Surerus has had his hand in building some of Canada's biggest pipelines...
In northeast B.C., pipelining is a family business. It's where Surerus started his career as a young man from rural Ontario who looked north and drove out west for work.
By the time he rolled into Fort St. John in his Ford F-100 pickup in 1969, he had already spent a few years learning the basics, digging ditches around the region.
In northeast B.C., pipelining is a family business. It's where Surerus started his career as a young man from rural Ontario who looked north and drove out west for work.
By the time he rolled into Fort St. John in his Ford F-100 pickup in 1969.
He had already spent a few years learning the basics, digging ditches around the region.
"If you're going to start a company, you better be ambitious. If you're not ambitious then there's no use starting," Surerus said.
After a couple of years, when work with Union Oil slowed down, Surerus headed to Calgary to chase new opportunities. Back then, companies still ran newspaper ads every time they drilled a new well near Fort St. John.
"I'd cut these little things out of the newspaper and I'd just kind of cold call them," he said.
Before long, he was laying pipelines in the ground across Western Canada.
Today, his company Surerus Pipeline Inc., is one of the largest independent pipeline builders in the country, and well-known in Canada’s energy sector.
Surerus has had his hand in building some of Canada's biggest projects, including the recently completed Coastal GasLink pipeline and the Trans Mountain expansion.
Fort St. John Mayor Lilia Hansen presented Surerus with the freedom of the city on July 30, the city's highest civic honour, for his lifetime of achievement in business and community philanthropy.
While Surerus's career has inspired young workers and business leaders in the community, Hansen says his real impact is felt on the ground.
His family's support has benefited multiple generations through local arts organizations, seniors' programs, child development initiatives and the food bank, she said.
"I can't think of an organization that hasn't benefitted," Hansen said.
Surerus chose to keep his business headquartered in Fort St. John as it grew and he raised a family, she added.
"It shows what can be done here," Hansen said. "That's important when we're attracting new companies to the area. That's the kind we want. We want those that will help grow our community."
Surerus says his success has allowed his family to give millions back to the community through in-kind and monetary donations to support local projects and non-profits. A major park he helped the city build bears his name.
"We did well, and This is a good place to live," he said.
Surerus's company now operates over 600 pieces of heavy equipment. He knows some people oppose the work he does, but believes the world needs oil and gas.
-with files from Matt Preprost · CBC News
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