Working in natural resources is many things, but it is not 9 to 5 – and it comes with its own risks and rewards.

Keeping Workers Safe in High-Risk Environments
Working in natural resources is many things, but it is not 9 to 5 – and it comes with its own risks and rewards.
Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA)
The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), the largest member-based solid waste association in the world, has been leading the industry for over six decades. From technical conferences and publications to certifications and technical training courses, it offers a variety of support to members throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean.
Abe’s Trash Service
Abe’s Trash Service launched back in 1955 during a Nebraska dry spell that caused the corn to die in the field. With his crops failing, Omaha farmer Abe Christensen desperately needed an income. “It was very dry and he was out of money,” remembers Abe’s son and current owner John Christensen. “That’s why he started picking up trash.”
Filco Carting
When Filco Carting Corp. was launched in 1910, the company’s assets consisted of a horse and wagon used to haul rubbish from Manhattan’s garment district. Today, family-owned Filco is one of New York City’s most prominent waste removal companies, with a fleet of modern trucks.
Consolidated Waste Services
Morgan Alexander wants people to think garbage.
Surrette Battery Company Ltd.
Canadian battery producer Surrette Battery Company Ltd. is a deep cycle battery producer based in the eastern province of Nova Scotia. It was originally located in Salem, Massachusetts but relocated to Springhill, NS in 1959 and has been in operation since then as a third-generation family run business.
Canadian Renewable Energy Association
The Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) is on a mission to decarbonize electricity generation in Canada while doubling output. By ‘decarbonize,’ CanREA means avoiding energy sources that produce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—a leading cause of climate change—and focusing instead on affordable, abundant, untapped wind and solar energy.
miEnergy
While many businesses declare they’re making a difference in the world, few can claim that statement as truth. At miEnergy’s, a dedication to helping society transition to solar and geothermal energy has been the company’s true passion for the past 20 years.
Vertex Resource Group
From modest beginnings 60 years ago, Vertex Resource Group is today one of Canada’s most respected environmental service businesses.
Superior Fabrication Company
Much like Atlas carrying the ancient Greek world on his celestial shoulders, material handling machinery tends to be one of the unsung heroes moving and carrying the supplies that sustain the world as we know it across warehouses around the planet 24/7/365. Superior Fabrication Company in Kincheloe, Michigan is a North American engineering and fabrication leader in the heavy metal mast and sub-assembly, hydraulic fracking pump, and industrial equipment fabrication.
Brannon Steel
As a company that has experienced steady, impressive growth since 1968, Brannon Steel has not only enjoyed successful expansion, but has managed to maintain its initial goals and focus of caring for its employees, clients and community. Fostering a deep commitment to family and teamwork, this ISO certified manufacturer with three facilities in Brampton, Ontario offers a wide range of services processing carbon steel plate while expertly handling an array of top-level clients.
Health and Wellness in the Resource Sector
Since the start of COVID-19, countless articles written for the suddenly huge cohort of ‘remote workers’ have told us how to boost productivity, avoid distractions like the fridge or fifth cup of coffee, find a better desk and chair to slouch in, and overcome Zoom fatigue.
December 2022
PAST EDITIONS
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
… and Everywhere a Concern
In mining, oil and gas, and heavy industry, water is essential—but let’s remember that it’s essential to life, too…
The Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association
The Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association (ACFFA) has been keeping busy with advocacy, public education, and conferences, among other activities, since Resource in Focus last profiled the organization in May of 2022. The ACFFA, which represents Atlantic Canada’s salmon farming sector, has also been enjoying the transition “back to a normal work environment,” now that the worst of COVID is hopefully over, says Executive Director Susan Farquharson.
Alberta Aquaculture Association
The Alberta Aquaculture Association is dedicated to promoting aquaculture and its related practices in Western Canada. The association has been promoting environmentally friendly technologies, like aquaponics, to produce fish. Aquaponics is an integrated food production method that combines aquaculture (breeding and raising fish in a farm-like ecosystem) and hydroponics (cultivating plant life without soil, using water-based nutrients).
Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia
From its base in Halifax, the Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia (AANS) operates across the province “from Yarmouth to Cape North, Cape Breton, and all points in between,” according to association Executive Director Tom Smith. The not-for-profit, membership-based industry trade group was founded in 1977 by a volunteer group of sea farmers. Today, it represents over 95 percent of all aquaculture farming in Nova Scotia across three sectors: finfish such as salmon, trout, and striped bass; shellfish such as oysters, mussels, clams, quahogs, scallops; and sea plants such as sugar kelp.
AMGAS
AMGAS Services Inc. is a Rocky View, Alberta-based company with an international presence and several proprietary solutions for H2S management in oil and gas operations and other sectors. By removing contaminants such as hydrogen sulphide (H2S), benzene, toluene, and xylenes, its integrated solutions benefit both the environment and its clients’ bottom line. The company has continued to refine its offerings with a special emphasis on its ground-breaking CLEAR Technology.
Blue Flame Crew, LLC
Gas management systems provider Blue Flame Crew, LLC specializes in the design, installation, and service of systems across the United States. It serves as a division of Boos Resource & Technology Group, a conglomerate of companies providing a wide range of services including consulting, construction, maintenance, architectural design, and engineering for the environmental markets.