SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Ten months ago, Leah Sulyma became one of the owners of BBE Expediting Ltd. She'd just turned 27.
Originally from Inuvik, Sulyma was honoured at the annual Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce Business Awards Gala last Friday with the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
"It was definitely a humbling experience," said Sulyma, from her office in Edmonton.
She came to business through sport - playing hockey on the local and territorial teams at the Arctic Winter Games, Canada Winter Games and the National Aboriginal hockey Championships. In 2007, she was recruited with a full hockey scholarship by Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., and earned a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting.
After graduation, she started her career in accounting at NorTerra Inc.
"And then I figured out that accounting wasn't for me," she said.
By 2011, she'd transitioned into doing business analysis for NorTerra Inc. before moving on to BBE Expediting Ltd. in 2013 as senior manager quality assurance.
"Being able to adjust my role and kind of adapt to what the company needs are at that moment in time - I think that's really helped me move forward in the company," she said.
"I think being kind of a jack of all trades has helped me a lot."
When the chance came to purchase the company, she and the rest of the senior management team jumped.
"A lot of people are just kind of scared to take that next step and I totally understand where that's coming from, but it's OK to take that next step," she said. "One of my passions is always to find ways to increase our standard of living in Northern Canada, and now I have a forum through this company to be able to do that."
She said working in the logistics and transportation field does that - her company is currently, for example, working on finding more affordable food options for Northern communities.
She says the "high intensity" of her career is what keeps her going.
"You're always on the go. I feel like we're always trying to deal with problems that other people don't want to," she said.
Even though she studied in the south, she says she's never considered staying there.
"No matter where I've gone, I've lived in a lot of different places, I've always, always been drawn back to the North. What really really draws me back is that community feeling," she said.
