Greg Houston
President & Chief Executive Officer
Greg Houston is President and Chief Executive Officer of Lakeside – a market leader in the Process Automation industry and a member of the Emerson Impact Partner Network for Central Canada. Greg started his career at Lakeside as an Application Engineer in 1991. Having been with the company for more than 30 years, he has held several sales and management roles, including Vice President and General Manager prior to assuming the role of President and CEO in 2009. Greg’s leadership and deep understanding of Lakeside, its customers and the industry has consolidated the organization’s position as a market leader and led to Lakeside’s consistent growth.
Throughout his tenure, Greg’s approach to organizational and sales development has been integral in expanding Lakeside’s portfolio and capabilities from what once started as a small control valves sales representative in Toronto, to what is now a central-Canada-wide organization providing complete automation solutions from its eight facilities in Ontario and Manitoba. Under his leadership, Greg has led several mergers and acquisitions including Lakeside’s acquisition of Arctic Combustion Ltd. in 2010 – a provider of engineering services related to industrial boiler, combustion and energy optimization solutions, the merger of Controltech into Lakeside’s organization, and the creation of Lakeside Industrial Services Ltd. (today known as Asset Reliability Services). Further strengthening Lakeside’s continuous growth, Greg led the 2014 relocation and opening of Lakeside’s new head office in Mississauga, which doubled in size to 80,000 square feet of office and warehouse space. His endorsement of Lakeside’s recent strategic growth initiative – the new Innovation Service Center of Excellence for production and services in Central Ontario will unlock further growth opportunities and be an excellent compliment to Lakeside’s capabilities at its other facilities.
Greg is a firm believer in the importance of employee engagement and its inherent link to organizational productivity and success. His initiatives have led to Lakeside’s consistent recognition as a platinum member of Canada’s Best Managed Companies since 2002 and earned the distinction for Best Workplaces in Canada for 10 consecutive years.
Greg’s passion for STEM learning has earned him a seat on the Executive Advisory Board of FIRST Robotics Canada. He is also a member of the Upper Credit Humane Society Board of Directors. Greg has been an avid runner for most of his life and has competed in numerous marathons, half marathons and 10 km races. In the summer, Greg spends time at his cottage where he often goes boating with his family, including his dogs Carly and Scout.
Greg is a Professional Engineer in Ontario and holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Business Administration from Athabasca University.
Scott James
executive Vice President, Key Accounts
Scott James holds more than two decades of industry experience and strategic selling capabilities in the Natural Gas Utilities and Nuclear industry. As Vice President of Sales, Scott plays a leading role in Lakeside’s major business opportunities, as well as developing strategies for driving sales, delivering revenue and building long-term customer relationships for Lakeside’s accounts in the natural gas, nuclear and EPC industry. Scott is also responsible for the business development of the mining and OEM key accounts.
Prior to assuming the role of Vice President in 2019, Scott was the Director of Sales, where he worked closely with the Leadership team at Lakeside to ensure continuous and long-term growth opportunities. He was responsible for leading the growth and expansion of the Fabricated Station Business in 2003, that broadened Lakeside’s portfolio. Scott is the recipient of Emerson’s President’s Club Award in 2005, as well as the Sales Leadership Excellence Award in 2015 – recognizing industry professionals demonstrating outstanding sales achievements.
Prior to joining Lakeside, Scott held multiple roles at Union Gas Ltd., including Project Engineer, Utilities Service Manager and Business Development Manager. He joined Lakeside’s Natural Gas Utilities team in 2003 as Account Manager and later became Manager of Nuclear and Natural Gas Utilities in 2016.
Scott is a member of the Canadian Gas Association (CGA) and currently sits on the Operation Supplier and Equipment Contractor’s Committee (OSEC) and the Material Trainability Committee. He is an avid squash player and enjoys golfing during the summer.
Scott is a professional engineer in Ontario and holds a bachelor of engineering in chemical engineering from McMaster University.
Stephanie Enright
Vice President, Talent Management
Stephanie Enright has served as Vice President, Talent Management at Lakeside since January 2022. Starting her career with Lakeside in 2008, Stephanie joined the Human Resources team as a co-op student. She was brought on full-time later that year taking on the role of HR Administrator.
Quickly growing her knowledge and proficiency within human resources, Stephanie became HR Manager in 2010 and expanded her responsibilities in 2015 to include leadership of Lakeside’s administration team. Holding over fourteen years’ experience in human resources and administration management, Stephanie’s responsibilities include developing and implementing Lakeside’s talent management strategy, as well as ensuring the continuous enhancement of organizational capability to create more value for Lakeside’s customers. In 2010, she fronted the development of Lakeside’s Wellness Program – a recipient of Benefit Canada’s Best In-Class Wellness Programming for organizations under 1000 employees; recognizing organizations with innovative health and wellness programs. She regularly shares her knowledge on wellness in the workplace and other talent management best-practices as a public speaker and panel member at various conferences.
Stephanie holds a bachelor’s degree in English and history from the University of Toronto, a certificate in Human Resources Management and a master’s degree in Leadership from the University of Guelph. She is also a certified yoga teacher from Yoga Alliance and enjoys hiking.
