By: Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Thunder Bay Source
THUNDER BAY — Turnkey Communications sends people to a lot of mining trade shows and expos, but the Reverse Expo may well be the best of them.
That was the assessment of Darrin Nicholas, Turnkey senior account executive, on Wednesday during the second annual Thunder Bay Mining Connections: Reverse Expo.
Hosted by the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC), the event gives local businesses the opportunity to pitch their products and services to big mining companies like Orla, which operates the Musselwhite gold mine about 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.
Nicholas told Newswatch that last year he “actually commented to CEDC that I thought it was probably the best event we attended all year.”
Turnkey tries to “hit as many of the regional and even national shows as we can,” he said.
“And in terms of bang for the buck, this was a great investment of a half day of our time. Kudos to the CEDC for initiating it and continuing it.”
As in last year’s event, mining companies came to the Superior Inn and gave presentations to local companies that supply and service the sector. Following their presentations, the miners had business-to-business meetings with those supply and service businesses.
This year’s Reverse Expo connected 20 local companies with four active mining operations, according to a news release from the CEDC.
It “provided an invaluable opportunity for local businesses to learn how to become preferred vendors and to build meaningful, long-term relationships within the mining industry,” the release stated.
“We want to ensure that our supply and service companies are getting in front of (mining companies) to be able to show them what they can do in terms of supporting their needs going forward,” said Jamie Taylor, the CEDC’s chief executive officer.
“We have an amazing network of more than 400 service and supply companies, and we want to ensure mining operations across Northwestern Ontario know about and utilize the incredible talent and capacity that exists right here in Thunder Bay.”
Taylor said there are nine operating mines in the Northwest, and more than 18 potential mines “in advanced exploration.”
