EDG Inc

Source: Energy Digital

Date :4/11/2008 2:15:23 AM

EDG believes that in order to deliver high quality work, you need to promote the building of character and emphasize the significance of performing jobs ethically, morally, and with the utmost degree of integrity. Exec learns more

Written by Kellie K. Speed and Produced by Nick Ledue

Ever heard of an engineering company that focuses on employee character traits as the foundation for its worldwide success? Not exactly commonplace is it? However, policies like strategic management and smart investing, as well as employee retention programs, have been at the forefront of EDG Inc.’s success for more than 25 years.

When the company started out in 1982, it decided to approach the industry with a markedly different outlook – one that was very different to anyone else. The founders realized the oil and gas industry had a rather distinctive culture with business dealings solely based on profit and the bottom line. As a result, they were convinced that in order to deliver high quality work, they needed to promote the building of character, emphasizing the significance of performing jobs ethically, morally, and with the utmost degree of integrity.

“We look for quality of work and offer an accommodating culture with character driven people,” said Paul Mogabgab, a director of EDG. “As engineers, a job represents the best interest of a client. We focus on character, which is very important to us. Having the special knowledge of an engineer is important but they are teachable. Recognizing people for their character and doing things for the right reason are very important to us. With the right culture and trust, you can empower people.”

Character First

EDG’s principals include Dave Colomb, Gary Davis, Doug DeRouen, Paul Mogabgab, Tim Moreau, Phillip Myint, Dwight Paulsen, Pete Posner and Ed Ruppert. They know that in order to deliver quality work, they have to create an environment that promotes the building of character – performing jobs ethically, morally and with the utmost of integrity.

“We have instituted the Character First program that we have found is a consistent attribute in great companies where an employee’s character is emphasized over their skills,” Mogabgab said. “You can teach a great engineer but it’s more difficult to teach them self control through patience and what makes a team. This is the foundation for a good work ethic and emphasizes and creates a positive work environment. Everything we do is in cooperation with others from fabricators, construction companies, or other institutions. Our work is very team oriented so each person has to be trustworthy. It’s easy to work with core success and easier to be privately held, as we are owned by the principals of the company.”

EDG certainly knows how to retain its employees and over the past three years, the company has grown 50 percent, experiencing a less than two percent turnover. “Companies are always trying to steal engineers and designers so we had to find a way to retain people, to invest in them and make them stay,” Moreau said.

“Having an opportunity to invest in the company and have a piece of the company is important in hiring employees and maintaining staff. There is nothing harder than to lose a valued employee. We have set up a perpetuity program to have the ownership lie with the managers. We get the message to others that it’s a way of succession that benefits our employees and gives us a legacy to be proud of.” EDG is focused on hiring qualified people and retaining that staff, thereby reducing turnover.

Worldwide interests

Currently, the company has more than 450 employees with over 5,500 successful projects in their portfolio. EDG has an international focus, but holds domestic offices in Houston, Texas, New Orleans and Lafayette, Louisiana as well as Columbus, Ohio. It also established one of the first engineering companies in Luanda, Angola, West Africa.

“There are a lot of opportunities,” says Tim Moreau, the company’s CEO. “We have a project under construction now in Angola, and Vietnam is a frontier area for the oil and gas business. We had been focusing on Southeast Asia, did some research, and thought with our skills and talents Vietnam would be the best place to put an office so we used our basic strategy to expand. The majority of our business is international so it made sense to open an office there.”

From engineering and design to survey and inspection services, EDG continues to serve the oil and gas industry as well as marine, terminals, cement and bulk handling industries, providing project management, engineering, information management, drafting and design, procurement, inspection, high definition surveying and construction management, as well as operations support. It is an extensive, and impressive, array of services, which has seen the company receive global notoriety.

Excellence

EDG’s mission is “to continuously strive for excellence within each and every project, maintaining a passionate commitment to providing value to our customers worldwide.” The company’s goal is to achieve and maintain a leadership position as a major consulting engineering firm known and respected for the quality of their work but also the character of its staff. Because employees are valued as the heart of the organization and customers are the lifeblood of the organization, it focuses on dealing fairly and honestly with clients, handling requests promptly, exercising patience and courtesy at all times, showing a personal interest and respecting each client’s confidentiality.

“We have a marketing campaign, do some direct mailing and have some technical articles for industry magazines but much of our work comes to us from client referrals,” he said. “Advertising is critical to get work but referrals keep the work steady. We have billboards in Houston and New Orleans not to get business but just to get our name out there.”

With high character values a top priority, first rate customer service implemented daily and a near nonexistent turnover rate, it is no wonder EDG has become the stand out company in its field since its inception.

Click here to view the corporate brochure on EDG