Business of Energy - October 2023

OF ENERGY

DIVERSIFYING AS KEY TO THRIVING

JIM HAMILTON, CEO OF RADIUM TECHNOLOGIES INC., ON HIS COMPANY’S STRATEGIC SUCCESS

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OF ENERGY

By Parker

Cover:

By Melanie Darbyshire

12

Western Collaboration

By John Hardy

15 Profile: Bantrel

By Rennay Craats

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EDITOR

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THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

Melanie Darbyshire

Rennay Craats

Parker Grant

John Hardy

COVER PHOTO

Riverwood Photography

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‘THE HUB’ IS BOOMING

CRITICAL STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE TO OUR PROVINCE

by Parker Grant

Grande Prairie is special, and critically important! Many Canadian communities are often known by unofficial but popular and folksy aliases, slogans or nicknames. Niagara Falls is the “Honeymoon Capital of the World.” Calgary is “Cowtown.” Saskatoon is the “Paris of the Prairies. ” Churchill, Manitoba is the “Polar Bear Capital of the World.” Edmonton is the “City of Champions,” not for the Elks or the Oilers but for the community’s response to the 1987 Edmonton tornado.

And then there’s Grande Prairie. Vital. Vibrant. Enterprising. Gutsy. And on-the-go. Grande Prairie is “The Energy Hub of the North.” A booming business centre and a linchpin of Alberta’s energy sector.

While the entire region is synonymous with oil and gas and the gamut of related businesses and services, “Our economy is diverse, and we are surrounded by abundant industries such as oil and gas, forestry and agriculture,” says the upbeat Kim Pinnock, Economic Development director with the City of Grande Prairie.

“We provide a range of services and amenities to the region, including health, schooling, government, business support, recreation, retail, entertainment, restaurants and more. But there’s no doubt about it. Conventional oil and gas, coal and related services continue to innovate and act as a major economic driver in the region.”

She points out that Grande Prairie’s economic development priority is ambitious and dynamic. “Our Industrial Attraction Strategy focuses on enhancing our competitive advantage with respect to infrastructure, service levels and costs for commercial and industrial development. The identification and mitigation of barriers

are increasing the attractiveness of the City for businesses, builders and developers. But we’re more, much more than that!”

Grande Prairie is a flourishing regional centre, providing shopping and services for residents of northwestern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia, and a regional trade area of nearly 300,000 people.

As with other important facts of business life, location-location is critical. Location is a key factor for Grande Prairie’s growth and “energy hub of the north” potential.

Grande Prairie is in the centre of two major liquid rich natural gas and plays, the Montney and

Kim Pinnock, Economic Development director with the City of Grande Prairie.

OILFIELD SUPPLY IS A PEOPLE BUSINESS

In business, location-location matters. And the Grande Prairie region, in the centre of the two major liquid rich natural gas plays in North America and home to some of Canada’s top oil and gas companies, location-location is also a key factor of the dynamic Baron Oilfield Supply success story.

“Our business is built on service!” says the personable, and industry-respected Barry Smith, president of Baron Oilfield Supply, the 100% Canadian-owned and operated company and part of the diverse Side Group of companies, serving the oil and gas industry.

“At the core of Baron’s service is to always deliver on customer expectations. It is one of our greatest strengths.” People. Service. Quality. It’s more, much more, than Baron’s slogan. It is the company’s commitment.

While Baron focuses on its wide selection of oilfield products – from forged steel fittings and flanges, cast and forged steel valves, pipe, tubing and nipples to lubricants, tools and even wiping products, rags, cleaning supplies and more –Baron’s trusted and respected service expertise puts the company into a league of its own.

In its 37th year of earning a solid reputation for quality products, state of the art systems and expertise, the Baron difference is people.

“It’s a funny thing about reputation,” Smith notes. “We can’t buy it. We earn it, every day, with every order and with every service call. Of course the equipment and systems are technical, complex and critical, but relationships are Baron’s unique specialty.”

