Creating an 80-year legacy in industrial coatings was never Len Moore’s intention, but three generations of Moores made it happen all the same. From humble beginnings to becoming one of the oil and gas industry’s largest hard chrome and tungsten carbide coating companies in North America, Moore’s Industrial Service Ltd. began with one man’s determination to build something of his own.
Moore’s Through the Years
Len Moore immigrated to Canada from England in 1922 and worked as a farmhand for several years before marrying Olive Broughton and starting his family. After enduring years of difficult conditions, Len, Olive and their son, Ron, moved to Calgary in 1937 where they rented a small building that doubled as a one-room living space and a single-stall mechanic shop.
When the Second World War broke out a few years later, Len was among the first to volunteer, enlisting as an aero engine mechanic in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He proudly served his country while continuing to dream of his entrepreneurial future. After the war, Len sold their house and used the $2,000 from his military separation pay to purchase three adjoining lots in northeast Calgary, launching Moore’s Auto Service in 1946.
“That was the beginning of Moore’s. It started with the one shop and grew from there into doing hard chrome and coatings,” says Rob Newman, president and CEO of Moore’s Industrial Service Ltd., and Ron’s son-in-law.
The modest business started out selling gas, repairing engines and greasing cars to reduce wear and prevent rust. Len soon added valve boring and rod equipment and an old crankshaft grinder to establish the Moore’s Engine Rebuilding division. Demand was strong in the post-war years when new vehicle production lagged and repairs were essential. In 1954, Ron became a licensed auto mechanic and joined the family business.
Moore’s growth continued steadily. In 1967, the Moore family opened a second shop and entered the hard chrome plating business with a single generator and a chrome tank. When Len passed away in 1975, Ron took over and honoured his father’s memory by continuing to push the company forward. The following year he led a major expansion, building a 40,000-square-foot facility in northeast Calgary. Moore’s occupied part of the building while leasing the remainder to commercial tenants, however, their rapidly booming business forced the addition of a second building in 1980.
“This never would have happened without my father-in-law, Ron. There was no way his dad would have looked at doing it. Len would not go into debt. Ron took out a mortgage to buy the building, and that’s something his dad would never have done; he did everything with cash,” says Rob.
Unfortunately, the expansion coincided with one of Alberta’s most challenging economic periods. A collapse in global oil prices compounded by the National Energy Program (NEP) and Canadian Commercial Bank’s receivership sent shockwaves through the province, landing a devastating blow at Moore’s. The company responded by slashing prices and reducing hours to keep employees working and the business afloat, even as exorbitant interest rates climbed. Ron’s steady leadership helped the company weather the storm and adapt to a changing market.
After decades of focus on building up his company, Ron pivoted in 1996 toward planning for the future. He encouraged the third generation to carry on the family business and named his son-in-law, Rob, as successor. Rob’s valuable experience running an auto glass business with his wife, Sherry, became a key ingredient in Moore’s success. But before he could sit in Ron’s chair, he had to walk in his shoes.
“Ron said, ‘You have to learn every aspect of the business if you’re going to run it.’ So that’s what I did,” Rob says.
He started at the ground level working in the warehouse, at the parts counter and in the automotive/engine department. He was preparing to move into sales when an unexpected opportunity arose – the head of the chrome department went on medical leave. Rob stepped in and quickly saw the growth opportunities in the department. After consulting with suppliers, he began refining processes and increasing output. Moore’s jumped from chroming 100 rotors a month to 400, with capacity for even more. The coatings department soon became the company’s primary growth driver. Recognizing the shift, Ron encouraged Rob to continue what he was doing but on a larger scale.
At the same time, the automotive side was declining due to advances in technology that extended engine life and made rebuilding more complex. What had once seen volumes of more than 100 engines per month in the 1980s and 1990s, had dropped to around 20 per month by the early 2000s. Moore’s responded by focusing fully on coatings.
With a clear vision, Rob made bold operational changes, literally opening the roof to lower in equipment and excavate space for more tanks. He also reworked the polishing system, applying his experience as a glazier to improve efficiency, and quality new machines and a redesigned belting system allowed for higher output and better results. These changes resulted in an incredible investment that led to solid company gains.
