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UDSS celebrates arrival

Upstream Downstream Specialized Services Inc. celebrated its move to Red Deer on Tuesday, with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting at the company’s Edgar Industrial Park premises and a reception at Red Deer College’s City Centre Stage downtown.
B01-UDSS
Cal Dallas

Upstream Downstream Specialized Services Inc. celebrated its move to Red Deer on Tuesday, with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting at the company’s Edgar Industrial Park premises and a reception at Red Deer College’s City Centre Stage downtown.

The international energy consulting business confirmed last month that it had chosen Red Deer as the base for its Canadian operations.

Chief marketing officer Jaime Cocuy said previously that UDSS offices typically operate with a small management and administrative staff, with resource people brought in as required to meet client needs.

Danielle Klooster, who helped bring UDSS to Red Deer in her capacity as business retention, expansion and investment officer with Central Alberta: Access Prosperity, has been hired by the company as its local business development manager.

Headquartered in Florida, UDSS serves companies in South America, North America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia. Among its clients are Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Schlumberger, Weatherford and Pemex.

UDSS previously had an office in Montreal, but decided to relocate to Alberta so that it would be nearer the oil and gas sector, and many of its clients.

Founder and CEO Pedro Orihuela said Tuesday that this is where his company should be.

He added that the expertise in shale oil and gas production here — expertise that’s needed in other countries where UDSS operates — is of particular interest.

“Most of their lives they have worked with conventional resources,” Orihuela said of geologists in places like Mexico.

“Now we’re offering training for them to start thinking how to exploit this kind of reserve.”

UDSS hopes to send industry experts from Alberta to the markets it serves.

“But it also wants to develop training programs that its clients can tap into.

“We’re talking with Red Deer College to see if we can make a certificate program for unconventional resources,” said Orihuela.

UDSS might also be able to help Canadian companies with their skilled labour shortages, he added.

For example, it might be able to bring in welders from places like the United States and England.

Also in attendance on Tuesday was Cal Dallas, Alberta’s minister of international and intergovernmental and relations.

Dallas said he’s pleased to see companies like UDSS come here to pursue opportunities.

“We know that the outlook for our economy is dynamic; that the future requires that we continue to attract talent, innovative ideas, new investment into our area, to succeed.”

Dallas added that UDSS’s international presence could also prove valuable to Canadian companies looking to branch out into other countries.

“Having that opportunity to directly interact with UDSS and learn more about their experiences in those markets as well, I think, will be very beneficial.”

hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com