Despite the ups and downs of the oil and gas industry, the exciting technology and state-of-the art systems and equipment, Smith emphasizes that oilfield service is still very much a people business! “The customers, the suppliers, and the service excellence of our skilled staff. Our people are #1. Most have been part of our team for 12

to 35 years. They are family,” he says with passion. “They create the growth and the success, and they make us who we are.”

With 45 years of industry experience, Barry Smith acknowledges the constant changes in the oil and gas sector. The needs and expectations of Baron’s customers have changed. Oilfield services change. Newer and newer materials, equipment and technology are constantly changing and are key aspects of Baron’s efficient and up-to-date expertise.

He admits with high-energy positivity that oilfield supply services, like most businesses, occasionally have unexpected speedbumps, such as recent supply chain issues. “But with solid relationships and decades of exceptional troubleshooting and problem solving experience, we have the quality products and the expertise to listen to our customers, understand their situations, resolve their issues and get the job done.”

Barry Smith

Duvernay, two of the most significant plays in North America. Stats show that the Montney output has doubled since 2012 and now not only comprises a third of Western Canada’s natural gas production, but is projected to make up more than half of Canada’s total output by 2040.

The Duvernay extends under 130,000 square kilometres of Alberta, or 20 per cent of the province, and is rich in natural gas liquids, including condensate, which is often mixed with bitumen from the Alberta oil sands, so the bitumen can be thinned and shipped in oil pipelines.

In business terms, the Grande Prairie market is huge. Its sheer size and the limitless opportunity are a boost for business and economic stability, keeping companies and employees working, even during recent periods of global economic uncertainty.

Industry leaders and analysts explain Grande Prairie’s dynamics as an enviable edge. Ongoing new investment and interest in value-add and diversification opportunities, leverage the region’s existing strengths.

Jordan Tidey, the County’s director of Economic Development, is gung-ho and proud, pointing out

that Grande Prairie more than lives up to its catchy ‘energy hub’ reputation.

“As a regional service hub, we are home to many major oil and gas regional headquarters and oilfield service companies like Pembina Pipeline, CSV Midstream, ARC Resources, Canadian Natural Resources, Haliburton, Schlumberger and Trican.

“Also, many local entrepreneurs operate out of the region, servicing oil and natural gas activities in northwestern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia.”

‘The energy hub of the north’ also has extensive bragging rights about the many investment opportunities in traditional energy exploration,

The ARC Resources Ante Creek facility in Grande Prairie.

Sean Calder, vice president for Field Operations with ARC Resources.

service and supplies, geothermal, waste management and remediation, as well as clean technology innovation. Being attractive, particularly for energy sector investment, is a key Grande Prairie priority.

“The Energy Support Services sector is the strongest target industry for attracting drawing investment, with Grande Prairie’s high concentration of workforce and businesses. Energy Support Services is a well-established sector in the region, with welldefined products and services,” he says.

Trends show that Grande Prairie County has a significant competitive advantage through its proximity to the liquid natural gas plays. It allows businesses to capitalize on the area’s natural resources and build an ecosystem around oil and gas extraction. “We attract significant interest from the petrochemical manufacturing sector, which will drive investment and development for decades.”

Tidey emphasizes that the County also has a large supply of investment-ready industrial land and the Economic Development team actively works to identify and promote the many sites. “Important considerations such as land use zoning, access to transportation (roads and rail) and infrastructure servicing (both municipal and private) were considered as factors affecting future development. The sites are also within existing approved Area Structure Plans, enhancing their investment readiness since they have already been through the land use approval process.”

Sean Calder, vice president of Field Operations with ARC Resources, echoes the Grande Prairie enthusiasm. “It is a city full of energy (excuse the pun), growth and opportunity that embraces entrepreneurship and innovation.

“There are many reasons, but since the Montney is one of the most prolific resource plays in the world, the key features include a close proximity to high-quality resources, the availability of skilled labour, as well Grande Prairie’s access to research and innovation.”