The impact was significant. Under Rob’s leadership, Moore’s Industrial Service Ltd.’s revenue grew five-fold, with production reaching an average of 3,000 rotors per month.
Twenty-first Century Moore’s
By 2005, Moore’s had fully transitioned away from automotive services after nearly six decades, shuttering that branch to focus exclusively on electroplating and spray coatings. Today, the company specializes in servicing progressive cavity pump rotors and surface rotors and has built the highest hard chrome plating capacity in North America.
Moore’s services span a wide range of cylindrical drilling components including mandrels, washpipes and wear plates for pipeline applications as well as various types of rotors and Positive Displacement Motors (PDMs). Additional services include carbide and chrome stripping, polishing, welding and repair services, along with bead blasting and shot peening to clean and strengthen metal components.
Moore’s team of 150 employees has experience as an advantage. Over 32 per cent of all employees have worked 15 to 38 years with the company, boasting extensive experience in meeting customer demands. The company delivers extremely precise tolerances, measuring down to one-thousandth of an inch and two-thousandths on rotors up to 57 feet long. These results are delivered in state-of-the-art facilities that span 225,000 square feet across their three facilities. It has grown its scope as well, expanding into tungsten carbide coating systems which provide better wear and corrosion resistance and superior hardness to protect components against extreme drilling environments.
“We bought two buildings and put in more chrome tanks to work on power sections, and we also put in tungsten spray booths there,” he says. “And we have more tungsten carbide booths running out in Balzac. We’re running all our booths on two shifts to try to keep up.”
Demand remains strong, and the company continues to prioritize providing unparalleled service to meet that demand and exceed their clients’ expectations. From free pickup and delivery to clients throughout Alberta and Western Saskatchewan to rigorous quality testing on every piece to ensure Moore’s high-quality standards are met, the company goes the extra mile to help its roster of loyal clients operating around the world succeed.
“We had a client tell us the rotor we chromed for them actually ran for a little over five years and pumped over a billion barrels of oil,” Rob recalls.
With results like that, Moore’s has earned its place as a trusted partner for high-performance coatings that will last.
The Moore’s Advantage
Despite ongoing challenges including international tariffs and volatility in the energy sector, Moore’s continues to perform well. These external pressures have made surcharges unavoidable at times, but clients understand the realities of operating in a fluctuating market. What sets Moore’s apart is its resilience. With three generations and 80 years of experience, Moore’s has repeatedly navigated the uncertain ebb and flow of Alberta’s energy sector while maintaining its long-serving workforce and operational strength.
The company’s reputation for integrity and quality has made it a preferred partner for major industry players in the sector. Clients value not only the consistency but also the convenience of having multiple services under one roof.
“Some of our bigger customers see real value in Moore’s capacity and ability to provide different services as an alternative to sending their work out to a number of smaller shops. We have quality, consistency and capacity. We can service all their needs right here,” says Bill Cheyne, CFO at Moore’s Industrial Service Ltd.
Servicing product is done with safety and environmental stewardship top of mind. A closed-loop system reduces chromic acid waste by capturing and reusing water, while recycling and proper disposal practices minimize environmental impact. The company takes pride in this stewardship and maintains ISO certifications for environment, quality management and health and safety to ensure clients and employees stay safe.
In 2023 Rob was named a finalist for Canada’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year based on the successes his leadership provided in developing advanced coating technologies, a strong, experienced long-term team and a committed recycling and environmental program.
Even as the company grew, it held onto its family values and welcoming culture. Rob and Sherry’s nephew, James Saucier, currently the COO, represents the next generation of Moore family leadership while the team has become part of their extended family too. Many employees have brought their own family members into the fold as well; Moore’s employs a number of fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, and husbands and wives. This speaks to the positive culture instilled by Len and honed by the generations that followed.
Over its impressive tenure, the company has evolved from a small automotive shop into a leading coatings company, and it continues to adapt alongside the market. As Moore’s Industrial Service Ltd. looks ahead, its foundation remains firmly rooted in the values that shaped it: hard work, adaptability, collaboration and the willingness to take calculated risks. From Len’s first shop to a multi-facility operation servicing clients with projects across the globe, each generation has built on the last to meet the demands of the day. That balance of tradition and innovation over the past 80 years continues to drive the company forward, making it an integral part of Alberta’s industrial history as well as its future.