Brandon-based Cando Rail acquires N.W.T. terminal

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In its second acquisition in less than 12 months, Cando Rail & Terminals Ltd. has added a multi-purpose terminal in Enterprise, N.W.T., to its network.

The Brandon-based company, which owns and operates first and last mile rail infrastructure, announced Wednesday it’s acquired the rail terminal operations of AWP Industries, a first-class private railcar storage and transload terminal.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The terminal supports existing Cando network customers as well as Class I partner CN.

The acquisition of AWP Industries is a strategic move by Cando to expand its operations into northern Canada, said Brian Cornick, president and CEO.

AWP is located at the northern terminus of CN’s rail network and serves as a critical gateway to transport bulk products to support communities, airports, mines and government agencies in the North.

“What we’re about is making Canada’s national supply chain that much more efficient and effective,” Cornick said. “That’s really what all these terminals are about.”

AWP founder and CEO Brad Mapes has become a Cando employee and shareholder, and will focus on driving additional volumes and new customers to the terminal.

“I am excited to partner with Cando and leverage its scale, access to capital, world-class operations and deep customer relationships to accelerate and expand my vision for the terminal,” Mapes said in a news release.

It’s Cando’s second acquisition in less than a year.

In December 2023, the company announced it had acquired Transmark, a first-class private rail storage facility in southwest Alberta. That terminal provides access to the Rocky Mountains, western provinces and Pacific Northwest region.

Cando now owns and operates 13 rail terminals and one short line railway, in addition to providing rail operations at nearly 50 customer locations. The company’s network has the capacity to stage and store more than 11,000 railcars.

Additionally, the company announced in September its plans to expand its Sturgeon Multi-Purpose Rail Terminal in Edmonton. The expansion will double the size of what is already Canada’s largest private rail terminal and transform it into a state-of-the-art rail-centric supply chain hub.

Cando has already invested $150 million in Sturgeon, which employs more than 60 people. The company purchased 320 acres directly west of the existing terminal for the expansion. The expansion plans involved an additional investment of up to $200 million and the creation of up to 50 new jobs.

Cando will complete engineering design by the end of this year and plans to start construction during the second quarter of 2025.

One of Cando’s next steps will be to open terminals in the United States, Cornick told the Free Press.

“I see several terminals in the U.S. over the next two years,” he said, adding the company plans to start with terminals in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and Florida. “If you’re going to grow, grow.”

While Cando is owned by Alberta Investment Management Corp., the 46-year-old company remains proud of its Manitoba roots. Cornick noted this summer, the company celebrated the 25th anniversary of its first multi-purpose terminal, located in Winnipeg.

“The origin of all this strategy is out of Winnipeg,” he said.

Cando now has 1,070 employees, including 224 in Manitoba. About half of those employees are based in Winnipeg, with the other half based in Brandon.

Cornick extolled Cando’s long and successful employee ownership program. More than two-thirds of employees are shareholders.

“That’s very important to us,” he said. “We originated as an employee-owned company and we continue as an employee-owned company. That, I think, is a huge advantage for us as we grow.”

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca