Having the ability to build a variety of pole lengths and classes from just eight modules gives utilities faster deployment time for emergency outages.
November 2006
Rio Grande EC had just finished installing a 34.5kV line when a tornado touched down. "We lost eight 40 ft. [12.2m] Class 3 wooden poles. RGEC Operations reported that the RS composite poles that we installed in this area 'did not budge at all'."
Rio Grande EC
The RS pole was chosen for Southern California Edison's 'Circuit of the Future' - a project that utilized the most advanced, reliable utility products on the market.
You can't beat the warranty. We like to use RS poles to harden our infrasturcture in critical, high value locations.
West Kentucky EC
On the condition they were installed quickly, we received an order from Mexico's largest utility to install 34 communication poles 141 ft. [43m] in length. RS helped us out tremendously by having the first truck on the road only 48 hours after we placed the order. Aligned with our installation schedule, additional trucks followed every week thereafter until the project was completed.
EICSA
We’re pleased with how the construction of a new 30-mile 138kV transmission line is going so far and how RS has been responsive in helping us come up with solutions to a few technical issues.
Dixie Escalante REA
We are constructing one of the world’s largest wireless broadband networks to date, and our experience with your product has confirmed the many advantages of using the RS monopole throughout our communications network.
Seaside Wireless Communications Inc.
RS poles have noteworthy environmental advantages. Almost all wooden poles currently in use today require chemical treatments to prevent deterioration. RS poles, by comparison, do not need to be coated with Penta, Arsenic or Creosote. Likewise, the manufacturing process does not produce any VOCs or HAPs. As a result, these poles are the most environmentally friendly ones available in the market place.
January 2006
We realize the distinct advantages that composites provide, especially when it comes to utility poles. Composite poles are lighter in weight, easier for field modifications, and safer for my crews due to their extremely low conductivity.
City of College Station
After our analysis was complete, RS poles were the obvious monopole choice for this broadband project. The standard sized, nesting modules allowed for quick lead time and cost effective transportation.
Morrison Hershfield Ltd.
We were able to set the fibreglass poles with our own equipment and avoid the cost of crane rental.
Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative
The RS pole was an easy solution to a difficult problem. The lightweight and modularity attributes of the pole made for hassle-free transportation to the construction site and enabled us to use our mini-derrick rather than a regular line truck, which would have had major difficulty crossing the wet terrain.
Prince George Electric Cooperative
Compared to other transmission poles we evaluated, the RS pole was the most cost effective. Transportation, assembly and installation was easier and less expensive than that of traditional poles.
Midlite Powerline Construction
RS composite poles provide distinct advantages over wood, steel and concrete. Although the economic evaluation alone justified their use, the most significant advantage that the RS poles will contribute to the 69kV line build is the ability for Grand Bahama Power forces to install 100% of the poles, minimizing the need for specialized line crews and eliminating any additional equipment requirements beyond their existing fleet.
Barkley Technologies
With our proximity to the Gulf Coast we are very interested in the RS poles’ capabilities to resist air corrosion as well as the 41-year limited warranty that these poles will not fail in a hurricane.
South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association
The logistical advantages of RS poles have allowed us to keep ahead of a very tight build schedule, and the modular concept facilitates exceptional inventory flexibility given that our installations typically range in height from 20 to 40m [66 to 132 ft.] all constructed from standard modules.
Seaside Wireless Communications Inc.
SLECA has many utility poles in our system that are located in hard to reach locations and many are surrounded by deep vegetation. It was therefore the lightweight and modular design of RS poles that initially caught our attention as a unique solution to some of our most difficult applications.
South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association
The 35 foot [11m] modules allowed us to take the poles through hilly terrain where it would have been very difficult to pull longer loads. Plus, installation is faster and easier with the lighter modules, which helps to minimize the surface impacts of line construction.
Dixie Escalante REA
RS monopoles have contributed to shortened lead times, fast, economic and permit-free transportation, and extremely efficient 20 to 40m [66 to 132 ft.] pole assembly and setting.
Seaside Wireless Communications Inc.
