HSPP Opens a New Manufacturing Location in Thorold, Ontario.

Mississauga, ON, August 4, 2023 – High Strength Plates & Profiles Inc. (HSPP) is excited to announce the
opening of a new 91,980-square-foot production facility based in Thorold, Ontario, expanding its capacity
for processing and distributing high-strength and abrasion-resistant steel. The Thorold facility adds a third location to HSPP’s existing manufacturing presence in Mississauga, Ontario, and Sudbury, Ontario.
“We have been operating at capacity over the last few years,” said Jason Brock, President of HSPP. “We
knew we had to expand. The Thorold location is a great strategic fit, featuring on-site transloading for
rail as well as good access to marine transportation offered by the Thorold Multimodal Hub, further
strengthening our supply chain connections. The new facility increases our overall corporate footprint to
173,000 square feet, and gives us room to expand inventory, add equipment, and take on more work in a
way that we could not do before.”


With HSPP’s new location comes a new suite of production equipment such as the industry’s latest
high-powered plasma and oxyfuel cutting machinery, new cranes, and new machining and brake-forming
equipment. Once all the equipment is installed, the location is expected to add 40-50 new jobs to the City
of Thorold, which is fantastic news to Terry Ugulini, Mayor of Thorold.


“Bringing back jobs is so important,” said Mayor Ugulini. “This is exciting because we’ve always been building homes in this area. Residential growth was booming. Now we’re getting the traction on the commercial/industrial side. We’re starting to see that take place and that’s great for jobs, it’s great for the tax base, it’s not only great for the City of Thorold but the Niagara Region as a whole.”


The Thorold Multimodal Hub is a 500-acre multimodal industrial complex adjacent to the Welland
Canal. HSPP is the latest tenant to locate at the southern (Hayes Road) campus, a former automotive
manufacturing facility which has been repurposed for modern industry, helping to breathe new life into
Southern Ontario’s manufacturing sector. The redevelopment and consolidation of several brownfield
industrial sites into a modern industrial cluster at the Thorold Hub is a partnership of BMI Group and
HOPA Ports. To-date, more than 25 companies have located at the Hub, and the partners are thrilled to
welcome HSPP.


Said Justus Veldman, BMI Group Managing Partner, “When you see these buildings that have been
abandoned for so many years, seeing that first lick of paint, the new lights being installed and… you can
imagine that 15 or 20 years ago there were 400 people working here, just being able to contribute… and
do good in the time that we’re given on this planet is a great feeling.”


In contrast to all the newness, a familiar face within the HSPP family will be at the helm in Thorold:
Trevor Thatcher, General Manager at HSPP’s Mississauga location, will be the General Manager of the
new facility. To support its Thorold operations, HSPP is looking to recruit a team of crane operators, CNC
machine operators, and CAD programmers. Applicants can apply with their resume and cover letter to
[email protected].

About High Strength Plates & Profiles Inc.
Founded in 1985, High Strength Plates & Profiles Inc. (HSPP) has grown into one of Canada’s top
suppliers of high-strength and abrasion-resistant steel products. The company’s product specialization
and of years of experience have allowed HSPP to pioneer and implement value-added solutions for all its
clients’ steel needs in these specialty products. Between HSPP’s consolidated range of in-house services
and three manufacturing facilities, the company is the ideal one-stop-shop solution for both product
engineers and purchasers of high-strength and abrasion-resistant steel plates, sheets and parts.

Renee Bulger, CPA, CGA

Vice President, Finance

Renee assumed the role of Vice President, Finance after having served as Director of Finance since 2023.

Renee joined the Hamilton Port Authority in 2006 as a General Accountant and was promoted to Controller in 2018. She was previously a member of the Board of Directors for the Hamilton Conservation Foundation from 2017 to 2020.

Renee received her Honours Bachelor of Commerce from Laurentian University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.

Larissa Fenn

Vice President, Corporate Affairs

Larissa Fenn is Vice President, Corporate Affairs at HOPA Ports, leading a team responsible for communications and government relations, sustainability reporting, corporate governance and corporate culture.

Previous positions included communications and public policy roles at the Canadian Bankers Association, Credit Valley Conservation Authority, and the Regional Municipality of Halton.

Larissa holds a B.A.(Hons) in Political Science from Queen’s University. She holds the APR designation from the Canadian Public Relations Society, and completed the Senior Public Sector Leaders program at the University of Western Ontario, Ivey School of Business. Larissa has served as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Royal Botanical Gardens, and as a member of the Policy Council of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.

Bill Fitzgerald

Vice President, Strategic Development

Bill assumed the role of Vice President, Strategic Development in 2024, after having served as HOPA’s Vice President, Operations since 2008.

Bill joined the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority in July 1995 as Project Engineer. He previously worked with the Regional Municipality of Ottawa’s Transportation Department, as well as for the Toronto Transit Commission and the City of Waterloo.

Bill received a Bachelor of Applied Science, civil engineering / water resources, in 1995 from the University of Waterloo and registered with the Professional Engineers of Ontario in 1997.

Jeremy Dunn

Vice President, Operations

Jeremy assumed the role of Vice President, Operations in 2024 after having served as HOPA’s Commercial Vice President since 2019. Prior to joining HOPA, Jeremy served in successive leadership roles at The Miller Group, one of Canada’s leading transportation construction and infrastructure maintenance companies. Jeremy has managed multiple business groups in the heavy construction, asphalt paving and aggregates sectors driving results through business restructuring, service improvement and strategic growth. In his most recent role, Jeremy served as General Manager of Miller Maintenance, responsible for managing and growing Miller’s highway maintenance business in Ontario.

Previous to The Miller Group, Jeremy held the position of Director of Operations for the Dunn Group of Companies.

Jeremy earned his Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) through Queen’s University. He also holds a Master’s Certificate in Project Management.

Janet Knight

Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer for the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority since 2008, Janet joined the HPA in 1998 as Accounting Supervisor and subsequently served as Controller.

Prior to joining the HPA, Janet held the position of Financial Analyst with St. Joseph’s Hospital, as well as various positions, including Marketing Communications/Research Lead with Zeneca Agro. Janet graduated from McMaster University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Commerce. She attained the professional designation of Certified Management Accountant in 1992.

Ian Hamilton

President & CEO

Ian Hamilton is President & CEO of HOPA Ports (Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority). He assumed this role in 2017, after serving as the Port Authority’s Vice President of Business Development and Real Estate since 2008. Ian has been instrumental in developing working waterfronts in Hamilton, Oshawa, and Niagara by attracting new business and private investment, and creating an integrated marine network across Southern Ontario.

Ian possesses more than 25 years of experience in international transportation and logistics in Europe and North America, and has held progressively senior positions in the liner shipping industry, including Transatlantic Trade Director (Europe) for CP Ships and Business Development Manager for Hapag-Lloyd. Ian is Chairperson of the Association of Canadian Port Authorities, and holds positions on various other boards, including: the Chamber of Marine Commerce, the Hamilton Club, and Brigs Youth Sail Training.

Ian holds an MBA from Aston University (UK) and a BSc in business administration and economics from the College of Charleston, South Carolina.