Thorunn Howatt
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 12/02) - An aggressive Yellowknife company is taking advantage of the Northern economic boom.

BBE (Braden-Burry Expediting Ltd.) expanded and took on new partners. Now it's celebrating the first birthday of its Edmonton addition.

"There are some great opportunities out there and we are trying to position ourselves so we can take advantage of them," said BBE chairman Gord Stewart.

About a year ago BBE bought an Edmonton cargo warehouse and hangar from Air Canada. The company's newest client, Yukon-based Air North Ltd., started flying from BBE's Edmonton terminal last week.

"We are trying to stay fairly focused in the cargo handling business. And that's what we are doing for Air North," said Stewart.

The company's two biggest customers are BHP Billiton and Canadian North airline. Geographically, BBE seems to have covered most of the Northern bases. Its joint venture partners include Peter's Expediting in Baker Lake, Nunavut. That's where the Meadowbank gold project is. Kitnuna Expediting is out of Cambridge Bay and involves BBE in the Kitikmeot diamond plays. Aurora Expediting Services teams up BBE with the Inuvialuit Development Corporation and places it amidst the oil and gas boom. All of Canadian North's cargo is handled through BBE's Edmonton location.

The Edmonton warehouse got off to a slower than hoped for start, reeling with the rest of the aviation industry after Sept. 11. But business is steady now. BBE has had feelers out and it looks like it could have another new client on board within weeks.

"It will substantially go towards filling that building," said Stewart.

BBE has been a public company since 1998, listed on the Canadian Venture exchange. Only about 25 per cent of its shares are publicly traded -- not held by company insiders. The company was ahead of its time, posturing for a prime place in the busy cargo and mining expediting business. But now it is standing well placed in the middle of a diamond, gold as well as oil and gas rush.

Edmonton celebration

About 130 people celebrated BBE's first birthday party in Edmonton last week. The 24,000 square foot building was renovated and redecorated after it was taken over last August. It has office space, hangar, cargo-handling area as well as freezers and coolers. It is located at the end of an Edmonton airport taxiway -- close to WestJet. BBE employs about 20 people there,