SOMBA K’E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknife’s Fuel Flo Logistics Inc. has been quietly fuelling industrial projects across the North and other parts of Canada since 2008, when brothers Travis and Ryan Arychuk founded the company with a third partner, Alberta-based Todd Johnson.

Ryan Arychuk, Fuel Flo Logistics Inc. president, and Travis Arychuk, Fuel Flo director, dockside at their Yellowknife Old Town headquarters on June 14. The brothers started Fuel Flo at the bottom of the 2008 recession, but haven't missed a beat. - Walter Strong/NNSL Photo

They brought their experience growing up in an aviation family. Their parents, Peter and Teri Arychuk founded Air Tindi in 1988 and ran the family business until it was sold to Discovery Air late in 2006.

“We were working with them at the time, selling fuel,” Travis said. “We saw a gap where we thought we could serve our clients in a different way.”

Travis was director of charter sales with Air Tindi and took that experience of remote mining camp logistics with him.

“We understood the critical logistics of getting good reliable fuel to these places,” Travis said.

“The majority of our fuels are sold to mining, junior exploration companies and the big guys,” Travis added. “We understand what our clients need.”

Fuel costs quickly mount at remote locations. A single 205-litre drum of aviation fuel can cost up to $1,500 to deliver to a remote mining camp or industrial site.

At over seven dollars per litre, clients expect quality fuel delivered on time.

To protect quality and price, Fuel Flo is in a partnership with an Edmonton refinery. Fuel Flo isn’t just a middle person between fuel supplier and customer.

As a direct-from-refinery supplier, Fuel Flo is able to offer fuel at a competitive price with quality control from fuel drumming to delivery.

“We’ve had no fuel issues since we started,” Travis said. “No fuel returned (because of quality).”

But just as importantly as price, is the "logistics" in Fuel Flo Logistics.

“We’re a total turn key option, Travis said. “We move by road, rail, marine or air. Sometimes we use all five methods for the same delivery.”

“We’ve proven time and time again that when they (our customers) need something, we’re going to deliver.”

Starting a new company at the low point of an economic downturn was a challenging proposition.

“Everyone thought we were crazy,” Travis said.

“It was a slow start,” Ryan added. “We kept overhead low and staff lean.”

Initially, Ryan was the sole full-time employee while Travis divides his time between Fuel Flo and several other ventures. As well as their Alberta partner, Fuel Flo employs five people on as-needed basis.

Having the wherewithal to supply and move thousands of drums of jet fuel, or barge millions of litres of diesel to remote locations, on time and at a good price, has kept Fuel Flo focused on the basics without leaving much time to think about what their competitors might be doing.

“We’re focused on what we do,” Travis said. “We don’t really look at what the other guys are doing. We’re confident our customers will stay with us as long as we keep on doing what we’re doing.”

“We keep the values our parents had when they ran Air Tindi. We carry them on through Fuel Flo.”