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Businesses unite at conference Thandie Vela Northern News Services Published Monday, October 17, 2011
The theme of the three-day event, hosted by the Northern Aboriginal Business Association, was Today's Vision, Tomorrow's Prosperity.
More than 200 delegates attended and about 35 exhibitors set up booths at the conference, which was held at the Explorer
Hotel in Yellowknife.
Christy Sinclair, named chair of the business association at its annual general meeting last Tuesday, said the association was especially happy with the attendance at this year's conference.
"We are very happy with the turnout and how the overall conference has gone," Sinclair said.
"We were very pleased to see the turnout and tremendous support from the North as well as the south."
Speakers at the conference included Yellowknives Dene First Nation Chief Ted Tsetta, who said the opening prayer Wednesday morning, GNWT Industry, Tourism, and Investment Minister Bob McLeod, who said a keynote address, and president of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group, Bob Reid.
The 2011 NWT business awards were presented Thursday afternoon at the conference, including the Distinguished Business Leadership Award, which was presented to Tuktoyaktuk Mayor Merven Gruben, of E Gruben Transport Ltd. Gruben thanked his grandfather and father who started the company.
The Aboriginal Business of Excellence Award, open to "all NWT aboriginal-owned businesses having significant operations above the 60th parallel," was awarded to a business that "showed commitment to high ethical standards and practices, high product and service quality, and a commitment to doing business within the NWT," presenter Calvin Helin said.
The recipient of the excellence award was Tli Cho Logistics Inc., represented by a large delegation including president George Mackenzie, chair Alex Nitsiza, and general manager Dale Wheaton.
"We'd like to thank our elders," Mackenzie said. "They are the ones who gave us the philosophy to run this company."
"We fell many, many times. We got up, we fell, and here we are today, getting an award."
Last year, the association co-hosted the Prospects North Conference with the NWT Chamber of Commerce. Until 2009, the conference was hosted by Denendeh Development Corp., under the name NWT Aboriginal Business Conference. The conference is now to be hosted by the aboriginal business association annually as the NWT Business Conference.
"The name needs to be inclusive of everyone," executive director of the association Jeanne Morrison said, explaining why the name of the conference was changed. "Business is done by everyone in the territories not being exclusive to one culture. We're all working here together to build a strong, prosperous North."
The conference closed Thursday afternoon with a trade show wind-up gathering.
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