Vernon engineering firm Kerr Wood Leidal (KWL) has joined forces with the Lax Kw’alaams Band of Port Simpson to form an innovative Aboriginal company, Embark Engineering.
The partnership was announced at the National Aboriginal Business Opportunities Conference Series (NABOC), Embark Engineering will work to provide services including infrastructure planning, design and construction, project administration, and resource management to government, industry and First Nations.
“Our vision is to act as a bridge between First Nations and industry to ensure projects attain the highest possible level of environmental standards, while respecting the values of the communities in which we operate,” said Chief Garry Reece, Mayor of the Lax Kw’alaams and Embark’s chairperson.
Added KWL’s Frank Belfry, general manager of Embark: “We’ve had a long relationship with the Lax Kw’alaams Band. We’ve worked together building community infrastructure in Lax Kw’alaams and the formation of Embark Engineering is a natural evolution of this relationship.”
The newly formed company also strives to create careers for First Nation individuals, and plans to introduce an academic program and scholarships in future to deliver on this ambition.
