WESTLOCK – Sandeep Nain, the man who headed the Westlock-based Gateway Research Organization (GRO) for eight years, was one of four people killed in a tragic, high-speed, single-vehicle crash on Ellerslie Road in Edmonton June 11.
Nain, 31, leaves behind his wife, a six-year-old son and one-year-old daughter, while funeral services were held in Edmonton, Sunday, June 18. A GoFundMe page was set up following the tragedy to support his family and has so far generated $44,992 on a goal of $100,000.
GRO board chairman Mike Hittinger, who offered sincere condolences to the family, called Nain a friend who “will be deeply missed by all of us in the organization, as well as so many of the people that he worked with in the agriculture industry.” The GoFundMe page says Nain, who hailed from India, was a “passionate veterinarian” with “an unwavering enthusiasm" for animal nutrition and was an alumnus of the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta.
“Sandeep played an integral role in making GRO a successful and well-recognized agricultural research organization in Alberta during his eight years as manager and we know he has big shoes to fill,” said Hittinger in a statement.
Jay Byer is taking over the organization on an interim basis but has no plans to become the permanent replacement — he says with all of the programs in place for the coming year, he expects the board won’t name a successor until the fall. GRO is a non-profit applied research association whose mission is to “provide cost-effective applied agricultural research, demonstrations, and extension for producers in order to facilitate greater returns to farms by providing economically and scientifically sound information that enables our clients to make informed decisions.”
Prior to Nain joining GRO, the organization was struggling as most of its government funding had ended but he was able to secure dollars from other sources within the agriculture industry, and GRO gradually turned around through his efforts and the support of the board of directors.
Most remembered him as open and easy to talk to, while Matt Haisan, a Busby-area farmer who was a board member of the Pembina Forage Association when it became GRO, said that, “I really liked him. I think he did so much for GRO. He really turned it around.”
“Sandeep was truly one of the good guys — smart, dedicated, curious, fun and a leader and a father,” added Hittinger. “As condolences have come from across the country, there have been many comments about Sandeep being the kind of person who would listen to an idea with consideration, and once you had his support, you had it 100 per cent.
“His insights and contributions were valued parts of any project he participated in. He was a valued partner and a driving force behind many research initiatives, conferences, and partnerships. As an extremely successful grant writer and partnership builder, Sandeep seemed to have a knack for making things possible.”
