It doesn’t take long for clients to realize that Brandell Diesel Inc. isn’t your everyday diesel shop. With specialized services and an incredible team in place to deliver them, BDI is truly a stand-out in the industry. From diesel engine break-ins to complex diagnostics and repairs, advanced electrical and wiring to hydraulic machining, the company really is second to none.
“We’re the only shop in Calgary certified by all three major hi-rail companies for repairs and inspections, and the only diesel shop in Southern Alberta that has a machine shop in the same building,” says Brandon Mandel, founder and president of Brandell Diesel Inc. “We’re the only one that encompasses all that stuff under one roof – this building is the only one of its kind in Southern Alberta.”
Since opening the doors in 2013, Mandel has grown the size and scope of the business and has established Brandell Diesel Inc. (BDI) as a leader in the industry in a short period of time. In 2019, Falcon Equipment invited BDI to be a Southern Alberta Palfinger Cranes sub-dealer giving the company clout in the industry while providing clients with access to Falcon’s superior products. With its quality services and parts, BDI has become a preferred vendor for many of the major players in the heavy equipment industry; while large clients may use multiple companies for basic repairs, many only trust BDI when it comes to complex diagnostics and troubleshooting for their fleet’s hydraulic, engine or electrical systems.
Not one to rest on his laurels, this success and acclaim has only spurred the innovator to seek out ways to elevate the business to the next level through more sophisticated and specialized service offerings. To achieve this, Brandon bought the shop building in 2019 and then embarked on a significant expansion that has allowed the talented team to provide even better service to its long list of loyal clients.
As is the case with most renovations, what started out as a small addition of 2,500 square feet for an extra bay snowballed into a 10,000-square-foot expansion that has further set BDI apart from the competition. Seeing the vision for the shop finally become a reality is gratifying for Brandon and his wife and co-founder, Marisol, but the road to get there was far from easy. They successfully navigated the expected stresses of running a business while renovating their building, but issues with the builder pushed the founders to the brink and could have destroyed the company had they not kept level heads and responded quickly and efficiently to these challenges.
“It was supposed to be done in 12 to 18 months, and in the end, it was three years and four months. And, of course, it was over budget because we had to double pay for certain things,” says Marisol Mandel.
The team couldn’t have foreseen the disastrous series of events that flipped BDI’s expansion plans upside down, but in the end, the result is well worth the headaches.
“Our reputable builder who had been in business for 55 years went bankrupt two years in and left me holding the bag. It was honestly one of the biggest nightmares of my life. When I’d turn down the street for the last two years, I would feel sick,” Brandon adds. “Now? Now I love it.”
Now when Brandon drives up 44 Street SE, he’s greeted by a beautiful, sleek 36,000-square-foot building that welcomes both staff and visitors. Once inside, BDI smashes the blue-collar stereotypes associated with diesel companies at every turn, with the founders’ design favouring natural light and clean floors over a dingy shop and grease stains. To maintain a high standard of cleanliness, there are three young employees whose only job it is to clean, ensuring the shop is free of contaminants that can wreak havoc in engines and hydraulic systems. The entire team takes pride in keeping their stations clean, and at any time on any day, BDI is ready for a client visit, tour or audit.
That level of cleanliness extends to the assets the team works on as well. The shop extended its footprint to not only include two new extra-wide service bays, but also two state-of-the-art drive-through wash bays that can accommodate two crane trucks at the same time. BDI ensures the vocational assets it works on, from roofing to drywall movers to cement trucks, are being returned in top condition and spotless.
After all, the company is built on professionalism, adding exceptional value for clients and forging strong internal and external relationships; the recent building expansion facilitates the team’s desire to strengthen these pillars. BDI has truly become a one-stop shop that exceeds expectations by providing not-so-common common-sense service to clients with complicated and specialized needs. That common-sense service involves doing everything the team can to make it easier for clients to get their units tested, certified or repaired so they can get them back on the road. The technicians’ expertise in multiple areas provides specific solutions to a wide range of issues, so rather than having to make the rounds at a truck shop, crane shop and rail specialist, clients can drop their asset at the BDI shop and trust that it is the only vendor they need to complete the job.
