Arctic Innovations: ASRC Energy Services diversifies into technology solutions.

• Author: Kay, Alexandra

ASRC Energy Services (AES) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and has provided service to the energy industry for more than forty years. AES's oil field services range from asset management, drilling, and remediation to staffing, equipment and maintenance, construction, and environmental consulting. Over its forty years, AES has received a number of awards for excellence.

Since becoming the subsidiary's president and CEO in 2018, Christine Resler has expanded AES beyond its core business areas and, at the same time, created a culture that fosters the innovation for which the company has become known. "When I walked in the door in 2018, we had a great core team," says Resler, "and we've grown from there in a natural way." That expansion of services has had two key components: a culture where people feel free to speak about their ideas and a look at both the present and future of energy.

Innovative Thinking

"Without the right culture, you won't have innovation," says Resler. "Our safety culture is part of our core values, and you have to take that everywhere. And to have a culture where you take care of your team is a key component of the recipe."

In 2019, more than 1,000 employees took part in a yearlong effort to define the company's business culture. "We made the decision that we really wanted our teams to understand who and what we are," notes Resler. The company uses the acronym ASPIRE to describe the values and purposes participants identified, which include Absolute integrity, Safety, People first, Ihupiat heritage, Resilient family, and Exceptional service quality. Company workers take those values with them everywhere they go.

And AES walks the walk with programs like "Excellence in Action," where employees are free to send Resler an email about something great that happened in the field. "I always send a personal note to an employee to thank them," says Resler. "It creates a culture where people want to do the right thing because it's the right thing to do."

Another innovative way in which the company operates is to consciously adopt the procedures and language of any client company. "We work to make sure our procedures and programs are compliant with our partner's culture, so we use the safety procedures, programs, terminology known to the people there," notes Resler.

Finally, the company fosters a learning culture rather than one that blames. The company regularly plans "Hazard Hunts," where teams...