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Resilient Structures
The firm traces to 2021, when Werklund and his family office formalized the composite-utility-structures business after years of incubation within RS...
Resilient Structures
The firm traces to 2021, when Werklund and his family office formalized the composite-utility-structures business after years of incubation within RS Technologies Inc., the predecessor company led by former CEO Howard Elliott. The Werklund family's Calgary-based operations provide the industrial DNA: the family fortune originated in oilfield waste management and environmental services before pivoting toward infrastructure-replacement bets. Resilient Structures manufactures fiber-reinforced polymer poles — lighter, longer-lasting alternatives to traditional wood and steel — for electric utilities, telecommunications providers, and grid-hardening projects. The company's capital stack includes a landmark $109 million strategic investment from Energy Impact Partners in 2022, a utility-backed fund whose limited partners include major North American power companies. Physical operations span three North American industrial facilities: a Tilbury, Ontario plant, the St. George, Utah headquarters and production site, and a Humble, Texas facility serving Gulf Coast markets. The geographic footprint targets regions with high wildfire risk, hurricane exposure, and aggressive grid-resilience mandates. The Werklund family office ecosystem — anchored by the Werklund Family Office in Calgary, the Werklund Growth Fund, and the Werklund Foundation — provides adjacent capital and governance support. David Werklund's network includes membership in the Calgary Petroleum Club and chairmanship of the Calgary Academy Education and Research Foundation. In 2022, Energy Impact Partners deployed $109 million into the company (per public record), signaling utility-sector conviction in composite-pole adoption as a structural tailwind. Other Werklund assets include the Shuswap Lake Retreat in British Columbia and a documented classic car collection — lifestyle holdings consistent with a single-family-principal's personal-balance-sheet diversification rather than institutional allocation. Structurally, Resilient operates at the intersection of a family-backed industrial company and a utility-supply-chain vendor — a hybrid that doesn't fit neatly into either pure-play manufacturing or traditional family-office direct investing. The 401(k) plan, registered as RS Utility Structures 401(k) Plan in St. George, covers eligible employees under an ERISA framework, a governance feature more typical of a scaled operating company than an early-stage industrial venture. The dual US-Canada facility footprint, combined with an investor base that includes a utility-focused strategic fund, creates a sourcing model reliant on utility procurement cycles rather than financial sponsor-driven M&A processes.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
2021
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
St. George
Corporate office
St. George, UT, United States
Additional offices
Tilbury, ON, Canada · Humble, TX, United States
Principals
David Werklund
Chairman
John Higgins
CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who is the financial sponsor behind Resilient Structures?
David Werklund, a Calgary-based entrepreneur and investor, chairs Resilient Structures through his Werklund Family Office. Werklund's prior operating experience includes founding and scaling RS Technologies Inc., a composite-pole predecessor, and building Canadian Energy Services before its sale. The family office, headquartered in Calgary, also operates the Werklund Growth Fund and maintains a philanthropic arm through the Werklund Foundation.
How is Energy Impact Partners involved with Resilient Structures?
Energy Impact Partners (EIP) invested $109 million in Resilient Structures in 2022, a strategic capital commitment reported in public records. EIP is a utility-backed investment platform whose limited partners include major North American electric utilities. The investment aligns with EIP's mandate to back companies supporting grid modernization and decarbonization, making Resilient a direct supplier to the same utility ecosystem EIP's LPs represent.
What does Resilient Structures manufacture?
The company produces fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite utility poles, designed as replacements for traditional wood and steel poles in electric transmission, distribution, and telecommunications applications. Composite poles offer longer service life, lighter weight for transport and installation, and greater resilience to fire, rot, and corrosion — attributes that appeal to utilities hardening their grids against wildfire and extreme weather.
Where does Resilient Structures operate geographically?
The firm operates three industrial facilities: its headquarters and production site in St. George, Utah; a manufacturing plant in Tilbury, Ontario, Canada; and a facility in Humble, Texas, near Houston. This footprint targets Western US wildfire-prone utility territories, Canadian provincial grids, and the Gulf Coast hurricane-exposure zone.
Is Resilient Structures a single-family office investment or a standalone company?
It functions as a standalone operating company with a dedicated leadership team — CEO John Higgins leads day-to-day operations — but is closely held within the Werklund Family Office ecosystem. The 2022 EIP strategic investment introduced external institutional capital alongside family equity, giving the company a hybrid governance structure that blends family control with utility-sector strategic oversight.
What is the relationship between Resilient Structures and RS Technologies Inc.?
RS Technologies Inc. was the predecessor entity, previously led by Howard Elliott as President and CEO. The composite-utility-pole technology and intellectual property were incubated within RS Technologies before Werklund formalized Resilient Structures as a distinct operating company in 2021. The Tilbury, Ontario facility appears to have carried forward from the RS Technologies era.
Does Resilient Structures have philanthropic or foundation affiliations?
The Werklund family maintains two Canadian philanthropic entities: the Werklund Foundation and the WEDO Canada Foundation. David Werklund also chairs the Calgary Academy Education and Research Foundation. These are structurally separate from Resilient Structures and its 401(k) plan, operating as grantmaking foundations focused on education and community development in Alberta.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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