Gitxaala Enterprises Corporation (GECO), the economic arm of Gitxaala Nation, is an organization that is rapidly growing an Indigenous-owned business empire in northwest B.C.

The corporation works with local businesses and partners to help with the growth and sustainability of the Gitxaala Nation, reads a statement from their website.  

Their partners are Indigenous-owned businesses that include the Gitxaala West Coast Launch, Gitxaala Seaspan, Gitxaala Bird Construction, Gitxaala Bear Creek Construction, Gitxaala Integral Energy, Altrad Gitxaala Joint Venture and Gitxaala CityWest Communications.  

These companies have thrived within their communities and have also had an impact on Prince Rupert’s economic growth and industry.  

“[In] the last decade there has been a real rise of this phenomenon… If I was to drive around Prince Rupert today and show housing projects under construction, they would be almost exclusively First Nations owned and operated,” Prince Rupert’s Mayor Herb Pond said.  

“The amount of First Nations participation in the business community in Prince Rupert is substantial,” Pond said.  

The businesses have also expanded outside the Gitxaala Nation and are now throughout northern British Columbia.  

Some local businesses include Gitxaala Forestry, Tyee Building Supplies, Saltwater Bakery and Provisions and The Crest Hotel. 

Pond said these steps have helped further encourage reconciliation to take place in these communities.  

“It is reconciliation in action. It is great to have words and meetings and intent, but… the most significant business transfers over the last decade have been First Nation’s purchasing or starting [their own] businesses,” he said.  

Currently, there are many housing projects being developed within Prince Rupert, as well as Indigenous people starting their own businesses from the ground up. 

“It is meaningful participation in the northern economy and … in addition to those businesses in town, [Indigenous people] are also participating in terminal ownership and in the construction industry,” Pond said.  

Gitxaala Nation also owns Gitxaala Enviornmental Services, which was established in 2021 and hopes to become the main environmental and marine sciences consulting service provider on the North Coast.  

“Our aim is to enhance the capacity of the Nation and its members through participating in project development and operations in the Northwest while improving the sustainability outcomes for our clients and the communities we work within,” reads a statement on their website.