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hall of fame
Super
six-pack
A half-dozen inductees to the Canadian
Petroleum Hall of Fame are testament to the
solid foundation of the oil and gas industry
By Christopher Huffaker
T h i s y e a r, t he
Canadian Petroleum
Hall of Fame is inducting the
most new members that it has in
five years, and a glance down the list
suggests that maybe it ought to induct a
six-pack more often. This year’s inductees join
over 140 honoured members, all of them recognized for their contributions to the development
of the country’s energy assets and to the legacy they
leave on Canadian life in general.
Limited’s historic
Leduc No. 1 discovery
well was drilled. Eric created
a wealth of cultural institutions,
including the Glenbow Museum, that
were funded by an oil empire that was
based, at least indirectly, on that well. Don,
in his retirement, built the Leduc No. 1 Energy
Discovery Centre as a monument to and museum
of the Alberta oil industry.
Clem Bowman and Jim Carter, meanwhile, saw
These history makers, who will be inducted into
the Hall of Fame at a dinner in Calgary on September 26,
should assuage any doubts about the continued success
of the Canadian energy sector.
ways to improve oilsands production before it was in
a similarly desperate situation. Clem, as the head of the
Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority, was
responsible for large-scale testing of steam assisted grav-
“Anyone who has any concerns about the future of our
ity drainage, which is now widely used for in situ oilsands
industry need only spend some time poring over the stor­
production, and his impact does not end there. Jim, from a
ies of Hall of Fame inductees to understand how solid the
background in mining, saw that mined oilsands production
foundation they built is,” says Bill Whitelaw, chairman of
could be improved with the introduction of electric shov-
the Hall of Fame.
els and dump trucks for overburden removal. His methods,
Not only do they demonstrate the foundation, they also show
too, are now essentially universal, and his contributions to
one of the most important features of the industry: wherever
aboriginal relations and sustainable performance have been
there is a problem, someone will step up to solve it; wherever
equally important.
a process can be improved, someone will improve it.
Sidney Ells was the first person to argue that one of the
fundamental problems of the Canadian energy landscape
(making the oilsands commercially viable) even had a
solution, with his research beginning a century ago
this year. As we now know, he was correct, and the
extensive data he gathered is useful to this day.
Eric Harvie and Don Hunter both have close
ties to one of the solutions to another of the
industry’s biggest historic problems: a rapidly depleting supply of oil. Eric owned
considerable freehold rights in
Alberta, and it was adjacent to
some of these properties
that Imperial Oil
Dave Werklund’s contributions apply across the industry.
With Canadian Crude Separators, he noticed inefficiency
arising from insufficiently treated crude oil, and decided
to fix the problem, simultaneously reducing costs and
increasing environmental performance for producers. He has since built that simple idea into Canada’s
biggest environmental services company, Tervita
Corporation.
As long as the industry has leaders like
these, it should be able to overcome any
challenge it faces. “The board is very
pleased with the calibre of the six
individuals who will join other
key industry builders,”
says Whitelaw.
Oilweek.com
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hall of fame
engineering program in 1991, galvanizing support from mining chief executive officers when the program’s existence was
threatened. He is a consistent advocate of sustainable, responsible development. As chairman of the Mining Association
of Canada, he developed the Towards Sustainable Mining
initiative, aimed at improving environmental and social perthat he would be able to return to Imperial Oil, as vice-
formance, with a focus on tailings and energy management
president of research for Esso Petroleum Canada, at the
and stakeholder outreach.
end of his 10-year term.
As a director and member of the board executive of the Alberta
That 10-year term was prolific.
Chamber of Resources, Jim created the Oil Sands Technology
“SAGD was the jewel of the crown, but all kinds of advance-
Roadmap, which envisions a third wave of oilsands develop-
ments were made, on things that are now standard,” says
ment. He helped establish several industrial research chairs of
Maurice Dusseault, who credits Clem with making his career.
the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, whose
Dusseault was the first young person, but not the only one,
work seeks to reduce the environmental impact of oil. He chaired
to be awarded an AOSTRA chair, another of the authority’s
the Alberta Carbon Capture and Storage Development Council,
contributions to the petroleum industry. AOSTRA also created
which resulted in a $2-billion government investment in a
a similar program for distinguished professors. Grouping
commercial-sized project. And he sits on the boards of CAREERS:
Clem with Carrigy, as people frequently do, Dusseault says
The Next Generation and the Climate Change and Emissions
“these people had the authority to make decisions and made
Management Corporation, both chaired by Eric Newell.
them very wisely. It’s rare that we have officials who do that.”