This area has traditionally experienced woodpecker damage. By using RS poles, there is no longer a concern. It is expected that these poles will provide Hydro Ottawa with a long, reliable, and maintenance free service life.
Hydro Ottawa
The assembled RS pole is only about one-half the weight of a comparable steel pole. Because of that weight differential, we can use our existing material handling equipment and did not require heavy duty/more expensive equipment to complete the installation.
Dixie Escalante REA
The 80 ft. [24m] RS poles were much easier to handle than any wood or concrete poles of equal length.
Coast Electric Power Association
The 60-foot [18m] Class 2 poles were delivered nested, four lengths one inside the other, and were easily transported to the site on a flatbed trailer. The nested poles were off-loaded with standard Hydro vehicles. Two men could handle the individual sections of the pole. The lengths were assembled on-site by hand in relative short order. The use of any additional trucks or equipment was not required.
Hydro Ottawa
The installation would have been suitable for the less costly concrete pole; however, a crane would have been rented just to install the one pole since there were no other poles needed at the site to share the crane cost. With those factors considered, the fiberglass pole was again the desirable choice.
PowerSouth Energy Cooperative
The RS pole was chosen for this installation because power reliability for the manufacturing facility it is feeding is paramount.
Calhoun Utility System
Reliability of the line, feeding a $4.5 billion resort complex, was paramount especially in light of the damage sustained to lines during the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005. Design considerations of the new build included a line that would sustain 150 mph wind speeds, overall life cycle cost effectiveness including future maintenance, ease of installation using existing equipment and an environmentally sensitive solution. After our evaluation was complete, the RS composite pole provided the best all round solution the only composite pole that we could analyze in PLS-POLE.
Barkley Technologies
Because of its material, the RS pole itself offers some insulating benefit and contributes to the overall BIL of the structure.
Dixie Escalante REA
Hydro Ottawa is a traditional wood pole utility. There are environmental concerns regarding the use of wood and wood treatments. There is also increased public interest for improved aesthetics in overhead lines. Hydro Ottawa is reviewing its options for alternative pole materials and RS modular composite poles were a logical choice.
Hydro Ottawa
We selected the RS product because it is lighter and therefore can be installed much faster, reducing customer outage time. And the fact that these innovative poles are built in segments means they are easier for our crews to move to work sites.
Southern California Edison
Pole aesthetics also played a significant role in the decision making process and RS poles came out on top there too.
Calhoun Utility System
We’re also eager to see how the RS poles perform in this particular application, and expect it will tolerate our alkaline soil better than steel, which we have found corrodes in a short time.
Dixie Escalante REA
Additionally, an expected service life of 80 years and zero maintenance required should result in additional cost savings.
Midlite Powerline Construction
With labor costs being a major component of our installation costs, it is important to have a product that is easy and quick to install, without extra costs for special equipment. Our 70 ft. [21.3 m] CL 1 poles were delivered nested and were very easy to transport to the installation site. The fact that the poles are maintenance-free means they will continue to save us money over the long-term.
ENMAX Power Corporation
LADWP crews were amazed at how easy the modular poles were to handle...the fact that a modular, composite pole can take between one-half and one-third the time to install compared to other poles is a huge advantage. LADWP calculated that the installed cost of the RS poles was approximately 50% less than other poles.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
The weight of the poles was a huge plus —the handling alone saved us an enormous amount of labor and equipment cost. We were under enormous pressure from the power company to get this line complete about 6 weeks ahead of schedule while their engineer was still making changes right up to the last minute. Given the opportunity, I would most definitely use this product again.
Rosendin Electric – Wind Division
The installation crew was really impressed with how easily the poles were installed. All it took was a two-person crew to erect each pole.
NorthWesTel
We are continuing to find new applications of this versatile product and the RS engineering team has always been there to support us.
