Wayfinder

What Wayfinder does

Wayfinder Corp. is a Calgary, Alberta-domiciled oilfield services company that provides total proppant management to exploration and production (E&P) operators in Western Canada. Founded in 2015, the company supplies frac sand and complementary proppant products, along with associated logistics, transloading, and storage, to hydraulic fracturing operations across the Duvernay, Montney, and Deep Basin plays of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

The company's production anchor is the Big Molly regional silica sand facility in the Lac Ste Anne region, located approximately 80 km southeast of Whitecourt on Highway 43 and positioned as the closest regional sand supply to the Duvernay. Big Molly produces API-compliant frac sand in 20/40, 30/50, 40/70, and 100 mesh sizes, with quality control performed by full-time on-site lab staff following API and ISO testing protocols. This production footprint is complemented by a transload and storage network — Obed (18,500 MT, with ~8 km of CN mainline rail track and three load-out scales), Grande Prairie (5,800 MT), and Clairmont (3,800 MT) — and by resin-coated proppant capability at Obed operated under a strategic partnership with Hexion Inc., producing Hexion's full portfolio including the Prime Plus™ line. Logistics for last-mile delivery is provided in cooperation with TR Transport Inc.

Wayfinder generates revenue primarily from one-time sales of regional and Northern White frac sand, resin-coated proppants (via Hexion), and fee-based transload, storage, and logistics services sold through enterprise field sales to oil and gas E&P customers. Pricing is quote-based with no public disclosure, and contracts are typically multi-year. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of STEP Energy Services Ltd., with ARC Financial Corp. holding board influence, and operates with approximately 45 employees across its Calgary headquarters, Big Molly production site, and three transload facilities.

Name

Wayfinder

Legal name

Wayfinder Corp.

Website

https://wayfindercorp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wayfinder Corp. is a Calgary-based, Alberta-domiciled oilfield services company that provides frac sand, resin-coated proppant, transload, storage, and logistics services to oil and gas E&P operators in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, anchored by its Big Molly regional sand facility and a network of transload nodes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oilfield Proppant and Frac Sand Supply

NAICS

Industrial Sand Mining (212322), Mining and Oil and Gas Field Machinery Manufacturing (33313), Oil and Gas Field Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333132)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389)

akta.pro primary industry

Pressure Pumping & Stimulation (Hydraulic Fracturing, Acidizing) (EUALABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Oilfield Equipment Manufacturing & Supply (Wellheads, BOPs, Surface Equipment) (EUALABAL), Well Completion & Stimulation (Hydraulic Fracturing, Sand Control) (EUAAAAAJ)

Keywords

• Frac sand supply
• Proppant management
• Hydraulic fracturing materials
• Transloading services
• Resin coated proppant

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Frac Sand Sales: Sale of regional silica sand (Northern White, Regional) produced at Big Molly facility in various mesh sizes (20/40, 30/50, 40/70, 100 mesh) for hydraulic fracturing operations
2. Resin Coated Proppant Production: Manufacturing and sale of resin coated proppants including Hexion's Prime Plus product portfolio produced at Obed facility
3. Logistics and Storage Services: Frac sand delivery, transloading, and storage solutions through strategic facility locations across Western Canada including Obed, Clairmont, and Grande Prairie facilities

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Wayfinder Corp. provides total proppant management for oil and gas exploration and production companies, producing and supplying regional silica frac sand (Big Molly brand), Northern White sand, and Hexion resin coated proppants at its Alberta facilities. The company manages the full proppant supply chain—extraction, processing, storage, transloading, and logistics delivery—through its Big Molly production facility and three transload facilities (Obed, Clairmont, Grande Prairie) in Western Canada. Products are available in 20/40, 30/50, 40/70, and 100 mesh sizes and meet API and ISO quality testing standards for hydraulic fracturing operations.

Product overview

Wayfinder Corp. operates as a specialized proppant solutions provider offering a portfolio of sand products and logistics services. The core product is Big Molly Sand (regional silica sand) from its Alberta facility, supplemented by Northern White Sand and Resin Coated Sand (via Hexion partnership). These products are delivered through a 'Total Proppant Management' service model that includes transloading, storage, and logistics capabilities across four strategic facilities: Big Molly (regional sand production), Clairmont, Grande Prairie, and Obed transload facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big Molly Sand: High-quality regional frac sand produced at Wayfinder's Big Molly facility located 80 km southeast of Whitecourt on Highway 43. The nearest regional sand supply to the Duvernay.

