The company was purchased recently by Aon, a mammoth insurance consulting brokerage headquartered in Chicago, so it's now known as Aon Reed Stenhouse. It was purchased from Alexander and Alexander.

The Canadian headquarters is in Toronto and there are 18 offices in Canada, with 1,500 employees, including 11 in Yellowknife and eight in Whitehorse.

James Horrick, president and chief operating officer of Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc. in Toronto, says Aon operates worldwide in about 80 countries and employs more than 50,000.

Doug Ross, a senior vice-president from Edmonton, says there's been two big changes in the North affecting operations in the past quarter-century. The brokerage expanded its access to insurance companies from six to between 20 to 25 firms in the North.

Technological changes from telephone and telex to completely integrated computers and faxes give clients answers quickly.

City population figures have grown from 6,000 in 1971 to more than 18,000 in 1997. And the economy has improved in that time, says Horrick.

The insurance brokerage has had just five managers in 25 years, attesting to their satisfaction of working in the North, says Joe Murphy, vice-president and branch manager for Yellowknife since July 1992.

"We see new things happening. We have gold (in the NWT), now we see diamonds and continued exploration, probably beyond our lives," says Horrick.

At the national level, Aon Reed Stenhouse itself has a deal in the works.

It has made an offer to purchase Sodarcan, a Montreal-based Canadian brokerage, consulting and insurance company. "Robert Parizeau is a major shareholder and its been approved by Investment Canada. There's more than 10 million outstanding shares. It closes July 3," says Horrick.

The company's plans included increasing its presence in the province of Quebec and Canada, says Horrick. There's also a commitment to remain in the North, and "grow as quickly as we can."