Constructive Conversations

Constructive Conversations #8 – Jeff Adams of BC’s Fuelex Energy

For construction to succeed, our industry needs top-notch suppliers and support. Fuelex Energy (www.fuelexenergy.ca) is one of those companies that is vital to the success of many of our ICBA members.

Jeff Adams is a Senior Sales Executive for Fuelex Energy, a local family-based company that is rapidly expanding across Alberta and British Columbia. While a lot of people are looking critically at the fuel industry right now, Jeff describes the challenge of perception as the key to his job. He describes that for the foreseeable future “fuel is necessary and something we all require.”

However, it is this misconception that allows him to shine as his company has worked hard to create fuel solutions that are more environmentally friendly and more efficient, which makes Fuelex Energy products a win-win for local businesses. This has actually helped spur the growth of Fuelex which is steadily increasing its foothold in western Canada by catering to both small and large construction companies across the region.

Fuelex is a bulk fuel and lubricant distributor which Jeff believes is a key distinction to make for those who are unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the fuel industry. The company’s chief goal is to provide and deliver fuel to customers across the region. One reason why the company has scaled so quickly is that they are equipped to “deliver in our smaller single-axle trucks all the way up to full trained tankers.” They are also able to cater to the needs of larger companies by installing tank monitors to alert them when fuel levels are getting low or if there is any tampering with the tanks.

While delivery is the key to Fuelex’s success, it is also one of their largest issues because “finding great talent is tough.” Jeff describes the current atmosphere in the energy supply industry as “as an interesting time” but adds there are “definitely opportunities both in the sales side and in the delivery aspect of our company.”

He elaborates on the current transitional period for the fuel industry noting that “every company in the market is looking to be the most efficient” both because of environmental concerns and client concerns.

“Fuel is probably the second, if not the largest, expense for a company after their labour.” This means that every fuel distributor wants to create high energy-efficient fuel to help decrease their customers’ fuel burn. At the moment Fuelex offers an Esso diesel-efficient fuel that is able to help decrease fuel burn by about 5%-6%.

Despite the challenge of managing the “misconceptions about how fuel is brought to market and the environmental impacts of it,” Jeff loves working within the fuel industry for Fuelex. The chance to work with so many great area associations, meet with new clients, and spread general awareness about the fuel industry crates new daily challenges that he embraces. At the end of the day “everybody out there is just trying to build a better province and a better place for everybody.”

More about Fuelex at www.fuelexenergy.ca