Flint Energy recognized for excellent hiring practices

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Flint Energy Services Ltd. has won its second award in as many years for its commitment to Aboriginal people.

Last month, the company was recognized by the Alberta Chambers of Commerce which awarded them the Alberta Chambers of Commerce Business Award of Distinction in the category of Aboriginal Relations ? Best Practice. The award was sponsored, in part, by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

The year before, Flint Energy received the Interprovincial Association of Native Employment's annual Ivan Ahenakew Award, which is presented to companies for best results in the recruiting and training of Aboriginal personnel.

Flint Energy's commitment to supporting the communities it works in, whether Native or non-Native, was a concept it embraced when Reid's Construction Group merged with Flint a year ago and created the Flint Construction Service Ltd. arm of Flint Energy Services Ltd.

"Our vision of excellence includes the way we treat our people, our land and our community," states Flint Energy's web site. "We are part of a pro-active, long-term process to empower Aboriginal and local people to work successfully within our industry, and have an ongoing program to improve the employment ability of people living in those areas in which we do business."

Charles Iggulden holds the position of manager of Aboriginal and community affairs with Flint Energy. Before the merger with Flint, Iggulden held the same position with Reid's for three years.

"It's always been important to Reid's to give back to the community," said Iggulden.

Reid's Construction Group started in 1953. Some of its first employees were Indian and Metis. Although the company was not First Nations-owned, it was important for Reid's owners to give back to the communities they worked in, both Native and non-Native.

That has been a practice that has served them well and will be doing just as much for Flint Energy.

"For us it's paid off big time," said Iggulden. "It's had a real impact.

We're the only construction company that has a position like this."

Iggulden's job is to work with the band councils, Metis locals and local businesses to assess the human resources available.

"We go into a community a year or year-and-a-half before we make a bid to work in that community," said Iggulden.

Being able to train and employ locals helps to keep Flint Energy's bids competitive.

Local people can be employed whether they are laborers or "executive types", said Iggulden, who himself is Metis.

Training paths are worked out so that those with skills can qualify to work with Flint Energy. As well, noted Iggulden, if the raw talent is there, Flint Energy will work to provide initial training to local people. Also "mom and pop businesses" are guided so they too can work in conjunction with Flint Energy. The company also makes it a practice to buy locally.

Employment through Flint Energy is a combination of short-term and long-term. Short-term seasonal work sees the company returning to the same communities at certain times each year, re-employing the same workers or training new ones, as the need arises. Full-time, long-term employment takes place where Flint Energy has district offices. The company's head office is in Sherwood Park, and it has a corporate office in Calgary.

Iggulden said he doesn't like to have a quota for how many locals he needs to employ in each community.

"I hate going on a percentage based on the demographics," he said, "because my philosophy is the more the better."

He also noted that depending on the community he was in, there might be more qualified Native workers than non-Natives and vice versa.

The fact that Flint Energy offers training and positions when it works in a community makes communities more favorably disposed to the company coming in.

"They're definitely more receptive to us," said Iggulden.

Flint Energy, with Iggulden as point man, has done work at Alexis First Nation, Cold Lake First Nation and Dene Tha' First Nation, among other communites, and the Metis Nation of Alberta.

"Companies are starting to come around and realize it's cheaper to train and employ people from here instead of bringing up plane loads," said Tom Gogal, director of tribal resources with Dene Tha' First Nation, near High Level.

Flint Energy is just one company that Dene Tha' has struck agreements with to help get its band members training, schooling and employment.

"We take opportunities whenever we can to get our people employed," said Gogal.

Flint Energy's ongoing commitment to Native communities has made them an agreeable, welcomed partner.

Flint Energy Services Ltd. was established in 1998 with the merging of a number of companies, which resulted in a fully integrated construction services and maintenance company. Flint Energy has the capacity to follow projects from the intial stages to completion. The company offers services in project consultation, pipeline services, electrical and instrumentation services and facility construction services, to name a few areas. Flint

Energy has done work from northern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, in areas of oil and gas, petrochemical industry, manufacturing, pulp and paper, power generation facilities, agriculture, mining, and small industries.

Flint Energy Services Ltd. employs 3,500 professionals, contract and

construction personnel in 37 regional operating facilities in Western Canada and the mid-western United States.

"I really enjoy going to work," said Iggulden. "I like what I'm doing."