Northeast Economic Region

Seven years ago, Carl and Shelley Dahlen were subcontractors with only one pickup truck – and a vision of going it on their own.

Today, they operate Dahlen Contracting Ltd., focused mostly on oilfield construction and maintenance. But the company is also in the residential rental and renovation business. Most recently, they added a residential and commercial landscaping division. And their single truck has become an entire fleet.

In a smaller community like Dawson Creek, diversification is the key to small business success. For the Dahlens, it was important to expand into varied sectors because of the cyclical nature of the oil patch.

The benefit of expanding into various sectors is that now the company can provide its 25 employees with year-round work, resulting in a workforce with multiple skills – and minimal employee turnover.