Clement Willis Bowman
Born: Toronto, 1930
Jim’s vision also manifests itself in the relationships he
James Edward Clarke Carter
Cyr, who spent many years as a researcher at AOSTRA,
emphasizes Clem’s negotiating skills, strategic thinking and
Born: Dumfries, Scotland, 1950
leadership skills. For example, Clem was “able to convince
industry to provide information,” which resulted in publi-
solid relationship with the aboriginal community and the
oilsands industry,” aboriginal businessman Doug Golosky of
cations like the Oil Sands Composition and Behaviour Research,
In an industry as dependent on innovation as the oilsands,
the Golosky Group of Companies wrote in a letter supporting
(AOSTRA) only ever paid the full price of a pilot pro-
which was based on Imperial Oil data from 1957 to 1965.
there is inevitably going to be a wealth of visionaries. In north-
Carter’s nomination. Under Jim’s leadership, Syncrude estab-
ject once. In 1978, when the oilsands industry was all
“He could probably convince me to lend him the shirt off
ern Alberta, there are a number of people who have worked to
lished its Aboriginal Development Program, which has made
about surface mining, AOSTRA’s leadership, Clement
his back,” Cyr says.
establish stronger relationships with the aboriginal commun­
the consortium one of Canada’s largest employers of aborig­
(Clem) Bowman and his vice-chairman Maurice Carrigy,
Clem also fiercely defended the funding for people like
ity. And in Canada, you can’t throw a fluorescent light bulb
inal people, and has yielded more than $1.5 billion worth of
received a paper from Gerry Stephenson (who seconded
Cyr, so that they could afford the best people from around
without hitting someone working to improve sustainability.
business with aboriginal organizations.
Clem’s nomination to the Canadian Petroleum Hall of
the world.
But how many people are there who fit all three descriptions?
Jim was also responsible for the Aboriginal Programs
Fame) detailing how steam assisted gravity drainage
Under Clem, AOSTRA also did things like corporate
James (Jim) Edward Clarke Carter has been all of these
Project, an undertaking of the Alberta Chamber of Resources
(SAGD) could work. Inspired by research by Roger Butler
research, including from competitors in Venezuela, which
things and more. After joining Syncrude Canada Ltd. as
that extended the lessons learned by Jim at Syncrude to the
of Imperial Oil Limited, AOSTRA decided to pursue the
was “way ahead of us back then,” according to Cyr. Cyr, like
manager of overburden operations in 1979, Jim revolution-
broader community.
project, and offered to split the cost with any industry
Dusseault, credits Clem with changing his life. “He never
ized the industry before being named president and chief
partners who were interested. Even though they were
let anyone down.”
operating officer in 1997.
Golosky also credits Jim with helping to establish the
Northeastern Alberta Aboriginal Business Association, through
“desperate for a process for oil too deep for surface min-
In 1984, Clem returned to Imperial Oil, in the position he
With a background in the mining industry and a B.Eng. in
advice and support, and a broader “willingness to listen” that
ing,” according to Ted Cyr, industry viewed the project as
was promised. Two years later, he became president of the
mining engineering from the Technical University of Nova
earned him “personal credibility with both businessmen and
a “boondoggle” and declined.
Alberta Research Council, where he served an influential
Scotia, he entered the industry when the biggest truck was
community.” Golosky writes, “He was an excellent mentor to
Clem was undeterred. AOSTRA built the underground
five-year term. His tenure saw non-government contract
85 tonnes. He said “we’ve got to go bigger and get economies
me and many others.”
test facility, and the venture became the most important
revenues quadruple to $20 million per year. At the end of
of scale,” recalls Eric Newell, former chairman and chief
Jim’s work has repeatedly combined the goals of improving
innovation in the oilsands since Karl Clark’s hot water sep-
the term, he started a consulting firm.
executive officer at Syncrude. “There were a lot of naysay-
stakeholder relations and improving sustainability. Working
aration process. Industry so thoroughly latched onto the
Clem served in an executive role with the Canadian
ers,” but he worked with Caterpillar Inc. to form the North
with the Fort McKay First Nation, Jim established the Beaver
innovation that today, you might be forgiven for thinking
Research Management Association, the Chemical Institute of
American Truck Steering Committee, which resulted in
Creek Wood Bison Ranch. Marking its 20th anniversary this
AOSTRA invented it.
