Timmins, Ontario (April 7, 2021) – CreeQuest Corporation and Aramark Canada today announced the renewal of their eight-year-long partnership agreement—that has fostered CreeQuest’s growth to a regional
Indigenous business from sole proprietorship—to provide catering and janitorial services for remote businesses.
“I am very proud that Aramark Canada can keep meeting its commitment to building Indigenous communities through our longstanding business partnership with CreeQuest,” said Aramark Canada President Andy Siklos.
Since founding CreeQuest in 2010, Tina Sheridan, a Taykwa Tagamou Nation member, said she has sought to leverage the corporation’s successes to benefit Indigenous communities through economic reconciliation.
“Economic reconciliation is a corporate recognition that Indigenous communities—to be healthy—must have economic opportunities. I have looked to grow our business for our employees and community,” said Sheridan, who is president/director of CreeQuest Corp.
“Through our partnership with Aramark Canada, CreeQuest is proud to one of the contractors with the largest percentage of Indigenous employees. Through our partnerships with companies like Aramark Canada, we can continue that success.”
Said Greg Sutherland, CreeQuest director and Moose Cree First Nation member: “CreeQuest’s goal is to build a sustainable business with partners like Aramark Canada that acknowledge the importance of hiring and promoting Indigenous people.”
Virginia Forsythe, CreeQuest director and Wahgoshig First Nation member, added that: “Our business success lets us contribute back to our communities through programs, and, in the case of Wahgoshig, the building of a community basketball court.”
CreeQuest Corporation is owned by Greg Sutherland, Virginia Forsythe and Tina Sheridan, who are members of Moose Cree, Wahgoshig and Taykwa Tagamou First Nations, respectively. CreeQuest is a registered Aboriginal Business in each of the communities.
The corporation’s current agreements include providing camp management, catering, janitorial and laundry services, as well as exploration drilling. CreeQuest’s goal is to grow into a multi-service company that provides extraordinary services to mining companies in the region. The CreeQuest/Aramark Canada partnership employees 120 people of which 40% are Indigenous and 51% are women.
For more information about CreeQuest, visit https://www.creequest.info/.