Caliber Control Systems Ltd. - Celebrating 15 Years

LEADING THE CHARGE IN AN EVOLVING INDUSTRY CALIBER

CONTROL SYSTEMS

CELEBRATES

15 YEARS

By Nerissa McNaughton | Photos by Rebecca Lippatt

Caliber Control Systems is the reliable and innovative choice for industrial electrical, instrumentation, automation and solar projects across North America.

Established in 2008, Caliber provides 360 degrees of service, from design and fabrication to installation, commissioning and maintenance for the oil, gas, petrochemical and mining industries. The latest division, Caliber Total Green, was established to service the renewable energy sector. Its QA/QC program outlines

Caliber’s commitment to exceeding industry and client expectations when it comes to project quality, customer service and worksite safety.

Environmental stewardship is always top of mind; Caliber rigorously adheres to government legislation in all operations. The company proactively reduces environmental harm by recycling, composting, reducing vehicle emissions and working towards becoming a paperless organization.

Darin Barker, Dave Lee, Denee Flodell, Ryan Stasiuk, Donna Schellenberg, Jordon Flodell and Jeff Thiel.

A main value of Caliber is corporate and community social responsibility. With this value at its core, the management team leads by example and encourages each staff member to be active in volunteering, sitting on boards, contributing to fundraisers and supporting amateur sports.

In just 15 years, Caliber Control Systems grew from a concept to servicing high-level projects across North America and it all started with one man, Jordon Flodell.

Flodell, president and CEO, began his career as an instrumental technician.

“I was working as an instrumental tech but the company I was working for was very hands off, says Flodell. “I felt that the organization lacked a good corporate culture. When an opportunity came up to do something in my field that I was passionate about, I jumped at the chance and welcomed the challenge.”

That opportunity was to open Caliber Control Systems. For Flodell, the corporate culture of his company would be every bit as important as the work they would go on to do. With this in mind, he opened the doors and introduced the industry to a new way of doing business –a business where people mattered and customer service was key.

As with most success stories, Caliber had humble beginnings.

“I started Caliber at the kitchen table, processing paperwork on evenings and weekends after days in the field,” Flodell reminisces. “So, the first milestone was buying a shop and an office. That truly legitimized the business.”

The next milestone for Caliber was estimating, being awarded and completing its first major project.

“We had instilled confidence in our client and this ended up being a very successful project.”

“I have an instrumentation background, so we were known for that,” Flodell continues. Over time we added electrical and then automation.”

Those additions led to another milestone when the company was called in from the onset to give input for, and to provide, all of the electrical, instrumentation and automation services for a substantial project.

Although Caliber Control Systems is celebrating 15 years, it’s still a well-kept secret that the brand offers all three services: electrical, instrumentation and automation. Flodell looks forward to growing industry awareness about how Caliber is a one-stop operation for those in need of those services, and how the sister company, Site Resources Ltd., also adds value to projects.

“Site Resources is our lloT, instrumentation, automation and lubricant solution,” says Flodell. “Our services and products

through Site Resources started by relieving common issues in Alberta’s oil and gas sector. Now we provide solutions worldwide. We provide GPS; density, level and pressure measurement devices; mass flow and pipeline integrity devices; plunger lift controllers and lubricants.”

“It is important,” Flodell continues, “to see what is coming down the pipeline in our industry and to adapt and grow. For example, technology and automation are making strides and so are green solutions.”

With that in mind, and with a commitment to sustainable, eco-friendly practices, Flodell opened the Caliber Total Green division.

“Caliber Total Green is about clean, safe, renewable energy,” he says. “One component of this is grid parity. Through interconnected and remotely managed systems, we can maximize our power output while monitoring every solar panel, wind turbine and energy storage system in real time. Through automation, we ensure all of the systems are operating at peak capacity with continuous uptime. We upgrade the technology as needed to ensure we are constantly generating green power for the market.”

An array of tech-forward services and green energy options keeps Caliber busy and ahead of the curve, but for Flodell, success is something earned through hard work, honest communication and outstanding customer service.

“We are a family-owned business. We wear our heart on our sleeve with the people we employ and with our industry relationships,” he says. “We cherish them; we offer a high level of service to our employees and to our clients.

“When it comes to customer service, our phone is always on and we are quick to respond. Every client has a different need. We adapt to them individually and quickly because we are a very agile company that knows there is never a one-size-fits-all solution. We are proud to have so many long-term clients.

“I’m also very proud of our team. They are the reason for our continual growth. We have some great people with us and I’m so happy to have them. It is a priority to provide a workplace for them that empowers them to support their families and take pride in their career.”

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Flodell admits, “Some of the past years have been very challenging due a number of factors (COVID, changing economics, shifting political landscape, energy prices) so to come through and thrive is a real blessing.”

There are still challenges. As with most trades-based businesses in the province, Flodell feels the pinch of limited labour.

“Skill trades are hurting,” he acknowledges. “There are not as many young people getting into the trades and there is a large displacement as older people leave the

Congratulations Caliber on 15 years!!

people coming in.”

The solution, he knows, is a long-range plan based on many different factors. For his part, he will continue to advocate for young people to enter the trades while providing an outstanding corporate culture as a leader and example in the industry.

“Both our clients and our team can expect a consistently high level of service and quality based on our industry experience and drive to create an outstanding workplace for our people.”

Caliber Control Systems, and Flodell, make supporting the community a priority as well. They give back to the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, the annual Alzheimer’s Face Off Pro-Am tournament and more.

For many years Flodell was a part of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Edmonton. He credits EO with helping him run Caliber and take care of its clients and team.

organization is made up of great people and business minds in Edmonton and provides amazing networking opportunities. That, for me, was a huge advantage. EO is advantageous for businesses across Edmonton and was instrumental during some of the tough industry years.”

Although he took a break from EO to complete his EMBA, Flodell looks forward to rejoining the organization.

“EO’s mentors and peers are part of the reason why we are where we are today,” he smiles.

Caliber Control Systems has grown and changed in many ways since Flodell used to run the company from his kitchen table. Now, with clients across the globe, being an early adopter of green solutions, creating space for those that choose the trades and supporting the community, the entrepreneur is happy to look back and know that when that opportunity came along 15 years ago, he made the right choice.

The future? He confides, “Diversifying into other markets. Growth. Providing more opportunity for the people we employ.”