Founded in 1988 with only $5,000, a Dodge pickup truck and two power saws, Bear Slashing has grown into Canada’s primary supplier of mulching services. Founder and President Danny Dion has successfully expanded the company whose services include land clearing and mulching for oil and gas, forestry, agricultural, construction and recreational purposes. Based in Bonnyville, Alberta, the company now owns and operates over 100 pieces of equipment.

OPERATIONS

Though Bear Slashing offers a variety of land clearing services, its bread and butter is land clearing for oil and gas projects. Bear Slashing says that when it comes to oil and gas related land clearing, no job is too big or too small for its team. With Western Canada’s largest fleet of industrial mulching equipment and the quality personnel to carry out the work, Bear Slashing completes projects on time, on budget and to the highest standard of excellence.

The company has pioneered the use of mulchers as an environmentally-friendly land clearing alternative in the oil and gas industry and as such, no other company can offer greater experience or customized service. Bear Slashing’s oil and gas operations include mulching Low Impact Seismic (LIS) lines for 2D & 3D geophysical surveys, slashing and cleanup, timber salvage, logging, hauling and beyond. “Bear Slashing is a one-stop shop. When you hire us, you’re covered from start to finish concerning your woods,” says Dion.

Recently, Bear Slashing completed its largest project to date for the Kearl Oil Sand Projects for Imperial Oil. Bear Slashing has cleared nearly 8,000 acres, by way of logging, mulching and burning.

Bear Slashing also secured a five-year contract with one of the largest oil sands projects in
Fort McMurray. Last year, Bear Slashing cleared 3,000 acres through mulching, but four years
remain on the contract. They also signed a five year contract with Morgan Oilfield Services.

Dion is excited about the company’s expansion into Quebec. They are working with Hydro
Quebec to clear land for a new dam in Labrador. Bear Slashing will perform mulching and clear
land so no logs are left behind when the dam is flooded. Bear Slashing is expanding its ventures
in that area and intends on doing more work there in the future. “We don’t just stick to Alberta.
We’ll go wherever the work is,” Dion says. He adds that he hopes the new relationship with
Hydro Quebec will evolve into a long-term one.

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT

Bear Slashing runs a zero tolerance drug and alcohol policy, which Dion credits as the greatest
success of his company. At peak season during winter, Bear Slashing oversees nearly 200
employees. “Being drug and alcohol free allows us to retain some of the best employees we
have. Our policy is the greatest asset we have, for full-time and part-time employees,” Dion
says.

“The biggest challenge is finding the right crew. It’s hard to find people with the right work ethic,
but I put my foot down and enforce this policy, which is the best thing I ever did. We retain the
best people of all. When good people come to Bear Slashing, they stay because it is a drug-free
environment,” Dion says.

This strict policy leads to better safety for all employees, including the 200 who are hired during
the peak winter months.

LEADER IN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY CLEARING

Dion says that after people management, being a leader in environmentally friendly clearing
is Bear Slashing’s second priority. He credits the type of equipment the company uses for
inflicting less of an impact on the environment than other companies. For instance, Bear
Slashing uses wider pads on the equipment so that there is less pressure on the earth. In the
summer season, Bear Slashing changes tires from 30 inch to 66 inch tires to ensure more
evenly displaced pressure.

This year, the company purchased two $600,000 units from One-4-Haul called Trans4mer
Garage Wash Bays. Essentially, these innovative pieces of equipment are combined garage
and wash bays on wheels that operate on electricity and air.

Dion will use the Trans4mers next winter to hold the oil, antifreeze and liquids that are washed
off the equipment. Rather than these products entering the ground, Bear Slashing took the
initiative to buy the mobile expandable structure with the floor being a holding tank to decrease
contamination by containing those chemicals.

“Bear Slashing liked the idea of the Trans4mers so much, that we bought part of One-4-Haul.
We started a division here called Bear-Den-4-Haul, which will allow us to distribute these
products all over Western Canada,” Dion says.

CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS

In addition to valuing employees and the environment, Bear Slashing highly values its loyal
customer base. “We’ve been loyal and faithful to our customers for over 22 years by providing
them with good service and good products. Though they’re clients, I call them friends. We’re
there for them when they need us, and they’re there for us when we need it,” Dion says. He
emphasizes the importance of working with customers who have the same values as Bear
Slashing.

GOING FORWARD

Dion says that going forward, he plans on diversifying the company’s service to reach new
customers and retain the existing ones. “Diversification is the wave of the future. We cannot
stick to seasonal work. We found that winter seasons are getting shorter every year and
therefore we want to extend our services to stay busy year-round,” Dion says. As a result, Bear
Slashing recently purchased trackhoes, 450s and 850s from John Deere so that more mulching,
logging and hauling can be executed.

“As far as growing the company, the sky is the limit. I’ll do whatever it takes, but my main goal is
to make sure the base is looked after and that base is Bear Slashing’s good people,” Dion says.