Being adaptable, innovative and doggedly
pursuing new opportunities
has served KBM Resources Group
It was the downturn of the forest industry
in northwestern Ontario that forced
the Thunder Bay consulting firm to take
stock and reassess the wisdom of putting
all its eggs in one basket.
After watching the sector get beaten up
for the better part of a decade, co-owners
Laird Van Damme and Peter Higgelke
decided they needed to branch out.
"The recession hit and it was very tough
times," said Van Damme. "We didn't know
when forestry was going to come back.
That was a real motivator. We had time on
our hands and we had to look at things
differently."
Incorporated in 1974 by founder Herb
Bax, the roots of the 30-employee company
have always been deeply entrenched in
forestry. Its early beginnings were focused
on site preparation, planting, seeding
and distributing reforestation equipment
imported from Sweden. For a time, KBM
even operated a eucalyptus harvesting and
chipping plantation in Chile.
"When Peter and I became partners,
there were one or two forestry players that
dominated the revenue stream," said Van
Damme. "We thought, this is risky."
The transition began in 2010 with
a name change from KBM Forestry
Consultants to KBM Resources Group.
The switch from skidders to light aircraft,
and from diesel to aviation fuel,
came out of necessity.
They hired a business development
manager and have successfully transferred
their expertise in forest management, aerial
photography and mapping to clients in
the mining and energy sectors.
"We knew everyone in the forest sector
so we didn't spend much on business
development," said Van Damme. "We're
now paying more attention to that."
By broadening their scope, KBM has
become a force in Thunder Bay's emerging
mining supply sector while still maintaining
its edge in forest management
planning.
The company had always sponsored
university research in geomatic technology
and invested heavily in acquiring
state-of-the-art aerial survey and digital
photography equipment and GIS mapping
systems.
"A lot of the stuff you do for forestry
is applicable to any kind of development
that requires an environmental assessment,"
said Van Damme.
The company now has a foothold in
the Ring of Fire through Cliffs Natural
Resources, its biggest private sector client,
for whom they've carried out field survey
and infrastructure planning work.
With a satellite office in Prince Albert,
Sask., the company intends to make
inroads into the potash and uranium
sectors.
The company also maps corridors for
utility companies, works with First Nation
communities on land-use planning projects,
with renewable energy firms on siting
wind and solar farms, and has partnered
with engineering firms on mining
projects.
With three aircraft in their possession,
the company continues to invest in
high-tech mapping and planning tools
with the recent purchase of a $1-million
advanced Lidar system.
To keep the business leads coming, an
internal development team meets every
two weeks to brainstorm ideas, develop
strategy and assess new products and
services.
"Everyone is a salesperson or has the
capacity to be," said Van Damme.
KBM's retail store is also a revenue
generator, selling prospecting and survey
supplies including reams of flagging tape,
GPS tools and satellite phones. They're
also making headway into the Iron Range
of northern Minnesota as a distributor
for Entac Emulsion Products, an environmentally-
friendly soil binding agent for
controlling dust in mines, road shoulders
and tailings ponds.