The recent renovations also expanded the in-house machine shop to bring even more services under one roof. In the beginning, BDI outsourced any machining that needed to be done and this put the company and its clients at the mercy of these third-party contractors’ schedules. In response, Brandon brought in a couple of the best machinists in the city to combine heavy duty repairs with an in-house machine shop equipped with the latest technology to better control the project schedules. The team can keep projects moving forward by removing the middleman, and master machinists Mark and Tim increase efficiency by performing custom machining and welding for large and small repairs and modifications as well as manufacturing new components onsite. This division has grown significantly and is a popular value-added service for a wide range of clients.
“We have competitors sending us work too because our turnaround time is so fast with the machine shop inhouse. It’s awesome,” says Brandon.
Competitors and clients alike are also looking to BDI for its cutting-edge chassis dynamometer to diagnose problems or properly break-in diesel engines to increase the equipment’s lifespan. With only two tri-axle dynos in the province, this new addition to BDI’s catalog of services will be a game changer. It is a major investment at around half a million U.S. dollars, but the diagnostic benefits are immense. Technicians drive the asset onto a fixed roller assembly and the dyno simulates driving in any road condition or incline and mimics the effects of hauling any load. This allows technicians to accurately troubleshoot an issue so they can fix it on the spot. Dynos can also determine exact horsepower and torque of a vehicle, and with its ability to measure emissions, BDI is positioned to expand into compliance testing and emissions certification down the road.
“I want to have a customer experience. The CEOs and executives, the passionate owner/operators of a truck can come and see their asset being run and tested on the dyno in a controlled setting,” says Brandon.
Brandon is excited about the dyno and as always, he is looking for ways to take the technology’s reach to another level. The new dyno bay has a large viewing area safely behind double-paned bulletproof glass which Brandon is turning it into The Torky Dyno Lounge, a comfortable place where owners can watch the dyno work. The team wants to share the incredible tech with truck enthusiasts through charity dyno events too. For example, a group of hot rod truck owners or competing tool truck vendors could come in, pay a fee and hook up each of their vehicles to the dyno to see whose has the most horses to earn bragging rights and half the pot. The other half would go to support worthwhile charities in Calgary. Giving back is important to the entire team, and everyone gets involved when BDI launches clothing, toy and food drives, takes part in events like Barley & Smoke to raise money for Kids Cancer Care and gets behind youth sports teams through sponsorships.
“I love Calgary. It’s given us a ton, so we love doing charity in this city to give something back,” says Brandon.
Despite calls for BDI to expand to other cities, Brandon and Marisol remain focused on growing Brandell Diesel right here at home. And as the business grows, so does the staff. The Mandels are careful with who they bring on board and invest in training them on all the different assets that come through the bay doors to set them up for success. There is a mix of experienced, long-time technicians and newly minted HETs, each bringing their unique strengths to the floor to better serve clients. Of the 14 techs working at BDI, six are apprentices learning from the best in the business. The result is a diverse, tight-knit group of talented technicians, parts specialists, facility managers and administrators who are like family, in some cases literally; Brandon’s brother, Connor, is on staff, and there is a father-son technician duo on the floor. Employees recruit their roommates and friends to join the BDI family, which is a ringing endorsement of the positive culture at the company.
“All my guys in the back are the best of the best of the best. What we have is so special, it makes me emotional. And we only have these really awesome customers because our people are so good,” he says.
That stellar team allows Brandon to continue to dream up ways to further grow the company in the future. He plans to soon have the dyno running full-time every day, aims to grow the service truck fleet from one to four units and hopes to expand the growing automotive division. If the new service bays, impressive dyno bay, onsite machine shop and top-of-the-line wash bays are any indication, the sky’s the limit for Brandell Diesel Inc.’s future plans.