Canada, and the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering,
the 400-tonne trucks in use today. Partially because of his
year, the ranch has grown from a test project on the ability of
and is an active contributor to the Canadian Academy of
childhood on a farm, “Jim loves big equipment,” Newell says.
reclaimed land to stand up to large mammals to now boast
Engineering.
“He’s number two in the province in tractor pull right now.”
a herd of more than 300 wood bison.
decision. A University of Toronto chemical engineering
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ine friend and was truly passionate about creating a very
The Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority
As chairman of AOSTRA, pursuing SAGD was Clem’s
78
has built with the aboriginal community. “He was a genu-
His reign also saw the introduction of “hydrotransport
“Jim had great values coming into the game, and Syncrude
in Sarnia, Ont., and for Syncrude Canada Ltd. He researched
Alex Lowy and Phil Hood’s book The Power of the 2x2 Matrix,
technology that allowed development of remote mines, and
reinforced that,” Newell says. “The industry owes a lot to Jim
molecular properties of the oilsands and the mechanism
he founded ProGrid Evaluation Solutions. ProGrid, a method-
design changes to improve fluid coker nozzle performance,”
Carter, and the oilsands wouldn’t be where it is today with-
behind Clark’s separation process, and by the mid-1970s he
ology for evaluating intellectual capital, is used by venture
explains Gordon Ball, a former vice-president of Syncrude
out him.”
was one of Imperial Oil’s senior researchers and a candidate
capitalists and more than 20 Canadian scientific and tech-
for directing the Sarnia Research Centre. Foreshadowing
nical organizations. “He hasn’t slowed down,” says Cyr.
the negotiating skills he would go on to demonstrate as the
As Dusseault says, Clem is “in no small part respon­
chair of AOSTRA, Clem convinced Imperial to guarantee
sible for the dynamic nature of oilsands technology today.”
Oilweek September 2013
Photo: CCEMC
At 61, Clem’s career changed direction, and, inspired by
Photo: Grafiks M&C
product, Clem cut his teeth as a researcher for Imperial Oil,
under Jim.
Golosky echoes the sentiment: “People like [Jim] don’t
Jim’s commitment to mining and technological progress
come along often. [The industry] will continue to benefit,
has extended beyond the confines of Syncrude’s own oper­
long after his retirement, from the strong relationships he
ations. He led the rescue of the University of Alberta’s mining
helped create.”
Oilweek.com
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79
hall of fame
Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh, Pa., (now Carnegie Mellon
University). In 1926, with Colorado oilman Max Ball’s support, he drilled and cored oilsands in the Mildred Lake-Ruth
Lake area, the Horse River area, and east of the Steepbank
area. He also “examined what was being done in other
provinces, and it was only one of his five oil companies,
parts of the world with similar deposits,” says historian
the other three being Mangers Limited, Western Chemicals,
Joyce Hunt, who nominated Sidney for induction into the
and Alta Sulphate Limited. According to one of his nomi-
Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame.
nators, Duncan McNeill, Eric “made more money than the
In 1929, Sidney counselled Ball on the idea of developing
government one year.” Eric’s oil and gas businesses consti-
production in the oilsands. Ball secured the last federal
tuted an entire network for the discovery and production of
leases for oilsands properties and founded Abasand Oils
petroleum, with interests in everything from drilling rigs
Ltd., which launched one of the earliest attempts at com-
to pipeline construction operations.
mercializing the oilsands. Abasand’s plant eventually began
Sidney Clarke Ells (1878-1971)
In 1955, Eric turned his attentions to philanthropy and col-
Eric Lafferty Harvie (1892-1975)
production in 1941 before burning to the ground, was purchased by Ottawa for the war effort, and burned to the
Born: Orillia, Ont.
ground again before it was abandoned in 1945.
Sidney also extensively documented the region. In his 30
donated half a billion in 2013 dollars to Canada, and made
immeasurable amounts of intangible contributions.
years working for the Mines Department, he wrote 26 offi-
Eric Lafferty Harvie passed away nearly 40 years ago, but his
With the Glenbow Foundation, which he founded in
Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame this year, as 2013 marks
cial reports and prepared 15 maps of the region, including
estate has yet to stop giving to the province. Just a few years
1954, Eric amassed an enormous, eclectic collection of
the 100th anniversary of Sidney’s first year in the oilsands.
topographical maps showing visible outcrops in the region.
back, his heirs sold a large tract of land between Calgary and
artifacts. He began with material related to the history of
In 1913, Sidney undertook a detailed survey of the oilsands
He compiled a comprehensive list of early wells that were
Cochrane, Alta., to the province at a massively discounted
western Canada, gathering objects that told the stories of
along the Athabasca River, the beginning of a 30-year career
drilled in the Athabasca region in search of oil, which has
price, continuing Eric’s legacy of philanthropy that was
aboriginal peoples, frontier exploration and Western life.
that both entirely predated commercial oilsands develop-
utility even today. He also documented individuals and
made possible by the 1947 discovery of oil at Leduc No. 1.
