In 2013, the oil and gas sector in Alberta hit a rough patch. Layoffs swept through the industry, and among the displaced was a self-described "recovering perfectionist" who had spent years advising firms from the inside. The unemployment line has a funny way of clarifying your priorities.
Nobody was going to build the right job. So Torres Markets was built instead — starting with one tiny project for a friend's startup. That project led to a referral, which led to five more. No advertising. No pitch decks. Just a phone that rang because someone told someone else: "Call them. They're the best at this, and they actually care."
Why Does Any of This Matter to You?
It matters because the origin story shapes the culture. Torres Markets didn't grow through slick marketing or aggressive sales funnels. It grew because clients stayed and sent their colleagues our way. That dynamic — earn it, keep it, get referred — still governs every decision we make, from how we price our tiers to how quickly we return your calls.
Most advisory firms in our space treat responsiveness as a bonus. We think that's wrong. If you're paying someone for their expertise, you should be able to reach them when you need them. That's table stakes, not a premium feature. We insist on it.
How Is Torres Markets Different From Larger Firms?
The difference comes down to three things: speed, tools, and who actually does the work. Large firms run on legacy processes — Word documents emailed back and forth, spreadsheets tracking spreadsheets, and a junior analyst doing most of the heavy lifting after the partner shakes your hand. We refuse to operate that way.
While others are still using manual processes and outdated templates, we run every engagement on modern project management platforms, real-time workforce analytics dashboards, and automated reporting tools. That means fewer errors, less waiting, and full transparency into where your money goes and what it produces. Every deliverable — whether it's a vendor assessment, a risk register, or a governance framework — lives in a shared cloud environment you can access anytime.
What Drives This Firm Today?
We're guided by a simple idea: advisory work should produce something you can measure. Not vague recommendations in a PDF. Not a 90-slide deck that collects dust. Real outputs — risk registers, performance scorecards, governance frameworks, knowledge base repositories — that your team can use the week they're delivered.
From one person in 2013 to a team of 14 advisors across specialized departments, the mission hasn't shifted. We still pick up the phone. We still start producing results in week one. And we still don't lock anyone into a long-term contract, because the work should speak for itself.