ALBERTA
AVALANCHE AIR SYSTEMS
Avalanche specializes in commercial projects, including bigbox stores, offices, distribution
centers and airport hangars.
Taking pride
Joanna Miller Avalanche Air Systems sees unlimited growth potential as it
expands its fabrication shop capabilities and its presence as an HVAC contractor.
hen Calgary, Albertabased Avalanche Air
Systems takes on new
staff members, there is one thing
it makes clear from the very start:
the company takes great pride
in its work. That’s according to
President Rick Ball, who founded
the HVAC installation and sheet
metal fabrication company in
2000. Today, the company serves
Calgary and the surrounding
areas, and has completed projects in Manitoba and British
Columbia.
“I was working for a company
and decided I wanted to break
W
WINTER 08 venture-magazine.com
out on my own,” Ball recalls.
“The company gave me an
opportunity to work on a labor
contract, so I hired a guy and
went on with that contract for a
good solid year before I began
to branch out slowly. After two
years, the labor contract came to
an end and we were completely
on our own.”
Avalanche now has 17 employees – three office staff, four in the
fabrication shop and 10 in the
field – and specializes in commercial projects, including big-box
stores, offices, distribution centers
and airport hangars. Its projects
include Canadian Tire and multifamily residences.
EYE FOR DETAIL
Avalanche is working on an
Inglewood Affordable Housing
project in Calgary. The $19.6 million project is being funded by
several agencies, with $12.3 million from the federal and provincial
governments, $2 million lease of
land from the city of Calgary, $4
million from the Calgary Homeless
Foundation, $1 million from
the Calgary Homebuilders
Foundation, $250,000 from
Alberta Gaming and $200,000
from Horizon House Society.
AVALANCHE AIR SYSTEMS
ALBERTA
Although Avalanche fabricates its
own materials for custom projects, it still maintains good relationships with suppliers.
The company recently began
work on a supportive care facility
project in Calgary. Like most projects, it is providing all HVAC
services.
Avalanche stresses quality in
all its projects.
“Even if it’s covered and not
exposed, it can’t be crooked,”
Ball says. “We have to make
sure it looks good to the eye.
“The speed factor, too, is important,” he adds. “My group is
pretty organized at getting things
done in a timely fashion.
“My brother, Randy Ball, runs
our fabrication shop, and he is a
perfectionist when it comes to the
quality of work coming out of the
shop and the speed of it.”
Although the company fabricates its own materials for cus-
tom jobs, it still maintains good
relationships with suppliers, he
notes. “Some of the larger stuff,
we can’t take on at this time,” he
says. “Hopefully in the future
we’ll have time to do that.”
‘SKY’S THE LIMIT’
As Avalanche expands the capabilities of the fabrication shop, it
hopes to see new growth opportunities. “The sky’s the limit,” he
says. “We just started the shop
about six months ago, and we
plan to see it grow, along with our
installation department.
“We want to be one of the
most recognized companies in
Calgary,” he continues.
The company currently leases
space for its offices and fabrication shop, but Ball hopes it will
own its own facilities in the future.
He credits his supportive staff
for the company’s success, including his wife, René.
“When I was first starting out,
René put up with me working
15 hours a day, seven days a
week,” he says. “She ... keeps
the office flowing nicely.
“My site supervisor, Kevin
Sernowsky, came aboard three
years ago, and he’s really taken it
upon himself to organize the field
for me and get us where we are
today,” he adds.
The company has seen steady
growth since its inception – 30
to 40 percent annual growth on
average, Ball says. “I’m pushing
for that to continue.” g
venture-magazine.com WINTER 08