22 Chatham companies meet with oil sands alliance

22 Chatham-Kent companies met in Chatham on Wednesday with representatives of the In Situ Oil Sands Alliance (IOSA) to introduce Alberta companies to locally-manufactured products that can be used in the oil and gas sector. IOSA is a group of five independent oil companies dedicated to the development of Canada’s oil sands using in situ technologies to extract bitumen. Four of the five IOSA members were present at the roundtable discussions at Chatham-Kent’s John D. Bradley Convention Centre.

In a collaborative effort, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent’s Economic Development Services office worked with local MP Dave Van Kesteren’s office, the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce, and the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) to arrange the meeting with the IOSA members. IOSA is composed of Athabasca Oil Corporation, Connacher Oil & Gas, Laricina Energy Ltd., MEG Energy, and OSUM Oilsands Corporation.

One of the Chatham-Kent companies attending the meeting was Waltron Trailers based in Ridgetown, Ontario. Waltron is doing business with companies that supply products directly to the oil sands.

“It was a viable meeting with personal introductions to Alberta based companies right here in my own backyard,” said, Gunther Haas, President and Chief Executive Officer of Waltron. “The discussions were good one-on-one meetings, which are a little different than a conference or supplier trade show where you don’t know anyone.”

Mike Kilby of Dajcor Aluminum said, “We had a professional presence from the people of Chatham-Kent. It was a good bonding event where we were able to meet with CEO’s and presidents of Alberta oil sand companies. It was also a great opportunity to meet local like-minded CK companies to strengthen relations and develop synergies where we can work together.”

“The Alberta contingent was interested in partnerships in Chatham-Kent and there is likely direct and indirect opportunity for us to supply products to this sector,” added Kilby. “The Alberta companies have raised a lot of capital to purchase vast amounts of equipment needed to complete their plans in the oil sands. “

“Business retention and expansion services are an important part of our work,” said Michael Burton, Director of Economic Development Services. “According to statistics, eighty percent of growth in manufacturing comes from companies already doing business in the region. We want to capitalize on this fact.”

“There are a number of CK companies already doing business with the oil sands– and there are a handful more seeking to connect with this work” said Geoff Wright, Economic Development Officer. The demand for manufactured goods enables Chatham-Kent companies to expand into new sectors and product lines, providing them with stability and even more opportunity for growth.”