Vertex Resource Group from Sherwood Park, Alberta recently acquired Three Star Trucking out of Alida.

"We're very excited to add Three Star to our company," shared Vice President of Environmental Services, Deon Walsh, "and we're all looking forward to a successful future."

Based primarily in western Canada, they have operations in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, BC and into the States.

The Alida based company attracted attention from Vertex because of its experience hauling natural gas liquids (NGL).

"We've actually been asked by our clients to take a look at providing services in hauling NGL. That is a service that Three Star is offering. They offer hauling condensate, NGL, butane, and propane between Canada and the United States."

"With Three Star Trucking, first of all, the company itself is a very well managed company with the current leadership team there. We felt it would be a great geographical and strategic move for us to acquire Three Star Trucking to add into our current geographical footprint and service offerings."

"With the addition of the management team staying on to be a part of our organization we just felt it really strengthened our management team and our service offerings throughout southeast Saskatchewan into Manitoba as well as southwest Saskatchewan."

He does not anticipate many changes to staffing.

"We do anticipate sitting down with their leadership team and our leadership team and talk strategically what makes sense from a geographical footprint. We truly believe that you need to keep the employees and management team to have success when you do acquisitions."

Walsh added that he is among those who are cautiously optimistic about the economy of the southeast. 

"We still think that while the markets are down, we still think southeast Saskatchewan there is an opportunity. There is still going to be some spend activity in the area that remains consistent. And we see that as one of the reasons why we acquired Three Star Trucking."

The purchase price was $8.9 million.