How tolls, car insurance, and Nanaimo bars drove Sheridan grads to marriage

Jennifer Benedict and Greg Babiak have two big things in common: they are Sheridan grads and they happen to be married. (You could make it three things if you include their daughter who was nearly named for their alma mater, but we’ll get to that in a minute.) However, if not for a chance College acceptance, a car crash and Nanaimo bars they may never have met.

The first bit of kismet that led to their marriage involved Benedict (Architectural Technology, ’08), who had completed two years at university before taking a break from school to travel back in 2005.

While in Ireland (and with some prompting from her mother), Benedict applied to Sheridan’s architecture program and — happily — managed to get in. “It’s very competitive,” she says. “They somehow had space.” 

The next stage of karma involved Babiak (Mechanical Engineering Technology Design and Drafting, ’08). The native of Mimico, in the west end of Toronto, had applied to several colleges, but “I heard only good things about Sheridan,” so getting accepted into the program he wanted made his decision easy. 

But merely studying at the same time at the Davis Campus in Brampton was not enough to create the chance meeting that eventually led to their nuptials. That required a bit of luck (or bad luck) with respect to their cars.

Benedict’s drive from her home in Richmond Hill eventually started to turn into monthly 407 toll bills of almost $800, while a car accident involving his Toyota 4Runner during his commute sent Babiak’s insurance premiums skyrocketing. 

So, in January of 2008, the pair found themselves living in the on-campus residence out of necessity. Babiak’s roommate also happened to be an architecture student, which led to Benedict hanging out in their room one day, which is when they finally met. 

“Greg comes into the dorm room and says, ‘Would you like a Nanaimo bar? And I was teasing him and saying, ‘Oh, did your mom make them for you? That's so cute. She sent you to school with snacks. It all started from there.” 

Babiak responded to the teasing playfully, by lying.  

“I said, ‘Actually, my mom did make them!’ … but in reality, she didn't. 

“I was like, how dare you insult my mother?!” 

Within a couple of weeks, the pair were hanging out. By summer, they were officially an item.

They bought a house in 2012 and were married in 2016. 

Today, Babiak is a partner at A.W Hooker Associates Ltd., a quantity surveyor and construction cost-consulting firm, a position that came out of his third co-op placement at Sheridan. He has been with the company since 2008. He describes his role — someone who estimates the costs, manages the budgets, and makes sure that projects are done within their financial limitations, while meeting quality standards at the same time — as a “niche job,” but one that is growing in demand. 

His focus is on the complete mechanical scope, however his forte is complex and critical projects such as energy/sustainability retrofits, performing arts, museums, laboratories, pharmaceutical and mission-critical facilities with demanding environments and complex construction.  Babiak has worked on jobs that span from Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, to Vancouver in the west, Halifax in the east, and Texas to the south, with the majority occurring within the GTA. 

“The biggest thing in our industry the last seven to eight years has been the focus on energy and sustainability,” says Babiak. “Electrification, carbon-reduction projects. We do all the costing for various types of designs and systems, because seemingly small changes in how they provide HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and electricity to a building could significantly change their costs, which the client and design team need to be fully aware of when making design decisions.” 

Benedict, meanwhile, owns her own engineering firm, Ironwood Infrastructure Inc. She credits her second Sheridan co-op placement with the fact she is now an engineer, providing railway-related engineering services. 

After Sheridan, she went back to complete her university degree in environmental studies, before pursuing a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Toronto. But it was a placement at the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) out of College and a connection she made with a peer mentor while there that encouraged her to pursue engineering.  

“Even though I'm not in architectural technology or working in architecture, that Sheridan co-op program connected me to where I am now.”

– Jennifer Benedict

While initially working in building code and inspections, a minor accident on site convinced her that perhaps climbing ladders was not for her. A chance application at Canadian Pacific Railway led to a return to the rail industry and an eight-year experience.  

She started Ironwood in 2022 and today she’s an industry expert on grade crossing regulations, having been involved in the review, analysis and upgrade of more than 7,500 of them throughout Canada. 

“Even though I'm not in architectural technology or working in architecture, that Sheridan co-op program connected me to where I am now,” she says. 

Of course, Sheridan also connected Benedict to Babiak to each other, which is why the former says she wanted to name their daughter after the school. 

“I wanted to name her Sheridan, but Greg said no,” says Benedict, with a smile, which prompts a look of surprise from Babiak.  

“What? No!” he responds, before breaking into a smile. 

And just like that, it’s 2008 again. The only thing missing is the Nanaimo bars.

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Photo: Greg Babiak and Jennifer Benedict, when they met in 2008 at Sheridan.

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