b'COVER STORYin this case ensuring Indigenous commu-nities get much-needed food and nourish-ment delivered to them. The company has been hauling hundreds of tonnes of agricul-tural products, grains, pulses, organics and feed across Canada on a daily basis since the crisis began in an effort to keep supply chains intact despite mounting strain. The goal is to ensure communities have access to fresh, whole ingredients to make healthy food. We know that very few things are as essential to a healthy society as the food that we eat, says David Bell, president. This is true in good times and especially true during the difficult times we are facing right now.There are also businesses operating in the business-to-business stream providing supplies needed to keep Indigenous busi-nesses running. Case in point is eSupply, a CAB member and online retailer that has tapped into its network of distributors to sell office supplies at cost to Indigenous businesses. Many of these businesses are struggling to maintain employment in self-isolation. Because were not carrying any overhead, were able to [sell] those products to folks working from home at the price we pay for them, explains Steven Vanloffeld, co-owner of eSupply.While the company had barely been in operation when the pandemic struckit only launched this past Februarylike so many other Indigenous businesspeople, Vanloffeld recognized he had an obligationCAB member eSupply tapped into its network of distributors to provide to support his peers. Even though manyIndigenous businesses with office supplies at costoffices and stores are shut down, commu-nities are still operating and people are still doing what they can from their homes. Excellence isWe wanted to acknowledge and support custom-made,what theyre doing, he says.and custom-madeWhether supporting small Indigenous is personal. businesses, delivering food and produce directly to communities, or supplying their Dedicated to excellencemost vulnerable members with protec-in engineering andtive equipment, each day brings a new project management, ourstory showing how Indigenous business seasoned team has theleaders are stepping up in this time of expertise to tackle almostcrisis. There are many CCAB members any project, and we carewho have similar success stories. These enough to do it right. stories tell the tale of a wider community that has come together to help a vulner-able population in difficult times. In the kgsgroup.com Peter Sutherland Sr.midst of an unprecedented pandemic, Generating Station collaboration and the strength of commu-nityqualities familiar to Indigenous busi-nessare at the forefront. 20A CCAB PUBLICATION2020'