Founder
President, CA, CPA
Vice President
Engineering Manager, P. Eng
Controller, BA, Accountant
Plant Manager
Operations Manager
Neil has been with the family business since 1964, a business founded by Neil’s father, Otto Carlson. Over the 57-year leadership of the business, Neil grew the company from 35 employees and sales of $500,000 to a team of 350 with sales of more than $50 million. After the divestiture of a division of the business to New Flyer Group Inc. in 2017, the Carlson Group of Companies is now composed of three companies; Carlson Engineered Composites Inc., Carlson Commercial and Industrial Services Ltd., offering commercial painting and sandblasting; and Carlson Truck Outfitters, a leading installer of spray-in box liners and truck accessories.
Neil was the recipient of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) Hall of Fame 2017. Among other roles, he is a past Chair of the Construction Labour Relation Council, Past Chair of the Trade Section - Winnipeg Construction Association and was awarded the Insignia of Commander of the Royal Order of the Polar Star Sweden. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Swedish Council of America and since 1980, has served as Honorary Consul of Sweden.
Chad began his career as a public accountant obtaining his Certified Professional Accounting designation at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, handling large and small clients. He chose this field out of a desire to gain hands-on experience at all levels of business which he now uses at the Eastside Group, where he started in 2007.
Now, after 10 years with the Eastside Group of Companies, the Eastside team has successfully seen the Eastside Group expand its market share, diversify into new industries and develop a high performing management team. Chad believes the Eastside Group has sustained its success for three key reasons: “We are committed to quality”, “We put the customer first”, “Our people are what make Eastside what it is today”.
Chad is proud of the Eastside team at each of its divisions, grateful for the customers who have remained committed to us over the years, and thankful for our suppliers whose partnerships we value greatly, and who have been supportive of our growth and development.
Vice President
Garth began his career in composites over 25 years ago producing FRP composite parts for a leading North America bus/coach manufacturer. During this time, he gained valuable hands-on experience in all areas of producing high quality FRP components including production, designing, prototyping and tool building.
Due to his desire and enthusiasm for composites, Garth joined a global leader in the manufacturing and distribution of raw materials for the composites industry in 2001. Garth started out in sales which allowed him to work with several composite manufacturers providing products, technical support and training. During this time, he gained vast knowledge in composites and played a vital role in the transition from open molded parts to closed mold which allowed his customers to produce parts more efficiently and consistently. Through teamwork, multitasking and leadership Garth worked his way up to Branch Manager for Western Canada in 2014.
Eastside was a customer of Garth’s for 15 years. During this time Eastside grew to become a world class provider of composites parts and coatings supplying some of the world’s largest OEM’s. Eastside’s approach to business - quality, transparency and the customer comes first outlook - is what contributed to this success. In 2017 when the opportunity presented itself to join the Eastside team, Garth became Business Development Manager for Eastside Industrial Coatings and Composites.
Anthony started with Eastside in 2022. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from machining, composites production and design, facilities design, and vehicle manufacturing. Anthony is a licensed professional engineer, and in his role as Engineering Manager, supports and mentors the engineering department at Eastside, as well as customers, quality, and production.
Anthony is inquisitive, and always keen to broaden his understanding of how the processes and products work. This thirst for knowledge give him a broad understanding of many production methods and systems, which he uses to support customers trying to create new fiberglass parts and convert existing metal parts to fiberglass.
Anthony id proud to be a member of the Eastside team, and to help grow the company and built strong relationships with customers.
Astrit began his career as a Corporate Tax Accountant obtaining his Business Administration Accounting Major at KWB Chartered Accountants, handling corporate and individual tax clients. He gained a strong understanding of advanced accounting standards and principles at all levels of business to utilize at the Eastside Group of Companies where he started in 2011.
Now, after 14 years with the Eastside Group of Companies, he has been very pleased to see the Eastside Group expand its market share and bring new clients on board on a regular basis. The ability to be flexible for our clients and face new challenges each and every day is what makes Eastside Group, and Astrit, proud to continually strive for excellence on all aspects of the business.
Professionally, Astrit enjoys the challenge of identifying and solving problems, listening to the needs of business people, and managing the firm.
Astrit is gregarious, and people are drawn to his happy personality. He is an ex-professional soccer player where he learned key aspects of being professional at all times, and obtained all levels of coaching certifications. He remains very active in volunteering in the soccer community.
Astrit is proud of being part of the Eastside Group and its growth over the last 14 years. He loves the fact that the most important asset of the company is our people who make great quality parts and meet some of the highest quality standards worldwide. We look forward to many more challenges and growth in the next chapter of our business.
Operations Manager
Kanvarpreet Singh holds a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from India, supplemented by specialized training in CNC programming. He further enhanced his technical qualifications by completing a Diploma in Industrial Drafting from the Aviron Institute of Mount Royal in Quebec. He also holds certifications in 5S Yellow Belt and CCT – Open Molds, reflecting his expertise in lean manufacturing principles and composite molding processes.
He began his professional journey at Eastside Industrial coating and composites as an RTM Technician. Demonstrating strong technical skills and adaptability, he quickly progressed to roles in the Assembly and Quality departments. He later joined the Engineering department, where he was responsible for robotic programming and providing engineering support, including part measurement and blueprint analysis.
Kanvarpreet subsequently played a key role in the Continuous Improvement team, where he spent several years driving efficiency and process enhancements on the shop floor. His broad skill set, leadership, and commitment to operational excellence led to his current position as Manufacturing Operations Manager at Carlson Engineered Composites.
