Prince George, BC – With billions of dollars in capital investment underway or on the horizon in Northern BC in the natural resource and energy sectors, an effort is underway to help small and medium-sized contractors and suppliers in the region capitalize on that boom.

"The challenge now is that the contractor and supplier companies aren’t quite ready," says, Renata King, the Director of Business Development at Northern Development Initiative Trust.  NDI Trust is the independent regional economic development corporation tasked with diversifying the economy in the aftermath of the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic.

King says many of the major corporations behind the mine projects, liquefied natural gas terminals, pipelines, and shipping infrastructure projects are in need of local suppliers and have policies that require local purchasing for major projects.  But she points out, "There’s a lot of business requirements and certifications that have to be in place in order for a company event to be considered to be on a preferred supplier list. Our intent is to raise awareness of what those requirements are and also provide resources to help them get those certifications." 

To that end, King has designed a boot camp aimed at bridging the gap between the local suppliers and major industry.  NDI partnered with the Village of Burns Lake, the Burns Lake Chamber of Commerce, and the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako to deliver the first camp in that community last month.

Participant, Chuck Holyk, runs a two-person company in Smithers, Net-Zero Structures Ltd, that he established earlier this year to focus on manufacturing energy-efficient buildings for the industrial, commercial, and residential sectors.  "With the amount of industry kicking off in the north, we want to play in those markets," he says.  "And have a better understanding of what is required from a small business to do business with these multi-billion dollar companies."  Holyk says he found the boot camp very useful for his company.

King says the business community has provided a lot of positive feedback that will be incorporated into future camps, with the hopes of delivering them across Northern BC.

The Director of Business Development says the Trust is also developing a regional supplier database to help major industry locate those local business.  "It’s encouraging to think that businesses are ready to take action, and, with the right guidance, they’re going to go down the right path."