As a leader in heat treatment and specialty services with a total of six locations, Industrial Thermal Services LLC (ITS) is one of the most in-demand companies in the Gulf Coast region.
From refinery expansions to plant turnarounds, ITS promises safety, quality and customer satisfaction every day, on every job.
Since its incorporation in 2006, ITS has experienced exponential growth. Even through the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, which have been exacerbated by the pressure of global supply chain issues, it has continued to thrive and roughly double its average annual revenue. In part, this was due to the newest division, Specialty Services, which was added in 2018.
BIC Magazine caught up with Ryan S. Aras, CEO and founder of ITS, about the growth of his company, how it got started, the culture he's cultivated, what safety means to ITS and how the team has maintained the quality of work it has performed over the years.
BIC: How did you get started in the industry?
ARAS: My dad is a long-time industry veteran, so it's not like I was introduced to the industry on a jobsite. I grew up around the heat treatment industry; we have photos of me at 4 years old building the ceramic heaters we used for our setups. I worked for a couple of corporate companies as a helper and worked my way through the ranks rather quickly, achieving some of the highest-level certifications. The companies had nowhere for me to excel fast enough and my voice wasn't being heard. I knew then that I wanted to start my own company and provide better service to exceed our customers' expectations.
I incorporated ITS on July 18, 2006, when I was 24 years old. It was a difficult time, and I can't imagine doing it again. Growing up in the industry, I was able to see the successes and failures of a lot of other companies. That really helped me make ITS unique and set us apart from the competition.
I have this drive to be different, to be better. Having hands-on experience in the field and understanding the importance of working side by side with my team is where things started. Coming from a younger generation, seeing the culture shift in the industry is something ITS has used as a competitive edge.
BIC: What kind of culture is present at ITS?
ARAS: We treat our team members like our clients, making sure they have the best of the best. The ITS team is supplied with superior quality PPE gear, training from the best technicians in the industry, continuing education opportunities, opportunities for advancement, competitive pay and safety incentives/reward systems. We believe in employing the highest caliber of personnel and furnishing them with the tools and resources needed to enhance their skills. This aligns with our vision to provide the industry with a better experience and higher-quality service.
This leads into the values ITS operates on: safety, quality, customer satisfaction, people, integrity and honesty. Safety will never be compromised with ITS. We place it far above all else. We have been ISO 9001 certified since 2019. We believe in doing the job once and doing it right, providing customers with recommendations that are always in their favor. ITS believes people are the most important resource of any company. Take care of them, and they'll take care of you. This means communicating regularly with transparency with both clients and team members.
I take pride in knowing we have a low turnover rate. It means the company I'm building is making an impact, not just on the industry, but on the people as well.
BIC: How important is safety to ITS and the team?
ARAS: Our safety track record speaks for itself. Our TRIR is 0, OSHA recordable is 0 and EMR is .72, which are all better than industry standards. All of this has been maintained over the course of 15 years of growth. It's not common to hear about a company as large as ours having these records, including over 1 million safety man-hours.
The reason for our track record is the culture we have built around safety by normalizing it as an everyday occurrence and rewarding our team members for their safety activities. Everyone from field techs to office staff and leadership are fully engaged in this practice. We have made it a point to hand pick highly skilled technicians and management leaders. At ITS, we practice what we preach, even going as far as putting safety first, then quality. Should there be any reason a technician isn't able to do their work safely, we stop the project and discuss with the client before moving forward.
Before any technician is even allowed on a project site, we provide significant pre-safety training. During projects, we conduct multiple safety audits and daily checks that are very intense - it's not something we take lightly. We want to ensure all our team members can do their work safely and go home each night. Everyone understands that safety is paramount.
BIC: With the growth you've experienced, how has ITS maintained the quality of the work performed?
ARAS: Slow and strong growth steps. In 15 years, with six offices, two of which were opened during the pandemic, the Corpus Christi, Texas, location was opened after a five-year service agreement with a local refinery. This allowed us to strategically hire and place the proper people. It wasn't like we were opening offices within two or three years of each other. We did it only after we knew we were financially strong enough and had the quality management to make these types of moves without compromising safety or quality.
Other strategic steps include hand picking both our clients and the guys who take care of those clients. We focused on major projects where the clients respected ITS' professional recommendations. We're not known for being the cheapest, but we are very cost conscientious on behalf of our customers. This is part of what allows us to bring on highly skilled field technicians and management with experience that is priceless.
We believe in doing the job once and doing it right the first time. Our skilled technicians not only bring the right tools for the job; they diagnose and assess what's happening on the job in order to provide the best, most cost-effective service possible. Our Specialty Services division continues to expand and increase our company- owned equipment. This includes but is not limited to, isolation tools, torqueing equipment and pipe cutting machines. All of these steps help maintain quality and availability for our customers.
BIC: What kind of growth has ITS experienced over time?
ARAS: ITS has had an impressive double- digit growth in 2021. We are proud of what we've accomplished through this pandemic. Not just in terms of revenue, but in locations as well. In 2021, we opened two additional locations in Corpus Christi and in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This brings us to a total of six locations with over 150 team members serving the Gulf Coast region. We're still here; we've made it through all this, and we're doing better than ever.
We can also boast about our ability to manufacture and design in-house heat treatment equipment with wireless technology, having one of the largest inventories of heat treatment consoles and mobile units in the Gulf Coast region. There is a lot of pride in our innovation. We truly embrace these opportunities. For example, we have gone to the lengths of developing a proprietary CMS system that allows us to provide real-time and accurate cost tracking and invoicing. Operationally, it gives a clear snapshot of visible manpower and equipment along with all digital record keeping. Recently, we added a customer login. This ensures that our clients are receiving real-time updates.
While we have the opportunity to expand even further, we are committed to controlling our growth to guarantee we always provide the highest quality services.
For more information, visit www.its-thermal.com, call (855) ITS-PWHT [487-7948] or email contact@its-thermal.com.