He soon moved on to artifacts from Asia, West Africa, South
ment and directly made it possible.
companies active in the region at the time.
Like many Calgarians, Eric did not originally hail from
America and the Pacific islands, even funding expeditions
Educated at McGill University, Sidney spent a couple of
All of this work produced a great deal of influence for
the province, but after visiting as a child, he fell in love
to the Amazon. His vision was a collection “where the west
years studying oil occurrences in the West Indies before join-
Sidney, particularly before control of oilsands resources was
with the west and moved to Calgary to become a lawyer.
meets the world,” and in 1966 he donated his collection of
ing the Dominion Department of Mines and heading west.
turned over to the provincial government in 1930. In the
He completed his law degree, served in the First World War
roughly 200,000 artifacts to the people of Alberta, result-
Other than being drafted for the First World War in 1917,
early 1920s, on his urging, the federal government with-
and started a one-man law firm. Over the years, he became
ing in Calgary’s Glenbow Museum.
Sidney continued to study the oilsands in various capacities
drew from sale and development of all deposits with less
an extremely successful lawyer, later taking over a larger
Eric hired Montana archeologist Richard Forbis to the
until 1945. Sidney’s 1913 government report made him one
than 75 feet of overburden, unless the firm proved that it
firm in dire straits, but his fortune came from his auda-
Glenbow Foundation in 1954, and funded Forbis’s seminal
of the first to advocate the potential value of the oilsands
had a practical method of separating the bitumen from the
cious but patient land investments.
archeological survey of Alberta, when the province was
in and of themselves, rather than the possibility that they
sands. Throughout that decade, the government consis-
In 1944, Eric began purchasing mineral rights, form-
not yet interested in spending money on protecting herit­
signalled nearby light oil, and he spent much of his career
tently sought his counsel when deciding whether to grant
ing Western Leaseholds Ltd. and Western Minerals Ltd.
age. Forbis went on to lead a major dig at Head-Smashed-In
attempting to prove this.
permits in accordance with this rule.
He eventually owned over 200,000 hectares of land, and in
Buffalo Jump in 1965, and founded Canada’s first pure archeology department at the University of Calgary in the 1970s.
1947, oil was discovered at Imperial Oil Limited’s famed,
to Edmonton. The first trip took 22 people and 23 days due
shut down, but he was fortunate to live long enough to see
almost-never-drilled Leduc No. 1 well. A year later, oil was
Eric’s philanthropy did not end there. He oversaw the
to rapids on the Athabasca River and the generally rough
commercial success in the oilsands with the 1967 opening
also found at Redwater, Alta. In both cases, his companies
creation of Heritage Park Historical Village and contrib-
terrain. He was extremely pleased with the samples, how-
of the Great Canadian Oil Sands plant.
owned mineral rights on leases surrounding the discover-
uted to the founding of the Banff School of Fine Arts (now
ies and he quickly turned this juxtaposition into an “oil and
the Banff Centre), the Calgary Zoo and the Buffalo Nations
gas production empire,” as Andrew Crooks, chief executive
Luxton Museum.
Significantly, much of Sidney’s work is still of use to
this day. Joyce Hunt cites him at length in her book on the
The practice never took off, due to costs, but the oilsands
history of the oilsands, Local Push–Global Pull, but she also
pavement was not entirely replaced in Edmonton until the
makes clear that industry is using his data, too. She relates
1950s, and Sidney went on to pave roads with oilsands in
an anecdote about being contacted recently by a well com-
Jasper, Alta., and Ottawa and sidewalks in Camrose, Alta.,
pletions specialist who wanted more information on one
in the 1920s.
of Sidney’s wells to fulfill regulatory requirements. “The
Between paving experiments and military service, Sidney
government also uses his data,” she says, making his work
conducted experiments on hot-water separation processes
“sort of the bible of the oilsands. His work laid the foundation
with oilsands samples he had sent from Alberta to the
for government and industry.”
