Chris Terriff

BY ALEXANDRA ZABJEK | NOVEMBER 1, 2021

photography by Curtis Comeau

Co-CEO, MACH32 Inc.

Age 35

Chris Terriff had recently co-founded MACH32, an Edmonton startup focused on new medical devices, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Canada in 2020. Within months, the company started to produce a commercially viable “aerosol containment tent” to lessen the risk of infection for doctors and nurses during intubation procedures.

For Terriff, a newcomer to the world of entrepreneurship along with his friend and business partner, Dr. Marc Curial, it was a boost of confidence for future projects.

“It was that moment where we thought, ‘We can do this, we can do this fast, and we can help people stay safe. And, if we did it once, we can do it again.”

An engineer by training, Terriff brings careful, methodical, strategic thinking to MACH32. He uses those same skills in his day job at PCL, where he works as a construction manager for major industrial projects.

Whether working on construction projects or putting in extra hours to get MACH32 products off the ground, Terriff says it’s more than technical know-how that’s allowed him to find success. He also relies on positivity, passion and professionalism to guide his work.

Terriff says that being positive helps him stay focused on finding solutions to complex problems. And being passionate has helped him to build strong teams along the way. “People start believing in what we’re trying to do and they want to work together to make it work.”