Based in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, Pumps & Pressure provides a variety of pumps.

Premier Business Partners:

Ostrem Chemical Co. Ltd. Britec Computer Systems Ltd. Crane Pumps & Systems

Western Canada’s Pumps & Pressure Inc. is involved with a variety of industries, President Jack Tremain explains, because the needs the market constantly evolve.

“We have developed many strong customer relationships since 1984,” he says. “Our mailing list is currently [more than] 4,500 and we have just [fewer than] 1,000 customers that are active each month.

“We offer a wide range of products and services,” he continues. “When someone asks what product line do we offer, it’s hard to say.”

The company provides a variety of pumps including horizontal, end suction, vertical and process. It recently added a line of fluid handling storage and dispensing systems.     

A majority of its products and services are used in the oil and gas industry and municipalities, as well as in commercial car and truck washes.

It also provides products for industrial, commercial, agricultural, automotive and food processing markets.

“That is just the way the economy is and where we’re located,” he explains. “We identify products that our customers are looking at, and take it in.” The company is headquartered in Red Deer, Alberta.

“We believe that through effective marketing, we will be able to enhance our place in the marketplace,” he says. “Our intention is to sell more of our existing products to more of our existing customers.   

“We upgraded our computer system a few months ago to take better advantage of the features available, and we are fully committed to staying abreast with any and all enhancements that will allow us to compete in a high-tech environment,” he continues.

“We will be able to retrieve more information regarding customers’ buying habits to allow us to make the necessary decisions in making sure we have the right product at the right time,” he adds, by adjusting inventory levels as required.

Doors of Opportunity
Tremain and his father-in-law Jack Roth started the company in 1984. “He was the mechanic and I was the sales guy,” he says.

At that time, the company offered hot and cold pressure washers, as well as parts and accessories.

Its first location was an 800-square-foot bay in Red Deer, and in 1987, it moved to a 2,000-square-foot location in the same city.

“At that time, we expanded our business to include the sales and service of most types of pumps, including water well systems and sewage pumps,” Tremain explains. In 1990, the company expanded into the air compressor industry.

In 1999, the company completed its first acquisition when it bought Quality Pump Repair, based in Edmonton, Alberta. Its other acquisitions include Hotsy Sales & Service in 2000; Hydraulic Division of Badger Daylighting in 2001; D&T Inspections in 2002; and JDA Machine in 2005. These acquisitions have enabled the company to grow, and it now occupies a 40,000-square-foot operation in Red Deer.

“Our company continues to seek expansion opportunities such as further acquisitions and additional products and services,” Tremain says. “Our annual revenue today is about 12 times larger than it was in 1999. We have budgeted for about a 12 percent increase this year over last.”

He says the company looks for firms who offer similar products and services. “We wait for an opportunity to present itself,” he explains. “If the right opportunity comes up, we’ll look at it seriously.”

Company Strategies
The company has always strived to meet its mission, which includes providing “the highest possible quality of products and services in our field, while never losing focus on our customers’ needs,” Tremain says.

That mission helps it stay competitive in Canada, he explains.

“We strive to price our products and services to be competitive in our area,” he says. “It can be quite a challenge when we are competing with vendors from Calgary or Edmonton, but many of our customers realize the importance of being able to obtain 24-hour service from us and not from the vendors that are out of town.”

It is also striving to market its wide product line to its existing customers, Tremain adds.

“We will be working on getting more and more customers to actually visit our stores so we can show them the many products we carry.

“We will continue doing things like customer appreciation barbeques and open houses,” he adds. “These are well-attended by both upper management and shop personnel.”

“Every employee is responsible to do everything possible to meet our customer’s needs in a timely, courteous and helpful manner,” the company says.

“Always remembering that our customers are our lifeblood and our reason for existence, that serving them is not an imposition on our time, it is the reason we are in business.”

It employees are also a priority. “At Pumps & Pressure, employees are both trustworthy and trusted,” the company says. “They are valued as worthy contributors.

“Whether senior management or entry-level, people are treated with equal respect. They give support where support is needed and accept assistance when it is called for,” the company adds.

“[The management team] will make every effort to provide working conditions that enable all employees to fulfill their personal needs  and goals, and to maximize their professional growth,” it continues. “In return, employees are expected to put forth maximum effort and initiative towards the performance of their jobs and the achievement of Pumps & Pressure’s goals.”