Yellowknives Dene leader gets respect from all sectors

Page 37

To the people in the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, it comes as no surprise that Darrell K. Beaulieu, chief executive officer of Deton'Cho Corporation, has received an award this year from the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO). Beaulieu, 43, is one of four people or organizations CANDO singled out for its year 2000 Economic Developer Recognition Awards.

The First Nation only has to look to the gains made in employment and economic opportunities over the past 10 years that have resulted, in large measure, from the Midas touch that Beaulieu has brought to the band's business ventures. His entrepreneurial stamp is on a spreading network of thriving Yellowknives Dene companies that are raising the profile of the Northwest Territories as a place to do business, and Aboriginal people there as the key players to do business with.

At the same time, Beaulieu has been their ambassador in the international marketplace, where he has gained the same respect, by all accounts, as his own people have for him. The Yellowknives Dene success story has followed Beaulieu around the world, where he has been perfecting "learning on the job," as one community member put it, as far away as Australia, Belgium, Libya and Germany.

Currently, Beaulieu is president of Deton'Cho Diamonds Inc., a wholly owned business arm of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, which is headquartered in Ndilo, outside Yellowknife. The visionary company is targeting a market Beaulieu anticipated 20 years ago, long before diamond exploration was widely viewed as viable in the Territories. In the early 1980s, according to a close associate of Beaulieu, Darrell was aware that diamond prospecting was underway in their region while most people were oblivious to the economic potential of it for the far North.

Prior to 1988, Beaulieu himself was employed in various aspects of mineral exploration in the Northwest Territories.

Jonas Sangris, who along with Beaulieu served a lengthy term as chief of the First Nation in the late 1980s and early 1990s, said Beaulieu is successful "because he doesn't lie . . . he's a really respectable person." Trustworthiness was the hallmark quality everyone who talked to Windspeaker attributed to the CANDO award winner.

In addition, Beaulieu brings a strong administrative background to the task of promoting economic development opportunities for the Yellowknives.

From 1995 to 1997, he was president and director of the Denendeh Development Corp. He also served on the boards of Northland Utilities Enterprises Ltd.; Northland Utilities (NWT) Ltd.; and Northland Utilities (Yellowknife) Ltd. from 1995 to 1998.

Previously, Beaulieu served two years as a band councillor and eight years as one of the two chiefs of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. Their community has always had two chiefs, Sangris said, one based in Dettah and one in more urban Ndilo. Beaulieu was chief at Ndilo.

Sangris added he and Beaulieu started Deton'Cho Corporation together with $15,000 at a time when there were no economic development initiatives underway in the band, "around 1988." In addition to their role as chiefs, Beaulieu had the portfolio of economic development and Sangris had housing.

But around 1994 Beaulieu stepped down as chief to focus strictly on economic development. Sangris remained a chief until 1999, and became president of Deton'Cho Corporation five months ago.

"We do about $7 million a year (of business). And we employ about 150 people in the summer, about 80 people in the winter." They also have 10 permanent office staff to deal with the work generated by Beaulieu's board and committee activities. Until the past three or four years, Beaulieu handled most of those details himself.

"Boy, that guy's dedicated to the work," said Sangris, who has known Beaulieu since childhood. He added that Beaulieu has experienced all aspects of mining since he started with claim staking as a teenager. Along the way he pickedup information from geologists and others in the know.

"I think he took all that knowledge and that's the reason (he is) where he is today. Regarding mining, even diamond mining, you ask him anything about diamond mining and he knows what's happening."

Now, as owner or director of approximately 30 corporations, Beaulieu is always on the move and always, it seems, is working with the goals of the Yellowknives Dene in mind. For example, he brought trainers over from Belgium to teach his people how to polish and cut diamonds, bringing these high-tech jobs home to the Northwest Territories after doubters in the trade said he couldn't, according to Sangris.

"Today we (the First Nation) own a cutting and polishing company and we've got 24 people working there right now. . . . "It's called Deton'Cho Diamonds Inc.

"They said it would never be done in a Native community; it will never be done in Canada; it will never be done in the Northwest Territories. And we've proved that (Belgian) company wrong."

In making decisions, Sangris said that Beaulieu listens to others' opinions before coming to conclusions about a course of action. If a proposal is reasonable, he will take it to the board for a decision. But Sangris thinks Beaulieu has the "instinct" to know what is going to work.

"Some people just want to joint venture with you because they want your money," said Sangris, "but he's not that type of guy. He wants to make sure that what he gets into is going to work; he doesn't want no failures. Sometimes it's pretty tough to make deals like that. (Beaulieu has) just the know-how, I think."

Margaret Gorman, general manager of Denendeh Development Corp., worked with Beaulieu for 10 years and has known him at least 15. "He has a high capacity for retaining information and doing multiple tasks. And all the people I talk to who work for him admire him."

Presently Gorman and Beaulieu work on projects together as a result of collaboration between Deton'Cho and Denendeh.

"I aways refer to him as a gentle spirit, very down to earth. Sincere. He treats everyone really good. He has a lot of time for people. He is a man with a vision and he stays focused." Gorman adds that she believes his kind nature and good way with people translates the same in his relationship with his family.

Beaulieu is married and has three sons. He has always lived in the Yellowknives' traditional territory except for a brief period when he completed high school in Saskatchewan. What makes his accomplishments all the more remarkable in an increasingly specialized business world is the fact that Beaulieu has no post-secondary education. He is one of the increasingly rare successful CEOs who hasn't gone to college or university, according to his executive assistant, Jackie McIntyre.

McIntyre credits Beaulieu's success to his ability to switch priorities as often as he has to each day, yet bring the same degree of focus to each new demand. In addition, he remains patient and methodical in the face of pressure.

"He's very clear about what his objectives are, so he doesn't let things that aren't essential get him excited," said McIntyre, "and he doesn't get pressured by other people's time lines." She added it is not often that someone with Beaulieu's profile has a mix of high intelligence, extreme capability and kind-heartedness equal to his.