In business for twenty-five successful years, Goldridge Industries Inc. is a proud, Canadian-based business manufacturing top-notch products for the nation’s oil, gas and feedlot industries. The company is based in Turin, a hamlet with a population of just over one hundred in the south of prairie province Alberta. Its location allows it to better serve a wide array of customers from its massive, 35,000-square foot facility.
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The company is a division of Turin Colony, “a progressive Hutterite community located north of Turin, AB that has been in the manufacturing business since 1994.” Goldridge Industries custom manufactures an extensive selection of superior products, and its approximately two dozen staff have diverse, hands-on technical skills and years of manufacturing experience.
Alberta’s oil sands are the third-largest in the world after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia and have reserves of about 166 billion barrels. Companies are needed to make products specific to the industry, and Goldridge Industries is proud to create and supply custom oilfield items including manifolds, mud tanks, filter pods, road crossings, pump jacks, pipe racks, test tanks, waste bins and scale decks. Much of the company’s work involves dewatering for oil and gas-based businesses.
“We manufacture anything that has to do with moving water in the oil patch, from pumps to road crossings and more – pretty much anything you need for pumping water,” says Operations Manager Arnold Waldner of the company, which also manufactures a vertical pump jack for Tundra Process Solutions Ltd., along with pumps for United Rentals. For oil, gas, and agricultural customers, the majority of products are custom-made to order. “If somebody comes up with an idea, we’ll help them design it.”
A one-stop shop, the talented team at Goldridge Industries works closely with clients at the beginning of a project all the way to manufacturing, sandblasting, painting, and finishing, and has all the necessary expertise and equipment to take on challenging projects. “Clients come to us with their ideas, and we help them finalize it with our design team,” says Waldner. “For a lot of things, you have to keep building in mind while designing, so we can help with that. And if customers aren’t sure of the best way to do it — to make it cheaper and more efficient — we can help them with that.”
Growing to a staff of 20, including welders, fabricators, CNC operators, engineers and CAD designers, the business was founded by Arnold’s uncle, Dave Waldner, who today takes care of logistics for the company. Arnold, who has been Operations Manager for about a decade, started off as a journeyman welder for Goldridge Industries, which strives to meet the expectations of both existing and new customers. The company has invested in the machinery and workforce to get the job done right. It has its own design team and certified welders, a state-of-the-art spray booth and other equipment vital for all aspects of painting (including sandblasting), plumbing and more.
It offers everything from laser and plasma cutting to skilled welding services, using Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machine tools for milling and turning and CNC brake steel rollers to precisely bend metal.
Although Alberta is known worldwide for its oil and gas production, the province also has a well-earned reputation for its cattle industry. Alberta is the largest cattle-producing province in Canada, and beef cattle production remains its single-largest agricultural sector. It makes up thirty-three percent of the province’s total farm production income and adds a staggering $12.7 billion to Alberta’s economy, making it a key economic driver.
To better serve this industry and aid in its ongoing success, Goldridge Industries custom manufactures cattle grids – also known as cattle guards – which are a practical alternative to gates that must be opened and shut whenever vehicles pass onto pasture land.
A cattle guard is a grid of bars that cover a pit or depression in the road that takes the place of a gate. Animals do not want to walk over the grid, but vehicles pass over with ease. These gates keep livestock secure and serve to prevent cattle and other livestock from wandering to places they should not be.
The company provides customers with options including delivery, custom colours and sizes, fence tie-in posts and security gates to meet every requirement. Goldridge cattle grids are available in standard sizes from eight feet by twelve to eight feet by thirty feet.
This respected manufacturer of products for Alberta’s feedlot, oil and gas sectors looks forward to celebrating its silver anniversary this year. While Goldridge Industries has secured its position as a leader in the industry, it still has new products and expansion plans in the works.
Much of its strength stems from its people. The company’s trained professionals work with each customer to ensure their exacting requirements and time constraints are met, which has resulted in repeat business for Goldridge over the years.
“We boast of having a team of expert professionals who work in close tandem with each other and our client to supply the products as per the requirements,” says the company. “Their immense efforts allow us to successfully meet the huge requirements of our clients within the stipulated time frame.”
Goldridge Industries is focused on providing the best work possible with every custom manufacturing project it takes on, using the best available materials and with sustainable manufacturing processes.
The company acknowledges safety as a key initiative and has coverage with the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) of Alberta. It strictly adheres to all Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) regulations and requirements and maintains an ongoing Safety Fitness Certificate, and has its own in-house safety person.
“We value our customers and are dedicated to building a lasting relationship with our customers,” states Waldner. “Frankly speaking, we understand the importance our products play in a construction project, and that’s why we give top priority to every order. And with a dedication to providing top quality products and surpassing the service standards, we build projects that are just unparalleled.”
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the company continues to expand. A recent trip to Germany saw staff inspect new equipment for purchase, which will enable it to manufacture products faster and at lower cost. And with the oil and gas sector continuing to recover, Goldridge Industries – which currently works about evenly between oil and gas and agriculture – expects to see about 75 percent of its business in oil and gas by this fall, expansion into Athabasca, and will continue to maintain its work for agriculture-based customers.
Fortunately, staffing is not an issue, as the company works with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) to retain journeymen welders and help them get their welding license. “We have young guys who are wanting to be journeyman welders, and we tell them we will pay for their school, but they can’t leave the company for X number of years,” says Waldner. “It is working well.”