Oilweek September 2013
Photo: Glenbow Archives PA-1599 - 4 46 - 38
Sidney retired the same year the Abasand project was
Photo: Provincial Archives of Alberta A12023
In 1915, Sidney shipped tons of oilsands by scow and dog
material, with some success.
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tradition of philanthropy. By the time of his death, he had
It’s fitting that Sidney Clarke Ells is being inducted into the
ever, and began to experiment with their use as paving
80
lection, and he would go on to set the standard for Alberta’s
officer of the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park Foundation,
Eric’s wife used his fortune to fund the creation of the
wrote in his nomination of Eric for the Canadian Petroleum
Calgary Zoo’s gardens in the 1980s, while his grandchil-
Hall of Fame.
dren sold 3,246 acres to the province in 2006 to create the
Eric was an innovative oilman, taking the Alberta oil in-
Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park.
dustry into the modern era. He drilled the first well north
“He was a great citizen,” says McNeill. The legacy he left
of the Arctic circle. In 1952, Western Leaseholds was the
proves this, “and he contributed a lot to the oil and gas busi-
second-largest oil company in Calgary, with six drilling
ness.” That Eric “spawned a new industry,” as Crooks wrote
rigs, 100 employees and land in all three of the prairie
in support of Eric’s nomination, seems to speak for itself.
Oilweek.com
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hall of fame
a financial product: in 2002, the corporation was converted
into an income trust and was operated as a growth trust
when most trusts merely paid out cash flow.
CCS’s growth was also driven by acquisitions. It bought
Prodrill Fluid Technologies, a drilling mud and supplies provider in the oilpatch, in 2002. Two years later, it acquired
HAZCO Environmental Services Ltd., which specialized in
landfills and remediation. In 2011, CCS and its related companies had revenue of $5 billion. And in 2012, Dave combined
them all to form Tervita Corporation.
Gibson joined CCS prior to the creation of Tervita, allowing Dave to move into a longer-term guidance position as
chairman of the board. What impressed Gibson the most
about CCS and then Tervita was its “operational excellence”
and the “immaculate” facilities. “You wouldn’t think you’re
at a landfill,” says Gibson. “You’d think you were at a park.
There are picnic tables and there’s grass growing.”
And the breadth of Tervita’s expertise was on evidence
this past summer, as it led flood recovery efforts at Stampede
Park in Calgary, which allowed the Calgary Stampede to
Donald Franklin Hunter
Born: Calgary, 1935
David Paul Werklund
proceed on schedule, and was instrumental in clearing
Born: Valleyview, Alta., 1945
Canmore and Okotoks areas of Alberta.
and repairing rail lines impacted by flood waters in the
Gibson attributes Tervita’s excellence to Dave’s “passion
82
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Few people, if anyone, have more Alberta oil running through
In 1968, Don co-founded a company with his father and
“David Werklund is to environmental services what Erle
for what the company does and his direct involvement in
their veins than Donald (Don) Franklin Hunter. The reader
his dad’s long-time friend Lou Pajak, called V.H. Hunter and
P. Halliburton was to Halliburton,” says John Gibson, the
the activities of the company.” He’s extremely hands-on,
may recognize his name from a previous inductee to the
Associates, Oil Well Consultant Ltd. After the company
president and chief executive officer of Tervita Corporation.
and still visits facilities on a regular basis.
Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame: Vernon “Dry Hole” Hunter.
dissolved, Don became a founding partner of Resman Oil
Tervita, which Werklund chairs, is the successor to Canadian
Tervita is still one of the only companies doing what
Don was right there near Leduc, Alta., where one would
and Gas Ltd., where he worked until his retirement as vice-
Crude Separators (CCS), the industry-changing company that
it’s doing. In 2005, Dave wrote that CCS’s main competitors
now find the town of Devon, Alta., when his father struck
president in 1996. According to Taylor, Don “found more oil
Gibson described as Dave’s child.
were oil companies that manage their own waste, in addi-
oil for Imperial Oil Limited at the iconic Leduc No. 1 discov-
than a lot of those guys in the Petroleum Hall of Fame now.”