He cites Northwestern Polytechnic (NWP), which provides a research and innovation hub and

supports industry training needs by invaluably providing pre-employment programming, skills development and safety training.

For CSV Mainstream, the industry-leading and Alberta-based company offering full services for complete midstream solutions, Grande Prairie is about resources, great potential and people. “With an increasing array of producers in this active corridor, there is a growing need for reliable gas processing services in the region,” says CSV’s upbeat CEO, Daniel Clarke.

“We have been operating in the area since 2014, and have been focused on this region since our inception. We now have five operational assets in the region, with a sixth under construction.

“The Grande Prairie area is a valuable location for several reasons,” he adds. “Oil and gas has been central to the Peace Region economy for generations, but with much of the shale gas expansion unfolding in the region, Grande Prairie has boomed even more.

“For CSV Midstream, people are also a significant Grande Prairie factor. There are thousands of workers employed in the oil and gas industry and these are extraordinarily skilled individuals are available for hire,” Clarke says. “From the CSV perspective, the ability to hire local individuals who are skilled in our industry means that we can ensure the continued reliability of our operations, while contributing to the stability and strength of the local economy and community.”

ARC’s Sean Calder is enthusiastic about “Grande Prairie is a vibrant area that is of critical strategic importance to our province. Not only its proximity to the two most significant natural gas plays in North America, but also for Grande Prairie’s strong and diverse regional economy, its young and growing population, and the many opportunities for investment in clean technology innovation. It is well positioned for a thriving future.”

He emphasizes that, through strong partnerships within industry, the community and Indigenous communities, ‘Energy Hub of the North’ is a slogan which fits Grande Prairie perfectly. BOE

DIVERSIFYING AS KEY TO THRIVING

by Melanie Darbyshire

When Jim Hamilton joined Radium Technologies Inc. in 2007, the Grande Prairie based company of 10 employees was focused primarily on electrical and instrumentation services for the oil and gas industry. Hamilton, a tradesman with plumbing, gas fitting and steam fitting trade tickets and 43 years of experience in oil and gas construction, was approached to start up a mechanical and fabrication division in Radium.

Sixteen years later, Radium is a different company. With 175 employees, three field offices (Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray and Estevan), two fabrication hubs (Grande Prairie and Estevan), one maintenance hub (Fort McMurray) and one project management office (Calgary), the general contractor provides heavy construction and maintenance services to the heavy industrial, mining, agriculture and oil and gas industries across Western Canada.

“Radium is doing very well,” Hamilton confirms from his office in downtown Calgary. “We are what’s classified as a tier two contractor, and we still dabble in that space, but most of our clients and most of the work we’re bidding on right now is in the tier one space. We’re dealing with tier one clients and bidding against tier one contractors.”

Hamilton, who has been CEO since 2008, engineered this transformation by diversifying Radium’s marketplace.

“About five to six years ago I started the trend from tier two space into tier one space and to move Radium to markets other than oil and gas,” he explains. “Oil and gas is very cyclical. It’s up and

down. You have your peaks and valleys and there’s too many of them. I realized that we had to expand out of the current marketplace, into other areas such as mining, agriculture and pulp. We had to go where the work is.”

Hamilton spent three years refocusing and regrouping Radium to enter into the tier one space. “And we were successful,” he says. “Years prior,

JIM HAMILTON, CEO OF RADIUM TECHNOLOGIES INC., ON HIS COMPANY’S STRATEGIC SUCCESS

Jim Hamilton, CEO of Radium Technologies Inc.

Radium had gone after the midstream companies, so we built off that. We moved into agriculture, mining and pulp. In late 2022 we started to look at Fort McMurray and found two individuals willing to promote our services in the area with our pump and valve shop.”

The likes of CNRL and Suncor eventually awarded jobs to Radium. “It took years to open up some of these major doors just to get to bid,” he says. “Then we branched into Saskatchewan in 2021 with an opportunity to get into the potash world with Nutrien. That has become very successful and we’ve picked up quite a bit of work in Saskatchewan.”

