I have been around the Service Truck Industry for my whole life. My dad, Leo Zelent, started Western Truck Body in 1958. As a young lad, I would help my dad on weekends when he was working on projects like the Patented 'Round Corner Door' or 'Cam Lock' Latch System. When I got older, I drove the White Freightliner Highway Tractor for Western Truck Body, delivering Service Truck Bodies and raw materials to WTB Plants around Alberta, as well as, on our 1,700 acre grain farm in the County of Two Hills AB.

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My dad and I farmed until 1987. My WTB Service Truck is in memory of my dad, who died in 1997.

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In 1987 I completed my Commercial Helicopter Pilot's License and in 1988 I was hired by Okanagan Helicopters. I flew for Okanagan / Canadian Helicopters for 9 seasons and in 1997 I left flying to pursue a career in Law Enforcement, when I applied at the Edmonton Police Service to be a Police Officer.

 

After 4 years of General Patrol in the Southside of Edmonton AB; the EPS was acquiring a Police Helicopter to support Patrol Units working in the Community and in 2001 I was asked to join the AIR1 Police Helicopter Team to help build the AIR1 Program. The program has been very successful and has been operating for over 20 years and now has 2 Police Helicopters.

 

In 2010 I left the EPS AIR1 Helicopter Unit and transferred to the EPS Traffic Enforcement and Collision Investigation Unit.

 

Later in 2010; AIRBUS Helicopters asked me if I was interested in helping the Winnipeg Police Service for one year as a 'civilian' Chief Helicopter Pilot to assist them in starting up a brand new Police Helicopter Unit.

 

In Canada, most Police Helicopter pilots come to Canadian Helicopter's Advanced Flight Training in Penticton BC for annual 'recurrent training' and I was one of those pilots with the EPS and later the WPS.

 

During my WPS recurrent training at Canadian Helicopters in the spring of 2011 the Canadian Helicopters crew advised me that there was an opening for an Instructor Pilot at the school. After my year with the WPS, I was accepted at Canadian Helicopters in October 2011 as a Mountain Flying / Recurrent Training Instructor Pilot. I flew for Canadian Helicopters in Penticton BC for over 7 years and retired from Canadian Helicopters in April 2019.

In December 2019 I started flying a Corporate Helicopter in the Okanagan Valley.

I have 13,000+ hours flying helicopters with over 3,000 hours of Mountain Flying Instruction.

 

In 2025 I plan to focus on marketing my Alarm Pin Switch Brackets because I believe these brackets are a real benefit to the security of the entire Service Truck Industry.