Bjorn Kristian Gjertsen had a plan when he left Norway to explore the opportunities in Canada in 1952. Capitalizing on the post-war housing boom, the journeyman electrician serviced grain elevators for EC&M, conducted maintenance for Dominion Bridge Company, and then moved onto work for Barber Machinery. His travels took him across Alberta, where he was lucky enough to meet Bertha Rodvang at a dance in Red Deer. Sharing Norwegian heritage and values, Kris knew he had met his match, and they married in 1955.
By 1964, Kris had gained enough experience and a reputation for quality workmanship to strike out on his own. The couple launched Kristian Electric out of their Fairview home, with Bertha handling the administrative responsibilities and Kris performing commercial wiring and equipment repair.
“They started the business out of their garage, but we moved to 53 Avenue in 1967 when the neighbours began complaining about trucks in the back alley,” says Kevin Gjertsen, president.
The company grew in size and scope, adding employees as it added customers and broadening its offerings to include overhead cranes, skid wiring, electric chain hoists and motor rewinding. To accommodate this growth, Kristian Electric bought three lots on 1st Street SW and built an office and shop. Even as the NEP brought business to a screeching halt in the 1980s, Kristian Electric persevered. Their choice to pivot towards specializing in parts and service for welders and cranes kept the company going. They survived a challenging decade as a family, with all five of Bertha and Kris’ children—Dean, Kevin, Wayne, Randi and Karna—banding together to strengthen the company. Now, with six decades in business, the family is no stranger to the peaks and valleys of the Alberta economy and they use their vast experience to navigate them all.
“We are very diversified and specialized. When cranes are slow, welding can be busy and vice versa, which has helped us through the tough times,” says Wayne Gjertsen, parts manager.
As the economy improved, Kristian Electric continued to grow, moving into their current location on 64 Avenue SE in 1989. In 1991, they expanded further by opening a second location in Edmonton. Kevin relocated his family from Calgary to oversee the new branch, with his wife, Cindy, managing administration and their son Chad learning the ropes at the order desk. By 2000, the Edmonton branch had established a manufacturing division to fabricate custom overhead cranes. In 2014, Kristian Electric opened their third location in Saskatoon, offering the same range of services to the Saskatchewan market.
Over the years, Kristian has established itself as a leader in the welding and material handling industries, becoming Canada’s largest parts depot of top brands including Miller, Demag, Gorbel, R&M and Columbus McKinnon and the largest welder repair shop in southern Alberta. For the past 60 years, Kristian Electric has earned its place as a trusted partner in all things cranes and welding; if a customer needs to lift, weld, heat or cut something, the Kristian team has them covered.
The company provides clients with a one-stop solution for welding and material handling equipment, offering sales, parts, service, rentals, training, certification and calibration services. Kristian is an authorized repair and warranty centre for brands including Miller, Lincoln Electric, Hypertherm, ESAB, Hobart, Bernard, Demag, CM, Gorbel, and R&M. In a corporate environment where pennies count, Kristian also offers reconditioned equipment to give customers more affordable options.
“We have a warranty on that, too. We stand behind the quality work that we do, especially on refurbished equipment,” says Calgary branch manager, Jerry Thompson.
No matter the job, the team of 105 across all branches are some of the best professionals in the business, going above and beyond for customers to help them succeed. The relationships that result from that date back decades, and customers know they’re in good hands with Kristian.
Kristian stocks a variety of popular models of welding and cutting equipment from leading brands, including Miller and Hypertherm.
The company team also has expertise in the newest technologies in the welding industry, including induction weld preheating equipment. The company is one of the few in Canada that sells, repairs and rents Miller induction heating machines.
Kristian brings together the best of old and new both in the shop and the office, and the company has welcomed its third generation into the family business with Jerry, Chad, Claire and Kaila on the team. The company has a foot in each camp, and together they are happy to straddle the line between older technology and business practices versus the cutting edge to better serve their huge customer base. Kristian works to accommodate more traditional customers while adopting more modern marketing methods to stay ahead of the curve.
“We are very active on social media and have a solid community,” says Claire, who uses the latest platforms to keep Kristian connected. “Because of our experience with older equipment, we receive a lot of questions and troubleshoot for people worldwide. There aren’t many places left for them to get help. That’s why we talk about servicing older welders and have found it worthwhile to use Instagram and TikTok.”
These platforms highlight what Kristian Electric does so well, which is provide out-of-the-box solutions for a diverse clientele. Over the years, the Kristian team has had a hand in unique and exciting projects ranging from the Saddledome Jumbotron to funeral home hoists; water treatment plants and lift stations to professional theatre stages; steel foundries to turning a workstation bridge crane into a giant claw game at the Calgary Stampede.
Kris and Bertha Gjertsen could never have imagined what their little company in the garage would become, but one thing is for sure: after 60 years, the founders’ can-do, adventurous spirit is still alive at Kristian Electric, and Kris and Bertha’s children and grandchildren are determined to keep it that way.
“Our parents or grandparents started the company, so we feel another level of responsibility and dedication to do well,” says Karna Wolfe, billing administrator. “We just want to continue the legacy that they started.”
www.kristian.ca
1-877-292-9111
