INNOVATION DRIVES SUCCESS
When Lane Boisjoli and Mike Bailey founded Calgary-based Aim Land Services in 2011, they believed they had a distinct advantage in the marketplace. Both were born and raised on farms in Western Canada and both had experience working in right-of-way land acquisition for the pipeline industry.
Boisjoli believes their strong agricultural ties area huge plus, given that 90% of the people they deal with on pipeline projects are farmers. “I think that’s what originally attracted us as a business. It was a way to stay in touch with our roots. When we talk about challenges stakeholders may have or the effect on farming operations, we can fully understand that.”
He knew when they launched the company they were entering a highly competitive field. From the outset, they decided that innovation would be the key to staying ahead, from technology selection and market diversification to employee recruitment and retention programs.
Today, Aim Land Services has not only increased staff from nine to 35, it has diversified beyond services for pipeline operations to include markets such as municipal services, utilities, powerlines, and gas processing and storage, among others.
It has also fine-tuned its services to meet changing social demands. “The traditional role was to go out and sign agreements with property owners,” Boisjoli says. “That has evolved into helping companies manage stakeholder relations so they can obtain that ever-important social license from the public.”
Right at the start, the partners decided to implement a web-based land database, as well as billing and time-management functions, that could be securely accessed from any Internet connection. “From a business efficiency standpoint, we have land agents up to 1,000 kilometres away from our main office,” Boisjoli explains. “It was important for them to be able to have the information they need at their fingertips.”
Over time they also moved to the CIBC Cash Management Online (CMO) platform for bill payments, payroll and overall cash management, and began transferring client files to electronic format for faster access.
“I truly believe we have an advantage in keeping our business at the forefront of our industry,” he says. “If we can’t get files or information to the field staff in a timely manner, we won’t be competitive. We can move much faster that way.”
Keeping up the pace means constantly exploring new ways of doing things, he adds. “We’re always looking at different internal programs to find ways to become more efficient and cost-effective, because that’s what our clients expect from us.”
As purveyors of social licensing, Boisjoli notes they also have to be up to speed on social media. “We understood very early on it was critical for us to understand the power of social media and utilize all the major platforms to communicate with stakeholders.”
The nature of the business also means a fight for talent. Boisjoli says they spend a great deal of time ensuring anybody they bring on is the right technical and cultural fit. “They are equally important because we have to work well as a team. We also encourage staff to engage in team-building activities and education sessions because we want them to advance.”
Despite the market challenges ahead, Boisjoli says they are in a strong position to grow. “Our strategy moving forward is to continue to hire the best people we can and diversify into new markets, including alternative energy projects and new geographical regions. We believe markets across Canada could benefit from our stakeholder engagement services. We don’t have to go far to find other things.”