Plant Operations oversees the maintenance, repair, renovation, and improvement of campus spaces, spanning 70 buildings and 1,112 acres of land.

Joseph Gerald “Gerry” Hagey (September 28, 1904-October 26, 1988) was a Canadian businessman who served as founding president of the University of Waterloo. Hagey was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario by Menno Hagey and Esther Cornell. His great-grandfather was Mennonite Bishop Joseph B. Hagey, an early settler to the Waterloo area from Pennsylvania. Hagey attended Waterloo College (later Wilfred Laurier University) completing his high school and University education there. After graduating he took a position as a sales clerk with B.F. Goodrich in Kitchener. After working for B.F. Goodrich for many years, he eventually rose to the position of National Advertising Director by the 1950’s. Throughout this time he was still actively involved with the affairs of Waterloo College, then a small church college affiliated with the University of Western Ontario. After sitting on the board, he was asked to be the president of Waterloo College in 1953.

During his time at B.F. Goodrich, he had become interested in the idea of students working in their respective industries while studying believing that it would provide experience and revenue for the students, revenue for the college, and assistance for the company. Although a controversial idea, in four years Hagey and his supporters had established a co-operative school of engineering. In the summer of 1957 the Waterloo College Associated Faculties opened, with Hagey as the president. In 1959 Hagey decided to resign his position with Waterloo College and devote his time to the Associate Faculties, which separated from Waterloo College and incorporated as the University of Waterloo. Hagey spent the next ten years developing Waterloo from a two portable school with 75 students to a multimillion dollar university with over 9,000 enrollments.

In 1969 Hagey retired from the University of Waterloo due to a battle with cancer that resulted in the removal of his larynx. In his later years he re-taught himself to speak after his surgery, and was awarded numerous awards and honorary degrees including the Order of Canada in 1986. Hagey died of pneumonia on October 26, 1988.

Alan Kenneth Adlington was an economist and university administrator born January 30, 1925. He emigrated to Canada from England in 1930 and served in World War II as part of the Royal Canadian Navy. After the war, he pursued undergraduate studies at from Western University. Adlington served the University of Waterloo from its beginnings in 1957 until 1970. He was the first Business Manager of Waterloo College and Associate Faculties and Secretary to the Board of Governors. He became Vice-President, Administration November 18, 1965 and served in the role until October 12, 1966, when he was named Vice-President, Operations. Adlington's tenure at Waterloo ended June 30, 1970 with a move to the University of Western Ontario to serve as Vice-President, Administration & Finance and later as president (1984-1985) until being named Ontario Deputy Minister of Colleges and Universities. Adlington died in London, Ontario on September 30, 2017.