BUSINESS
COVER
Inquiry
into Slaughter of Dogs Announced
BOOKS
New Editions from Carr Collection
Bill Reid Lives on in Artistry Debate
BUSINESS
Island-Wide
Haida Protest May Drag for Months
New
Cruise Line Visits High Artic
Female
Urban Planner Sets Eyes on 2010 Olympics
HISTORY
A
Soldier's Story: Frank "Smokey" Stover
MODERN TREATIES
Fraud
and Theft of Saskatchewan Lands Uncovered in ICC Investigation
WOMEN
Pimps and Drug Traffickers
Target First Nations School Girls
Female Urban Planner Sets Eyes on 2010 Olympics
By Shauna Lewis
The next time you walk through a newly erected building, drive down an
expanded highway, or cross a bridge, you may be pleasantly surprised to
find that First Nations women are at the reins of urban planning.
In a high-rise office located on Vancouver's north shore, one woman has
achieved noteworthy success in the engineering and project planning business.
Jane Atkinson, president of GTM Project Management Company, is proving
that women - First Nations women in particular - can not only enter into
the corporate world but also can become successful entrepreneurs by working
from the ground up.
"Anything
is possible," said Atkinson, a Thompson First Nations women who grew
up in the Fraser Canyon area of BC. "If you see someone out there
doing something, know that you can do it yourself. And you don't have
to stop at working for someone, you can actually go out and start a company
on your own, there are people out there that will help you."
Although being the president of a company that witnesses the growth of
developing projects from conception to completion is a lot of work, Atkinson
is not alone in her successes. With a collaboration of 25 other GTM employees,
including a handful of civil engineers, applied science technologists,
engineers in training and an administration staff; Atkinson heads a skillful
and impressive cohort.
Lynn Figgess, CEO of GTM is undeniably Atkinson's 'right-hand woman.'
Established in 1998 from a 'bare bones' company that began with just Atkinson
and Figgess, GTM has grown into an impressive business worth more than
$2 billion. Figgess said that the company has not received any monetary
assistance to date that is First Nations specific.
With the 2010 Olympics only five years away, Atkinson and Figgess are
excited about the projects that GTM will oversee. Opportunities to work
on developments like the Sea to Sky Highway portfolio and other structures
that will undoubtedly pop up all over Vancouver will not only add notoriety
to Atkinson's corporation, but will also prove that a First Nations businesswoman
will be contributing to the 2010 legacy.
"One of the larger projects that we are pursuing is the Ravline,"
stated Figgess. While it is unofficial that GTM will get the opportunity
to work on the forthcoming transit deal, Figgess is confident that they
will play a part in the process, since GTM had a major role in the planning
and execution of Vancouver's millennium skytrain line. Future endeavors
also involve expansion, as GTM consulting has plans of branching out to
United States and international markets.
Possessing drive, dedication, an entrepreneurial spirit and skill for
project development, Atkinson and Figgess are consequently helping to
break down stereotypes and gender-based stigmas. "We have found it
challenging to enter into the 'old boy's club," Figgess confessed.
"When it comes to First Nations, there are assumptions that the quality
of work is lesser than other organizations."
While Atkinson's instruction is based solely on entrepreneurial experience,
she is a firm advocate of post secondary education. Atkinson has made
it a mission to participate in motivational lectures, encouraging First
Nations youth to get involved in the business and engineering field.
"It is very important that GTM as a company gives back to First Nations."
Atkinson knows there are wonderful opportunities for First Nations people
in the entrepreneurial sector, and through enlightening youth on such
benefits, she hopes that more Aboriginal students will become the next
generation of corporate pioneers.