JOHN MacNEIL/Independent editor
ON THE BALL — Stettler resident Stephen Zuk of the midget AA Lacombe Dodgers pitches against the Bonnyville Braves in provincial midget competitive baseball playoff action Saturday night at Lacombe. Zuk is one of five Stettler players suited up with Lacombe this season. For more on their story, see next week’s Independent.
Serving the Heart of Central Alberta for 105 years
VOLUME ONE HUNDRED SIX
PM40011853 R08546
NUMBER TWENTY-EIGHT
STETTLER, ALBERTA
July 11, 2012
PRICE – $1.09 Plus GST
Tees farmer Stettler Oil and Gas wins appeal gushes with growth in farm feud Job fair slated to recruit more trades workers SUSAN ZELINSKI Black Press A Tees farmer who pleaded guilty to shooting a man who was stealing his all-terrain vehicle in 2009 has won his sentence appeal. Brian Knight, 41, pleaded guilty in 2010 to criminal negligence causing bodily harm and was originally sentenced to 90 days in jail last October. In a judgment released last Friday, the Alberta Court of Appeal rejected the sentence and instead gave Knight a suspended sentence and three months’ probation, during which he must complete 50 hours of community service and follow other probation rules. A suspended sentence means Knight will still have a criminal record. One of the three Court of Appeal justices recommended a conditional discharge, which could eliminate a criminal record if probation is completed successfully. But the majority of justices supported a suspended sentence for Knight. All three justices agreed it was unfair for Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Monica Bast to characterize Knight’s conduct as vigilante justice
and that jail was required. On March 26, 2009, clad only in boxer shorts and rubber boots, Knight grabbed a loaded 12-gauge shotgun near his door when his wife woke him up after she heard someone trying to steal their ATV. Jumping into his pickup truck in minus-18 C early morning temperatures, Knight chased after Harold Groening, formerly of Mirror, who was riding down the gravel road on the stolen ATV. Groening and two accomplices drove to the Knight property to steal the ATV. Knight caught up with Groening and rammed his truck into the ATV, sending it careening into a ditch. Groening was tossed off, but fled on foot. Knight grabbed the weapon and fired a “warning” shot above Groening, who fell after he was struck in the back by light birdshot pellets. Groening got up and Knight fired again, striking Groening once more. Knight was to serve his 90 days on weekends at the Red Deer Remand Centre. As part of his sentence, Knight was also banned from owning or possessing firearms and explosives for 10 years. Groening was jailed for 30 days for theft of property valued at less than $5,000 in late 2010. — Red Deer Advocate
LES STULBERG Independent reporter Stettler Oil and Gas has seen appreciable growth in recent months, and it appears the period of growth isn’t finished. Construction has just begun on a 10,000-square-foot shop, which is expected to be completed by the fall. “(The growth) has exceeded what we were expecting,” said Tom Braun, general manager for the past three and a half years. When Stettler Oil and Gas, in business in Stettler for the past 10 years, moved to the vacated Enerflex complex last September, the company had 42 employees. Now, the operation employs 115 people, and the target is 165 employees by the end of this year. Last October, the company added a hydro-vac truck manufacturing division. “It has exploded for us,” Braun said. “It is driving a third of the growth.” Hydro-vac trucks are sold not only to the oil and gas sector, but one-third of sales go to municipalities. When asked what prompted the expansion in Stettler, Braun said the company had outgrown its former facilities, the industry was starting to get busy again and Stettler Oil and Gas needed work bays that were physically larger to handle bigger projects. “The Enerflex building had sat vacant for three years and the purchase was good value for the dollar,” he said “It is also more cost-effective to do business in Stettler than Calgary.” Stettler Oil and Gas is owned by Foremost Universal Limited Partnership. Besides Stettler, the group has manufacturing businesses in Grande Prairie, Edmonton,
LES STULBERG/Independent reporter
Since moving into the former Enerflex complex last September, Stettler Oil and Gas has grown to employ 115 people, with more hirings ahead.
Bonnyville, two in Lloydminster and three in Calgary. Braun said the expansion and diversification have given the company the stability it needs to withstand the ups and downs of the economy. About one-third of the company is devoted to each of oil and gas processing equipment, hydro-vac trucks and compression equipment. Stettler is presently picking up the slack from the Calgary location on compression manufacturing. Since building is more cost-effective in Stettler, Braun believes that trend is likely to continue. According to Braun, the first increase in staffing was relatively easy to achieve, but he anticipates the next increase — of another 50 employees — will be more difficult. The company has planned a job fair for July 21 in Stettler in hopes of attracting trades workers to fill positions as welders, electricians, pipefitters, truck assemblers and apprentices in the various trades. Stettler Oil and Gas has leased about 3,500 square feet of its complex to Campus Alberta for a postsecondary education facility. Braun
plans to utilize the campus for training staff. “It will be a good fit in the longterm,” Braun said. Stettler Oil and Gas markets its products in western Canada, the U.S. and other international markets. The oil and gas processing equipment is sold primarily in western Canada, with a few sales to the U.S. and overseas. The compression equipment sees more international sales to places like Mexico and Australia. Currently, about 85 per cent of the Hydro-vac trucks are sold in Canada, with the other 15 per cent selling to the U.S. “The U.S. is a real growth market,” said Braun, who sees potential for substantial growth to the U.S. market. “Hydro-vac use in the U.S. is 10 years behind us.” Braun noted the first increase in staff brought several employees from out-of-province to Stettler. He also said Stettler has “a lot to offer,” so the company hopes other employees will choose Stettler to relocate with their families for the job opportunities Stettler Oil and Gas is offering.
Readers can also find the Stettler Independent at stettlerindependent.com