Three new members have joined the Aboriginal Business and Investment Council (ABIC).

Greg D’Avignon, Brenda Ireland and Lennard Joe have been appointed as a part of the 13-person board made up of members from throughout the province who will serve through January 2016.

D’Avignon is the president and chief executive officer of the Business Council of British Columbia. It is a 260-member organization, comprised of the province’s leading businesses and institutions, which are responsible for more than one-quarter of all jobs in the province.

Brenda Ireland has over 20 years of experience working toward excellence in Aboriginal education and economic development. She is the CEO of the Industry Council for Aboriginal Business. She also developed BCIT’s First Nations Programs and Services department. Ireland’s accomplishments also include operating her own business from 2002 to 2010, focusing on community-based development projects.

Lennard Joe has 25 years of experience in forestry and business. In 2011, he became the general manager of Stuwix Resources Joint Venture, a timber harvesting company. Joe owned and successfully operated his own forestry company (Grizzly-Man Resource Management Ltd.) from 1999 to 2011. He has developed many new businesses and opportunities in the forest sector within his territory, as well as throughout Canada and around the globe.

ABIC’s mandate is to help improve Aboriginal participation in B.C.’s economy by encouraging economic growth in Aboriginal communities. ABIC is continuing its focus of identifying successful businesses and partnerships between Aboriginal communities and investors.

ABIC's other priorities include providing investors with a forum to engage and partner with First Nations and encouraging relationships between Aboriginal communities, industry and government to create practical measures for economic development.

Learn More:

The members of the ABIC Council: www.bcabic.ca/council

For more information on ABIC and to learn about examples of First Nations business successes, please visit: http://www.bcabic.ca/

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