AGAT Foundation is built upon meaningfully supporting its communities.
By Viancy Salubre
Supporting communities is an integral part of the work that AGAT Laboratories does. For 45 years, the company has provided analytical laboratory testing and data-driven solutions, servicing a number of communities and industries nationwide, from environmental consulting to life sciences. Through the AGAT Foundation — the philanthropic arm of AGAT Laboratories — the company gives back to its communities through a variety of STEM programs and non-profit organizations.
“When we created the foundation in 2018, it was about formalizing the community support that’s always been part of our DNA,” says Marissa Reckmann, CEO of AGAT Laboratories and director of the AGAT Foundation. “We wanted to go further, not just with our own giving, but by bringing others to the table too.”
Major fundraising in action.
Most notably, AGAT Foundation’s partnership with the Alberta Cancer Foundation connects support to its local communities through the annual AGAT Foundation Priddis Greens Charity Classic. Every August, the golf tournament brings together dozens of volunteers, and a wide network of sponsors and community supporters to raise money for cancer research and care. In 2024, the AGAT Foundation raised $897,000 from the tournament, contributing to the Alberta Cancer Foundation’s vital Patient Financial Assistance Program. That contribution raised the program’s annual budget from $1 million to $1.5 million, helping more patients with essential needs like groceries, transportation and rent during treatment.
AGAT Laboratories understands the impact cancer has had on its own communities. “We’ve had lots of individuals in the company who undergo cancer treatments through the years or their family members or loved ones,” says Reckmann. “We truly believe that science, innovation and technology can find solutions for the challenges that our communities face. When we’re looking in the field of medicine and diagnostics, there’s this really strong part we play in helping communities like those of the Alberta Cancer Foundation.”
The Charity Classic caps off the AGAT Foundation’s Drive for Hope campaign, a year-long fundraising initiative that also leveraged World Cancer Day to kick off a matching strategy to amplify the campaign in the community and dollars raised for the Alberta Cancer Foundation.
For AGAT, the decision to support cancer care isn’t just about the dollars raised but helping to promote awareness and share the impact of the Alberta Cancer Foundation’s initiatives. “We want to draw awareness to our communities, our initiatives and its reach. I think education about the Alberta Cancer Foundation programs is so critically important to making a difference. And so for us, it’s not necessarily just about the funds raised or the dollars received, but also about how far that message can travel in the communities that it affects,” says Reckmann.
