With innovative ideas and strategic acquisitions, The Crossing Co. has become the largest trenchless service provider in Canada.
Nisku, Alberta-based The Crossing Co. specializes in the trenchless installation of utilities and pipelines, and it has grown to become the largest trenchless service provider in Canada – with a total of 14 horizontal directional drilling (HDD) rigs and a fleet of tunneling, augering and pipe ramming equipment – since its inception 12 years ago.
This growth has resulted from a series of acquisitions and expanded service offerings. In 2007, The Crossing Co. acquired Rampro Casing and Crossing Ltd. of Fort St. John, British Columbia. In 2008, The Crossing Co. Light Rig Division (LRD) was added to incorporate smaller HDD equipment. “These rigs pack a lot of power but are compact and extremely efficient,” the company says.
Both Shawn Gaunt of Rampro and Gerald Beaudoin of The Crossing Co. LRD have remained members of the management team. “Both of these individuals are well-recognized within the industry and are experienced in both field and management operations,” The Crossing Co. says.
In August, The Crossing Co. acquired The HDD Co. of Sacramento, Calif. “This acquisition gives The Crossing Co. immediate access to the large volume of trenchless projects currently under way in the United States,” the company says. The HDD Co. was started in 1998 by Mr. Neil Swope, who will remain the president of the U.S. division, based in southern California. “Swope’s extensive horizontal directional drilling experience, which includes shore approaches and large municipal projects, will be of great value to our group of companies and our clients,” The Crossing Co. says.
“The acquisition of these companies will allow us to apply more resources where required and offer customers a broader range of trenchless services,” President Ryan MacLean adds. “The acquisition of the HDD Co. means we are now offering services throughout North America, with a focus on the West Coast. We are able to offer clients access to a full range of trenchless services, including 14 HDD rigs.”
The Crossing Co. Group of Companies now includes Rampro, The Crossing Company LRD and The HDD Co.
One-Of-A-Kind Innovation
The Crossing Co. introduced the Exit Side Safety Unit (ESSU) late last year. The ESSU has revolutionized the safety and efficiency of the exit side operations on horizontal directional drilling projects, MacLean says. “Built in a single load, it eliminates many of the safety hazards commonly associated with such operations,” the company explains. “The ESSU is safer, more productive and reduces overall costs.”
The Crossing Co. designed and built this unique technology. “We saw an opportunity to increase safety, as well as efficiency,” it says.
The ESSU has done just that, and has exceeded expectations thus far, MacLean adds. For instance, The Crossing Co. recently completed a high-profile project near Chetwynd, British Columbia, where the ESSU was utilized for its first field application. “The ESSU has exceeded all of our clients’ expectations,” the company notes. “We believe that the success of the ESSU will change the operating practices of our industry for the better, permanently,” the company adds.
The ESSU is fully automated, so it reduces the need for manual labor. With the ability to apply push/pull forces, rotary forces, handle drill pipe, and make and break drill pipe all from the operator’s cab, the ESSU’s built-in efficiency reduces the number of workers required.
MacLean says The Crossing Co.’s ambitious culture motivated it to design this revolutionary technology. “We’re an innovative company, and we saw an opportunity for improvement on the exit side of HDD locations, so we followed through and built this machine,” he explains.
Maintaining that innovative culture throughout the company’s operations would be difficult without a highly competent staff, MacLean acknowledges. Fortunately, The Crossing Co. has dedicated employees and low turnover. “We have a lot of people that have been with our company from the start,” MacLean says.
Pivotal Growth
The trenchless market has remained relatively strong, MacLean says. Even though the downturn has taken a bite out of available work, the need for underground installation of power, water, sewer, and oil and gas pipelines remains. “It seems like the activity is still there, although rates are down significantly,” he notes.
One project of note is the completion of the largest high-angle entry HDD project in North America and potentially the world. The Crossing Co. successfully concluded a job that required an entry angle of 27 degrees and an exit horizontal angle of 25 degrees. These angles are unheard of in the HDD industry, MacLean says. The drilled length of the project was 1,178 meters (3,865 feet) with and elevation gain of 360 meters (1,181 feet). Difficult jobs like these are where The Crossing Co. excels, he explains.
“This was a very technically challenging project,” he notes. “But we are a technical company that likes to take on challenging jobs. You don’t see projects with these types of extreme specifications every day.”
MacLean expects a temporary industry slowdown throughout the next year as an after-effect of the recession, but he expects it to pick up in 2011. It’s a pivotal time for The Crossing Co., and its recent acquisitions may have been the key in the company growing during uncertain times, MacLean says. “We are excited about the acquisition of The HDD Co. and the potential opportunities in the U.S. with the ability to now offer clients access to a wide variety of trenchless equipment and expertise,” he adds.
Company Leadership
The Crossing Co. is led by a diverse team. It includes:
- Ryan MacLean, President – MacLean has worked with various oilfield service companies before starting The Crossing Co. He is now responsible for the day-to-day workings of the company.
- Paul Martens, Vice President of Finance – Martens graduated from the University of Alberta in 1980 and worked with national and local chartered accounting firms until 1987. From 1987 to 2003, Martens was the vice president of finance of Fountain Tire, one of the 10 largest independent tire dealers in North America. He joined the Crossing Co. in 2003 and is responsible for its financial and administrative operations.
- Trevor Briscoe, Vice President of Operations – Briscoe is a 25-year oilfield service veteran and has worked on and supervised conventional and HDD rig operations throughout the world. He joined the Crossing Co. in 1997 and is responsible for all field assets, operations and field personnel. “His operations expertise is unparalleled in HDD in Canada,” the company says.
- Manley Osbak, Vice President of Technical Services – Osbak entered the HDD industry in 1996 after 12 years in the heavy construction and manufacturing industry. He worked throughout North America as a directional driller for an international wire line and HDD directional services company, and in 1997 he joined The Crossing Co. as a directional driller. “Since then, he has spearheaded the development of the services provided by The Crossing Co.’s technical services group,” the company says.
- Ryan Bowhay, Vice President of Corporate Development – Bowhay graduated from the University of Alberta in 2001 with a bachelor’s of commerce degree and joined the Crossing Co. in 2003. He is responsible for marketing.
- Christopher Gidyk, Manager of Purchasing and Maintenance – Gidyk entered the oil and gas industry in 1991 after a career in financial management and joined The Crossing Co. in 1998 as the equipment manager and shop superintendent. He currently handles coordination of new equipment construction, implementation of HDD specific maintenance measures and managing the company’s procurement requirements.
- Russ Atwell, Senior Project Manager – Atwell has more than nine years of experience in the HDD industry and an additional six years in the conventional oil and gas drilling sector. Atwell joined The Crossing Co.’s technical services group in 2000.
- Jeremy Shannon, Manager of Health, Safety and Environment – Shannon “combined his practical experience with several years of formal education,” the company says. He joined The Crossing Co. in 2005 as health, safety, environment and human resources manager. Shannon coordinates new safety and human resource initiatives and manages the company’s human resource programs.
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