Company Report: ECL
ECL ECL has built a tradition of excellence in transportation, product handling and oilfield specialty chemicals and fluids. Over the past five years, it has refocused and the company is enjoying remarkable success

The ECL Group of Companies, a 61-year-old family owned company today remains committed to providing excellence in transportation, product handling and oilfield specialty chemicals and fluids, despite undergoing many changes through the years.

Founded in rural Alberta an incredible six decades ago, the company began with one client, United Farmers of Alberta (UFA) Cooperative Ltd., doing business on a single handshake with no contracts until 2002. From there the company has enjoyed considerable growth, becoming what is now regarded a major industry player. UFA remains a key customer to this day; however the relationship is much more formal. ECL has also grown its customer base to include a wider range of clients and it is excited by what lies ahead.

"We have grown considerably," explains Don Bietz, Executive Vice President. "We have accumulated vast experience and have built a reputation as an industry leader." Exceptional drivers, an excellent safety record and a commitment to quality are just a few of ECL's main characteristics today and it is also specialized and 100 percent focused on the customer. "That makes us unique in this sector," adds Bietz.

ECL Group hasn't always been specialized; in fact, if anything, the company was once perhaps a little too diverse. So over the past five years it has focused on its operations, selling some businesses and concentrating on two core business units: ECL Transportation Ltd and Innovative Chemical Technologies Canada (ICTC) ltd. It also rebranded and is concentrating on improving further in the future.

"That's right, we have two core businesses," says Bietz. "One is ECL Transportation, which is a specialty carrier of petroleum and a niche carrier of dry freight for a few major customers and the other, ICTC, serves the oil and gas market, handling fracturing fluids, drilling fluids and formulated chemistry." Both companies concentrate on customers in western Canada, but also do business coast to coast and in select US markets too; ICTC having offshore business as well.

In selling off certain businesses and concentrating on two core units ECL group has become a "master in specialized areas," says Bietz.

People power
ECL currently operates from nine different sites across Canada: it has three offices in Edmonton, three in Calgary, one in Hay River, one in Barrie and one in Winnipeg. In total it employs around 500 people across the country, while also maintaining driver groups in various parts of Canada, including British Columbia.

Bietz believes that the company's committed people are what ultimately sets it apart from the competition, enabling the company to focus on the relationships it builds. People are the ones which enable this to happen.

"On the trucking side in particular it is very important to build strong relationships, and it is very labor intensive, so good people are a must," says Don. "On the oilfield side, intellectual capital is the major asset as the people do the product development and research and are product experts in the field. In this regard, ICTC utilizes a state-of-the-art laboratory in Edmonton, a modern manufacturing facility and highly skilled technical people to provide the value-added services demanded by its customers.

"We are a customer focused service organization and strive to help customers achieve more and maximize their potential through value-added services," continues Bietz. "We are a great team and everybody in the company is a valued person. We are also opportunity driven and are always looking for opportunities and identify the best, new solutions. In a lot of cases that is why we have such a loyal customer base because we have come up with great solutions for them time after time. The freight run is a perfect example of this. It is a very specialized area."

Safety first
No one is more committed to safety than ECL, who always gets the job done safely. Its philosophy has always been to operate to the highest safety standards and it has clearly defined HSE goals: an injury free workplace; an incident free workplace and a cleaner and healthier environment.

"HSE is a vital part of our culture, and has been for almost 50 years," explains Bietz. "Our employees know and understand they have a role to play and we constantly educate them on how we can all work safely." ECL has an extensive in-house People Development & Culture program.

Tough market
In the Alberta market, where ECL has a significant amount of its business, there is at present a lot of volatility. The company is facing a number of challenges in a variety of forms. The biggest challenge in the Alberta market at the moment is finding then keeping good people. "Everybody is fighting for the talent that is out there," says Don. "Good people are the life-blood of any company so they are vitally important and we strive to attract the very best." To do so, it is important that ECL becomes the employer of choice.

Despite the challenges that lay ahead, ECL has seen significant growth in the last three years and plans to continue growing, although it is unlikely any growth will be achieved this year, especially in transportation. "We've had some significant developments in the last few years," explains Bietz. "We have a strategic plan that takes us out three years and we will be looking at growth. On the oil field side there are a number of markets we are looking to getting into and we are always evaluating new products. We have an extensive R&D program and our experienced, talented folks are always building new products. This will ultimately help us expand."

Overall, says Don, ECL Group has great people and that is what has made it the success it is today.

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