“There’s less competition in Saskatchewan than in Alberta, and it’s hard to crack the door and get in there,” Hamilton continues. “But once you’re in there and you can do the work, the work starts following you.”

“As a true general contractor, we have access to larger jobs and more opportunities,” Hamilton

explains. “We’re into fabrication, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation and we do a lot of project planning for either engineering companies or clients, AFE planning and construction planning. It’s allowed us to grow in all these different areas.”

Radium’s largest job to date was a 200-millionper-day sour gas plant south of Grande Prairie for SemCAMS. “We helped them plan and do the install,” Hamilton explains. “We performed fabrication for all of the interconnects (90,000 pipe inches) and we did several smaller module packages for them. It was a very, very successful job. We finished it on schedule and within budget, which is unheard of nowadays.”

Radium has done a lot of work for Nutrien in Saskatchewan, including at its Rocanville potash plant, one of the largest potash mines in the world. “It took me years to win them over to allow us to bid on a project,” Hamilton recounts, “but we eventually did and we won the project. We

Sunshine oilsands SAGD Project.

performed the work and finished on schedule and below budget. It’s opened up the door to some of the work we’re doing now. We just picked up a huge pumphouse at Rocanville and now we’re bidding work at Lanigan Potash [a Nutrien potash mine] as well.”

About one-third of Radium’s business now comes from Saskatchewan, with the potential to double. “We plan on growing the division in Saskatchewan to perform upwards of $50 million in revenue over the next several years,” Hamilton predicts. Business in Fort McMurray too is growing, with Hamilton projecting $25 to $30 million next year.

Last January, Radium opened up a pump and valve shop at its Fort McMurray maintenance hub, which also does mechanical, electrical and instrumentation work. “We’re now dealing with CNRL and Suncor on some hourly maintenance and turnaround work,” Hamilton says. “We’ve actually been supporting some of our competitors because they can’t find labour. Some of our clients asked us to help support tier one contractors with our labour craft when they had troubles finding labour. This has again helped Radium draw more attention to us in the Fort McMurray area.”

Radium’s labour needs fluctuate – it peaked at 400 people during the SemCAMS job prior to 2019 – and Hamilton retains a base of 175 today. The labour shortage in the trades is an issue faced by everyone in the industry: “People aren’t in the trades anymore, aren’t in the industry. We treat our people well and have a good reputation, so a lot want to come back to us. But once you’re outside the sandbox you play in, it’s very difficult to attract new people. We’re looking at different ways to attract the right people if we start pressing the need for 350 - 400.”

Supporting those in the field are Radium’s Calgary team of project managers, a construction manager and support teams. “And in each of our other locations we have area managers that report to us here in Calgary,” he explains. “We have everything broken down by division, so we can try to market and manage each area properly and get us into larger jobs.”

After withstanding the past few turbulent years – the plummeting oil price followed by COVID –

Hamilton now has Radium positioned for growth. “And we know it’s coming in the space that we’re in,” he notes. “In tier one space, our margins are where they need to be to continue to grow and retain people. Having larger jobs is key to attracting more long-term and quality people.”

Cutting structural beam with bandsaw at Radium’s fabrication facility.

Pipe fabrication at Radium’s facility.

First Nations partnerships are also integral to Radium’s success. “We’re heavily involved and have really strong relationships with the First Nations we deal with,” Hamilton says. “I look at it a bit differently: most people go and try to win over the First Nation and then chase the work. What I do is secure the client work, then go and find the right First Nation band that can work with us and grow.”

This approach, he continues, has been very beneficial, particularly with First Nations in Saskatchewan who are now bringing opportunities to Radium. “Every time we gain a bid, we inform our First Nations partners and involve them in the process,” Hamilton says. “And once we win the job, we go one step further, and engage them again to start figuring out what work we can do with them or hand off to them. It becomes a true partnership.”

