On its surface, First Nations Procurement Inc. (FNPI) functions to acquire goods and services for clients around the North. But its real value, said president Matthew Owl, is its ability to capitalize on opportunity.
Located on the Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation, a little over 100 kilometres west of Sudbury, FNPI was launched in 2017 in an effort to land procurement contracts with the provincial and federal governments.
It later became a useful channel to connect with European businesses seeking to expand their distribution into North America.
“That’s what led to what FNPI is now, because we recognized that there are companies out there that are looking at penetrating the North American market, and what better way to do that than with an Indigenous company?” Owl said.
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Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territoryâs new manufacturing facility producing FN95 masks is now fully operational and ready to address national PPE shortages with a made-in-Canada solution.
The result of a partnership between FN Procurement Inc. and Dent-X Canada, the First Nation celebrated the grand opening of the new facility located in its recently completed light industrial park on Nov. 26.
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Duke Peltier, Chief of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, said that the new plant will create 50 long-term, sustainable jobs, and eventually, he hopes that will spin off into other opportunities for entrepreneurs in the region.