In 1915, Ernest Shackleton’s mission to Antarctica collapsed before it even began.
His ship got trapped in the ice and slowly crushed to pieces. His crew watched their vessel, and their entire expedition, sink beneath the ice, stranded hundreds of miles from anywhere. No radio. No rescue coming. Winter closing in.
By every measure they set out to achieve, the mission failed.
And yet, over a hundred years later, it’s still taught in business schools as one of the greatest leadership stories ever told. Not because of what Shackleton achieved. Because of what he prevented. Every one of his 27 men made it home alive, after nearly two years stranded on ice and open ocean.
While the original mission failed, the leadership was exceptional; you just had to look past the scoreboard to see it.
Canerector believes something similar about business; a scoreboard doesn’t tell the full story. A single year’s numbers, or a market that happened to turn in someone’s favor, doesn’t tell you nearly as much as what a leader builds when nothing is going their way. That’s exactly why we created our Leadership of Steel Award, to recognize the kind of leadership that shows up in the long run, not the lucky quarter.
Our first recipient is Chad Goll, President of TIW Western. And his story starts, fittingly, with a market that had gone quiet.
TIW Western builds specialized boilers for Alberta’s oil sands. It’s a niche business in a market that doesn’t behave like most industries. There’s no slow season, no gradual dip. It’s either fully on, with every customer expanding at once, or it’s off, sometimes for years at a stretch.
When Chad took over TIW Western in 2017, the business itself was in good shape, but the market was off. A run of leaders with complementary strengths had built up a strong culture, incredible technical know-how, and real customer trust. Chad stepped up as they moved on, inheriting the culture but not the people who’d built it, in a market that had gone quiet.
A lot of businesses in that position play defense. But not Chad. He assembled a new leadership team from scratch, merged in a business, and bought another to open new customer relationships, all while the phone had essentially stopped ringing.
That kind of thinking has deep roots at TIW Western. Canerector’s CEO, Amanda Hawkins, shared, “Early in my career, I loved the culture at TIWW. Everyone was knowledgeable and knew how to get things done in a way that made sense. They got issues on the table and resolved them. And they made some substantial investments to support their growth in the future. It really had an impact on me, and I think it also formed part of Chad’s DNA.”
The results speak for themselves. TIW Western works with all major oil and gas companies that operate in heavy oil production, with their top ten customers representing 90% of the industry. Of the roughly 250 large steam generators operating in Western Canada, TIW Western has supplied nearly all of them. They haven’t missed a scheduled delivery in decades. Warranty claims are close to nothing. And now, on the other side of that long quiet stretch, they’re expanding again: a second facility already up and running, and another expansion underway for early 2027.
That’s what enduring impact looks like. Not a great quarter. A business built to outlast unfavourable conditions and thrive when the tides change.
Ask his team what makes Chad a worthy recipient of this inaugural award, and the numbers barely come up. “Chad the leader is great,” said Blair Snow, GM of sister company Tornado Combustion. “Chad the person is better.” He continued, “When those around him need support, he leads with genuine care. And you can see the pride on his face when he speaks about his family.”
They describe someone who’s genuinely happiest out on the shop floor, not because he has to be, but because he wants to be there. Someone who endeavours to know everyone on his team by name, even as it grows at a steady clip. Someone whose praise means something specifically because he doesn’t hand it out for free. It’s sincere, earned, and fair. His calm, steady demeanour creates a workplace where everyone feels supported, respected, and heard.
He’s also, by every account, allergic to attention. “He’s incredibly humble and avoids the spotlight, which is probably why he doesn’t enjoy having his picture taken,” said Sandra Santoyo, TIWW’s VP Finance. “Yet, he willingly steps in front of the camera because he knows those moments are not about him. They are important for promoting team building and celebrating shared success and showing how much we value the company’s greatest asset: its people.”
That instinct, to deflect credit, isn’t just about photos. It shows up in how he runs the business day to day. “He leads without micromanaging or imposing his will,” Blair said. “Instead, he guides thoughtfully and supports decisions with absolute confidence. He provides the steady support that allows individuals to take ownership of their work and truly grow.” Ask Chad to take a bow, and he’ll find a way to point at his team instead.
That instinct showed up the night he accepted the award. Standing in front of a room of his peers, Chad kept it simple: “Honestly, this isn’t about me. I’ve got a great team, and I love coming in to work every day.” Then he added that his last job interview was 29 years ago, so he wasn’t planning on going anywhere. The room laughed. But underneath the joke was something worth sitting with: a leader with Chad’s track record could work anywhere but he’s committed to the business he leads and the team he built.
“I have so much respect for Chad as a leader,” Amanda shared. “He is quick, practical and fun to work with. He’s exactly the kind of leader this award was created to recognize.”
Shackleton never made it to Antarctica. But a hundred years later, his name is still the answer to “what does great leadership looks like.” Chad never set out to win an award either. He just kept building, year after year, until the recognition caught up with the leadership that had been there all along.
That’s the whole idea behind this award, and behind how Canerector thinks about our businesses more broadly. Give us a leader who builds for the long haul, who keeps a team together when there’s every reason to scatter, and we’ll show you a business that lasts. Chad Goll is exactly that kind of leader, and we’re honoured to celebrate him as the first recipient of our Leadership of Steel award.