Seaside Wireless Communications Inc.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Don Lowry
Chairman
Don Lowry became Chairman of the RS Board of Directors in December 2020. Mr. Lowry retired in 2013 as president and CEO of EPCOR Utilities Inc. in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He is chair of Capital Power Corporation, a publicly traded company formed when EPCOR spun off its generation business in July 2009, and is a director of Stantec, a major Canadian engineering firm. In 2011, Don was named Alberta Business Person of the Year by Alberta Venture magazine and, in January 2014, was named Alberta Resource Person of the Year for 2014 by the Alberta Chamber of Resources. Mr. Lowry holds a Bachelor of Commerce (honors) and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Manitoba, and he is a graduate of the Harvard Advanced Management Program and the Banff School of Management. Mr. Lowry obtained his Institute of Corporate Directors designation (ICD.D) in January 2016 from the Rotman School of Business. He has more than 30 years of industry experience in the utilities, telecommunications, and power generation sector.
David P. Werklund
Director
David Werklund's sound business sense, extensive industry experience, and commitment to his employees have been vital to the long-term growth and sustainability of the various organizations he has led.
Mr. Werklund grew what in 1979 was a one-rig operation into a $3.7 billion multi-faceted organization by 2007. In the course of its impressive growth, CCS Corporation has become internationally recognized and trusted as an industry leader, providing integrated and environmentally responsible services to upstream and downstream oil and gas companies across North America and around the world.
Among his many accolades, Mr. Werklund was named Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year in 2005 and Industry Legend as Inspiration in 2007. He has also been featured in numerous publications, including The Globe & Mail, the Financial Post, the Calgary Herald, Calgary Inc., and Alberta Venture—where he was listed as one of Alberta's 50 most influential people.
Stefan Erasmus
Director
Mr. Erasmus is president of Werklund Capital Corporation, a private wealth management advisory firm that serves an ultra-high net worth family. He is also a board member of the Werklund Foundation, governing the family’s philanthropy. Prior to this role, Mr. Erasmus was Managing Director, Western Canada for global consulting firm Resources Global Professionals. A former CFO for a public independent power producer, he has also led a national electronic integration company, among other senior leadership roles. A law graduate from Manchester University, England and Bourgogne University, France, as well as a Fellow Chartered Accountant in the United Kingdom, and a Chartered Accountant in Canada, Mr. Erasmus started his career with Coopers & Lybrand in England serving a client portfolio from a wide array of industries providing audit and consultative services.
Mr. Erasmus sits on a number of boards for private and public companies and is actively involved in numerous non-profit activities personally. He is also an alumnus of Calgary Inc. Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40, and a graduate of the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program.
John Higgins
Director
Mr. Higgins most recently served nine years as President of the Utility Services Group of MasTec, a Fortune 500 infrastructure business and NYSE-listed firm. He was responsible for a stand-alone US$1 billion business with more than 5,000 employees serving the construction, engineering, and maintenance needs of the electric power, natural gas, and telecommunications industries nationwide. Prior to this role Mr. Higgins was Senior Vice President of Operations and a Regional President for InfrastruX Group, an US$800 Million energy infrastructure business. Mr. Higgins started his career as a lieutenant and platoon leader in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mr. Higgins’ education includes a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Master of Business Administration, with distinction, from Harvard Business School.
OFFICERS
Howard Elliott
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Elliott joined the Company in May 2008 as Chief Operations Officer with more than twenty five years of experience in the development, production, application and sale of advanced composite materials and products used in the electronics and aerospace industries. Mr. Elliott's extensive experience in the optimization of complex manufacturing and business operations was acquired at industry leading global corporations where he exercised his passion for manufacturing, problem solving and value creation. Prior to joining RS Mr. Elliott served in a number of leadership positions at a major advanced composite materials company, where he was responsible for business units located in the United States, Singapore and China. Mr. Elliott was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of RS Technologies Inc. in November, 2011.
Joel Tennison
VP & General Counsel
Mr. Tennison joined RS in 2008 and serves the company in the capacities of Vice-President and General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. His professional background includes the practice of corporate and securities law, marketing experience with technology companies and equity research for a Canadian investment dealer. Mr. Tennison holds degrees in business and law and has been an active member of the Law Society of Alberta since 2007.
