At the forefront of energy and industrial machining for more than 65 years, Argus produces energy goods along with threading and custom manufacturing services for a variety of sectors worldwide. Offering a comprehensive range of fully equipped manufacturing facilities, an assembly facility, and representatives across the globe, every Argus project benefits from the knowledge, ability, and desire for excellence that come from its talented engineering, unique designs, and dedicated sales team.
“When I joined Argus, I think there were really three things that stood out to me right off the bat, immediately,” says Marketing Manager Nicolaas Ainsworth. “The company’s unwavering dedication to the high quality and reliable products, a commitment to treating the people we work with, that purchase from us—our clients—as more than just a mere customer, but truly a partner, and a true culture event of continuous innovation and learning that’s supported by various programs we have in place to facilitate that.”
Soon after he started, Ainsworth was tasked with organizing the company’s 65th anniversary celebrations and everything that came with that. “What I wanted to highlight was Argus’s rich history and really how it did shape us to who we are today,” he says. “As I delved deeper into our history and learned more about our founders, Tommy and Albert, I think that’s when it really became clear that these core values I noticed were really exemplified by these two.”
Both men shared a strong desire to leave a legacy that involved giving back to the city of Edmonton, their community, and their family of employees. While producing a dependable, high-quality product was critical to them, creating a family of workers—a great team of seasoned professionals—was just as important.
In 2010, Tommy and Albert gave the reins to the team they had spent decades building and developing, and their morals and principles are ingrained in Argus’s character and serve as its cornerstone.
“Tommy and Albert truly exemplified a commitment to high quality standards, skill development, and continuous learning,” Ainsworth says, “I have heard they took a collaborative partnership approach with everybody who interacted with Argus, whether employees, partners, or the community as a whole.”
These values have transformed Argus from that small Edmonton shop of 1958 to the incredible company it is today, he adds. “And these are principles that I think are going to continue to propel us forward into the future.”
Along with a strong foundation, Argus continues to thrive due to its ability to perform the majority of its work in-house, allowing the company to maintain complete control over the quality and the precision of every component it machines or manufactures. “This approach ensures that only products that really meet those peak standards we set for ourselves are released now that we also combine that with our highly skilled in-house engineering teams,” Ainsworth says. “This strategy also allows us to provide that flexibility to deliver precisely what our customers need for their specific applications.”
This applies, of course, not only to custom machining work but also to various product lines such as pig valve, cement heads and pressure switches, which often require different specifications or materials to meet their unique operational demands. “All together, these pieces and capabilities position us as true solution providers and not simply suppliers, which really elevates and impacts that partnership approach and that unwavering dedication of quality that we really founded ourselves on and that we perpetuate to this day,” says Ainsworth.
Customer service is vital to every company, but Argus prides itself on its unwavering dedication to helping clients and always doing what’s best for them. “I think it comes down to, when we take on a job or when we interact with clients, we don’t merely take a drawing or something and just machine the part and send them on their way. Even with our products, I think this really comes out; we are there to support.”
The company’s engineering teams provide assistance in ensuring the designs and products are up to Argus’s standards and that, when the product does come out, it’s of the quality, precision, and robustness that ensure it’s going to be effective and do what it needs to.
In 2010, the company’s founders took a significant step by transferring corporate leadership to a small team of workers. Appreciative of that initial step, the company continued on the route to guaranteeing Argus’s perpetuity with a comprehensive employee ownership plan introduced in January 2022. Argus is now a fully employee-owned business thanks to the vision and forethought of its founders, and is dedicated to staying committed to clients in upcoming years. Not a transition or exit strategy, this is wide-ranging, open to all staff members, and inclusive as standard practice. Instead of seeing this ownership option as an employee benefit, Argus views it as an investment opportunity that employees choose to take on, along with a duty to act as the company’s stewards and leave it stronger for future generations.
“When our owners passed on, their dream was always to keep Argus into perpetuity,” says Ainsworth. “So, they passed on the company straight to a share of employees who worked with Argus. And then a couple of years later, Argus introduced and offered an employee-shared ownership plan that allows employees to purchase shares and take on the role of stewards for the company.”
This plan enables everyone at Argus to share in the rewards and growth of the company, and it also helps foster a real sense of ownership and commitment to Argus, providing the motivation to succeed and continuously build upon the company and, of course, to support clients in the best way possible.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for individuals who choose to work at Argus, and not one that I see very often,” says Ainsworth. “It really does make it special. Everyone works together, including a system where we all come together with voting rights.”
The company is also involved in numerous philanthropic projects and activities, from contributing to universities and the Cure Cancer Foundation, to supporting the Stollery Children’s Hospital, and numerous other great causes.
“Argus has always prioritized giving back to the community that supports us,” Ainsworth says. “I think this commitment is really deeply rooted into our strategic vision that was put out through our leadership, which is to grow and sustain a successful manufacturing service company that earns the respect of its employees, business partners, and the wider community.”
These are all efforts considered “crucial” to clients, as they embody the company’s core values. “When I look into it, it really does reflect the values and what Tommy and Albert wanted to see come through this company,” Ainsworth says. “We do a lot to make a meaningful impact, but it’s not always necessarily direct financial contributions. We’ve also had the opportunity to utilize some of our unique skills to provide support.”
These unique skills have included designing custom puck cases in-house for the local Cure Cancer Foundation’s Toast of the Town event. For many years, Argus has been a strong supporter of both Toast of the Town and the Cure Cancer Foundation, with staff taking great delight in supporting initiatives that have a big impact and in helping to create innovative technology that will help cancer patients in need of a fighting chance at a longer life.
Hockey players and fans first used the Argus Legacy pucks as a method to honour noteworthy achievements. Since then, they have become mementos that honour people who have been involved in the community and leaders in bringing about change or lending support to philanthropic endeavors.
“We have excellent capabilities with threading and, of course, precision machining, so there are very cool custom puck cases that we make every year for this event,” says Ainsworth. “We then donate and auction them off, with all funds raised going 100 percent to cancer research.”
The money received will help develop immunotherapy research in Alberta and finance two brand-new, cutting-edge labs at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton, with increasing patient access to life-saving treatments and changing treatment options for coming generations two of the main objectives.
“We’re not just another supplier; Argus is really a dedicated partner to those who come to us, committed to excellence in the various industries that we support, where complex and challenging tasks, products, or components are very much the norm. Finding a partner like that can be very difficult.”
Argus stands out, he believes, as one of the few capable companies that can deliver reliable and innovative solutions to meet those demands. “And I think it’s really my goal to ensure that those who need that kind of a partner know that Argus is there and is available.”
Along with celebrating a truly impressive 65 years of success, Argus continues to set itself apart by remaining committed to partnerships, comprehensive capabilities, and producing high-quality, precision components. “We approach every client interaction as a true partnership, ensuring that we fully understand and can meet their needs with a broad range of machining capabilities, extensive industry expertise, and a talented team of engineers,” Ainsworth says.
The company aims to deliver exceptional value via its employee ownership model by instilling pride and commitment in its workforce and driving a relentless focus on quality and precision. “This holistic approach creates a full circle support system, guaranteeing that our customers receive exactly what they require for their success.”
