Ensteel profile

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Ensteel Industries | 40 th Anniversary | 1 W hen you step inside Gerry Stotts’ office, the walls are lined with black-and-white photographs, awards and memora- bilia that reflect a lifetime of hard work, dedication and accomplish- ments. He started working when he was 14 years old in his father’s machine shop – the first shop in Cal- gary to die-cast aluminum that came from recycled engine parts. Since that time, Stotts has spent his career working both for and with companies that have helped build the infrastructure of Alberta – since the early 1950s. After graduating from the University of Alberta as a civil engineer, Stotts spent many years in the heavy equipment construction industry when road and development work, coal min- ing and surface mining were leading industries. After 14 years, he decided it was time to start a business – known today as Ensteel Industries Ltd. The year 2013 marks the 40 th anniversary of Ensteel Industries, a company that Stotts, Cliff Ratcliff and Sandy Harvey established in 1973. Originally, Ensteel evolved to meet a growing demand for customers that required large-scale material handling equipment. The components were shipped to Calgary and then modified, by Ensteel, for the A welder at work in the Ensteel Shop Supporting Alberta’s Infrastructure for 40 Years Written and photographed by Mary Savage

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BIC May2013 - Ensteel profile

Transcript of Ensteel profile

Page 1: Ensteel profile

Ensteel Industries | 40th Anniversary | 1

When you step inside Gerry Stotts’ offi ce, the walls are lined with black-and-white

photographs, awards and memora-bilia that refl ect a lifetime of hard work, dedication and accomplish-ments. He started working when he was 14 years old in his father’s machine shop – the fi rst shop in Cal-gary to die-cast aluminum that came from recycled engine parts.

Since that time, Stotts has spent his career working both for and with companies that have helped build the infrastructure of Alberta – since the early 1950s. After graduating from the University of Alberta as a civil engineer, Stotts spent many years in the heavy equipment construction industry when road and development work, coal min-ing and surface mining were leading industries. After 14 years, he decided it

was time to start a business – known today as Ensteel Industries Ltd.

The year 2013 marks the 40th anniversary of Ensteel Industries, a company that Stotts, Cliff Ratcliff and Sandy Harvey established in 1973. Originally, Ensteel evolved to meet a growing demand for customers that required large-scale material handling equipment. The components were shipped to Calgary and then modifi ed, by Ensteel, for the

A welder at work in the Ensteel Shop

Supporting Alberta’s Infrastructure for 40 YearsWritten and photographed by Mary Savage

www.mcap.com

MCAP Development Finance Group provides financing for residential, commercial, and industrial projects including permanent take-out, construction, mezzanine, and equity / bridge financing ranging from $1MM to over $300MM.

The following is a brief summary of some of the recent transactions approved and funded by MCAP.

Suite 645, 1331 Macleod Trail SE Calgary, AB T2G 0K3T: 403.266.5722 F: 403.262.2685

MCAP Financial Corporation [a licenced brokerage] | Real Estate Finance Group

MICHAEL ROULSTON

Managing Director403.451.1192

Stephen JonesSenior Advisor403.451.1194

Marc PrefontaineSenior Director780.665.0962

Blake LowdenSenior Analyst403.451.1195

May 2013 | Issue twenty four

$50,900,000 Condominium Construction Loan (Funding upcoming)196 condominium units and 6,840 of retail space

FIRST

Location: Calgary, AB

$10,410,000 Land Servicing Loan148 single family lots; 3.5 acres of multifamily lands

CANALS PHASE 6

Location: Airdrie, AB

$70,000,000 Commercial Land Servicing 149 acres of commercial land

SAGE HILL CROSSING

Location: Calgary, AB

$31,460,000 First Mortgage Condominium Construction Loan$5,450,000 Mezzanine Construction Loan Facility364 apartment condominium units

INDIGO SKY PHASE 1- 4

Location: Calgary, AB

$66,350,000 Construction Loan334,341 square feet office space 26,001 square feet retail

CENTRE 10

Location: Calgary, AB

Financial Corporation

$5,000,000 Equity Loan467 single family lots, 6.4 acres of multifamily lands

PILOT SOUND

Location: Edmonton, AB

Congratulations Carlisle Group on a successful 30 years and many more to come!

