In response to an exciting evolution at one of Alberta’s most successful oil and gas service providers, Compass Compression will move forward with an abbreviated name “Compass.”
The revised name better represents the growing contributions and investment in the corporation by its divisions. Over the last 30 months, Compass has made significant investment in a new process equipment division to better serve the market. Despite the market headwinds the process division is in growth mode.
“We listened to our clients and used what they told us to enhance their overall experience with us,” says Scott Douglas, vice president of sales and marketing. “We wanted to integrate what we were already building into a complete package.”
Seeing opportunities and shifting to serve customers’ changing needs has differentiated Compass since it opened in 2001. Today, these qualities are helping Compass open up new markets, attract new clients and establish itself as an industry leader.
450 Per Cent Growth Over Five Years
Compass experienced significant growth after their first pivot when the market for compression softened in 2008. “We had to change our business plan drastically,” says Douglas. “We developed a team of experts and focused on high-spec custom engineered projects, which filled a gap in the supply market at the time.”
“We had a compounded annual growth rate that was just shy of 40 per cent for five years running,” says company president John Forgeron. He attributes that to a continuous focus on what Compass terms as “the right solution.”
Today, Compass offers clients everything from small- to large-horsepower compression and process packages. With retrofit, rentals, parts and a service division supporting the packages, Compass is dedicated to delivering the right solution and an optimal experience at every stage of the project’s life cycle.
With Canadian service locations in Fort St. John, Grande Prairie and Spruce Grove, and four sales and service locations in the U.S., Compass offers seamless service representation strategically chosen to serve the most active basins.
A Bigger Space for a Bigger Offering
Compass originally outsourced its fabrication and in October 2006 opened its first 4,000-square-foot assembly operation with two shop employees in one bay. Compass has expanded to 125,000 square feet of production space shared between two facilities in Calgary.
In 2015, Compass completed their purpose-built headquarters for compression and process assembly and fabrication, complete with:
- 12 assembly bays;
- 4 skid fabrication bays;
- interconnecting sandblast and paint facilities.
The new facility was carefully designed with employee input to maximize efficiency and capacity while using proper workflows to minimize stranding equipment. It is conveniently located for easy access to downtown and the Foothills Industrial Park and on the high-load corridor for customer convenience during package shipment.
A Recommitment to Experience
With state-of-the-art facilities, best-in-class equipment and skilled technical competencies in place, Compass is positioning itself as a company that offers a unique equipment purchase experience based on trust gained through the integrity of its capable people.
Fortunately, the culture at Compass makes it easy to attract and retain its 240 employees who truly own the project journey for Compass clientele from order entry through to start up and service of its wide range of product offerings. “Culturally we’ve got something that people want to be part of,” says Phil Ness. “We work as a team and all move toward the same purpose of continually improving our products and exceeding expectations.”
Respect. Empowerment. Passion for the work. That’s how Compass attracts and keeps great people.
A New Brand to Go With a New Name
Everyone at the company is excited for the new website launching this summer. In addition to an updated look and feel, the site will more accurately reflect what the company stands for and the wider range of services and products.
“It was important to us not to change the name completely because of the recognition we have built within the compression marketplace,” says Douglas. “We want our brand to reflect the evolution and improvement that is happening within our business. It’s an exciting process.”
And Calgary Proud
For more than 16 years, Compass has been supporting Alberta’s economy with quality products and service. 2016 was a tough year for the service industry and once again Compass has emerged from a downturn with renewed focus, broader reach and acceleration thanks to the great people who continue to underpin the success of Compass. Now that things are turning around, the new identity, services and focus on the customer couldn’t have come at a better time.
“We’re encouraged to see what the future holds for our province and the economy,” says Forgeron. “And we’re enthusiastic and excited to be a part of it.”
To learn more about Compass, visit www.compasscompression.com.
This is wonderful news. We are a proud supplier for Compass. We couldn’t ask for a better team to work with. Congratulations on your continued success.