Who We Are

The Alberta Foothills Desk and Derrick Club (ABFDDC) is a non-profit organization based in Calgary, Alberta and is a member club of the Association of Desk and Derrick Clubs (ADDC), a premier provider of energy education, and an international organization of over 1200 individuals employed in or affiliated with the petroleum, energy and allied industries.  We are one of the forty -eight (48) clubs in four (4) geographical regions throughout the United States and Canada.

Desk and Derrick was founded in the US, in March, 1949, when Inez Awty Schaeffer (an employee of Humble Oil) founded the first club in New Orleans, Louisiana.  The first Canadian Clubs established were Edmonton and Calgary in 1951.

The Association of Desk and Derrick Clubs (ADDC), an international non-profit organization, is a premier provider of energy education and professional development. ADDC’s purpose shall be to promote the education and professional development of individuals employed in or affiliated with the petroleum, energy and allied industries, and to educate the general public about these industries as well as the companies and global communities the members serve.

We offer educational opportunities, through programs, field trips and seminars, on an extensive range of industry subjects that make this a unique organization.  Our Motto is: Greater Knowledge – Greater Service.

Monthly, educational meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month (unless otherwise stated) in Calgary starting  at approximately 5:30 p.m.   Each month (except July and August) a Guest Speaker is invited to present topics related to the petroleum, energy or allied industry, professional development or socio-economic issues.  Our bylaws mandate that we must hold nine educational meetings each year and that six of these must be directly related to the petroleum, energy or allied industries.  The remaining three can be from the other disciplines such as professional self-development and socio-economic responsibilities.

Alberta Foothills Club History

The Alberta Foothills Desk and Derrick Club was formed in 2002 and received its charter with the Association in April of that year.  This dynamic club stepped outside the box in 2005 by hosting 101 members and guests on a field trip to mainland China, visiting and touring Shanghai, Three Gorges Dam, drilling rigs, etc.  In October 2008, a second trip with 72 Desk and Derrick members and guests from Canada and the United States, experienced Australia’s Energy Excursion.  Starting in Perth the group combined energy education with tourism, and over a two week period, visited Ayres Rock, the Northern Rain forest, the Great Barrier Reef and Sydney.  Many members extended the two weeks with an additional week or two in New Zealand.   In 2011, a third international trip visited the British Isles….England Ireland and Scotland.  Two years later in October 2013 a fourth trip to southeast Africa took place.  Next on the agenda was a trip to Greenland in August 2015.  Another trip is planned for 2020 to the East Coast of Canada. See exciting details on all these trips by visiting our International Trips page under the Events tab.