ATCO was originally founded as Alberta Trailer Hire in 1947 by S.D. Southern and his son R.D. Southern to service Alberta’s booming oil industry.

No longer one by one construction in a private garage, rapidly growing demand for industrial modular housing saw the doors of ATCO’s Airdrie manufacturing plant open.

Camaraderie and family-style dining inside the early ATCO camps. The oil & gas industry was booming in earnest with the commercial development of the oilsands in Alberta.

With oil exploration in Northern Canada and Alaska increasing, larger, more complex camps were needed. ATCO provided housing for the construction of the 1,300 km Alyeska Pipeline in Alaska where tens of thousands of workers were required.

The increased scope of camps demanded from ATCO a more industrial approach to catering and sleeping quarters. Crude oil price was at an all-time high.

Out with the institutional and in with the more personal, private accommodations. Camps were beginning to be seen as a recruitment tool for companies fiercely competing for labour. ATCO led with private bedrooms, entertainment in the common areas, TVs and games.

Today’s workforce housing accommodations are not just camps, they are lodges. They serve cuisine to satisfy global tastes and are health conscious. Gyms have personal trainers on-site. They are homes away from home.