Backwoods Energy Services (Backwoods), the largest Indigenous-owned business in northwestern Alberta, has been named a winner by Waterstone Human Capital in the Mid-Market category of the Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures 2019 awards.
“Our mission is at the heart of every decision we make,” said Paul Poscente, president and CEO of Backwoods. “We recruit staff that are simultaneously and equally committed to operational excellence and living our values. It’s what drives our engaged workforce, sets us apart from our competitors and makes our company culture so unique.”
This prestigious award recognizes best-in-class Canadian organizations scored in six categories: vision and leadership, recruitment and hiring for fit, cultural alignment and measurement, retention rewards and recognition, organizational performance, and corporate social responsibility.
Majority owned by the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation (Alexis Nation) since 2015, Backwoods is a leading service provider for utilities, forestry and oil and gas companies in Western Canada. With a mission of driving economic opportunity by empowering Indigenous people and communities, Backwoods has created a culture that is diverse, tolerant, and committed to this mission and the community.
(Click here to see their corporate video)
Backwoods has Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff working side-by-side to move major projects forward for the community and clients. Since 2015, Backwoods has grown economic benefits to the Alexis Nation by 614 per cent, increased employment of Alexis Nation members by 269 per cent, and increased company revenue by 1,500 per cent.
“We’re honoured to have won this award and I am so proud of our people who work hard everyday building on the culture we created at Backwoods,” added Poscente. “I’m excited to share this award with our employees and to provide a blueprint for other organizations to identify opportunities to build meaningful working relationships with Indigenous communities.”
