Life Hack:

Rob Moore Ede entered his life hack into the November Innovation Month challenge and though he was beat out by an onion cutting hack, his ingenuity is worth bringing to light as an example of our employees’ abilities to think beyond conventional solutions.

The Challenge

Rob Moore Ede recently installed a swim-spa with a current in his Whitby, Ontario backyard, but he realized conventional covers, whether vertical or roll-up, blocked the view of the sunrise and a grove of trees.

The Philosophy

Moore Ede thinks of himself as an innovator and calls himself an “intrapreneur,” someone who “creates things within the company.” At work and at home, he prides himself on “asking the right questions to get the right answer.”

By day, Moore Ede is Magna’s senior manager for global property tax and government incentives. But he’s also a mechanical engineer who enjoys fun household projects. He fabricated a scissor lift at the end of the swim-spa that completely lowers the cover. The mechanism is powered by a winch meant for an ATV that runs off a 12-volt battery under the deck.

Extra Benefits

Everything runs off sunshine! The battery is charged by a 100-watt solar panel, which also powers the 12-volt LED accent lights around the house. In addition, the clever engineer connected a 12-volt blower typically used for boats under the deck. The device blows air into the bottom of the yard’s sunken fire pit to reduce smoke.

The Result

A happy family. Moore Ede and his wife Julie use the swim-spa 365 days a year, even during snowstorms.  His son Alexander, a defenseman with the Lindsay Muskies of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, relaxes in the swim-spa after games or workouts. When his son Liam and daughter Fiona come back from university, the family always looks forward to the tub.