Our Operations
Projects
Shell
In 2013, NGLi was contracted by Shell and DHL to provide all-encompassing solutions for the transportation of cargo and personnel on a new Alaskan project. NGLi coordinated over 200 charter aircraft moves and transported 300+ tons of cargo throughout Alaska during the life of the project. While executing this work, it was imperative to both Shell and Naniq that all parties:
Establish and maintain respectful and meaningful relationships with Indigenous Peoples and communities
Work in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and communities to provide sustainable employment, business and educational opportunities from exploration, through operations and into closure
Continue and seek ways to improve internal Human Resources strategies specific to the attraction and hiring, retention and inclusion of Indigenous people within their respective workforces
Seek to understand Indigenous perspectives through engagement and dialogue with impacted Indigenous communities, and take measures to mitigate the impact of Shell’s activities on those communities
The goal throughout the project was to establish mutually beneficial relationships between Shell and Indigenous Peoples and communities.
DHL Global Forwarding
We have partnered on over 30 multi-million dollar projects over the past 20 years with DHL, and have always kept focused on our shared goal of uplifting indigenous people and businesses through our work.
Research conducted by LEIP has shown that many minority-owned businesses are falling behind in realizing the impact of logistics on their operating costs. LEIP acts as the liaison and subject matter expert for DHL in creating and implementing diversity strategies in majority indigenous geographies. We believe the general lack of understanding around logistics costs exists largely because of a lack of resources such as training, money, and time, all of which are needed for disadvantaged groups to become knowledgeable about the industry.
Our joint program aims to increase logistics business opportunities in geographical areas that have historically been limited by lack of expertise, capital, training and scholarship funding. LEIP is responsible for building relationships with indigenous community members, business groups, employment centers, and schools, with goals of:
Identifying common interests
Establishing common ground and close, trusting relationships
Identifying potential employees
Communicating and recruiting for employment opportunities
Creating and marketing global internship opportunities
Agility
In partnership with Agility, LEIP has engaged local companies in Kuwait to move more than 10,000 shipments per month for the military to and from the Middle East. LEIP’s indigenous contractors’ small disadvantaged business designations have allowed Agility to receive priority access to multiple multi-million dollar government contracts which have provided funds to staff a 40,000 ft warehouse and full dispatch team in Atlanta, Georgia on behalf of Agility.
Our Atlanta operational team and support groups in the Middle East are majority indigenous or minority staffed and our partnerships with minority groups are expected to allow Agility to accept even more government services work through LEIP in the future.
ExxonMobil
In support of annual petroleum operations, we have trained and mentored over 100 locals in remote regions on oil-related road, air, and sea operations as well as support functions such as accounting and project management. We trained ground crews to become experts at ice road vehicle trip inspections, warehousing, and dispatching and tracking of project materials. Air operations trainees were taught to perform aircraft scheduling, loading, offloading and marshaling for the C-130 cargo plane required to move special shipments for Exxon. For sea operations, 25 marine mammal observers were trained to support barging work.
These Alaskans were able to use their new skills to work with Exxon for multiple seasons and retained their certifications if they chose to work for new companies as well. LEIP’s efforts helped more Alaskans become equipped to profit in the workforce and assisted Exxon by providing skillsets they needed locally, cutting travel costs of flying in workers from out of state.
Crowley
LEIP and Crowley have enjoyed a 30-year partnership during which LEIP has worked with Crowley on countless initiatives to supply fuel to indigenous communities throughout remote Alaska. As Crowley reports, “We purchase, transport, store and distribute the fuels Alaskans need to heat their homes, schools and businesses, fly their planes, and drive their cars, trucks, boats, snow machines and construction equipment.”
LEIP has been proud to support Crowley Maritime, Crowley Petroleum and Crowley Marine Services throughout the state of Alaska by:
· Hiring and training local work force to support Crowley’s underwater pipeline installation in Cook Inlet
· Providing all expeditor services for 7 fuel tank farm depots that supply our great state’s small businesses and indigenous communities with fuel
· Supporting Crowley Marine’s fleet with warehousing, material management and air/road logistics to meet vessels during their short dock time at port with groceries, mechanical parts, and all other necessities required to keep Crowley on the move
FedEx Ground
Our expansive FedEx Ground operations in Alaska employ locals in Anchorage, Aniak, Barrow, Bethel, Cantwell, Copper Center, Cordova, Delta Junction, Denali, Dillingham, Fairbanks, Fort Greely, Glennallen, Haines, Healy, Kotzebue, Nenana, Nome, Petersburg, Prudhoe Bay, Talkeetna, Tok, Unalakleet, Valdez and Yakutat. These local resources process and deliver packages to the communities in which they live, providing a faster service than USPS for delivering valuable goods and creating opportunity for the agents to learn about invoicing, small business management, and all aspects of package logistics.
As these agents provide improved service and word spreads throughout their communities, it is common for package volumes routed through FedEx to increase, bringing more business to FedEx and to our agents.
Raytheon
Working closely with a native Hawaiian land trust, we were able to conduct an incredibly complex move of missiles and auxiliary gear from Massachusetts to a military base in Oahu Hawaii. This move involved multiple movements within the contiguous United States to bring all equipment to the port of San Diego for shipment by Pasha to the port of Kauai. As the shipment was in progress from MA to CA, our team worked with the Robinson trust to organize the creation of new roads through their land on which we would transport the large freight. The roads served the two-pronged purpose of allowing our trucking team access to carry the extremely large freight to its destination, and providing new road access to some of the buildings on the parcel of land.
The services of many Hawaiian companies including Pasha and ATS were used throughout the project and our HI-based team comprised mainly of indigenous Hawaiians carried it to completion. One member of our Hawaiian team, Bernie Kahele recalls that her fellow Hawaiians lined the newly-built road as the load passed through, cheering. The project stimulated the Hawaiian logistics economy with spend in excess of 8 million dollars and touched hundreds of Hawaiian lives throughout its 2-year span.
Kitimat
LEIP worked with its partner Naniq to create planned logistic routes to support the construction of a 400 mile natural gas pipeline to transport gas from Alberta to Kitimat for processing. The Kitimat processing plant helps to provide a reliable resource for cleaner-burning fuel to Asia and is an all-electric plant powered by clean, renewable hydroelectricity from BC Hydro.
Naniq’s planning involved creating a benefits agreement with all 16 First Nations whose traditional territories are along the proposed route. The agreements include training, employment, goods and services contracting, environmental stewardship and financial benefits to our First Nation partners. Our commitment was to the pipeline being built and operated in a manner that, above all, protects people and the environment. The project received strong support from local Indigenous communities.
NANVAQ
Working with NANVAQ, we supported an advance exploration program in Southwest Alaska in which we trained and mentored 130 direct local hires from all over the state. Training was conducted to equip employees with the following skills:
Drilling
Helicopter slinging operations
Warehousing
Bus driving
Housekeeping
Catering
Camp services
Project administration
Crew dispatching
Oil spill prevention
Safety tech training
We partnered with a variety of indigenous organizations such as the Calista Corporation, Doyon Universal Services, Bristol Bay Native Corporation and Iliamna Development Corporation to attract indigenous trainees. The training went smoothly and 90% of initial trainees were hired on to continue their roles in a permanent capacity after LEIP’s initial project startup work was completed.
