Wayne Korhonen
By Andrew King
Wayne Korhonen is the principal and owner of Field Service . CA , the full-service production technologies support firm he founded back in 2001 . He ’ s also the principal and owner of its two sister companies , Field Concepts . CA and Field Projects . CA , which leverage Field Service . CA ’ s staff , resources , and expertise in the areas of integrated systems design and supply , respectively . Most recently , he became principal and owner of CETEC Group Inc ., the national manufacturer ’ s rep firm with a portfolio that includes esteemed brands like ETC , Roland Professional A / V , Adamson , and others .
“ It ’ s quite the expanding crop of job titles ,” Korhonen says with a chuckle after going through the list .
A production technologies veteran with experience in a wide array of roles , Korhonen began his career with William F . White International at just 19 years old . He wasted little time working his way up the ranks of the rentals , maintenance , and electronics departments of Canada ’ s oldest and largest provider of production equipment for the film and television industry .
In 1999 , he moved over to William F . White ( Sales ) as a field service technician . In addition to his duties as an outside tech , he was the company ’ s go-to CAD systems designer . When WFW acquired CineQuip in 2001 , he then became field service project coordinator for CineQuip White Inc .
Having earned certifications from several major lighting equipment manufacturers , he continued to expand his skills in the areas of lighting control and dimming systems , motorized and static rigging and drapery , performance audio and video systems , and other audio , video , and lighting technologies and applications .
In 2001 , while still working with CineQuip White , he launched Field Service . CA , specializing in full-service support for the entertainment , architectural , and production industries in Canada – or , as Korhonen puts it , “ like the Maytag Man for the production tech
industry .” Over the next decade-and-a-half , Field Service . CA saw its reputation grow and its two sister companies sprout out of it as Korhonen and his colleagues recognized some gaps in the market .
“ I really , really enjoy these systems ,” he says about what ’ s kept him passionate about his work through the years . “ I ’ m an engineer at heart and a computer guy at the core . One of my biggest passions is the lighting industry , so projects like Parliament Hill or the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and some of the other large lighting projects we ’ ve done make me very proud .”
Two others that stand out for a slightly different reason are based in Winnipeg : the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Club Regent Casino . Despite being very different facilities with different technical applications , Korhonen says they were major projects that really helped to push Field Service . CA ’ s brand and reputation to a new plateau .
This year , he and his team are collaborating with Christie Lites in revamping Ottawa ’ s National Arts Centre , from house and public space lighting to an overhauled performance package for the main theatre . “ Again , I ’ m very passionate about those large integrated systems from a technical side ,” Korhonen enthuses – “ just the scale and all of the moving pieces coming together .”
Despite the growing success of Field Service . CA and its complementary companies , one of the ongoing challenges Korhonen faces is expanding the brand from coast to coast . “ Bringing new people in and getting the word out across the country has been where I ’ ve spent most of my time in the last few years ,” he says . “ That ’ s made me careful about the work-life balance , making sure there ’ s always time for family .”
He , his wife Julie , and their 19-year-old daughter and 17-year-old son enjoy being active together in the great outdoors . They have a property in the Muskokas on which they ’ re currently building a home and collectively enjoy water sports like wakeboarding and waterskiing . In the winter , it ’ s snowmobiling , all of which take advantage of the area ’ s beautiful landscapes .
With a house underway and several businesses to grow , Korhonen has a pretty full schedule , but there ’ s always time to take on new projects that appeal to him . “ Being an entrepreneur and fairly energetic fellow , something I ’ m really excited about is on the docket for the summer ,” he says , explaining how he ’ s planning to prospect a production company in the Muskokas with a focus on water sports . “ My son is passionate about production and will probably be going down that path for his career , so we ’ re looking into doing a limited production on some water sports and even considering putting together a miniseries ,” he explains .
“ Life ’ s about opportunity sometimes , and being prepared to jump on some of them , so we ’ ve got some partnerships there that are turning into opportunities to develop some fresh content from a Canadian perspective . So if I didn ’ t have enough on my plate …”
But as his growing number of job titles proves , Korhonen seemingly thrives when he ’ s busy , so it ’ s anyone ’ s guess which projects or ventures he may have a hand in at this time next year .
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional Lighting & Production .
Spring 2018 | 35