Race Car Driver Keeps It 'All in the Family' On and Off the Tracks

By Annette Dawm, WorkStory Ambassador

Joshua “Josh” Stade works as an Estimator and Project Manager for his family owned and operated business, MEI Paving, in his hometown of Chesley, Ontario. In addition, once the racing season begins, Josh can also be seen behind the wheel of #17 on race tracks across the province! At work for Josh, no two days are the same. He loves working with different personnel each day and going through a variety of tasks such as “pricing a job or running equipment. [It’s] not usually the same day to day.”

One constant in Josh’s life is that his family is always by his side and fully supports him, whether it is at work, or throughout his racing career, which he sees as a “hobby”. Josh says that his family has played “a huge role” in his professional life: “They have taught me everything I need to know. There are many things to owning your own business, [like] saving money, pricing jobs, [and] managing staff and money.” The Stade family are a team in every sense of the word and Josh still learns from them every day. Racing late models may be a hobby for them, but there is still a lot of work that goes into this passion, and every member of the Stade family is involved (along with some of their closest friends). As part of “Stade Motorsports”, Josh is the team driver and his dad, Duane is one of the crew chiefs. His mom, Theressa is the main photographer and videographer. Josh’s older sister, Vanessa, as well as his girlfriend, Bailey (pictured with Josh) work together on marketing and promotions while the youngest Stade sibling, Jodie manages prizes and giveaways!

Not every family is as closely knit as the Stade’s, but Josh wishes for more parents to be supportive of their kids when it comes to activities that interest them: “If you can support your kids’ dreams and goals, and they’re willing to work hard for something, [you] should at least give them a chance. My parents got us involved with racing to keep us off the streets and as a result, it has me doing hands-on experience [which helps] me every day. [It’s] as simple as fixing your own personal vehicle. There is more than one benefit to what I have learned throughout my racing. I have had a ton of great driving practice and awareness as well. Parents need to get more involved in their kids’ lives. Too many kids are hanging out on streets, so if they’re willing to work hard for something, support them as much as you can.”

Also in terms of family, Josh has followed in his father’s footsteps by studying Civil Engineering at Georgian College. Additionally, he has also found a family setting on the race tracks: “My favourite tracks are Sunset Speedway and Sauble Speedway” says Josh, because both venues have a “welcoming atmosphere with lots of friends! It brings the racing community together like one, big family—from racing to camping. It's more than being on the track, it's the social aspect as well.”

Josh has won many awards over the years, including “Rookie of the Year” in 2009 and “Most Improved Driver” in 2010, 2011 and 2014. Stade states that his progress “has been all learning curves. My team and I improve more and more each year, and it’s very pleasing to see great results as you grow in the racing sport.”

In the future, Josh would like to give back to his team and his community by winning a championship, but even now, he has reason to celebrate. On May 2, 2015, Stade had his most rewarding experience as a driver so far: “[It was] my first opening travel feature win down at Sunset Speedway. It was big for me because we worked very hard to accomplish that checkered flag and there were 31 race cars on opening night.... Sunset Speedway had just become a NASCAR sanctioned race track, so it was a huge success to go against the best drivers in Ontario and win!”

For anyone out there who has a dream they wish to pursue, Josh Stade offers the following advice: “If you have a dream, you have to chase it. It never comes easy, but that's my lifestyle. Family business and racing is all I do. I spend it alongside great friends and family and work hard for what I want. So, if you have a dream or goal, you have to work hard for it and not let anyone hold you back, because in the end it's going to make you happy and the hard work will pay off!”

To learn more about Josh and his team, click here.

Make Some Noise with Transistor!

By Karli Steen, WorkStory Ambassador

Formed in 2007, and based out of Barrie, Ontario. Transistor is a four member, award-nominated band. They have released two full length albums and are about to release their yet-to-be-named third in 2015, fusing a power-chord rock sound together with blends of blues, punk and country.

 The band's recipe is simple. A hard driving focus and power-filled songs, combine with intricate lyrics, to reveal music that ranges from melodic to heavy. Steve Wishart's vocals twist and turn throughout the songs, weaving an energy of rich harmonies with lead guitarist and backing vocalist Chris Nunes. The group's nucleus is held together by Joel Schonewille's steady rhythms on drums. Bass player Don Lindsay intertwines unorthodox bass lines to bring the songs together. Transistor has performed many shows and appeared at Earth Hour Music Festival, Barrie New Music Fest and Music on Main.

 Behind their unique sound, is a unique career path chosen by each band member. As Steve recounts "All of us have really taken different courses and schooling to get to where we are today. Being an honours graduate of the Georgian College Graphic Design program I have found that my career path has helped to give our band an identity, overall look and appearance. Because of my education, we have merchandise to sell and a website to promote ourselves and a visual presence that we can take pride in.  From an artistic point of view, I can utilize my training to think creatively and outside of the norms to not only brand us, but apply it to other forms of the group such as songwriting or making videos. It's the creativity that allows me to write lyrics to a song or help structure a guitar part. Music is much like design or any kind of art...everyone starts with a blank canvas and as an artist it's up to us to fill it with a picture that others can connect with on whatever level. But in this case our medium is our instruments".

 The band's drummer Joel took Radio Television Arts at Ryerson University. This gave him some audio training in a broadcast domain and an idea of the process radio stations use to select music for their playlists.  Guitarist and backing vocalist, Chris tried out Computer Programming, but never quite finished.  It was in his free time that he learned the art of guitar.

 When asked which school experiences helped the most, lead singer Steve said that he never really excelled in music in school. He didn't like the structure of music teachers assigning the roles played in a band. He wanted to be an individual.  Steve took private music lessons which boosted his confidence. This experience inspired him to learn independently and to decide for himself what role he would play.  Although Chris did not finish his post-secondary program, he notes that the time he spent there was worthwhile: "For the three of us school was our experience that helped define us. It's where we met, forged a friendship and started the roots of our band. Joel, Steve and myself have played together for many years in various bands. In a way, you can consider that a career, as most bands don't last even a quarter of that time together."

 A day on the job can vary, depending on whether the band members are performing or recording.  If they are performing, they have to incorporate extra time to travel, set up equipment, and make sure the instruments are working and sounding right; and then there is the work and effort that comes with putting on a good show.

Recording is a different story, because the band can either work together, or separately. They can work on their sound in the comfort of their own homes, and then come together to make the whole masterpiece. Practices happen once a month, and can last anywhere from 5 to 10 hours. Recording gives the band more time for sleep, and family; but for Chris there is nothing better then when they come over to his place for a jam session, and create new music. 

 There are many rewarding things about being in a band, including the fans, and seeing a song come to life. Steve explains the best part for him: "From a body of work perspective we are about to release our third album, and I always find that fulfilling and exciting...so first and foremost I would say writing the music tops the list. This is followed closely by the atmosphere of being in a band. It's truly like a family at times. Sharing ideas and creative moments right to traveling and performing live and having people listen to your music and like it."

 They admit that they would like to "make it big" with Transistor, but they know the industry is not what it used to be. Nonetheless they will continue making music because it's what they love. When asked for advice for those who may be interested in entering the industry, the band collectively agreed that you can't expect to "get rich quick".  You should make music because you love it; and stay away from today's talent shows that ultimately try to seize creative control.

You can find out more about Transistor at their website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube.

Account Sales Executive