Finding the perfect business match
Being able to meet 30 or so prospective business partners in just three days is a great way to expand your economic horizons.
That is the opportunity that many Saskatchewan First Nations and Métis communities took advantage of when they attended the Aboriginal Business Match (ABM) held in Saskatoon this week.
The three- day event matches aboriginal groups with the private sector for short one-on-one business meetings to explore mutually beneficial economic opportunities.
Darrell Balkwill, CEO of the Whitecap Development Corporation, said the event is a chance for the Whitecap Dakota First Nation to find partners in different sectors of the economy.
“We want to diversify from having all of our economic eggs in one basket,” said Balkwill. “We want to take advantage of the opportunities in the resource industry in Saskatchewan right now.”
Most of the focus so far at Whitecap has been in the hospitality sector and now they are setting up a division called Whitecap Industrial Services.
They are looking to get contracts in resource development, with crown corporations and other industrial commercial businesses.
But rather than having their own startup companies they would like to partner with established businesses.
“We are looking to engage with partners who have the track record, credibility and experience in delivering these types of services that are needed in the resource industry,” Balkwill said.
“We are hoping at the ABM we will meet up with some companies that are involved in that industry in Saskatchewan or other parts of the country.”
Horizon North Logistics Inc. could be such a company.
They are a turnkey service provider for camps and catering, manufacturing, swamp maps and soil stabilization, power systems and transportation.
“We design, manufacture, transport, set up and operate those camps,” said Kevin Reeves, director of aboriginal and community relations at Horizon.
At the moment they have about 75 camps on the go in B.C., Alberta and the North. They range from camps with 25 people that expect to be there for 60 days to camps of up to 3,500 people that will be there for the next five to 10 years.
About 80 per cent of their business is oil and gas, but they also do projects for hydro, forestry, mining and bioenergy.
He said they had set up 30 meetings at the ABM.
They are quick 20 minute meetings, but they begin the conversation, Reeves said.
“If you can get one contract out of this, it was worth your time.” he said.
One of the goals of the ABM is that the proposed endeavours have solid benefits for the aboriginal community.
Those benefits can come in many forms, said Whitecap’s Balkwill.
“We are looking for profits of course, but also employment opportunities for our members, opportunities for equity investments into equipment and things like that.”
Whitecap is also developing a light industrial park which will go hand-in-hand with new projects that may need facilities that could be located in the park.
“A big part of it is to learn about industry and the players involved,” Balkwill said. “With this event we can meet with quite a number of companies over three days.”
Reeves said Horizon North offers aboriginal communities “everything from a working agreement to a joint venture with groups, to jobs, training and job mobility.”
“Our No. 1 focus when we go into these communities is to hire locally,” he said, adding, “Our goal is 40 per cent local hiring.”