Breaking Down the Barriers: Collaboration in Procurement Exploring Meaningful Business Partnerships Workshop Recap
From Left to Right: Scott Sinclair, Daylu Grier, Paul Taylor, Kyle Heroux, Gord Shmyrko
“Partnerships are the breakthrough,” stated Elder Ella Arcand in the morning blessing for the Alberta Chamber of Resources’ Breaking Down the Barriers: Collaboration in Procurement Exploring Meaningful Business Partnerships Workshop on June 4, 2024. Elder Arcand’s statement echoed through each presentation as Indigenous business leaders and industry partners shared the barriers and learnings they’ve experienced navigating the procurement space within Alberta’s resource sector.
The intimate space provided a comfortable venue to openly discuss individual experiences and difficulties. Through round table discussions, many participants brought forward comments around honesty, communication, community building, gate keeping, and partnerships. Kyle Heroux, Chief Executive Officer, Driftpile Enterprises, and Gord Shmyrko, Vice President, Strategic Business Development, Tri-Gen Group, also shared their processes for managing similar concerns during their joint venture. Once completed, Driftpile Enterprises will become one-hundred percent Nation owned. Both sides have attributed much of the partnership’s success to trust, giving both parties equal rights and equal opportunity, and to having strong champions for success through the Nation’s Chief and council.
When Driftpile Enterprises started, they lacked the opportunity to bid on jobs mostly due to broken promises made by industry and a lack of trust toward Frist Nations businesses. Creating the joint venture with Tri-Gen allowed them to bid on jobs more successfully, build up their equipment and expertise, and develop relationships with industry. Backed by the support of the Driftpile Chief and council, Driftpile Enterprises has expanded their business and created a thriving organization that drives the economic growth of the Nation and benefits the entire community.
During lunch, Scott Sinclair, UCP MLA-Lesser Slave Lake, Parliamentary Secretary for Indigenous Policing, had the room laughing and crying as he recounted his path from childhood to family-man and politician. As he grew up, he always had someone who believed in him. He had many different individuals step-up to help him and guide him. Scott is thankful for the people who gave him opportunities because of his “lived” experiences rather than using only education as a means of qualification. He has seen time and time again that when common ground is found and used to build trust and strong relationships, both sides will benefit from the partnership.
Following lunch, Daylu Grier, Manager, Piikani Security Services explained the growth of the company. They now employ twenty-three Piikani members. Through their joint venture with Primco Dene, they were able to increase capacity through access to capital, training, experience, and support. While the Piikani Nation is different from the Cold Lake First Nations in what they can offer, they were able to work through trust issues and develop a strong partnership that will eventually see Piikani Security Services become Nation owned.
Primco Dene helped find achievable opportunities for Piikani Security by narrowing down the work to a specific area. They helped to ensure all guards were properly trained and certified to be able to carry out their work duties and Daylu was able to get the Chief and council of Piikani involved and earn their support. As Piikani Security grows, the opportunities and experiences for the Nation expand. While they’ve started with a small security firm, it’s just the beginning for the Nation as they look to expand and move into other business opportunities.
Many barriers were identified, and some solutions were discussed, but, at the end of the day, it’s about people and as much as we are different, we are the same. We need to treat each other with kindness and respect. Everyone in the partnership should feel they have won and have something to gain from the relationship even though, the partnerships or joint venture will help many more people than just those immediately involved. There are entire Indigenous communities who can benefit from joint ventures and partners who can offer assistance and expertise to an individual with a dream. As much as we tend to focus on the business aspect and the transactions that need to take place, we need to focus just as much on the human aspect of our work.
Join the conversation and add your voice to this topic! Watch for details on the next Breaking Down the Barriers Workshop, coming soon!
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