Kings Energy Services sees paying living wages as a way to forge long-term partnerships with employees

When Gary King started Kings Energy Services back in 1977, he had one truck, one prover and some entrepreneurial spirit. Kings Energy Services has grown to more than 80 staff, multiple locations and is recognized as a supplier of high-quality instrumentation and valve products.

Their journey to living wage certification began when they started to develop an Environmental, Social and Governance Guide for their company. “We were delighted with the realization that we were already paying our team members above the Alberta living wage. We decided to make it official and apply to be a Living Wage Employer,” explained CEO Jason King.

Kings Energy Services had already experienced benefits from paying higher wages like reduced turnover and recruitment costs. “By compensating our people with a living wage, coupled with promoting strong cultural values – we are building teams of people that have a high level of pride and confidence in their abilities. The result is high quality product and service delivery that impresses our customers,” said King, who also mentioned he is looking forward to the added brand awareness from being Alberta Living Wage Employer certified.

“Living Wage Employers receive physical recognition items like window decals and plaques as well as being featured in the Alberta Living Wage Network directory. Certification can also open doors to municipalities and companies that award value to living wage certification as part of their procurement practices, like the City of Edmonton,” explained Alberta living wage coordinator, Ryan Lacanilao. 

But for Kings Energy Services, it’s more than that. “We aim for our people to enjoy their work, each other and view their employment more as a long-term partnership with Kings Energy Services,” King said.