Whitecap Industrial Services: a partnership of resource service providers
- EFN Staff | May 28, 2015
Saskatchewan is a busy place these days: the world needs the resources found both above and below its fertile soil. It takes a lot of work to produce those resources and there is great opportunity for those service providers who can help facilitate that work as safely, sustainably, and efficiently as possible. Ultimately, every service provider is as good as the tools, talent, and ideas that they possess and partnerships are the catalyst that allow them to do more with the resources they have. That’s the idea behind Whitecap Industrial Services, a group of companies working together in partnership to become greater than the sum of their parts.
Whitecap Industrial Services is a partnership between the Whitecap Development Corporation and six companies who provide a broad range of services to the resource industry. The Whitecap Development Corporation, the investment arm of Whitecap Dakota First Nation, has developed a reputation for creating successful partnerships. That reputation brought opportunities to expand into the resource sector.
“Our partners were looking to connect with Aboriginal businesses in Saskatchewan, and we were looking for ways to access the resource sector,” says Darrell Balkwill, CEO of Whitecap Development Corporation. “We felt it would strengthen our offering if we could present those partnerships as a team of complementary services rather than a series of one offs.
“The idea behind these partnerships is that we work together to provide opportunities for each other, as majority owners we are doing our part by actively marketing the services Whitecap Industrial Services provides and developing strategies to connect Whitecap members, and all First Nations people with training and employment opportunities,” says Balkwill.
The partnership features the services of some the largest and most respected service providers in the resource industry. Current partners are Whitecap Haztech Industrial Services, Whitecap NCSG Crane and Heavy Haul Partnership, Whitecap Allnorth Engineering Partnership, Whitecap Black Diamond Partnership, Whitecap PTW Energy Partnership, and Whitecap RCS Energy Partnership. The services they provide include engineering, environmental services, crane operation, specialized hauling, work-camp construction, project management, electrical and control system installation, and safety/health care/security services. Each partner shares core values regarding safety and service. “All of our partners have been recognized in their respective industries for their commitment to safety, management, and customer service,” says Balkwill “These are some of the top service providers in Canada.”
Whitecap Industrial Services is committed to accessing and developing the First Nations labour force in Whitecap and Saskatchewan.
“Industry places great value on providing training and employment opportunities for First Nations people and one of the major focuses of this partnership is to ensure that Whitecap members will get access to those opportunities,” says Chief Darcy Bear, President of the Whitecap Development Corporation. The partnerships are also looking to bring training and employment opportunities to other Saskatchewan First Nations.
“Ultimately it comes down to developing a team of partners that share our values,” adds Bear. “There is real strength in that.”
Check out more stories for Saskatchewan Mining Week, such as:
- Companies expect suppliers to have Aboriginal strategy
- Opinion: Developing the road to Aboriginal prosperity
- Mining careers: not just moving (or mining) rocks
- Opinion: How the mining lobby can influence Aboriginal affairs
- Room at Saskatoon's Ronald McDonald House named after late northern man
- Saskatchewan Mining Week: celebrating 50 years
- Northern leaders and Cameco share success in Ottawa
- Event celebrated students in mining readiness program
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