An Inuit Business
The Future is Bright for Peter’s Expediting Ltd.Inuit businesses in Nunavut play an important role in the local and territorial economies. They contribute by employing local people and providing needed services. One example of a successful Inuit business that has had this positive impact is Peter’s Expediting Ltd. (PEL).
Operating in Baker Lake, Nunavut, PEL will be celebrating its 20th anniversary next year. This is an accomplishment to be recognized. Under the leadership of Peter Tapatai and Frank Tootoo, PEL has overcome the challenges of doing business in the Arctic. They have grown PEL into a company that provides competitive logistics services to resource development, transportation and other industries operating in the Kivalliq region. Their operations include hauling freight overland, offloading sealift vessels, transporting people to mining camps and providing ground handling services at the Baker Lake Airport.
You get a sense of Tapatai’s and Tootoo’s satisfaction and enthusiasm in what PEL has achieved when you talk to them.
“When we first started PEL, we had no idea how much our lives would change or how much work was involved in building a successful business. We were very lucky to have supportive clients like Agnico Eagle Mines, NSSI, Calm Air and others. We were also especially lucky to have an investment company like Atuqtuarvik Corporation finance us through our growth phases. We have been working with Atuqtuarvik since 2003 and they have helped us tremendously. We also have an outstanding team at PEL and we are proud to say that our workforce is 100% Inuit”, Tapatai shares.
Tootoo adds, “We believe we had the right formula. We have always been a majority Inuit business and we understood early on that we would need industry and administrative expertise, so we partnered with Braden-Burry Expediting (BBE) when we formed PEL. 19 years later, we are very proud to say that we can operate all aspects of the business on our own, and so, we bought out BBE’s shares last month with the help of Atuqtuarvik Corporation. We are grateful to BBE for its guidance and support over the years and for helping us establish a successful Kivalliq logistics business. With companies such as Calm Air and Agnico Eagle Mines, and the mining sector in general, committed to working with Inuit firms in Nunavut, we are confident that the future will be bright. We look forward to our future as a 100% Inuit owned business.”
Peter’s Expediting Ltd. is a shining example of how mutual partnerships with employees, clients, investors and other stakeholders can help build a successful Inuit business in Nunavut.