When scientist Roger Clissold was solving water well problems in his basement 50 years ago, he didn’t expect his small start-up business to grow into the company it is today.
“It's been an amazing journey, it's a lot of work,” he said.
Hydrogeological Consultants Ltd. was formed in 1969 by Clissold, the father-in-law of St. Albert resident Norm Zastre, who is now the president of the company. The groundwater consulting company focuses on creating and maintaining water systems across the globe, with its primary focus on Alberta municipalities and oil and gas companies.
In 1991, Zastre joined the team to help with the digital side of the company. Even though he is now president of the company, Clissold is still involved with some of the projects. Mother-in-law Midge also works as an office manager and Zastre's wife Lori is the office administrator.
Together they’ve carried the business into its 50th anniversary, which takes place March 25.
Lori said she’s excited about the half-century milestone.
“I’m very proud of my parents – and us a little – but also we have some staff who've been here for 20 years,” she said.
Today, the company is located at 17740-118 Avenue in Edmonton and offers services on agriculture, water well problems and surface and groundwater monitoring, to name a few. The business has worked on projects in Vietnam and South Africa, and has consulted on water supply in Iraq.
For its local work, HCL has completed groundwater evaluations for over 50 counties in Alberta, which covers around 90 per cent of rural Alberta.
The company has also prepared groundwater queries, notifying landowners how much groundwater is under their property.
Clissold said one of his highlights was the work HCL did in the Town of Banff, which still uses the company’s technology today. The company developed groundwater supply after beaver fever broke out in the town in 1982.
“When beaver fever broke out, they had no alternative. They had to boil water,” he said. “The only way that we're going to go around that was to hook in these water wells.”
The wells they installed yield around 54,000 cubic meters of water a day, enough drinking water for around 5,400 families each day.
Meek beginnings
Clissold decided to start his business in 1969 after noticing a need for hydrogeologists in Alberta.
He said there weren’t many of the specialized scientists at the time, nor was there much demand – but that didn't stop him.
“By the time we had reached five years, we had enough money that we had payroll,” he said.
HCL grew from two employees (Clissold and his wife Midge), to the some 20 employees it has today.
The family-owned business has adapted its focus according to Alberta’s economic situation, which has helped it grow into a long-lasting business.
Every time the province entered a recession, HCL leaned on its municipal and agricultural work. When the energy sector bounced back, the company shifted to meet the water needs of oil and gas industries.
To learn more about the company visit: https://www.hcl.ca/.
