As the oil and gas industry grew over the last few decades more companies have made their headquarters in Calgary, alongside that came the growth of financial firms.
With Calgary as a booming location for worldwide investment capital, and a center point for the commodity industry, the future looks promising. There are over 1600 individual oil and gas companies based in the city which means there are a lot of investment deals to be had, and everyone is trying to get a piece of the action.
In the last few years we have seen the arrival of bulge bracket firms like J.P Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Combined with our already large and growing Canadian based banks including RBC Capital Markets, TD Securities, Scotia Capital and CIBC World Markets, the competition is heating up.
Finally we are now seeing larger boutique firms offering specialized oil and gas financial services. Firms such as First Energy Capital, Macquarie Tristone and Peters & Co bring technical and financial expertise catered to energy firms.
Company sizes range from a few people to hundreds, and well over 30 separate banking firms, which I could find, the industry is still closely connected and everyone is well known. There are all the banks, oil and gas companies and other industry professionals all within a 9 block radius. With a closely held community it is quite difficult to break in, what are some good ways to build connections?
With a promising future for the local industry, we just want to have a seat at the table for when it takes off. What are your thoughts about the industry in Calgary and its future?
