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September 20th isn’t just Rod Stagg’s parent’s anniversary. In 2022, it also became the day he formed Indigenous Incubator Inc. The founder says he made a pact with his father and his own two sons to empower young Indigenous entrepreneurs and tradespeople throughout Canada.
“My father and my two boys, Joel and Jeremy, signed a family pact that this is something that we were going to do for Canada,” says Stagg. “That this was going to be our mission, to do what was right and to develop a system that would help our Indigenous youth get trained, educated [and] apprenticed in the trades.”
Part of the incubator’s mission is to promote the long-term sustainability of Indigenous-led enterprises. Participating in the incubator includes mentorship from seasoned Indigenous business owners who transfer knowledge and expertise to Indigenous youth. The hope is that this will help youth leverage their skills into also becoming business owners in the future.
Since 2022, Stagg has hosted three stakeholder summits attended by banks, universities, municipalities, governments, national companies and more to promote awareness and support for the incubator and develop a pathway for the organization to support that mission.
“There is a huge opportunity for generational wealth to come [to] and be created by our Indigenous youth … instead of just finding a labourer job,” says Stagg. “Our Indigenous youth [are] some of the most creative, innovative, intelligent young minds of Canada.”
Following Indigenous Incubator’s March 2024 summit, Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) announced an investment of $1.59 million for Cougar Technical Services Ltd., of which Stagg is the founder and CEO. The mechanical plumbing service company is one of eight companies collaborating with the incubator to provide employment opportunities to Indigenous youth. The companies range in sectors and services that include project and construction management, green energy solutions, engineering, HVAC, janitorial services and more.
