Rankin Inlet (May 12/03) - A Rankin Inlet firm is pushing ahead with plans to establish a commercial printing operation in Iqaluit.

Akhaliuk Promotional Products hopes to have a $300,000 digital printer in place and the new venture up and running by this fall.

The 100 per cent Inuit-owned company will target commercial and government work, including marketing and educational material, and business forms.

"Ninety-nine per cent of the printing work in Nunavut currently is done in the South," said president Helen Klengenberg.

"We see an opportunity to expand our business and meet a real need for printing services in Iqaluit."

The family-owned and operated business will relocate from Rankin to Iqaluit in hand with the new venture.

"We are working on the final financing and funding details and searching for a location in Iqaluit now," she said.

The company will be managed by Klengenberg's daughter, Michelle. Son Graysen heads South shortly for training and will run the print shop.

Akhaliuk Promotional Products's revenues topped $200,000 in 2002, its second year in business.

The company offers a wide range of promotional products for business, including stationary and cards, advertising specialty goods, and corporate-logo clothing and gifts.

The firm has exclusive access in Nunavut to more than 650,000 items through an arrangement with its Winnipeg-based supplier, Caxton Canada.

"Caxton has a very broad catalogue of high-quality Canadian products," said Klengenberg. "This has been an excellent association for us and we expect this side of the business to continue growing."

The first Inuit woman in Nunavut to complete a master of business administration degree, Klengenberg plans to focus on the consulting side of the business.

Akhaliuk Consulting, started in 1999, offers a wide range of services to government, business and community organizations.

These include startup advice and marketing plans, strategic and operational planning, training, and financial and accounting support.

The company last week announced its intention to join forces with Consilium Nunavut Inc., an Iqaluit company providing many of the same services.

The two firms have collaborated on projects that include feasibility studies for the Nunavut Heritage Centre, the Nunavut Language Centre, and marketing plans for companies such as Kitikmeot Foods.

"It's a logical step," said Klengenberg.

"The new company will combine the strengths of both. Instead of competing against each other, or collaborating on projects, we will have a single company that can offer an even broader range of services to our clients."

The new company will officially be announ ced on July 1.