{"id":2772,"date":"2026-05-05T12:59:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T18:59:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edmontonski.com\/?p=2772"},"modified":"2026-05-05T13:06:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T19:06:14","slug":"david-werklund-from-farm-life-to-leading-albertas-oilfield-services-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edmontonski.com\/en\/eternal-2772-david-werklund-from-farm-life-to-leading-albertas-oilfield-services-industry","title":{"rendered":"David Werklund: From Farm Life to Leading Alberta’s Oilfield Services Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

David Werklund is a successful entrepreneur in Alberta’s oil and gas sector<\/a>, widely recognized for his strategic vision and commitment to the region’s sustainable development. Throughout his career, he has pioneered innovative environmental solutions that prioritize conservation while actively investing in educational initiatives<\/a>, youth leadership, and government-backed programs. His work effectively bridges the gap between business interests, social responsibility, and a long-term vision for the future, making him a major figure in Alberta’s economy and civil society, reports edmontonski.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early Years and First Steps in the Oil Patch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"David<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Born in 1945, David Werklund grew up near Valleyview, Alberta. Life on the farm laid the groundwork for his future success. It demanded teamwork from him and his five siblings while fostering innovation and foresight, as they constantly had to invent new tools to work more efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From an early age, his father instilled in him a love for honesty and discipline. He often tasked David and his brothers with hauling hay to neighbors’ farms in the dead of winter when their livestock was running out of feed. These daily chores cultivated a sense of community that would become a guiding principle in his business life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeking his own path, Werklund found independence in his first job off the farm\u2014on an oil rig. It was there that he developed psychological and emotional grit while working alongside some rough characters. In one interview, David recalled carrying a wrench in his pocket for self-defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1965, David took a job as an oil production operator with Shell Canada Limited. While managing crews, he realized that owning a service company could be quite lucrative. After five years with the company, he launched Dave’s Oilfield Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building a Business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Business<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Werklund quickly scaled his company to roughly 150 employees, though the headcount fluctuated due to the boom-and-bust cycles notoriously inherent to the oil industry. Seeking stability, he founded Concord Well Servicing in 1979. It soon transformed from a single-rig operation into Canada’s third-largest well-servicing company. In 1984, recognizing the market’s needs, David expanded into crude oil processing and waste management by founding Canadian Crude Separators (CCS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A deep concern for the environment drove David to ensure environmentally responsible operations across all his oilfield enterprises. Canadian Crude Separators operated under the motto: “Protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we walk on.” Believing that waste should never leach into the soil, Werklund pushed his team to develop cutting-edge environmental methods that not only exceeded existing standards but set new benchmarks for the industry. Having traveled the world, he maintains that Alberta’s standards are second to none.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1994, CCS merged with the Concord well-servicing division. Over the next fifteen years, CCS acquired a number of firms, expanding its operations from drilling to well reclamation. In 2012, the company and its 12 related units merged under the name Tervita Corporation. Today, the company employs over 1,000 people across Canada and offers the industry’s most comprehensive range of environmental protection and waste management services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond his work at Tervita Corporation, David serves as Chairman of the Board for Aveda Transportation and Energy Services, one of North America’s largest rig-moving companies. He continues his entrepreneurial efforts through Werklund Ventures and chairs the board of RS Technologies, a company that manufactures composite utility poles for electrical grids<\/a>. Additionally, he serves on the board of Payload, an innovative technology company focused on optimizing interactions between oil and gas producers and their service providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philanthropy and Contributions to Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Charity\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Business success enabled David to put his belief in strong communities into action. In 2006, he established the Werklund Foundation, a family organization dedicated to transforming communities by inspiring youth to reach their full potential. One of the foundation\u2019s key initiatives, Empowering Minds\u2122, works in Calgary schools to help teenagers develop self-confidence, motivation, and resilience. David has seen countless examples of how the lives of participants and their families have changed for the better thanks to his initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Werklund believes the public education system is the perfect vehicle for change. In 2013, he made a major donation to the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Education. In recognition of his generosity, the faculty was renamed the Werklund School of Education. In 2017, David and his wife, Susan Norman, made a historic donation to Olds College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David has dedicated his life to environmental protection, a commitment reflected in his support for the Nature Conservancy of Canada. The Waldron Conservation Project was initiated in 2014 to protect an area of incredible beauty and biodiversity in the southern foothills along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. It will permanently safeguard the headwaters of streams and rivers critical to the entire steppe region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through his foundation, David has supported numerous charitable projects, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n