why? My great-grandchildren, to torment them with timeless advice.
What do you do for fun? Torment my daughter (“Lily, you have to believe me. Everything I say is a lie”)
Any hidden talents? No, the few talents I have I try to advertise as widely as possible.
Best advice anyone has given you? If at first you don’t succeed – try, try again (my grandmother).
Nancy Twisselman
Systems Engineering
What is your favorite food? Canja
Who would you most like to meet and why? Elis Regina – the best female singer ever
What do you do for fun? Listen to Musica Popular Brasileira
Best advice anyone has given you? The best things in life aren’t things
What can you simply not resist? A full moon
Mike Vitek
Systems Engineering
What is your favorite food? Yogurt with granola
What do you do for fun? Watch my children play sports
If a genie gave you a wish what would you wish for? More time!
Who would you most like to have dinner with? My wife
What is the first thing you do when you wake up/start your day? Get my kids out of bed.
