Company History | Chem International

Company History

The founding idea

Useful chemistry begins with understanding the work.

Chem International grew from a simple operating belief: listen closely, know the conditions, recommend what will actually perform—and stay accountable after the order leaves the warehouse.

June 8, 1988 Chem International incorporated
3,000+ Clients served across the region
BC · AB · SK Western Canadian field reach

July 1978 · The entry point

A small ad opens a much bigger door.

Mohammad Moughel was selling furniture at The Bay when an advertisement in the Grande Prairie Herald caught his attention. The role was with global chemical company KEM—and it offered a different kind of future.

He got the job and started one day before becoming a Canadian citizen. Two beginnings, almost at once: a home in Canada and a career in chemistry.

Origin Grande Prairie, Alberta · Industrial chemical sales

Year one · 80,000 kilometres

The territory was earned on the road.

In his first year, Mohammad drove roughly 80,000 kilometres through the Peace Country. Every stop sharpened the same lesson: durable business is built by listening to the operator, learning the application, and returning when you said you would.

Those kilometres became more than distance. They were field education—one plant, shop, municipality, and relationship at a time.

Field note Conditions first. Chemistry second. Follow-through always.
A car travelling through Alberta's Peace Country on an early Chem International sales route.
Peace Country · an impression of the first route

Within three years · Western Canada

From one territory to thirty.

Performance brought responsibility quickly. Within three years, Mohammad had become Regional Manager of Western Canada, overseeing a sales team across 30 territories.

The next decade deepened his knowledge of industrial chemicals, sales leadership, and long-term client relationships. It also clarified the ambition that had followed him since childhood: to build a company of his own.

Lesson carried The best salespeople understand the work well enough to be useful.

June 8, 1988 · Edmonton

The company gets its own address.

Chem International was incorporated on June 8, 1988. Its first home was a 1,500-square-foot warehouse on Edmonton’s south side—small enough that every function of the business lived within a few steps.

By day, Mohammad sold and managed a small team. By night, he handled administration and put on a white lab coat to mix chemistry. The rhythm was direct: sell, formulate, pack, deliver, repeat.

Inside Chem International's first South Edmonton warehouse and laboratory.
South Edmonton · 1,500 square feet and everything at stake

The work deepens · Field-led chemistry

Harder problems shaped a more specialized company.

Growth was gradual and practical. Chem International moved beyond early soaps and cleaners into specialized chemistry for maintenance, water, and wastewater applications—following the needs it encountered in the field.

Wastewater and bioaugmentation became enduring areas of expertise. The approach fit the company’s instincts: understand the biology and operating conditions, support natural treatment processes, and give operators a program they can actually run.

Working method Observe the system · match the chemistry · support the operator
Wastewater fieldwork at a lagoon treatment system.
Wastewater fieldwork · practical chemistry meets natural process

Edmonton-built · Western Canadian reach

The footprint grew. The working style stayed close.

Today, Chem International is an Edmonton-based specialty chemical formulator and distributor serving more than 3,000 clients across British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.

The scope now spans municipal, institutional, commercial, and industrial settings. Yet the model still feels like the first route: read the conditions, match the chemistry, and remain available when the work begins.

Company-stated quality system · ISO 9001:2015

2025 and beyond · Systems, not one-offs

A longer route. The same promise.

Today’s Chem International pairs chemistry with structured support: CI360 for integrated, stage-based programs; FacilitySpec for building-specific chemical systems; and SupportLab for practical monitoring and field guidance.

In 2025, a publicly awarded Kinetic GPO contract extended access to Chem International’s water-treatment chemicals, supplies, and services for eligible Canadian public-sector organizations.

Still constant Smart chemistry. Useful guidance. A real person accountable for the result.
The route continues

Built mile by mile. Still close to the work.

What began with one founder, one territory, and one modest warehouse became a Western Canadian company by holding onto a stubbornly practical standard: understand the application, respect the operator, and make the recommendation count.