AFTER FOLLOWING IN HER FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS

Tiffany Armitage, President of Armco Resource Management Company (ARMCO), runs leading edge manufacturing facilities providing high pressure hose assemblies and fittings with locations in Calgary and Leduc, Alberta, Canada. Transitioning from film set designs to a typically male dominated oil patch supply company surprised not only her peers, but also her father.

Tiffany’s dreams were not of manufacturing hose assemblies and working with the oil patch and construction industries. She worked in beautiful downtown Vancouver, B.C. as a film set designer and a personal assistant to movie personalities such as ‘Charlie’s Angels’ actress Kate Jackson. Taking a break between films, Tiffany travelled to Calgary to spend a couple of weeks with her parents. Little did she know, fate and a persuasive father would turn her career into 18 years in manufacturing and the ownership of her own company.

Her initial thoughts were not of oil rigs, heavy trucks, D-10 bulldozers, and men in hard hats. Her father, Dave Armitage, challenged her to learn a “real business” from the bottom up. Soon, she found herself driving trucks delivering 1,000 pound loads of choke and kill and rotary hose to drill sites. She did shipping and receiving, built hydraulic hose assemblies, and swept the floors. After completing a number of finance courses, she moved on to procurement and inventory control, accounting, sales, and finally Operations Manager.

After her father’s retirement and sale of his interests, Tiffany decided to venture out on her own. Armed with a five-year plan, a sub-leased building, determination, and an army of friends, welders, electricians, and pipe fitters, ARMCO was born. Her number one plan was to take the lead by using industry leading assembly practices, advanced testing, and data storage. ARMCO is ISO 008 Certified, a member of the American Petroleum Institute (API), Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA), National Association of Hose and Accessories (NAHAD), and Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Services (OHSAS), and thus dictating only the highest level of standard in both product and production facilities.

Tiffany showed great confidence, sometimes even putting the cart before the horse. She signed a sub-lease on a building, hired staff, and then went to the bankers. Luckily, the five-year plan she presented pleased and impressed the bankers. Confident after so many years of learning from the bottom up, Tiffany was comfortable in every role. “It may sound funny, but I was never scared. I just knew what I wanted and went after it,” says Tiffany.

They say it takes an army to build a village, but in Tiffany’s case (to build her facility , it took a bunch of great friends, dedicated employees, her father, clear direction, and long hours into the night. Within weeks in her shop, ARMCO was manufacturing ARMCO Certified Hose Assemblies and producing custom orders. Business partnerships were forged with leading manufacturers and the backbone was in place and poised for growth.

At ARMCO, being a team is also integral to the overall infrastructure. Jeremy Roberts, Operations Manager, has been working with Tiffany for over 12 years. Brandon Greene, who has been with ARMCO since day one, says, “ARMCO is a family. We look after each other, and we are building a bigger and better team every day.”

“Belief in the work that we do, the customers we service, and the overall philosophy of the company makes me proud to work at ARMCO. That’s why I’ve been here for so long,” says Shawn Stewart, who became part of the team over four years ago.

Some people might ask if this success comes with being a woman and having a different outlook in this male dominated industry. Tiffany says, “No! I am like everyone else. I make efforts to perfect my craft everyday, forge for better and longer relationships with my business partners and vendors, and I know I can do anything my industry peers can do. Being a women just means more is expected, and that is A-OK with me.”

“I remember meeting Tiffany about six years ago, and I thought how does this petite, attractive women fair in this dog-eat-dog industry? She looks more like a model than someone who can build a rotary drilling hose,” says her now Director of Sales and Marketing, Maria Martiniello. “After working with Tiffany for over a year, I now know the answer. Tiffany has a love of the industry, her customers (she knows them all personally and by name , and the technology. With her passion and drive, success is the only option.”

Recently, a pilot show featuring Tiffany and ARMCO called “Working In Her Shoes” was filmed, and it is available for viewing on TELUS OPTIKS (Video on Demand or via Vimeo (view here). The show features ARMCO’s in-house equipment and processes, including all the testing and certifications ARMCO does to ensure quality products always leave the shop. Their product lineup includes land and offshore drilling hoses, hydraulic hoses, oilfield products including rotary, Kelly hoses, choke and kills, BOP, Steam, and fracturing hoses. ARMCO provides hose and fitting products to all areas of the petroleum industry, whether it is upstream, downstream, transportation, or recovery sectors. It is also quite diversified and serves the markets needing drilling, well service, transportation, mining, manufacturing, agriculture, and environmental.

ARMCO strives to exceed the expectation of their clients as well as the capabilities of their competitors. Through innovation, new product development, quality control, and service excellence, they make every effort to be an exceptional leader in the industry. ARMCO takes pride in their dedication to preserving long-term and profitable business relationships, not just with their clients, but their colleagues, service providers, and community.

ARMCO uses engineered conveyance and control products that have a reputation for safe, secure, and rugged performances. They provide testing, certification, and recertification of hose assemblies to meet or exceed industry standards before shipping. This world class hydrostatic test module is capable of 70,000 PSI. ARMCO’s test facility is one of the most advanced in North America. ARMCO certifies assemblies to all major standards including those set out by the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA), Department of Transportation (DOT), Certified General Accountants (CGA , American Petroleum Institute (API), Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and the National Association of Hose and Accessories (NAHAD). All certification information is uploaded to the Internet or onto RFID chips, which can be read by any smartphone. In addition, the shop has a wide array of coupling equipment.

Does the apple fall far from the tree? In this case, it didn’t, but that apple has a few tricks it can teach the tree. Tiffany has an amazing appetite, not only to succeed in any job put forth, but also loves a challenge in her personal life. She thrives for any challenge but is also a speed demon. Tiffany and her father Dave have many common interests other than hoses and fittings. Tiffany has introduced her father to skydiving, and they have a common interest in scuba diving. Traveling to destinations known for diving and high-energy activities has been something this pair has shared throughout the years. Tiffany loves to introduce Dave to new and exciting adventures, and he has no problem following in his daughter’s footsteps.

There is always fun to be had around these two, but the conversation inevitably always goes back to hose and rubber composite, fitting suppliers, and the best way to swage a hose. It has been asked by family members to leave the office conversation away from the dinner table, but to no avail. “Once a hoser always a hoser,” laughs Dave as he winks at his daughter.