Yellowknife (Dec 13/06) - It's gone from providing the first public fax in the North to finding work for more than a 1,000 people.

While serving Yellowknife for 20 years, Office Compliments, has stayed as flexible and versatile as possible, said owner Liz Wyman.

Wyman opened the business in 1986 with Marg Hall and Pat Moore. The trio offered services that Yellowknife businesses didn't have, such as providing photocopying and fax services, courier work as well as acting as an answering service, she said.

"We wanted to focus on bringing quality service to the North that filled the needs of business," said Wyman.

As technology advanced over the last two decades, Office Compliments began to diversify as well, said Wyman, who has become the full owner of the company.

"We had to change with customers' needs," she said.

Now the company places temporary and full-time workers with its clients. It also offers employee training and conference planning as well as a variety of business services such as bookkeeping and word processing, she said.

With a clientele of more than 100 businesses, Wyman estimates the company has found work for more than a 1,000 workers.

"There is a constant demand for workers," she said.

While Office Compliments does find placements with businesses looking for administrative employees, it also has clients looking for workers in retail, construction and upper management, she said.

People with a wide variety of skills come to Office Compliments in an attempt to find work, said Judy Callas, the placement manager.

Those looking for work range from experienced professionals looking to re-enter the workplace to newly graduated students seeking their first jobs.

"Temping is a wonderful way to find out what is going on in the workplace and it's a great way to gain experience," Callas said.

Office Compliments strives to find what each person is looking for whether it's temporary work or full-time work, she said.

"We get a lot of gratification in our clients' success," she said.