NorthWinds Bus Lines owner wins Women in Business Award
- Linda Mikolayenko | July 18, 2016
Perseverance and dedication have paid off for Anne Calladine.
Calladine, owner of NorthWinds Bus Lines in La Ronge, was the recipient of the inaugural Indigenous Women in Business Award presented by the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA) in June in Halifax. Nominated by Community Futures Visions North, she was selected from among 10 finalists from across the country.
“I was on top of the world,” says Calladine, as she recalls the welcoming atmosphere of the banquet and awards ceremony. “It was such a positive, positive experience.”
A member of the Montreal Lake Cree Nation, the 40-year-old Calladine has overcome a number of challenges to achieve the success she now enjoys.
“When I was growing up, I did not make very good choices,” she admits.
She was into drugs and alcohol, and didn’t graduate high school. Now married to Jason, the mother of two daughters explains that she made the choice to deal with her addictions because her family was important to her. She returned to school after her first daughter was born, earning her GED, Office Education certificate, and, eventually, a Bachelor of Education degree.
In 2008, the opportunity arose to purchase La Ronge Bus Lines, which provided bus transportation for the three local schools in the Northern Lights School Division, and a commercial waste disposal service. Calladine had done part-time bookkeeping for the company for a number of years and saw the potential.
“I was very familiar with how things ran, and I knew that we could be successful,” she says.
Still, it wasn’t an easy decision.
“It was so scary! We knew we would have to give this company 110%.”
Both she and Jason quit their jobs, and with a business plan, financing, and a name change to NorthWinds, they proceeded to work long hours to put their unique stamp on the business. They set discipline on the buses as a priority, as well as safety for their workers. They upgraded their shop and office space and their equipment, seeking out more efficient ways of operating, particularly on the disposal side. Over the years, they added school bus contracts in Beauval, Patuanak and Turnor Lake, along with adult transportation for Northlands College in La Ronge. Construction has already begun on a new, two-story 12,000 square-foot office, storage and repair shop.
Technically, Calladine owns 90% of the company, and her husband, 10%.
“I could not do this business without him and his support. Our partnership is what makes us successful,” says Calladine, but she also credits their “amazing” employees – bus drivers, truck drivers, mechanics, and maintenance and office staff. The company has grown from 12 to 25 employees. From two Aboriginal staff when they took over, there are now 12.
Bill Hogan, general manager of Visions North, notes that NACCA was impressed, not just with Calladine’s business success, but how well-rounded she is.
“It was about ‘What does she give back to the community?’ says Hogan.
In addition to running the company, she is a spare driver for the school buses, and because she has a relationship with the students she transports, she supports many youth organizations in the community.
She personally volunteers with the Lac La Ronge Food Bank, and offers bus transportation for elementary students so that they can volunteer, as well. Realizing that some of those students rely on the Food Bank for their meals makes it all the more meaningful.
“That’s why I do it,” says Calladine.