Landing Trail Petroleum

Growing globally┬áKeith Regan finds out how Landing Trail PetroleumÔÇÖs evolution in the oil and gas industry has been based on attention to detail and keeping customers satisfied whatever service is being delivered.  Landing Trail Petroleum was founded as a provider of basic maintenance services to companies that own and operate oil and gas wells in the northern portion of CanadaÔÇÖs Alberta province. Twenty-five years later, it has evolved into a multi-faceted, global operation providing complete construction services, management consulting and recruiting services to the same oil and gas industry customers.The evolution was made possible by a sharp focus on customer satisfaction and close attention to operational consistency from the very outset, says president and chief executive officer Charles Iggulden, who also founded the company. From oil and gas field and well maintenance and upkeep, the firm evolved quickly into providing construction and construction management to its customers. ÔÇ£As customers got to know our work and be happy with our work, they began to ask us if we could do this and that for them in addition,ÔÇØ he says. ÔÇ£It was all about the service we gave on all our jobs, no matter how big or small the project might have been. There is never any need for extra work on one of our jobsÔÇöitÔÇÖs always done right the first time.ÔÇØ┬á┬á The Fort McMurray, AlbertaÔÇôbased company has carefully fostered that culture of customer service and operational excellence over the course of two and a half decades of growth and expansion as well. ÔÇ£As weÔÇÖve grown, we always make sure that we spend a lot of time driving down that corporate culture to everyone in the organization,ÔÇØ says Iggulden. The results speak for themselves. Take workplace safety, for example: In 25 years the company has not experienced a single accident that led to lost work time for an employee, despite seeing its construction workforce expand to over 100 people while completing dozens of often complex projects of varying sizes. ÔÇ£A lot of training, a lot of reinforcement goes into making that happen. A lot of it happens by example. I and our other executive management team members spend a lot of time one-on-one with all employees to make sure there is a good attitude in place at all times. WeÔÇÖre also very tough on pre-employment screening to make sure we get people who will fit with our philosophy.ÔÇØOver the years, many Landing Trail employees have gone on to form their own service companies, and the firm works closely with them as subcontractors on many projects. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve had people come in as welders, learn the ropes from us, and then go on to set up their own shops and continue to work with us closely. ItÔÇÖs a good way to build your network and ensure youÔÇÖre working with people who have the same philosophies that you do.ÔÇØSeeking to leverage Landing TrailÔÇÖs experience and expertise, many customers now bring the company into their planning processes well in advance of the start of any construction activity. ÔÇ£We have a couple of customers who bring us right into the planning stage, and weÔÇÖre at the table two years before we hit the ground on construction,ÔÇØ the CEO says, adding that in such cases, savings can be reaped from suggesting alternative construction approaches. As it has grown in size and scope, Landing Trail has been called on increasingly to help oil and gas companies with specific management challenges as well as construction projects. ÔÇ£Over the years, we gained a lot of experience in seeing how things can be run that our customers asked us to share with them.ÔÇØ That part of the business started as an informal sideline but quickly became a major part of Landing TrailÔÇÖs revenues. The evolution prompted the spinoff and creation of sister companies, including TSG Energy, which now handles major construction projects, a new venture that will focus on union projects, and Trade Skills Global, an international recruiting concern that is bringing oil and gas workers into Canada and sending Canadian workers to growing petroleum centers around the world. ÔÇ£We started bringing people in ourselves and found out it was a need that our customers have as well,ÔÇØ Iggulden says. Trade Skills Global now operates partnerships or offices in seven markets around the world, including Australia, South Africa, Ireland and a recently opened office in Kuwait. The companiesÔÇÖ biggest advantage given the current economic and business climate may be the fact that they carry virtually no debt on their balance sheets. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve been through a lot of ups and downs, and weÔÇÖve worked with our banks to make sure we have the capital we need, but weÔÇÖve always been very cautious of how far weÔÇÖve gotten into debt.ÔÇØFostering long-term relationships is something Iggulden takes seriously, and he often finds himself involved in efforts to advance the overall industry. He is currently president of the Fort McMurray Construction Association and is a full member of the Northeastern Alberta Aboriginal Business Association (NAABA) as well as a member of the board of directors of the Alberta Construction Safety Association. The business is inherently cyclical, with boom times and slow times driven by a number of external factors, including, at times, the weather. One current impetus for additional development in Alberta is the fact that after being at par for part of 2007, the Canadian dollar is back to being worth about three-quarters of a US dollar. ÔÇ£That makes a good motivation for investment for US interests. And when you add in the long-term outlook for energy, we feel optimistic that weÔÇÖll continue to find growth opportunities.ÔÇ£A few things have slowed down and a lot of projects have been delayed a quarter or two quarters,ÔÇØ says Iggulden, ÔÇ£but we still see ourselves doubling in size over the next two to three years.ÔÇØ ┬á