The University of Lethbridge Alumni Association (ULAA) is excited to announce Bill Spenceley (BSc ’81), president and owner of Flexahopper Plastics Ltd., as the 2018 Alumnus of the Year.
“Bill is an exceptional representation of how influential University of Lethbridge alumni are in our community and in communities throughout the world,” says Lyndsay Montina, manager, Alumni Relations. “He is a very successful businessman who has made a huge difference in the plastics industry and, beyond that, has continued to support the University through research partnerships and investments. We’re thrilled to be able to honour him with the Alumnus of the Year.”
Alumnus of the Year – Bill Spenceley
A business leader with a strong research background, alumnus Bill Spenceley (BSc ’81) has guided his local company to worldwide success, all while taking a leading role in environmental sustainability and empowering the next generation of University of Lethbridge students through collaborative projects and ventures.
Spenceley originally planned to be a dentist and was enrolled in the pre-dentistry program when he discovered chemistry was his true calling. After completing his studies in the U of L’s Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, including a joint year of undergraduate work in Chemical Engineering at the University of Alberta, Spenceley took on the role of Director of Design Engineering at Flexahopper Plastics Ltd. In five short years, he was the General Manager/Director of Design Engineering and by 1995 he was President of the company and then principal owner three years later.
During that time, Spenceley grew Flexahopper into one of the largest processors of rotational molding products in the Pacific Northwest, exporting products worldwide from its headquarters in the Lethbridge Industrial Park. Believing that sustainability is good business practice, Spenceley’s company has been at the forefront of environmental initiatives in the plastics industry.
As a proud U of L alumnus, Spenceley often returns to the University to give undergraduate lectures and has served as a judge for the annual Chinook Research Symposium, lending valuable community and industrial perspective to the event. More recently, Spenceley worked closely with members of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry on a successful polymer characterization research grant that will further study of the structure and properties of polymers and be of great benefit to industry. His company’s investment in the process helped secure the grant and bring to life the U of L’s new polymer characterization laboratory, which promises to have a profound impact on the plastics industry in years to come.
Spenceley will be honoured at 2018 Fall Convocation on Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 10 a.m. in the 1st Choice Savings Centre gymnasium.