HALF-CENTURY OF SERVICE FOR PETRO-TECH PRINTING by Rennay Craats with photos by Riverwood Photography
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t was a whole different world – and a whole different business – when Petro-Tech Printing opened its doors 50 years ago. In 1967, Petroleum Technicians provided seismic mapping and blueprints for the oil and gas sector and needed someone to reproduce the maps. Dan Costea was hired to do the reproductions and within two years he had bought into the business and added printing presses. Oil and gas faltered but the printing side continued to grow. “At the time, all the things that computers do today, we were doing it by hand,” says Derek Costea, Dan’s son and general manager of Petro-Tech Printing. As the industry changed, so did Petro-Tech. It welcomed the booms and rode out the busts of oil-driven Calgary, attracting clients from other sectors and embracing the introduction of technology and high-efficiency equipment along the way. The late 1990s were difficult, and while Petro-Tech remained standing after the recession, it was left battered. Derek, who joined the company in 1981, and his father wanted to move forward and grow, and to do that they needed to incorporate
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big presses into Petro-Tech’s services. They looked for partners who shared their vision in order to make it a reality. “We joined forces with Prolific Group out of Manitoba, who purchased a majority of us in 1999, and what that brought to the table was the big presses. It worked really well and we’re still partners today,” says Derek Costea. Prolific had a location in Red Deer with large presses, so PetroTech could provide clients with another service option while avoiding the overhead that comes with operating such large machines. It was a great partnership and over the next two decades it helped Petro-Tech evolve and prosper in a rapidlychanging market. As oil and gas companies went digital with their operations, the original mapping reproduction business became obsolete. Petro-Tech adapted their business model and then did so again during the most recent recession. Its repertoire now includes printing of everything from large-format projects like signage, posters and banners to business cards and stationery for companies across the city and across sectors.