It’s hard to move on from familiarity… To picture life without the traditions and routines that keep our everyday lives chugging along. But change challenges us and drives us forward—something True North Solutions’ Electrical Technologist, Daniel Kelemen, has learned to embrace for decades.

Daniel’s life was marked by change and adaptation from a young age. Born in Hungary, Daniel moved to Canada with his immediate family when he was just 10 years old. While his early life in Hungary was filled with the warmth of family and the familiarity of home, his new chapter in Calgary required immense courage and a willingness to start life over again.

While the initial years in Canada were tough, Daniel faced the challenge of learning new customs and a new language head-on. It didn’t hurt that he found himself in a welcoming and supportive environment. “I distinctly remember being in grade four and everyone being super excited and interested in where I was from,” he says. His classmates and teachers played a crucial role in helping him adjust, lending an extra hand on tests, and becoming fast friends in a world that was so new to him.

Daniel became accustomed to life in Calgary, and his academic journey led him to pursue an Electrical Engineering Technologist diploma at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). It was here that he first encountered True North’s Bob Reitenbach during a hiring fair on campus. “It had been a very welcoming and friendly environment for me so far in school, and Bob presented True North as the same,” says Daniel. The company’s commitment to training and nurturing new talent resonated with him, and he joined the team shortly after graduation in 2012.

Over the first few years, Daniel quickly became an indispensable part of the team. His responsibilities spanned a wide range, from electrical engineering design and drafting to document control and project management. “In the beginning, it was basically just me in the electrical group,” he says. “I think I held down the fort pretty well for a while there.”

This experience, though challenging, showcased Daniel’s resilience and capability, earning him respect and recognition within the company. As his team grew, he played a crucial role in helping new hires acclimate and succeed. “I’m not necessarily training them but helping them get on board and familiarizing them with how things work,” he says.

Daniel’s experiences of adaptation and learning have equipped him with the empathy and skills to support others — just as he’s been supported at True North since the beginning.

As the company continues to grow and with the recent sale to Accenture, Daniel is excited about the future. The company’s steady expansion and diversification of projects promise new challenges and learning opportunities. “We’ve grown, and our projects have become more complex. It’s a great opportunity to keep learning new things,” he says. “It’s never been a boring day at work.”

For Daniel, True North is more than just a workplace — it’s the second family he needed after leaving much of his own back home. The welcoming and inclusive culture that initially attracted him has only grown stronger over the years. It’s something Daniel cherishes deeply, reminiscent of the support he received during his early days in Canada.

In Daniel’s life, the threads of his personal and professional experiences are tightly woven together, each influencing and enriching the other. His story is not just about a career but about finding a place to belong and grow—where challenges are met with support, and success is a shared journey.