Fueling the oil patch
When John Dampf was a teenager working on the rigs and wolfing down three squares a day, he had no idea that 30 years later he’d be on the other side of the stove, responsible for serving about a million meals a month to people working in the field, and living in camps.
“The drilling guys want lots of roast beef and potatoes, lots of steak and comfort food,” says Dampf, the Vice President of ARAMARK Remote Workplace Services.
“When you move into production facilities, you tend to get more people looking at monitors all day. They’re not carrying stuff around; so the menus change with a lot more emphasis on salads, lean meats and smaller portions,” he says.
Dampf knows his camps and his customers. He’s worked in the business since 1980, eventually owning a partnership stake in Travers Food Service Ltd. and selling the company to ARAMARK in 2002. ARAMARK also services the mining and forestry sectors across Canada; but about 90 per cent of its business is in Alberta, and most of that is in energy.
“We live and breathe it,” says Dampf. “If there is no oil and gas activity we starve. It’s pretty simple.”
ARAMARK has about 750 employees working in the field right now, preparing meals and running camps for clients that, these days, are primarily oil sands operators.
“Up until two years ago, being competitive in this business meant being able to meet the needs of your customers. It was what you could offer as a service and how you followed through,” says Dampf. “But today, it’s about cost more than product delivery. The oil companies are demanding a better deal.”
“And there are more people trying to serve that up,” says Dampf.
“Three or four years ago, you might see only two competitors on a project and now everybody goes for every one. There are a lot more people willing to chase after everything to keep their own houses operating,” he says. “People were pretty selective a couple of years ago.”
Dampf says having a strong energy sector is crucial to the entire province. “I think that sometimes people forget how important it is. But if the oil and gas sector isn’t healthy, all of us suffer,” he says.
After three decades of serving hungry workers in the oil patch, Dampf has experienced first-hand how Albertans in the front lines are the first to feel the negative effects of any downturn in the sector.
“We’re the canary in the mine,” says Dampf. “I tell my neighbours, if you see a ‘for sale’ sign on my lawn, start worrying. If you see me coming home with a new car, don’t worry.”
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