Products and services

• Big Molly Sand (Regional Silica Sand) High-quality regional frac sand produced at Wayfinder's Big Molly facility in the Lac Ste Anne region of Alberta, recognized as the closest regional sand supply to the Duvernay play. Available in 20/40, 30/50, 40/70, and 100 mesh sizes, API- and ISO-compliant for consistent performance in hydraulic fracturing operations.
• Northern White Sand Premium proppant sand offering supplied through Wayfinder's Total Proppant Management services across strategic locations in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.
• Resin Coated Sand (Hexion Partnership) Resin coated proppants produced at Wayfinder's Obed, Alberta facility in partnership with Hexion Inc., including Hexion's Prime Plus resin coated proppants—the most used resin coated proppant in Canada.
• Total Proppant Management Comprehensive proppant management service encompassing sand supply, logistics, storage, and transloading solutions delivered through Wayfinder's strategically located facilities across the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin for oil and gas E&P operators.
• Transloading and Storage Services Transload and storage solutions across Clairmont (3,800 MT capacity), Grande Prairie (5,800 MT capacity), and Obed (18,500 MT capacity, CN rail-served) facilities, supporting frac sand delivery, transloading, and last-mile logistics for hydraulic fracturing operators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Big Molly is the closest frac sand facility to the Duvernay, approximately 80 km southeast of Whitecourt
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hexion Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Strategic partnership joins Hexion's leading resin and chemical expertise with Wayfinder's new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and logistics network. The Wayfinder facility in Obed, Alberta produces Hexion's full product portfolio including Prime Plus™ proppants, the most used resin coated proppant in Canada.
• TR Transport Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Partnership with TR Transport provides last-mile frac sand delivery and logistics solutions, strengthening the company's commitment to Total Proppant Management including Northern White, Regional and Resin Coated Sand through strategic locations across Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.
• Athabasca Minerals Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2019Wayfinder closed financing and secured land bordering the Obed Transloading Facility through acquisition of rights, titles and interests in land from Athabasca Minerals Inc., enabling development of world-class resin-coated proppant plant and transloading facility.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Source Energy Services: Direct WCSB competitor providing frac sand, transloading, and last-mile logistics to Western Canadian E&P operators. Highly comparable business model, customer base, and geographic footprint to Wayfinder.
• Canadian Silica Industries: Alberta-based frac sand producer with regional sand mining and proppant supply serving the WCSB. Directly comparable as a regional sand competitor to Wayfinder's Big Molly operation.
• Athabasca Minerals: Western Canadian industrial mineral and frac sand producer from which Wayfinder acquired land rights in 2019. Comparable product set (industrial silica and proppant aggregates) with overlapping customer base in WCSB.
• Smart Sand: US-based frac sand producer with in-basin delivery model, supplying Northern White and regional sands to oil and gas operators. Comparable product mix, mining-plus-logistics business model, and customer base of E&P operators.
• Black Mountain Sand: US in-basin frac sand producer operating multiple regional mines supplying Permian and other basins. Comparable as a regional sand supplier competing against imported Northern White in the same proppant end-market.

Broad incumbents

• STEP Energy Services: Wayfinder's parent company and a major Canadian oilfield services platform operating in production optimization, coil tubing, and fluid management. Comparable as a sister oilfield services brand and embedded customer channel.
• Sanjel Energy Services: Sister company to Wayfinder under STEP Energy Services, providing cementing, stimulation, and production services in Western Canada. Comparable as a co-branded oilfield services platform serving the same WCSB customers.
• U.S. Silica Holdings: Largest North American frac sand producer with broad product portfolio including Northern White sand. Comparable as the dominant supplier whose imported Northern White competes with Wayfinder's regional sand in WCSB.
• Atlas Energy Solutions: Large US frac sand producer and proppant logistics provider operating in-basin sand mines and a nationwide terminal network. Comparable integrated mine-to-wellhead model targeting the same oilfield services customer base.

Emerging players

• Northern Silica Corp. Canadian frac sand producer focused on regional sand supply to the WCSB. Comparable niche regional producer with overlapping product and customer profile to Wayfinder's Big Molly operation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wayfinderprop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wayfinderproppants

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wayfinder