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Ensteel Industries | 40th Anniversary | 2

3824 7th Street S.E. Calgary, AB T2G 2Y8Toll Free in Canada: 800.784.4324 | Phone: 403.243.3310 | Fax: 403.243.2997

Our staff at Chinook Pumps would like to congratulate Ensteel on their 40th Anniversary.

We wish you continued success.

customer’s needs. Ratcliff was a welder and machinist, Harvey looked after sales and Stotts ran the engineering division – and the team worked together seam-lessly.

“During the early days, we would design and build the equipment to meet the specs of the contractor. We brought in the components, put them on a chassis and built the necessary hoppers, convey-ors and controls,” recalls Stotts, founder.

“And it was before the advent of com-puters! All the drafting and engineering work was done with a slide rule and cal-culator,” he adds. “And sales calls were made in person.”

While Ensteel was growing the busi-ness, another industry was starting to emerge: sulphur – a byproduct of every gas plant in Alberta. “The sulphur was

Gerry Stotts

customer’s needs. Ratcliff was a welder and machinist, Harvey looked after sales and Stotts ran the engineering division – and the team worked together seamlessly.

design and build the equipment to meet the specs of the contractor. We brought in the components, put them on a chassis and built the necessary hoppers, conveyors and controls,” recalls Stotts, founder.

puters! All the drafting and engineering work was done with a slide rule and calculator,” he adds. “And sales calls were made in person.”

ness, another industry was starting to emerge: sulphur – a byproduct of every gas plant in Alberta. “The sulphur was

A Deep-Rooted Passion…When Stotts is not working on an Ensteel project, you will find him

involved with the Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Heritage Soci-ety of Canada (RHHS), an association that was established to preserve and promote Canada’s construction heritage and it’s located next to the Leduc # 1 Energy Discovery Centre, near Devon, Alberta.

In 1992, Stotts joined the advisory committee of the Reynolds-Alberta Museum (RAM) in an effort to help preserve Alberta’s vintage construc-tion equipment. His deep-rooted passion for both preserving history and raising awareness led to his involvement with the RHHS, and today he sits as vice-president of the organization.

“The construction industry is the largest employer of people in Canada, yet when it comes to heavy construction, Western Canada lacks training and publicity to entice young people. In addition to preserving history, we’ve had an ongoing effort to promote this sector as a career path,” he says.

“Recent statistics indicate we are going to need between 45,000-50,000 people working in the oilsands in the next five years. By grade 10, most young people have decided what career path they want to pursue, so we are trying to expose kids to the heavy construction industry at a younger age – because all kids like to play in the sandbox,” he adds.

One of the RHHS initiatives is located in Draft Horse Town, at the Calgary Stampede. You will find horse-drawn equipment on display, but you will also find a sandbox – and kids are encouraged to jump in and play. There are simulators and hands-on equipment designed to catch their eye and hopefully, spark their interest to pursue a career in road building and heavy construction.

Last summer, the RHHS and Olds College hosted a program called “Women in Industry” and welcomed women from ages 18 to 60. As graduates, each woman walked away not only with their certification, but each one had secured a job.

“From mining and pipelining to building roads, the heavy construc-tion sector encompasses many aspects. We have a rich history and it’s through all of these industries that we are able to make Alberta a better place to live. And now we are connecting with the next generation who are going to continue to develop Alberta’s infrastructure,” says Stotts with a hint of excitement.

www.cjcampbell.com

Congratulations Ensteel, as you celebrate your 40th Anniversary!

Proud to be your long-standing insurance broker.

The best success stories are the ones written right here.

cwbank.com

Congratulations from all of your road builder friends

at Graham Brothers!

Congratulations to Ensteel on their 40th Anniversary!

315A - 39 Ave. SE, Calgary AB T2G [email protected] | [email protected]

403.457.2100 | davisjensenlaw.ca

Page 3: Ensteel profile

3824 7th Street S.E. Calgary, AB T2G 2Y8Toll Free in Canada: 800.784.4324 | Phone: 403.243.3310 | Fax: 403.243.2997

Our staff at Chinook Pumps would like to congratulate Ensteel on their 40th Anniversary.

