Constructive Conversations #3: Boyd Kampen of Saskatchewan’s Impact Energy Services

Boyd Kampen is a Saskatchewan native who started Impact Energy Services along with his partner Tyler Gilchrist. Boyd was interested in energy and construction since he was a young boy and always knew he wanted to make an impact on his community. In fact, when talking about his business he remarked that “it’s much bigger than maybe making money at the end of the day.” For Boyd, supporting local businesses is the best way to keep the community thriving and ensuring that their neighbours, soccer coaches, and friends are able to operate another day.

It is fitting then that when Boyd first opened Impact Energy Services he did it with an old friend who still lived in the Saskatchewan area still. While Boyd moved away to Calgary for a brief period of time, once the duo decided to start a business he quickly came home to the region that he wanted to impact. To start their business they had to get a small loan from a local bank and do a lot of marketing. He mentioned a sign on the road and that they did extensive marketing and still didn’t have a lot of work that first year because they were just trying to get established and get their name out.

Boyd went on to explain that right now is the first time in years that they are a “referral business” and don’t need to worry about marketing, and they are proud to be “a community member with a big history.” Not to say they haven’t had challenges along the way. Unlike other construction and trade businesses where employees are hired and then laid off based on projects, they feel indebted to their employees. They even have some employees who have been with them for 10+ years which is virtually unheard of, but Boyd treasures the community they work in.

In fact, he commented that when the “work slows up, you take it upon your shoulders to be like we need to figure this out” and it is what “keeps me up at night and always will.

Outside of creating steady work for long-term employees, Body mentions that the very structure of Impact Energy Services has been a challenge. Unlike other companies with one specialty, his business offers electrical, plumbing, instrumentation, HVAC contractors, and new construction. However, he explains the wide array of options stating “you need to have a broad range of skill sets” and “it’s something you can’t get in a rush to be with.” They handle it by maintaining separate teams and separate project manners so that projects can be managed one-by-one efficiently and smoothly.

Other challenges currently facing Canada and in particular Saskatchewan according to Boyd are the new sustainable directions of energy. Solar and wind are on the table and there are a lot of renewable energy projects on the horizon. He commented they have been doing a lot of solar projects and the “new microreactor technology looks very exciting.” Given the smaller nature of the Northern Communities, he is just “excited about the way the energy sector is going to go.”

Despite his eye towards the future, one of Boyd’s favorite projects is still the work his team did for Mainline Motors in Rosetown back near the start of the company. He loves driving by it daily and looking at the great building they helped perfect and the “great group of owners” they worked with. This reflects his final comments, that when you start planning business, you need to think “what are you going to leave behind… what’s going to be your mark.” His only real mission in life is to create a place “employees are proud to come to work every day.”