In October 2024, MANTL Artificial Lift celebrated it’s ten years of serving the oil and gas industry.  The company’s slogan, one of their Core Values, is to always “GIVE A S#!T”.

MANTL was founded in the summer of 2014 when the price of oil plummeted from a high of over $100 a barrel in June to a low of $44 a barrel by January 2015.  Suffice it to say, it’s never a good time to start a new company during a bust cycle in the oil and gas industry, and to survive ten years is a feat in itself.

The founding members of MANTL reflected on their first decade in their role with the company.

Matthew Kenna, President & CEO

“This group knew each other for years before getting involved in this venture. Everyone knew what they had to get done. We were all going to take a piece of this thing and make it into something special. It allowed me to focus on growing the business rather than managing people and we built a culture where we live our Core Values, like “GIVE A S#!T. Our team just makes things happen and our customers are always taken care of. It was always our vision to build a culture like that and I think we’ve done it.”

Ted Tryhuba, VP & Director of Business Development

“The struggles of the oilpatch have always been there. Unfortunately, we decided to jump into this endeavour right before the worst industry recession we’ve ever seen. There’s no other team that could’ve done that. I’m extremely proud of the group we put together and what we were able to accomplish. If we didn’t have these go-getters, who helped finance the project, it wouldn’t have succeeded. We remain humble but, wow, we need to be proud of the work we did. I believe our customers can sense the passion we have for this industry and, I believe, that’s why they trust us and support us.”

Sheldon Jahn, VP & Director of Engineering and Quality

“Being part of a fantastic peer group that spans the globe allowed me to create a product line that took the best of everything I learned in the field and the head office. We started with a field-back mentality and the communication loop has been very good, thus we have been able to create products that meet our customers needs and expectations. We now have a full product suite that allows us to control quality throughout our supply chain. We never lose momentum, even during vacations or very busy times, because we have talented people that can cover all areas of the business.”

Jordy Gerling, VP & Director of Operations

“From the start, we faced significant challenges but despite the uncertainty, we remained determined to succeed. By April 2017, with oil prices struggling to recover, we made a bold move to bring manufacturing in-house. Attending a dispersal sale, I strategically acquired essential equipment, including a CNC big bore lathe, which became pivotal to our operations. This decision enhanced our production capabilities, enabling us to deliver competitive, high-quality products. Overcoming these early challenges strengthened MANTL’s reputation within industry. Today, we are recognized for our commitment to quality, adaptability and service, continuously evolving to meet the demands of an ever-changing market.”

Adam Bast, VP & Director of Operations

“Something in particular that stands out is that nearly every shop we first opened in a market, we have outgrown and moved to a larger operation to keep up with the growing demand. We started out in 2014-2015 with just three shops, and now growing to twelve certainly brings a lot of pride. Another growth milestone is just the number of loyal and hard-working people that have joined the MANTL team in the last ten years, starting with less than ten and now growing to over one hundred team members.”

Dennis Lefsrud, Service Centre Manager – Sedgewick, Alberta

“With the uncertainty of the oilpatch, we had no choice but to push forward with the new company. Things were slow to start, so knowing this industry, with over 20 years of experience at the time, I knew our clients would be looking for refurbished equipment, so that’s what I focused on to help make my Sedgewick location successful. Today, we are known as a company that just gets it done. There have been a lot of ups and downs over the past ten years, but in the end, it has been well worth it.”

Andy Clark, President – MANTL, USA

“The reason I love working for MANTL is being able to make our customers happy. My work style aligns with the rest of the team and ultimately, MANTL’s Core Values. We’re not just co-workers, we have a team that enjoys a strong sense of comradery and a desire to make everyone successful. Helping to grow the company to ten locations in Canada, and then having the opportunity to open up the first MANTL store in the USA, has given me a tremendous amount of satisfaction. Opening new markets that are newer to the PCP style of artificial lift is incredibly challenging and incredibly rewarding.”

Jaime Hernandez, VP & Director of Business Development - International

"When I was invited to be part of this great team, I didn’t hesitate for a moment. I was sure anything we would start together was going to succeed. Despite the market downturn, I was sure we had gathered a group of guys with lots of experience, smart, and most important, good people. Ten years later, MANTL has a presence in 12+ countries, is well-known in the Canadian market for quality and service, and has product in 13+ states in the USA. I’m very proud of our company and I want to continue working with this team for a bright future."

Ryan Oosterbroek, VP & Director of Corporate Communications

“It’s been a roller coaster ride. The company was entirely self-funded and a lot of us put our life savings into the project. That takes a tremendous amount of trust and commitment among a group of peers. I’m so thankful to our customers who saw what we were trying to do and how hard we tried to deliver more than they expected. We would not have survived without their support. It proves there still is room in this giant corporate world for anyone to work his or her butt off and make a go of it.”

Kenna is excited about the future and the team they have at MANTL. “Business is all about the people. Good people make good companies and good companies make it happen. I’m now looking forward to celebrating our 20^th anniversary.”