Power of three

Ages: Colbourne, 41, MacDougall, 45, Green, 53
Company: OTS Offshore Technologies Services
Business: Energy-service company for startup and commissioning projects
2009 EOY category: professional/financial services

It was a partnership long in the making. For years Rodney Colbourne, Steve MacDougall, and Steve Green had talked about becoming entrepreneurs. Colbourne and MacDougall were long-time employees of ExxonMobil, while Green was working for Nova Scotia Power Inc. Their discussions turned serious in 2004 when they started considering gaps in the oil and gas sector. "A lot of organizations didn't have the proper procedures and systems in place to fill those gaps," says Colbourne. "Together we capitalized on each other's strengths and developed a common goal."

The trio now run Sydney, N.S.-based OTS Offshore Technical Services Ltd., where they have carved out a niche supplying technical services and trained personnel for the construction, commissioning, startup, and operation of large oil and gas projects in Eastern and Western Canada. Their reputation, technical expertise, and commitment to safety has spread throughout the industry, landing OTS such major clients as ExxonMobil, Husky Energy, Nexen, and Petro Canada.

Unlike many companies in the oil and gas sector, OTS has seen little, if any, negative impact during the recession. In fact, the company with 120 employees continues to increase revenues year over year, posting a more than 50% increase last year. "What I'm really proud of is our safety record," says Colbourne. "We have surpassed 500,000 hours without any lost time to injury. This is impressive for this industry and a key success factor in being able to attract the best employees."

Looking ahead, OTS is focusing on business development and increasing opportunities both in Eastern Canada and internationally, including in Africa and Russia. "We just signed a deal for a project in Syria, so the sky's the limit," says Colbourne. "We have endless opportunities to quadruple the size of the company and increase revenues fivefold."