Creating a Culture of Quality
Iconic Electric and Controls is an Alberta-based company that has been in the oil and gas sector for the last 14 years. They provide an exceptional array of electrical and instrumentation services for clients across much of Western Canada. Iconic has a strong project-management system and strives to consistently provide best-in-class value for all their projects. Through their commitment to safety and budget integrity, they have been able to successfully cultivate a culture of quality and serve as a leader in the electrical services field. All of these values driving towards a goal of making lives easier and better.
Despite their size relative to some of the larger Alberta companies, they have big hearts. Community outreach is central to their identity, as they try to give back by sponsoring youth clubs and sports teams. They take great pride in giving back to the community that they work and live in. Their team consists of skilled individuals that have extensive experience and achievements, but also share a love of sports. Community outreach allows their team to focus on their passions, one of which being the Calgary Flames. As part of the Calgary Flames Association, Iconic sponsors many events, such as the KidSport Calgary Score-O contest held during Calgary Flames games. This event had raised $7000 for KidSport in just one night.
Iconic’s outstanding community outreach has also impacted their growth as a company. Adopting a “people first” mentality has structured their business approach around 4 pillars. Iconic’s 4 pillars of business include:
- People First: This is the foundation of our culture. Every employee is encouraged to use this mentality when considering the outcome of their actions for themselves, their team, and clients. By putting people first, they can put their clients first.
- Empowered Innovation: Iconic encourages all employees to think for themselves and recognize that they have a voice to better the experience of our customers.
- 27 Mile Thinker: At the end of a standard marathon (26 miles) not many runners will say, “I’ll do one more mile, just because.” At Iconic they always strive to exceed both project and client expectations and go the extra mile.
- Integrity In Everything: This trait is the expectation for anyone who works with or for Iconic, they believe it is the core of any good person or company.
Greg Annett, HSE manager of Iconic, believes strongly in the 4 pillars and exclaims, “at Iconic, we continue to build on our culture of quality by making lives better and easier.” As a team, they have focused on understanding what sets their business apart from others in the industry. Concluding that what they do affects life for entire communities, they strive to provide services that improve the lives of the average family. At the client level, they strive to exceed expectations and make the entire project experience as smooth as possible. Iconic also uses this “people first” mentality on their own, as they also aim to improve the lives of their employees.
Greg also aims to make the world safer by ensuring, “everyone goes home at the end of the day, with all ten fingers and toes.” The team at Iconic encourages ongoing training to confirm their employees have the knowledge needed to be safe. By deploying what Greg refers to as the “Iconic University,” they can measure and track training goals company wide. Not only are their employees given extensive safety training, but their supervisors are also enrolled in leadership training. Through leadership training, Iconic can rest assured that supervisors have the ability to lead all employees to work safely.
Leadership plays a key role in promoting safety while not making it a nuisance. When customers see their approach to safety, they learn how it can be promoted the right way. Not solely relying on their actions, Iconic uses open communication with their clients to provide education needed to improve safety at any worksite. Greg views education as the most important ingredient for safety.
“You can have all the best safety tools but if you don’t have the education to use things properly, it doesn’t matter.”
– Greg Annett, HSE Manager
As the younger generation transitions into the workforce, they have a lot of new knowledge to share, but also a lot to learn. Greg reminds the younger generation to, “learn from your leaders and your counterparts because the day you stop learning, is the day that you’re dead.” Learning about safety is not completed at the end of a course, it is an ongoing process that can take a lifetime. No hazards are the same, so you should always move forward with training whether you are on day 1 or 500!
Iconic takes great pride in giving back to the communities that they serve and providing great service to their clients. They are leaders by action and involvement, and they work hard to promote and maintain their culture of quality. Iconic continues to make lives easier and better.
