Joanasie Eegeesiak
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (Mar 01/99) - Twenty-five-year-old Chris Cote is the Iqaluit manager for NorTran, a division of Northern Transportation Company Limited.

Responsible for managing cargo and fuel shipments to the Arctic by ship, NorTran has been around for 13 years and NTCL has been around for about 65 years.

Cote, who has worked with the transportation company since May of 1995, handles customer relations for NorTran, looks for business opportunities and reports back to his boss in Montreal on what's going on in Nunavut.

In order to do all of that, he has to travel at least once or twice a month.

"I get to travel often around the Baffin, Montreal and out west to our head office," said Cote.

On the other hand, all of that travel is a part of Cote's job that he doesn't always like.

"Travelling gets to me at times because I'm away from home, missing my kids and long hours flying."

Even though his mother used to tell him he would probably work as a doctor or a firefighter or police officer, that changed in high school.

"I wanted to be a businessman because I worked for my father who owns Mary's Movie Club. I got to like working around the business setting," said Cote, who is also the president of Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Cote is also recruiting students from Nunavut to work in Montreal for the summer.

"We're looking for three to four young men or women to work in our Montreal warehouse over the summer...someone who can handle living in a big city over the summertime and be able to be away from home."

Despite all the time he spends travelling, Cote still finds time to play sports.

"I'm also really big into hockey because I grew up playing street hockey -- it's fun and fast and it keeps the spare tire off my belly."