Chad Konings
Vice president, Projects, Solutions and Services
After graduating from Lambton College in 1998 with an Advanced Diploma in Instrumentation and Controls Engineering, Chad embarked on his now 25+ year career at Lakeside in our Control System and Automation engineering team. During those early years, Chad developed deep technical expertise by implementing automation projects from design to commissioning and startup. These project experiences embedded his foundational belief in the importance of teamwork and implementation excellence to ensure an outstanding customer experience. Since then, Chad’s career advancement has led him to take on leadership roles such as Project Lead, Service & Engineering Manager, and Sales Leader for the Automation Solutions and Reliability Solutions businesses. In 2019, he was appointed to a Director position on Lakeside’s Leadership team and is now Vice President responsible for leading our Engineering and Services business. In this role, Chad provides strategic direction and guidance in his areas of focus and in enterprise-wide initiatives. He also oversees all our services facilities and most recently lead a team in establishing our new Innovation facility.
Chad is a firm believer in building a strong organization to achieve business results. With a focus on developing our people, he looks to align employees with their strengths to ensure that their personal success is cohesive with the success and growth of Lakeside.
In his personal time, Chad enjoys trying out new recipes in the kitchen and growing an herb and vegetable garden. He also loves hanging out with his wife and two adult sons.
Natalie Wood
Director, Emerson Partnership and Strategic Relationships
Natalie Wood is the Director of Emerson Partnership and Strategic Relationships at Lakeside. She established her career with Lakeside soon after graduating from the University of Western with a Bachelor of Engineering Science in Chemical Engineering. She is a professional engineer in the province of Ontario. Over the course of her career, she has held various roles in the company, allowing her to gain breadth and depth in the industry. Her previous roles at Lakeside include Application Engineer, Automation Solutions Engineer, Inside Sales Management, Sales Management, and Business Operations Management.
Natalie's deep knowledge and understanding of Lakeside's overall business and operations have allowed her to make outstanding contributions at the senior leadership level. As Director of Emerson Partnership and Strategic Relationships, Natalie has developed a robust ecosystem to deliver value to Emerson and our defined business partners. Natalie oversees all Emerson Business Unit activity, relationships, and leadership engagements with Emerson stakeholders. Natalie's responsibilities include the management of Lakeside's Marketing Team and accountability for our Business Operations.
In her role, Natalie leads our Emerson STEM events and focuses on Lakeside's corporate relationships with charitable and community organizations such as FIRST Robotics Canada, Youth Culture, and the Community Foundation of Mississauga. In addition, Natalie is the executive sponsor of Lakeside's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) committee. Natalie is originally from London, Ontario and now lives in Mississauga with her husband and their two boys.
Levi Brown
Director, Business Development
Levi has served Lakeside in his many roles throughout his career. Currently, as Director of Business Development, he is responsible for leading sales & operations strategies and efficiencies within this customer segment.
Responsible for leading Lakeside through its Customer Experience initiative, focused on the needs of the customer, through the lens of experience. Lakeside seeks continuous improvement opportunities for the organization, it's employees and ultimately the served customers. Building on an already established and robust reputation in this space.
Joining the company in 1997as a co-op student, his career progression has led him to take on several roles including Application Engineer, Account Manager, Sales Manager, General Manager to Director. Most significant of his many contributions to Lakeside, are his leadership and direction in the rebranding and transformation of The Valve Automation Center (a former subsidiary that is now a part of Lakeside). Furthermore the strategic leadership of consolidating Lakeside’s existing mechanical portfolio into Final Control and the integration of the newly acquired Pentair’s V&C products impacting new business growth.
In his downtime, Levi enjoys a fit, healthy and active lifestyle taking part in several sports and outdoor activities including hockey, Crossfit, waterskiing, fishing, hiking and hunting. Most activities are a family affair, where Levi, his wife, two daughters and two dogs explore and enjoy together.
More than 22 years of professional experience in the process automation industry, continues to inspire Levi with opportunities to engage with customers and work alongside and facilitate all Lakeside employees collaboratively to resolve customer challenges to build long lasting relationships.
Erik Dickenson
Director, Core accounts
Erik Dickenson assumed the role of Director of Core Accounts in 2024 with a mandate to identify opportunities for strategic growth and evaluate the impact of business initiatives on company performance. Erik joined Lakeside in 2014 as an Application Engineer, having previously completed a 16-month internship. Starting in 2017, Erik would specialize in managing Lakeside’s Steel and Chemical Industry customers as an Account Manager, then Sales Manager, all the while cultivating a solid technical foundation together with insightful industry appreciation.
Erik graduated from McMaster University in 2014 with a degree in Chemical Engineering and is currently pursuing his MBA to augment his technical expertise. His aptitude for customer awareness, financial acumen and people orientation has been instrumental to his leadership contribution in Lakeside’s successful Customer Relationship Management initiatives. Erik will continue to build Lakeside's strategic sales targets and evaluate profitability programs to ensure long-term growth. Erik continues to expand his professional network across Emerson and the Impact Partner Network with regular involvement in Emerson and Strategic Growth Partner events. He has a life-long passion for STEM and is an advocate for removing barriers and educating the next generation of talent in our industry.
Erik believes a healthy active lifestyle is essential to be your best self, both personally and professionally. He enjoys a rigorous exercise regime, is a cycling enthusiast and has raced competitively. He loves to spend time with his family outdoors at every opportunity, especially at the cottage, doing anything and everything on land or the lake.