WESURE CELEBRATES
40 YEARS Written and photographed by Tiffany Burns
S
trong branding and product recognition has been good for Wesure. Their pre-engineered structural support columns, with solutions including steel beams, custom hangers and connecting plates, are well known in the construction industry. “Today, when you go and talk to the guys at a construction site, they all call it a Wesure Column – even if it’s a competitor’s,” says Devon Koss, CEO. “We’re like Kleenex,” says Cory Koss, CFO and Devon’s brother. “Thanks to the marriage of our column and the new engineering practices that came out in the ’80s, homebuilders have been able to increase their spans, so you get more usable living space in a house. Before, in order to support a house, you’d have to put in a line of little teleposts right down the middle of the basement, making it useful only for storage. As builders saw the potential to create more open living spaces, they started putting in home theatres and massive living areas that were never possible before. “We’re part of the reason why Alberta’s homes look the way they do now, compared to the ’80s and before,” Cory Koss continues, “when they were just mostly bungalows.” Tony Fisher, a manager who has been with Wesure for five years, explains one of the key features of the columns: “When you stand up one of our columns for installation, the heads are welded on so there is no possibility that it will slip and fall off.” The fact that there are no loose bits and pieces to misplace or shift out of place makes the column a userfriendly favourite of contractors. But structural support columns are only part of Wesure’s business. As the company has evolved, so have their custom fabrication offerings. Wesure’s talented team works hard to create solutions for the specialized needs of many industries. They build practical steel applications, from the straightforward to complex personalized work. Originally, when WEstern SUlphur REmelters Limited was
L - R: brothers Cory and Devon Koss, and Tony Fisher
founded in 1975, the company was much more niche focused, with patented machinery that would re-melt blocks of sulphur, so it could be used for different purposes, such as fertilizers and matches. As such a large byproduct of gas processing plants, it was lucrative for gas companies to re-melt their sulphur. “But in the ’80s, sulphur took a dive in pricing, so Wesure had to reinvent itself,” says Devon Koss. “Through great relationships with our customers, we realized there was a need for a heavy-duty support column in the housing industry.” At the time, there was no product like it in the marketplace. Wesure moved in and registered yet another patent, this time for the column. Then they diversified some more,
Wesure Metal Manufacturing | 40 Years
79
They utilize industry-leading innovations like QR codes to identify their products and instructional videos on their website to assist in proper product installation. into custom manufacturing for large customers in the forestry, housing and oil and gas industries. “With our own product lines, we have the ability to get through downturns in the economy,” says Devon Koss. Wesure is a family company, run by brothers Devon and Cory Koss, along with their mother Valerie Koss. Their offices are in the same building as their steel workshop, covering a corner of an industrial section of Calgary’s southeast, just off Glenmore Trail. Their investment in employees has resulted in long-term staff, several of which have been with the company for 10 years. Seventy-five per cent have been with Wesure for over five years. As they celebrate 40 years in the industry, the Kosses believe that much of Wesure’s success boils down to relationships, within the company and externally. Manager Tony Fisher’s entire job is focused on relationship building, from distributors to installers. He also sits on multiple committees that oversee construction in Calgary. That not only keeps Wesure on top of market changes, it is also part of being a good steward in developing best construction practices used in Calgary and Canada. He also keeps tabs on industry trends, so that Wesure management can adapt to market demands.
“My function in dealing with customers is solution driven,” says Fisher. Wesure is quick to jump in and assist, whenever it is able. “We’ve tried to shorten the communication gap by having someone like me out there, which is something that doesn’t currently exist with our competitors. Our customers know they have a shortcut. In the homebuilding industry, time is money. We try to respond quickly, so that the customer is served best within our ability.” Wesure’s ISO certification is a means to internally find opportunities to improve. They don’t point fingers when things don’t go as planned. Instead, they believe in a mindset that allows the company to engage employees at all levels to become more active in finding potential issues, enterprising solutions and implementing them. Always seeking new ways to improve customer service, Wesure takes their patent-seeking innovative can-do attitude beyond manufacturing. They utilize industry-leading innovations like QR codes to identify their products and instructional videos on their website to assist in proper product installation.
When money matters but people count
Congratulations Wesure on 40 years of success!
Congratulations to Wesure Metal Manufacturing on your 40th Anniversary! Local 403.296.2400 Toll Free 1.800.565.8132 600 - 1000 Centre St N Calgary, Alberta
www.kossaccounting.ca 403.269.2662
rogersinsurance.ca Wesure Metal Manufacturing | 40 Years
Congratulations to Wesure on your congratulates
Wesure
Anniversary!
on 40 years of success! Wishing you many more.
604.852.9664
CONGRATULATIONS Wesure Metal Manufacturing
www.hpc.ca
On 40 years of successful business! P 403.236.4050 jason.lutzak@konecranes.com 3332 114 Ave SE, Calgary, AB, T2Z 3V6
OJD OJD Enterprises Ltd. Design and Drafting Services ojdent@gmail.com 403.203.0808
OJD Enterprises Ltd. thanks you for our partnership since 1998 and congratulates you on your 40th Anniversary!
Congratulations on your 40 years in business, HPC is proud to be your choice for paint & coatings supply.
Congratulations Wesure Metal Manufacturing
On your 40th Business Anniversary! www.SERVAgroup.com | T 403-269-7847
Congratulations Wesure! Proud Of Our Association.
4025 - 90 Avenue S.E., Calgary, AB
403.720.5970 Phone - 403 313 3889 | Fax - 403 276 6331
Apply at Cintas.ca
Congratulations to Wesure on your 40th Anniversary!
Wesure Metal Manufacturing | 40 Years
Cong on y
Top left: HSS tubing for column production. Bottom left: welding heads to columns. Right: Production floor.
“Inspectors can scan the QR codes and get everything they need to know,” says Cory Koss. Looking forward, Wesure plans to expand, adding more square footage to their fabrication plant. They will also invest in more machinery. An automated paint line system, more processing equipment and additional cutting machines are all on the wish list. So is a larger capacity bay with wider and higher doors. With all their steel sourced by local vendors, the company continually seeks new ways to support the marketplace as
much as possible. Management expects the Wesure presence at the upcoming Global Petroleum Show in June to assist that endeavour. “We don’t see ourselves as your typical manufacturer that just builds parts because you ordered them,” says Devon Koss. “We are part of a solution to help your company meet your own goals. We’re not just about succeeding for ourselves. We want to see you succeed, because when you succeed, we succeed.” •
wesure.com
Wesure Metal Manufacturing | 40 Years