Radium works with the Willow Lake Metis in Fort McMurray, the T’Kuemlups First Nation and Little Shuswap First Nation in interior B.C., a number of First Nation bands in north east B.C. depending on the location of the project and client, and the Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation and File Hills Tribal Council in Saskatchewan for additional labour requirements. “We continue to have a relationship with Samson Cree Nation for additional labour, as well as Western Cree in Alberta,” Hamilton says.

Having successfully refocused Radium and survived several ups and downs, Hamilton is confident in his company’s future. With the right people, the right partnerships and the right strategy, Radium is set for sustainable growth for many years to come.

The SemCAMS project.

Stainless steel piping for process modules – Clearbakk.

WESTERN COLLABORATION

A WIN-WIN FOR WESTERN CANADIAN BUSINESS

by John Hardy

Although there are volumes of fine print, clauses and sub-clauses, facts, figures and details, the energy sector, the transportation sector and western business in general are unanimous: Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba signing a milestone memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on joint economic corridor projects is a definite win-win for western Canadian business.

This April, the governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba drafted and signed an MOU that will identify and prioritize strategic infrastructure projects that will enhance transportation between the provinces and around the world and create economic corridors to support the movement of critical resources, energy and utility projects, as well as secure national supply chains.

By all indications, the MOU will also pressure the federal government to speed up approvals for large projects, infrastructure funding and national supply chain solutions.

In June, the three provincial governments agreed on an MOU to explore the construction of a deep water harbor at Port Nelson on the Hudson Bay, primarily to facilitate the export of valuable natural resources such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and potash. Some energy industry critics blame years of federal government stubbornness to build pipelines to take advantage of Western Canada’s wealth of natural resources as the trigger for the three provinces to create their own solutions to bring natural resources to tidewater.

The MOU will also establish a rail right-of-way and utilities lines connecting Alberta to Port Nelson.

The provinces have also agreed to collaborate and contribute resources for geotechnical studies and other related explorations and investigations.

While awaiting final approval, there is enthusiastic anticipation. Of course there are many complex and exciting details and possibilities but, by all indications, it is a positive done deal. The three provincial governments have signed on to work together to eliminate regulatory inefficiency and uncertainty in hopes of boosting business and attract and develop nation-building projects.

Dr. Kent Fellows

“When it comes to the significance of the MOUs, it will be important to watch the details of how this turns into actionable items for the three provinces,” cautions the respected Dr. Kent Fellows, an assistant professor of economics and associate program director of the Canadian Northern Corridor research program at the School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, as well as a Fellowin-Residence with the C.D. Howe Institute’s Energy Policy program. “The big advantage is that this is a clear step taken by three provinces, with significant shared interests in terms of inter-provincial and international trade.

“And improving trade corridors and infrastructure between Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba will also benefit trade with other provinces and territories in Canada. For example, consider that anything Alberta sells to, or buys from, Ontario east must go through Saskatchewan and Manitoba.”

There is business and government consensus that the MOU is long-awaited and welcome collaboration. “The issue has been in-discussions for years,” he says. “And there was a major statement on the idea of corridors pre-pandemic, but it got sidelined for a while as everyone was dealing with more pressing healthcare issues. But the idea of corridor development in Canada goes back to the 1970s.”

Business experts and analysts in all sectors, particularly in energy, transportation, and infrastructure, are optimistic and enthusiastically embrace the long-term value of the signed MOU. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) shares the optimism. “Our industry supports any effort to improve project timelines and reduce regulatory delays for infrastructure projects, so we welcome the increased

“Improvingtradecorridorsandinfrastructure betweenAlberta,SaskatchewanandManitoba willalsobenefittradewithotherprovinces andterritoriesinCanada,”saysFellows.

collaboration between the provinces,” says Brad Herald, senior special advisor at CAPP. “Ensuring Canadians have the energy we need, both domestically and for export, improves affordability for Canadians and will ensure Canada has a secure source of energy for the future.