We wish you continued success.

A Deep-Rooted Passion…

Ensteel Industries | 40th Anniversary | 3

www.cjcampbell.com

Congratulations Ensteel, as you celebrate your 40th Anniversary!

Proud to be your long-standing insurance broker.

The best success stories are the ones written right here.

Congratulations to Ensteel Industries Ltd.on celebrating 40 successful years.

Calgary Chinook Branch6606 MacLeod Trail SWPh: 403.252.2299

cwbank.com

Congratulations from all of your road builder friends

at Graham Brothers!

Graham Brothers Construction Group Ltd.Tel: 780-413-1725 | Fax: 780-479-2551 | 9004 Yellowhead Trail, Edmonton, Ab T5B 1G2

poured into big yellow blocks and it was 99.9 per cent pure,” says Stotts.

There was a worldwide demand for sulphur and Alberta responded – it had the raw commodity, but it was inefficient in the block form. Ensteel was involved in the design and building of facilities to process the sulphur blocks: Ensteel built equipment to melt, store, load to railcars and ship to Vancouver for worldwide distribution.

By 1975, Ensteel needed more space and moved to barren farmland located southeast of the city. They were the first business to set up shop in what was to become the South Foothills Industrial Park.

Over the next 20 years, Ensteel worked with compa-nies across all sectors – fabricating machinery from gravel crushers and concrete aggregate production, to screening and washing equipment for the mining industry. They have shipped equipment as far north as the Arctic Circle, to Nana-sivik, where a gravel crusher was used to build airport landing strips throughout the High Arctic.

By the late 1980s, Ensteel recognized another growing need: transportation equipment in the concrete industry, also

known as transit mixers. Ensteel started a new division, Pre-cision Concrete Mixers, and today the division continues to produce a complete line of concrete mixer units.

In 2000, the third division of Ensteel emerged while work-ing with a refuse container company out of Medicine Hat.

Forty years later, Stotts is still involved with the company, but the second generation is sitting squarely at the helm. Two of Stotts’ children joined the company years ago and today his son, Joe, is the president. His daughter, Sheila, heads up the office and administration division.

Joe joined the business in 1986 after graduating from SAIT as a machinist – starting out in the shop and working his way through the business. Sheila joined Ensteel in 2000 after a lengthy and successful career in the banking industry.

As Ensteel celebrates their 40th anniversary, they pause from the workday to extend a sincere thank you to all the business partners, suppliers, employees and customers who have helped them to achieve this milestone. •

www.ensteelequip.com

Congratulations to Ensteel on their 40th Anniversary!

315A - 39 Ave. SE, Calgary AB T2G [email protected] | [email protected]

403.457.2100 | davisjensenlaw.ca

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Ensteel Industries | 40th Anniversary | 4

MODERN TOOL LTD.We at Modern Tool Ltd. would like wish congratulations to our friends at

on their 40th anniversary this year.Thank you for your past patronage. May you have many more years of success!

11488 - 70th Street SECalgary, Alberta, T2C-4Y3

Phone: 403-236-1150www.moderntool.com

New and Used Machine tools

years of success!

11488 - 70th Street SE

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Industry leading service in a variety of markets:

Oil & Gas Mining & Oil Sands Manufacturing & Fabrication Structural & Architectural Agricultural

Experienced technicians providing rolling & cold bending in a wide array of metals and forms:

Pipe & Tubing Hollow Structural Steel Beams Flat Bars

Industry leading service in a variety of markets:

Oil & Gas Mining & Oil Sands Manufacturing & Fabrication Structural & Architectural Agricultural

www.pipebending.com | 4707 Glenmore Tr. SE, Calgary, AB T2C 2R9 | Toll Free: 1-800-952-2944

Experienced technicians providing rolling & cold bending in a wide array of metals and forms:

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A Division of Benpro Technologies Corp.

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Congratulations to Ensteel on your 40th Anniversary!

We wish you many more years of success.

4025 - 90 Avenue S.E., Calgary, AB T2C 2S5

403.720.5970