CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
Tan’si!
Welcome, and thank you for taking interest in the Neyaskweyahk Group of Companies Inc. (NGCI). I am very honored to accept leadership’s invitation to chair the board of directors. A great privilege has been bestowed upon me and my fellow board members as we have ambitious goals and great expectations. Through Creating Pathways for Tomorrow, we are committed to achieving these goals. Since our incorporation in 2013, we have been busy implementing our strategic plan and refining our governance standards: policies and procedures that help guide our decisions and activities moving into the future.
Over the past 10 years we have accomplished a great deal towards achieving our goals in becoming economically self-reliant, in creating sustainable employment opportunities for community members and in diversifying our business interests in a variety of businesses and market sectors. We have established a multimillion-dollar enterprise comprised of businesses in a variety of industries including renewable energy, land & property management and several service sectors. Most recently, the NGCI board of directors assisted the leadership in acquiring a significant equity ownership interest in the First Nations Bank of Canada – Canada’s only Schedule 1 Bank majority owned and controlled by Indigenous People. With a focus on four core areas (energy independence, food security, water security & partnership development), the board has accomplished transformative change resulting in a diverse group of companies with significant growth in sustainable business revenues and jobs for members. Having achieved ISO 9001-2015 Certification in 2015, NGCI is a leader in corporate governance and is setting the new standard for other Indigenous enterprise to follow.
We continue to collaborate with our colleagues within the Ermineskin administration and leadership in developing a long-term strategic plan that complements the socio-economic goals and comprehensive community development plan of the Nation. This has helped us define our vision, mission, mandate, and goals. It also provides us with a road map for “Creating Pathways for Tomorrow.”
On behalf of my fellow board members, I wish to acknowledge our executive staff for their hard work, commitment and dedication in supporting the board in fulfilling its mandate. I also want to thank the leadership for giving us this opportunity, and for assigning us the responsibility to carry out this very important initiative. We look forward to contributing to the socio-economic conditions of the Nation, and investing in today’s opportunities for tomorrow’s prosperity.
Kinanaskomitin,
Trent Blind
Founding Chairman
