Special Edition Entrepreneurs   

This is our special edition on Manitoba’s entrepreneurs. In a province with a small commercial sector we are always encouraged at the depth and breadth companies that are home grown and not branch plants.

This year we are honoring four Best in Business Practices Companies and, in addition, we have chosen as ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR 2008 – Gail Morberg, the Chairman of Thompson-based CALM Air International – northern Manitoba’s dominant air carrier.

While the Manitobans are familiar with the prominent job provider in Thompson – Brazil owned nickel miner, Vale Inco Ltd. – CALM Air International is family-owned and a force of its own in contributing to the northern economy by way of transportation.

For the past 46 years – starting from Stony Rapids in Saskatchewan – the airline has slowly grown to provide several daily flights from Winnipeg to Thompson to Churchill with stops in Nunavet as far north as Repulse Bay. The airline was started by Arnold and Gail Morberg in 1962. It now employs about 450 people throughout its system including 60 pilots whose skills are renowned in the industry for flying into Arctic skies and small settlements. That sounds like a big job and it is. There are three Morberg daughters working in the company besides Gail herself who keeps an eye on it all.

Despite her position, Gail is a friendly, non-corporate, off the cuff person whose wisdom is understanding the parts of the whole. She, like her late husband Arnold, who died in 2005, is loyal to the north.

“When we expanded we had to go to a larger centre from Lynn Lake and there were some suggestions that we move to Winnipeg but Arnold wouldn’t hear of it. He was adamant that the company headquarters remain in the north. And so, it is a northern company to this day, much to the liking of Thompsonites.

Gail says, “The Thompson area is absolutely beautiful and it’s especially nice in the summer with all the water around us.”

In my first conversation with her by telephone, Gail spent the initial ten minutes talking about a cougar she saw near her home on Paint Lake, 15 minutes out of the Thompson.

She said it was wearing a radio collar. That was a precious moment for her. The big cat, she later found out, had been tagged in North Dakota and had been tracked to Michigan and would up in the Thompson area.

We found her story of CALM Air’s growth very compelling, especially the early days.

Also in this issue we have comprehensive stories of four other privately-held companies that have made their own contribution to the province. They are Argus Industries, Broadview Networks. Prairie Orchard Farms and Acrylon Plastics. Each has their own product and operational strategies which has brought them success.

Our roll at MANITOBA BUSINESS is to seek out diverse successful companies in Manitoba and give them as much exposure as we can afford.

Since it takes advertising dollars to build our pages, as we don’t accept government handouts, I thank all those companies that contributed to this edition by supporting the stories on the award winners.

Without advertisers who support us, we would not have the editorial independence that is absolutely necessary and healthy. I hope you enjoy our presentation and we’ll see you next month.



38