Industrial supplier established in Iqaluit
Partnership will make supplies more accessible, affordable for Nunavut businesses
Meagan Leonard
Northern News Services
Monday, February 8, 2016
OTTAWA/IQALUIT
A prominent Nova Scotia industrial supply company has partnered with Inuit-owned Sanikiluaq Development Corporation to launch an outlet in Iqaluit.
The announcement was made at the Northern Lights Conference and Trade Show in Ottawa Jan. 29.
MacGregor's Industrial Group has been a key supplier to Nova Scotia industries since the mid-70s as a full-service contractor and supplier in the metal manufacturing, modular construction and repair sectors. Nick MacGregor, the company's director of business development, said recently his company has seen promise in the North, he stated in a news release.
"We started to have some success supplying products in the Northern market," he stated. "And we realized that with our product knowledge and SDC's market knowledge, we could form a strong and sustainable partnership."
Sanikiluaq Development Corporation was established in 2015 and plans to open a facility in Iqaluit later in the year.
It is a community-based business with an emphasis on economic and business opportunities by identifying a need and pursuing partnerships.
The development corporation has undertaken a number of initiatives recently relating to construction, infrastructure repair, maintenance, development, fisheries, consulting and eiderdown products.
"We are pleased to partner with MacGregor's Industrial Group," said Sanikiluaq Development Corporation chairperson Emily Kattuk in the release.
"We know there is a great demand for the kinds of products that they supply and by setting up a shop in Iqaluit, we can stock a base inventory of materials and supplies that can support businesses and hamlets across Nunavut in a timely fashion."
Sanikiluaq Development Corporation's community development officer Brandon Clark will become the new manager of industrial supply for the company.
He said the venture will mean a reduced cost of shipping supplies.
"Right now, business and industries in Nunavut do not have easy access to key industrial items such as hydraulic hoses, fasteners, tools and industrial supplies," he said.
"SDC Industrial Supply will now be able to easily ship these items from our facility in Iqaluit to anywhere in Nunavut and it will be a fraction of what it would cost to ship from the south."
