Get ready for more great stories than ever before
Techlife was created in 2007 to be the face of NAIT’s new brand, launched the same year.
At the time, post-secondary magazines were typically inward-looking newsletters with little appeal to readers without first-hand experience of the institutions. We wanted to tell stories relevant to a broader audience.
So we asked alumni, friends and supporters of NAIT what they wanted to see from a NAIT magazine.
You told us you wanted to read about people, technology and how it impacts your daily lives, and what NAIT is doing around the world and at home on the innovation and applied research fronts. You wanted lifestyle content like recipes, tips and expert advice.
We responded with a mission to tell stories that were entertaining and compelling enough to appeal to alumni and non-alumni, and that built pride in the diverse and interesting impacts made by members of the NAIT community on the lives of Albertans and beyond.
We responded with a mission to tell stories that were entertaining and compelling.
We featured an Indigenous chief and a premier and a transgender activist. We talked to adventurers, researchers, environmentalists and heaps of entrepreneurs. We marked the departure of one NAIT president and introduced another. We celebrated the polytechnic’s 50th anniversary. We even earned some awards along the way.
Eleven years later, we’re responding again to the preferences of our audience. Reading habits have changed; digital and social media have opened up a new world in which to publish and share stories in a timely fashion.
The fall 2018 issue of techlife magazine will be the final edition in print. We’ve consolidated all of our storytelling here, at techlifetoday.ca. If you don't already, you can subscribe to the newsletter, follow our social feeds and share your favourite stories with your networks, quickly and easily.
Other than that, however, little has changed. We continue the tradition we started in 2007, profiling alumni, staff and students who are at the forefront of change, taking risks, building careers, and, in some cases, changing lives.
Our final cover story looks at how changes in cannabis legislation was the opportunity Elise Coppens (Marketing ’10) was looking for. Coppens is a pioneer in the Canadian industry, working to change cannabis culture here and around the world.
Changing the male-dominated culture of the skilled trades may seem tough, but the #MeToo movement has opened the door for women like Megan Shechosky (Heavy Equipment Technician ’18) and Nicole Mahoney (Ironworker ’06), and men like Arden Callsen (Ironworker ’16) and Malcolm Haines (Sheet Metal Worker ’94), to change attitudes and behaviours.
Jerrid Grimm’s company, Pressboard, is using one of the oldest forms of communication – storytelling – to change the way brands advertise. Grimm (Marketing '00) is on a mission to kill the banner ad by using stories to better connect brands with consumers.
Techlife may cease to arrive in your mailbox, but great stories can still be found in your inbox.
On behalf of the entire techlife team, I want to express our appreciation to all of you who have read the magazine, sent us your comments and feedback and been part of our continuing journey.
