At the BC Indigenous Business Awards, the Cariboo Chilcotin’s own Jay Camille of Skywest Environment Inc. won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Camille grew up in Dog Creek, is a member of the local Stswecm’c Xgat’tem Nation and went to pilot school out of high school, studying fixed-wing and helicopters.
He flew planes and helicopters throughout the Arctic, B.C., Northwest Territories and Alberta for close to a decade.
In 2013, Camille began doing land reclamation work in Alberta with his brother-in-law.
It was there in Edmonton that he first started his company, Skywest Environmental Inc.
Shortly after its founding in 2013 Camille moved his services and equipment back to the Williams Lake area, which he always called home.
For the last three years, he’s been offering his services to a wide range of clients in and around the region.
“We have a wide range of services, one of the big things moving back is I wanted to have a viable business so I diversified our services,” Camille explained.
“We provide services in the mining sector, through erosion control and hydro-seeding services, we provide services in the forest sector, fuel management work and excavation work, and we provide support services for the gas industry here for Enbridge Gas, who were the ones who nominated me for the award.”
He found the transition from being a full-time employee to an owner-operator challenging initially, specifically with making the financial adjustments and initial networking to gain clients.
However, Camille said his family has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, working in the ranching and logging industries, which kindled a desire to own his own business from a young age.
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“I think the one really important thing for us First Nations peoples is being stewards of the land. That’s kind of a mission of our business is stewardship, partaking in the industry in our area here. I think the best way to be stewards of the land is to participate, have our community members participate, directly in industries within our territories,” Camille remarked on the role his heritage plays in his approach to business.
Skywest Environmental Inc. currently employs eight people, though Camille said it can swell to 16 when major projects and opportunities arise.
For his work on a pipeline with Enbridge last year, Camille got nominated for the BC Indigenous awards in March of 2018 and found out he won in September.
On Oct. 15, 2018, he, along with dozens of other First Nation leaders in business gathered at the Fairmount Hotel in Vancouver for the awards ceremony.
“It was really inspiring, to be recognized in that way. You know, as an entrepreneur you just have your head down trying to continue to run a viable business and to be recognized was really encouraging,” Camille said, adding the bonus of getting to network with his fellow recipients was amazing.
He also found it quite cool and rewarding to receive a letter from the Premier congratulating him on his win.
Looking to the future, Camille hopes to maintain the steady, sustainable growth his company has so far enjoyed.
Through working with local business members, Indigenous groups and partners he hopes to be able to continue to offer quality and environmentally-minded support and reclamation work while striving for excellence.
“I think the big thing, in success, is taking action. You can sit there and think all you want but unless you take the action (you can’t move forward,)” Camille said.
“Follow your dreams, work hard and get out there and network with people while continuing to learn, find some mentors that can lead you down the right path.”
As part of the award, the British Columbia Achievement Foundation also came to the Cariboo and shot a mini-documentary about Camille and Skywest Environmental Inc.
Professionally shot and produced, it’s well worth watching on their website for a comprehensive look at everything Camille and his company do for the community.
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