The Board of Directors of the Capital Region Emergency Service Telecommunications Inc. (CREST) announced today that the organization’s General Manager, Gordon Horth, who has been at the helm for almost two decades, will retire this Fall. The Board has selected Al Marston, currently Operations Manager at CREST, to be the organization’s new General Manager effective October 1. CREST provides and maintains emergency communications equipment and infrastructure for more than 50 emergency response and public service agencies in the Capital Region including municipal police departments, RCMP, fire departments, BC Ambulance, and BC Transit from the Gulf Islands to Port Renfrew.
Horth leaves behind a high-performing organization totally focused on providing resilient, reliable emergency communications services for the first responder and public service communities across the Capital Region. He credits the success of CREST to the organization’s Board of Directors and to the small group of highly skilled professionals who make up the CREST team. “If you have the support of a dedicated and engaged Board, and you hire good people, and you build a culture around shared values and a common purpose, you generally get good results.”
CREST Board Chair, Tim Morrison, praises Horth for establishing a dedicated, customer-focused approach to the job. “Gord has consistently built strong relationships anchored in trust, and early on, he committed the organization to consistently measuring performance results to maintain that trust. In doing so, Gord and his team ensure that CREST performs optimally for the multiple agencies who rely on the network to keep themselves and the public safe every day. We are grateful for Gord’s leadership and guidance. He has built a strong foundation for the future of CREST.
With the support of Horth, the Board has been preparing for leadership succession for the past year and is look forward to working with Al. “Al has worked closely with Gord for over a decade,” explained Morrison. “As Operations Manager, Al’s responsibilities have included employee development, infrastructure procurement, contract management, and project management of the region-wide, digital network upgrade that completed in 2020. His technical knowledge, his tactical approach and his familiarity with the more than 50 user groups on the CREST network ensures a smooth leadership transition in October.” Prior to Horth’s departure, he and Marston will work with the CREST Board to update the organizations Strategic Plan charting the course for the next five years at CREST.
