Purnell Energy Services LTD was founded by Nathan Purnell when he returned to Grande Prairie from Australia in 2013. Nathan used his knowledge and experience in the oil and gas industry over the years to start his company.
His entrepreneurial drive has led to a successful company that both he and Grande Prairie can be proud of.
“It started with just a couple of pickup trucks and a few clients that I had developed relationships with over the previous 16 years now has grown into a reasonable size company,” Nathan said.
PES is an oilfield service company providing construction services for producing companies in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. When deciding the location for his company, Nathan chose the Brochu Industrial Area because of its proximity to services and resources necessary to operate successfully.
“We focused on this property when it came available, because of how close it was to all the services that we require. This location minimized travel time for our staff, and we aren't having to reach out to Edmonton or any of the bigger centres for services. We also thought it was a good location adjacent to the airport for advertising,” Nathan said.
PES headquarters face the Grande Prairie Airport, providing visibility along heavily travelled routes. Realizing that their building and its signage were going to be visible to the many business owners and decision-makers travelling through the Grande Prairie Airport, Nathan and his team invested in creating signage that builds on what they want their company to be known for. The PES logo (those big bright green letters!) looks sharp, professional, and modern.
PES, a company that began with just a few trucks, now employs over 350 people. Nathan feels that now that they have grown into a mid-size company, it is easier for PES to attract talented workers. People and building relationships are important to PES.
“I'm grateful for the people that work with us every day, clients and employees alike. I enjoy the human aspect of it and really, the relationships that are developed over time are what is important.” Nathan said.
The energy industry is always ebbing and flowing. PES has a loyal client base, but with the ongoing pandemic causing lower volumes of work, they focused on keeping their core group of people employed and realized the need to broaden their client base with increased marketing.
“Early in the pandemic, we understood that it was going to be an extremely competitive market for a couple of years. And so, we chose to increase our advertising budget significantly. Because we were still a relatively young company, and only nine years in business, we needed to reach out to clients in Calgary that may not have known that we existed,” Nathan said.
PES is proof that energy industry businesses can not only exist within city limits, but they can also thrive and be leaders within our community. Check out Purnell Energy online by visiting their website and Facebook page.