By Rajitha Sivakumaran
G
rowing up in the Northwest Ter-
ritories, Garry K. Flett, a member
of the Athabasca Chipewyan First
Nation (ACFN), worked in Fort McMurray’s
Oil Sands industry for 30 years before retir-
ing. But in 2009, when ACFN approached
him with the prospect of working for its
multi-disciplinary company, ACFN Busi-
ness Group (now Acden), he couldn’t re-
fuse. He is now the president and chief
executive officer of one of the largest Ab-
original-owned companies in Canada.
Acden’s humble inception, the challenges
it faced and its ultimate growth weave
together to create a remarkable story. In
1994, the business was founded with a
single pickup truck and a handful of em-
ployees. The ACFN Chief of the time, Tony
Mercredi, approached Syncrude Canada
about a business opportunity that would
create employment opportunities and
bring economic benefit to the First Na-
tion. With support from Syncrude Canada,
ACFN formed Denesoline Environment,
specializing in waste collection and remov-
al.
Owned by the Athabasca Chipewyan First
Nations and rebranded as Acden in 2013,
OCTOBER 2016
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