CCS wasn’t Dave’s first entrepreneurial venture, how-
ery well. Don was only 11 years old at the time, and the
After 45 years working in the industry, however, it has
ever. After six years of experience at Shell Canada Limited,
Dave is also chairman and former interim president and
discovery marked the end of a childhood living out of
probably been in retirement that Don has made his big-
he founded Dave’s Oilfield Services Ltd. in 1971 and then fol-
chief executive officer of Aveda Transportation and Energy
travelling skid shacks.
gest contributions.
tion to a couple of third-party companies.
lowed that up by co-founding Concord Well Servicing with
Services Inc., roles he assumed in 2011, when the company
His life in the oil industry and in Leduc, however, was far
“He became absolutely committed to the development,
Gordon Vivian in 1979. Concord Well Services became the
was Phoenix Oilfield Hauling Inc. Rebranded as Aveda in
from over. Don would go on to have an impressive career
maintenance and growth of the Leduc #1 Energy Discovery
third-largest well servicing company in Canada, and Dave
June 2012, the company is one of the largest dedicated rig
in the industry in his own right, and in his retirement
Centre,” wrote Mel Gray, nominating Don. He has served as
moved on to his next venture.
movers in North America. Dave remains chairman, but he
became a leader at the Leduc #1 Energy Discovery Centre.
president of the Discovery Centre and is currently the acting
In 1984, Dave “noticed that trucks laden with crude oil
According to Don’s friend and nominator Don Taylor,
executive director. Don has given many thousands of hours
were being turned away at the pipeline because they did not
Don went to 18 different schools before high school, trav-
to volunteering at the centre and has been ready to step in
meet pipeline specifications,” noted a summary of Dave’s
He also founded and chairs Werklund Capital, one of
elling across western Canada as his father drilled dry hole
with financial support whenever the centre has needed it.
career prepared as part of his 2005 Ernst & Young Canadian
Canada’s largest family-owned investment companies,
Entrepreneur of the Year award.
and the Werklund Foundation, which is focused on sup-
relinquished his role as president and chief executive officer to Kevin Roycraft in November 2012.
covery and the western Canadian oil industry as a whole,
He borrowed $50,000, mortgaged his service rigs and
porting initiatives that “empower students and educators
in the field, and according to an article on righands.com,
is “the largest of its kind in Canada and one of the largest
built an oil treatment facility at La Glace, Alta. “He saw an
with leadership skills necessary to realize their potential,”
he knew by the time he was 15 that his future was in the
in the world,” wrote Gray. It has an old-fashioned cable-tool
opportunity to make a process better and to help the oil
wrote Stefan Erasmus, president of Werklund Capital, in
same industry. Don attended the University of Alberta and
drilling rig, a service rig, two more modern rigs and piles
and gas industry to reduce their cost but improve their
nominating Dave for the Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame.
gradu­ated in 1959 with a B.Sc. degree in petroleum engineer-
of information. In addition to boardrooms, a theatre, and a
environmental performance” by adding scale, says Gibson,
ing. After all those years of dry holes and skid shacks, Hunter
160-person capacity hall, the centre has classrooms avail-
“and he acted on it.”
recalled in the Devon Dispatch, he remembered “as a 16-year-
able for rental and is committed to education.
old kid driving by Nisku and Leduc and Devon and Calmar
“They do a good job of teaching schoolchildren,” says
and seeing all the rigs and the flares and thinking, ‘Boy,
Taylor, citing field trips coming through on a regular basis
that’s a beautiful sight.’”
throughout the year.
Don then worked for Imperial Oil for a number of years,
“He has never moved to glorify his presence or his
zigzagging across western Canada as he worked in south-
contributions,” wrote Gray, but Don has made the centre
eastern Saskatchewan, Regina, Norman Wells and Cold Lake.
“a national place of orientation to the oil and gas sector.”
Oilweek September 2013
Photo: Tervita Corporation
The centre, a museum celebrating the Leduc No. 1 dis-
No. 1. Don learned a lot from his father through those years
Photo: Burch Photography
after dry hole before making that historic discovery at Leduc
Under Dave, CCS kept innovating. The company pioneered
the Gravity Compression System to aid in separating solid
“He’s really becoming part of the next generation of
Calgarians,” says Gibson. “He wants to see that entrepreneurial spirit here in Calgary and the growth of companies
that have international significance.”
waste from emulsions at the La Glace plant. It made its salt
Dave’s influence on young Albertans may be felt even
caverns safer and more permanent, which allowed it to build
without his direct investment in them, Gibson adds. He’s “a
North America’s first underground crude waste storage facil-
role model for young Canadians in what’s possible” because
ity at Hardisty, Alta. Dave built one of the most advanced
he truly turned a combination of ideas and passion into the
service rig fleets in the industry. In a way, he even pioneered
behemoth that Tervita is now.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
AT THE CALGARY WESTIN
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