Montana Work Ethic and Values Key to Creating 800+ Jobs: Q&A with Paul Leach, Loenbro
Quick Facts:
Company: Loenbro Inc.
Location: Great Falls, MT area
Industry: Energy - Oil and Gas Pipeline Fabrication, Construction and Services
Founded: 1998
Employees: 800+
Key Leaders: Paul Leach, President Jon Leach, Vice President Lee Haven, VP of Business Development
"Montana provides us with able bodied, willing workers who go the extra mile. Our employees are our most valuable asset and we believe that some of the best are grown here."
- Paul Leach, President, Loenbro
How did your company get started?
Jon and I attended Lincoln Welding School in Cleveland Ohio to hone our welding skills and upon graduation, came back to Montana where we started our two-man company where we contracted to the refinery in Great Falls, MT. Our willingness to complete any project (including digging ditches) allowed us to bring on more staff. While working in the refinery we noticed that for certain projects and maintenance issues, out of state companies were being employed. Jon then went back to school and earned the necessary certificates to complete some of those projects which allowed us to further our relationship with the refinery and expand our client base.
Watch Paul and Jon tell the story of how Loenbro got started in the video below:
Is there a story that best illustrates what you do and why you do it?
We are entrepreneurial in nature and embrace challenges every day. As young welders at the refinery, Hispanic co-workers started calling me Pablo, which was shortly shortened to Lo. Jon started working with me side-by-side and we naturally became known as Lo & Bro, which is why our company is still named Loenbro. That name represents our attitude of working hard, taking advantages of opportunities, learning from mistakes, and leading positive change within the industries we work.
What does your company do?
Loenbro actually operates several companies under our name. They include:
Loenbro Industrial Construction
Loenbro Inspection Services
Loenbro Insulation
Loenbro Pipeline
Loenbro Oilfield Services
Loenbro Plumbing and Heating
Loenbro Instrumentation and Electrical
RDS Industrial Coatings
What industry does your company serve?
We work primarily in oil and gas but we have several other industries that we serve across our companies such as the pharmaceutical, electrical, fiber optic and construction industries.
Who are your customers?
Our customers in the oil and gas industry consist of both upstream and downstream companies that are drilling or manufacturing product. We represent the midstream companies who facilitate the transportation of the raw product. We work with both small family-owned businesses and large oil corporations. As a company who prides ourselves in problem-solving and technology, Loenbro hopes to be able to help any type of client reach their goals.
Who do you hire?
We hire roughly 500 people a year and receive thousands of applications from workers across the country. We are continually looking for local applicants who have the drive and the ethics to represent our company and who will uphold our core values.
What is special about your company?
Our company has grown from the ground up and was founded on our core values, which are as follows:
We Take Action
We Do What We Say
We Lead By Example
We Do The Right Thing
We Practice Stewardship
Our staff has embraced these principles and live them on a daily basis. We are proud that our family here at Loenbro continues to give back to their communities both through financial support and works of the heart. Our employees have helped us earn the Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Company of the Year Award two years in a row.
What are your plans for the future?
Certainly, we will continue to diversify and look for opportunities that will help us create more jobs and help us remain leaders in not only our primary industry but others as well. We will expand our operations to additional states as well. We currently have offices in Great Falls, MT, Epping, ND, Casper, WY, and Midland TX.
Why are you in Montana?
We were born and raised here and quite frankly, nowhere else compares. Montana provides us with able bodied, willing workers who go the extra mile. Our employees are our most valuable asset and we believe that some of the best are grown here. We have experienced success and opportunity in our own backyard and are now able to take our Montana values and work ethic to other markets around the country.
What do you like about Montana? Your community?
Montana is home. The clear blue sky, the mountains being minutes away, amazing lakes and water ways to explore, the friendliest people you’ll meet, are all reasons I love Montana. Our community is hands down one of the most giving and down to earth kind of community there is. They are welcoming to all those who cross their path.
What do you do for fun outside of work?
I spend as much time with my family that I possibly can. I have a beautiful and patient wife, Kristy and four amazing boys that keep us all on our toes. My passion is racing though and you can often find me at some sort of race track. I drive modified stock cars and have partnered with Chip Ganassi Racing as co-owner of two rally cross cars that compete on the Red Bull Global Rally Cross circuit.
Is there anything else you want us to know?
Loenbro also supports the DownPour Music Festival which takes place in August every year and features amazing Christian music bands. This is a free event and open to everyone. Many people travel from great distances to Great Falls to spend the weekend in fellowship and to hear amazing live music from their favorite bands.
Connect:
Loenbro Inc. Great Falls, Montana Location: 1900 32nd Ave. NE, Black Eagle, MT 59414
Phone: (406) 453-1542Fax: (406) 453-1472