While hindsight may be interesting, it is mostly irrelevant. Although the concept of a utility corridor to Hudson’s Bay has been discussed for decades, the idea was re-booted after the washout of the railway to the Port of Churchill in 2017. Initially focused on oil pipelines, the scope has now been expanded to include multiple commodities such as LNG, potash, grain and timber. Unlike the original proposal centred around Churchill, the MOU’s advocates are now championing Port Nelson, mostly due to its more favorable location further south, particularly because the harbor is ice-free for most of the year.

Herald acknowledges the dragged out timing of the MOU, but emphasizes looking and moving forward, because there is no value in hindsight. “We welcome any opportunity, any time, to open more markets and ensure safe, reliable and affordable energy is available to Canadians and for export. These sorts of initiatives are necessary because Canadian oil and gas producers are integral players in the Canadian economy.

“Reduced regulatory barriers and access to markets ensure that our industry remains competitive. It is important for Canada because revenues from oil and natural gas production represent about $116 billion a year. Canadian producers are forecasting $40 billion in capital investment in 2023 and our industry supports 450,000 jobs across the country.”

Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta, a group of leaders, policy experts and communicators working with Alberta’s top businesses, underscores the win-win importance of the collaboration between the three western provinces. “There are two core advantages to the MOU. As a resource and utility corridor to tidewater access that would support export of our products is a very promising idea. It could enable Alberta and the prairies to compete at further scale and get resources and goods to global markets. This could unlock opportunities for LNG, critical minerals and agriculture exports.

“These kinds of initiatives also open more doors for Indigenous partnerships, leadership and ownership, which is critical for Canada to grow the economy and meet its environmental goals. Alberta has been a leader in advancing frameworks around Indigenous financing, partnership and ownership, and this agreement appears to prioritize extensive engagement with communities along the proposed route.”

Legge underscores that although the MOU is an exciting plan, it will not be cheap.” It will take a lot of capital and time to build what we need to realize a corridor – total costs have been estimated in the rage of $50 billion – and the projects within it will likely require federal review and approval. We know that process can be unpredictable, time consuming and complex, and we are actively working on improving it.”

All factors considered, including possible speedbumps, Fellows is optimistic that the triple provincial MOU plan is doable. “It took some time for the provinces to realize that a staged approach to corridor development could deliver benefits. Earlier conversations (including a 2016 Senate report) tended to focus on a national corridor that would cover all provinces and territories. But that would be a huge undertaking, requiring a lot of compromise and buy in. By starting with just the three western provinces, this MOU bites off a smaller and more manageable chunk. Sort of a ‘Think Federally/Act Provincially’ type strategy.”

Brad Herald echoes the potential. “CAPP supports any initiative to increase exports of Canadian oil and gas and other resources around the world. While we need to review details and specifics, this MOU certainly has the potential to be a win-win for oil and gas producers, as well as our trading partners and allies.”

Adam Legge capsulizes the MOUs as terrific opportunity. “A corridor like this would expand our capacity to export our natural resources like agriculture products, potash, lower-carbon energies like LNG and hydrogen and allow us to use renewable sources of energy much more efficiently.” BOE

Bantrel Co.’s 40-Year Legacy is Just the Beginning

Written by Rennay Craats

Published by Courtney Lovgren

When oil was discovered off the shore of Newfoundland in 1979, some of the country’s biggest players took notice. In 1983, five of them established Bantrel Co. to bring Canadian expertise to Hibernia projects, and as small as this fledgling company was, its team of engineers delivered big results. Soon after, Bantrel established a stellar reputation throughout the sector and quickly grew its presence across the country, becoming a respected partner for clients developing oil sands, processing and heavy industrial projects.

Today, Bantrel continues to provide end-to-end engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) solutions for Canada’s most complex projects backed by the two remaining original owners, the global EPC Corporation Bechtel, and Trimac Corporation’s Founder, McCaig Holdings. The Bantrel team has the expertise and experience to provide select pieces of the process or the entire scope of it, from consultation and design to procuring materials and performing construction.

