Serving Western Canada since 1983.

Our Story

History

At Pals, we pride ourselves on our extensive professional surveying experience.

Thanks to a reputation for quality, and our careful planning, we have continued to grow consistently throughout our 30-year history.

In 1983 we launched our surveying business, targeting the homebuilding industry. Despite a depressed housing market, we were able to secure solid contracts and began building lasting relationships. Over the next five years, we developed our expertise and business model and began offering surveying services to the land development industry.

The years that followed have told a similar story. We have been careful and deliberate in our planning and only launched new services when we were ready. As we’ve expanded, we’ve focused on responding to customer demand. We listen to our customers needs and create new offerings we know will help them succeed.

We have been rewarded with a large, varied and loyal customer base and a reputation for providing high-value, customer-focused service.

As our services have expanded, so has our team. We started with just two employees, and today are proud to say we have more than 130 staff members.

Pals Team

Pals began as a business of two people, and we work hard to maintain that family feeling as we grow. We have been 100% employee owned since 2002.

Pals is committed to providing a safe environment for our employees. Safety is one of our top priorities and is integrated into all levels of our operation. It has truly become part of the Pals culture. All our staff members are trained to the latest standards and we work quickly to adopt new requirements and processes.

We are proud to say that throughout our company’s 30-year history we have always created a safe environment for our staff.

The Pals safety program has maintained a provincial Certificate of Recognition (COR) since 2004, and is audited regularly to maintain its good standing. We achieve an average of 93% on these provincial audits.

 A Leader in Safety

Pals Geomatics is a safety leader. Here are some examples of our dedication to maintain high safety standards:

  • We carefully follow WCB Regulations in every province we work
  • We have a partnership with IS Networld, an international firm that connects clients with reliable contractors.
  • We work with CanQual Compliance to get a third-party confirmation of our safety statistics and qualifications.
  • Our Inspection Schedule is rigorous, and we have a full-time safety officer devoted to continually inspecting and improving our safety policies and procedures.
  • Our field staff perform weekly Truck Safety Inspections.
  • We have a strict Drug and Alcohol Policy and conduct pre-employment drug and alcohol tests for all of our field staff.

At Pals, we never forget our roots.

First and foremost, our company was founded on faith-based principles. We believe without this higher guidance we would not have been able to establish and grow our business to the successful venture it is today.

These values continue to inspire us, and how we run our business today. Honesty, trust, and kindness are the starting point to every interaction we have with our staff and customers.

Team Members

The Pals team is an energetic group of individuals, many of whom are long-time employees.

Changes in market demand may increase or decrease our labour needs, which means we are always on the lookout for dedicated, responsible individuals to join our team.

We employ a team of dedicated professionals, including:

  • Alberta Land Surveyors
  • Canada Lands Surveyors
  • Survey Technologists
  • Survey Technicians
  • Professional Engineers
  • CAD Technicians
  • … And a full complement of support staff

Our dedication to helping our clients succeed is reflected in the professional awards and citations we have been honoured to receive.

Awards We Have Received

  • 2008 Canadian Home Builders’ Association - Edmonton Region SAM Awards:
    • Grand SAM Award: General Member of the Year
    • Builders Choice Award: Supplies a Service Directly to the Builder/Renovator
  • 2008 Canadian Home Builders’ Association - Alberta (CHBA) - Safety Award Winner
  • 2006 Canadian Home Builders’ Association - Alberta (CHBA) - Safety Award Winner
  • Canadian Home Builders Association - Edmonton Region SAM Awards:
    • Best Supplier / Sub Trade: 1988, 1989, 2001, 2004, 2006
  • 2000 Edmonton Chamber of Commerce Small Business Owner of the Year Award

As industry professionals, Pals works to ensure we are always improving our knowledge and expertise. We belong to a number of associations, which helps ensure our employees have access to the best resources in the industry.

Associations We Belong To

  • Alberta Land Surveyors Association – Larry Pals, ALS, past President, past Secretary Treasurer
  • Canadian Home Builders Association – Edmonton Region (CHBA) – Member since 1984 – Peter Jackson past President
  • Member of Canadian Board of Examiners for Professional Surveyors (CBEPS) – Larry Pals, ALS past chairman
  • Past Director of Canadian Council of Land Surveyors – Larry Pals, ALS
  • Member of Association of Canada Lands Surveyors
  • Member of APEGA
  • Member of Urban Development Institute
  • Current employees are encouraged to be involved in association matters