You might think a company that has thrived in the Alberta market for 57 years might want to keep trade secrets to itself.

Not the ECL Group, a leader in oilfield and transportation services. ECL proudly tells everybody, including competitors, how it’s done: Just hang on to talented drivers and employees, work hard on performance and safety, and – above all – treat customers as partners, not as numbers in the computer.

“We have had business partners for over half a century,” says CEO Jim Davis. “It’s a partnership as opposed to just a customer- supplier relationship.”

Of course, keeping on top of the market is a key ingredient, too, which is why ECL recently reorganized its structure to concentrate on what it does best. Previously, two of the company’s divisions operated independently.

Dean Webster, ECL Group’s vice-president of marketing and business development, with CEO Jim Davis.

Innovative Chemical Technologies Canada Ltd. serves the oil and gas production and specialty chemical market, and Wells Cargo Oilfield Services sells such products as fracturing, drilling and stimulation fluids. They were amalgamated in January 2004 as ICTC, with a sales staff throughout Alberta.

“We wanted to capture the synergy of the larger sales and marketing presence,” Davis explains. “We provide specialty chemicals directly to major oil and gas companies, intermediates and juniors,” says Dean Webster, Vice-President of Marketing and Business Development.

“We’ve brought these businesses together to better serve the market, and they continue to have significant growth.

“ICTC is really hitting its stride as far as the market goes. We’ve doubled our business each year, and we‚re expecting to continue this significant growth strategy.”

Last year, the company’s environmental division was sold off. The division was a great fit for ECL during the 1990s, but was no longer right for the current market. “We sold our vacuum truck and waste management divisions, which have allowed us to refocus our energies on oilfield and transportation work,” Webster says.

Davis adds: “Economy Carriers, which is the transportation company, really was the foundation for everything. The others at the time were a logical extension from transportation, adding complimentary services, and now we‚re narrowing our focus again.”

Economy Carriers – still an all-Alberta company – began in 1947 on a contract with United Farmers of Alberta. UFA is still with ECL. ECL has won several prestigious industry awards and has grown to become a major player in trucking and oilfield servicing. It has state-of-the-art equipment such as on-board computers that keep track of a truck’s crucial data, including engine speed and fuel consumption. The device can also transmit data via satellite, a key part of customer service as well as safety.

“Not only does it track performance of the vehicle, it tracks hours of service, one of the regulations that you have to comply with for the drivers,” Davis says. ECL’s transportation divisions include its bulk liquids group and the freight group, the latter under the banner of ECL Special Commodities Division. Over many years, it has built the expertise to transport products in a timely, safe fashion. ECL also has its own in-house Quality, Health, Safety and Environment department.

“A lot of depth and a lot of experience has gone into developing our safety initiatives,” Webster says.

“We’ve got all that history and experience including emergency response capabilities. Our vision speaks to traditional excellence, so we are using that experience to our advantage.”

Another important aspect of ECL is its commitment to all of its neighbours. For five years, it has run an annual campaign called Choppers for Charity. Inspired by ECL’s former CEO Tom Fredericks’ love of Harley- Davidson motorcycles, Choppers generates donations by raffling Harleys, and through other events. Proceeds go to the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary and the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton.

About $500,000 has been raised since Choppers was started – prompted by an employee suggestion to ECL’s Eureka program, which encourages its people to come up with innovative ideas.

“Our charitable work brings our employees together for a common mission and common goals, and gives something back to the community,” Webster says. “It’s really important to us,” Davis adds, “that we participate in the communities that we belong to. Calgary and Edmonton are our principal sites, but we certainly have field people and representation across northern and southern Alberta with our professional drivers and sales team.

“The service level we provide, of course, goes right down to our front-line people. They’re our best ambassadors and representatives,” says Davis.

To summarize one of those trade secrets: “It’s our on-time performance, and responding to the customer’s requirements.

For further information call 403.720.5000; fax: 403.720.5060; or go to www.eclgroup.com