Photo by Riverwood Photography

energy industry as well as other markets. It could be sustaining capital portfolios right to large greenfield projects and everything in between,” says Paul Gosse, VP Energy and CFO at Bantrel.

Bantrel is there for clients, whether they are working on a smaller project worth hundreds of thousands of dollars or complex major projects worth billions. These relationships are critical, and the team prides itself on maintaining decades-long ties with key energy clients like Cenovus, Imperial Oil, Shell and ATCO all the while building new ones in increasingly diverse areas. While many competitors are based elsewhere and pop in and out of the Canadian market, Bantrel is proudly Canadian and remains focused on and invested in the local market. And after 40 years in business, the company continues to evolve and grow as it helps shape the new energy landscape in Canada and beyond.

“We’ve really taken a purposeful approach in diversifying our markets. We’re still industrial focused but we’ve

right now – and infrastructure, we’re delivering a light rail transit project in Toronto, and of course, remain committed to energy transition,” says Darren Curran, President and CEO of Bantrel.

Energy transition is an exciting growth area for the industry, and Bantrel is building on its experience in hydrogen and ammonia as well as in carbon capture to be an integral part of the greener energy movement toward decarbonization. Many of the company’s markets are linked to these areas, from facilitating electricity- or hydrogen-fueled transportation to upgrading facilities with efficiencies and carbon abatement. Copper and lithium mining will also play a huge role in the energy transition, supported by Bantrel.

Nuclear is another key component of these efforts and Bantrel has supported Bechtel’s team in Waynesboro, Georgia, in building Plant Vogtle, North America’s first advanced nuclear power plant in 30 years. The Bantrel team brought nuclear expertise back to Canada, has

and is ready to help implement clean nuclear power development.

“Growth of our business is focused on carbon reduction, abatement and net zero projects. It’s an exciting time to be in capital projects, and this is what’s driving it,” says Adam MacKay, VP Client Solutions and Nuclear.

And what is driving those projects at Bantrel is the innovation coming out of the creative teams working in various markets. More importantly, the individual teams are sharing how they are doing things better or more efficiently across the organization. These homegrown solutions, which include anything from data integration and automation to intuitive applications and reality capture enhancement, challenge the status quo and often lead to better, safer and more efficient projects with improved stakeholder engagement. They take the time to talk about the successes and discuss how they can apply these innovations elsewhere to build on them organization-wide.

“The entrepreneurial spirit is important for this organization

through the remainder of the core values of safety, ethics, quality, innovation and sustainability as well, and the result is a great environment that produces meaningful, quality work. Bantrel treats staff with respect, provides challenging and rewarding projects and offers them opportunities to work on many different types of projects in many different locations to keep them engaged and part of the Bantrel family.

“We have made a concerted effort to hire people with a propensity toward our core values. Once you’ve brought those people in, they attract other people with the same core values and it snowballs and creates a really amazing environment to work in,” says Ryan Barg, VP

Corporate Services and Strategy for Bantrel.

internally and with clients, partners, stakeholders and the greater community. Bantrel supports communities through food drives, urban tree planting, community clean-ups and fundraising for causes like the Alberta Cancer Society and matching staff donations to charitable causes that are most important to them. Bantrel’s focus on people is woven

Bantrel’s goal is simple: to be the preferred Canadian integrated EPC company. While it has certainly achieved that on the strength and experience of its 800+ team members, many of whom have been with the company for decades, the company hasn’t let off the throttle. With strong talent and a solid bottom line, the company is well positioned to continue to grow as Bantrel broadens its markets and diversifies further. The team is proud of what they have achieved together over the past 40 years but is more excited about what’s still ahead.

“We have an incredibly strong history and a lot of legacy with respect to the facilities that we’ve designed and built. It’s mind boggling to look back at it,” says Doug Barth, corporate Manager of Engineering and Services.

As Canadian companies grow and explore new markets in energy, mining, infrastructure, nuclear, and construction, Bantrel Co. will be right there beside them just as they have been for the past 40 years.

Photo by Riverwood Photography

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