Central Alberta Well Services

Source: Exec Digital Canada

Date :12/12/2007 12:08:30

CWC’s growing team is taking the lead in the delivery of a complete range of oil and gas services. This, according to District Manager Sheldon Jasper, will see the company expand considerably.

Written by Ian Armitage and Produced by Jason Wright

The Central Alberta Well Services Corporation (CWC) is an oilfield services company taking the lead in the delivery of a complete range of innovative oil and gas services.

Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, with strategic regional operations in Red Deer, Provost and a new location in Whitecourt, the company provides a complete range of oil and gas services, including completions, well maintenance, well testing, high pressure and critical sour gas work, re-entry drilling, snubbing, nitrogen services, and oilfield rentals.

“We are able to meet the well servicing needs of exploration and development companies across the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB), and operate an advanced fleet, designed with employee safety, customer economics and investor profitability in mind,” explains Sheldon Jasper, District Manager. “We are backed by years of industry experience and expertise and have the most high-tech, cost effective and safety oriented technologies available.”

Mr. Jasper has 27 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Throughout his career, he has worked in the central, northern and western foothills of the Canadian Oilfield Basin.

He has been involved in all aspects of management since 1992 including well servicing, drilling and under balance operations, and holds certificates in safety and employee management, Root Cause Analysis and Risk Assessment. Well versed in company growth and with a proven history in progressive expansion, Mr. Jasper has been heavily involved in the company’s development since inception.

“We are a growing oilfield services company and operate in many of the major oil and natural gas producing regions of Canada,” continues Jasper. “We focus on offering technologically advanced equipment and services at competitive prices and believe this will allow us to successfully compete against major oilfield services companies, as well as smaller, independent service providers.”

CWC’s growing team is supported by a core management group that has worked together for more than 25 years. “We have vast industry knowledge and pay attention to customers, people and equipment, and that is why we are a success,” he adds.

Oil’s well

Since becoming a public company in September of 2005, CWC has deployed an extensive fleet of new oilfield equipment, and added ancillary services that strongly support its service rig operations. This accelerated growth plan, through accretive acquisitions, has expanded the scope of its operations to encompass multiple product lines through strategic locations across the WCSB.

“We are built on experience and have a history of successful delivery. We will move forward with the same commitment to service, innovation and growth we have always had,” says Jasper. “We know our customers and our industry, and know what it takes to be the best.”

Despite a general industry downturn, optimism is high at CWC, as the company looks for suitable acquisitions to aid expansion. These aren’t the heady days of the 1990s, but CWC is still a popular choice, due to its advanced technology and broad portfolio. It might seem strange that the company intends to grow in this difficult period for the Canadian oil and gas industry, but according to Jasper, in every difficult situation there is an opportunity.

It is not surprising how popular its offering actually is, nor how the company is planning to grow by acquiring new members as they struggle to cope with difficult market conditions and the commodity-linked Canadian dollar’s tussle with fluctuations in oil price.

CWC offers customers specialized equipment and service solutions that many of its smaller independent competitors currently do not offer. Although its larger competitors offer many similar products and services, according to CWC the combination of competitive pricing and its strong emphasis on safety and highly responsive customer service allows it to successfully compete with them.

“The industry isn’t what it was, but we believe our ability to provide multiple services allows us to maximize efficiency, reduce lead times and provide cost effective solutions for all our customers,” continues Jasper. “Therefore, we’re a success and will continue to be a success in the future.” Diversification, it seems is vital, particularly in challenging times.

Power to the people

It wouldn’t be right, says Jasper, for us to talk of the accomplishment of CWC, without mentioning its people. They are the heart of the organisation and drive the company forward. Their determination to succeed, unrivalled industry knowledge and superb levels of customer service have all helped CWC build a reputation for excellence. “It is all well and good having the best equipment, but it is the people who operate it that determine its success,” explains Jasper. “Without quality staff we are nothing.”

He adds: “It is a concern that the industry downturn may force skilled people out of the oil and gas sector and back into industries like construction.

It may also prevent students from choosing careers in this sector. However, we are a success and know how to look after our people, so I don’t think this particular trend will affect us. We have very high staff retention levels and low turnover – and this is why we have grown to be a force to be reckoned with in the oil and gas sector.”

Focused on the future

At CWC, continues Jasper “all we do is well service. This makes us confident in telling our valued customers that we can handle all of their well servicing needs. We are a fast growing company dedicated to excellence. We accomplish this with good people, quality iron, and sticking with what we do best. We also operate under the philosophy of providing a quality service while providing a safe working environment for all employees and contractors at every site that we operate.”

Today, CWC is continually increasing the number of services it offers to its customers, while at the same time expanding the fleet within the core of well service rigs. This has been done using both organic growth and acquisitions to provide a better service.

Leveraging its extensive experience, CWC’s management team, rather importantly in the current climate, has the industry recognition to obtain contracts from exploration and production companies, and the ability to attract and retain skilled personnel in a very tight labour market.

While it is a relatively new company, its current management group has been working together as a complete team in the well service business for more than 25 years. Prior to CWC, the group managed a private oilfield service group that was established in 1968 and that grew to become the largest private oilfield servicing company in North America. With this kind of experience, CWC is more appropriately characterized as the re-emergence of a successful oilfield services team rather than the commencement of a new operation.