Founders

Mr. Sean Harding, Co-President. Sean, with a Métis heritage, has a 23-year history in world commodity logistics and spent 13 years with Nabob Coffee in warehouse management. He then transitioned into horticulture controls, management, and Greenhouse Supplies. Sean then co-founded Spirit Bear Coffee Company, Canada’s first Indigenous owned and operated coffee company. Spirit Bear Coffee is now a national “super-premium” brand (meaning 100% organic & Fair Trade) serving over 375 locations across Canada to date. Sean then went on to co-found with Paul 1Nation Distribution, a national distribution company. With powerful negotiating skills, Sean’s “Strategic Partners” include the likes of Chrysler Canada. Sean’s most recent successes include negotiating with various First Nation communities encouraging commerce and trade.

Mr. Paul Biglin, Co- President. Paul has over 30 years of experience in Food & Beverage and Marketing Communications with both, retail and direct sales. He also comes with 6 years of public relations experience with an OTC public company. Paul also is the co-founder of Spirit Bear Coffee Company and 1Nation Distribution. Paul began his working career on the farm preparing fruits, veggies, and honey for farmers markets. His love of foods led him into the kitchens in Europe where he returned to Canada as a “City In Guilds” certified Chef. Paul spent the last 13 years of his cooking career owning his own catering firm specializing in events from 100 to 5000. The last 5 of the 13 years he was working with Culinary Team Canada. Paul is responsible for providing executive leadership and management of the Company’s marketing organization and in-bound and out-bound marketing activities worldwide, which include: Corporate marketing, partner/channel marketing, product marketing, and product management. His goal is to position their companies in the various niche markets and as a visionary leader to achieve its revenue goals aka “indigen-omics”, thus sharing the philosophy to our First Nations communities.

 

Mr. Bill Helin, Bill is a Tsimshian/Norweigan artist, wood carver, jeweler, children’s book writer/illustrator and designer. Bill has focused on the Traditional Tsimshian art of his Fathers ancestry since 1980 and has created thousands of Love Rings and Wearable Art ever since. Some of his accomplishments include designing the patch worn by astronauts on the U.S. space shuttle Columbia in 1996, Astronaut patch for Bob Thirsk his 2011 ISS 6 month mission and the carving of the “world’s largest” (192 foot tall) totem pole known as the Spirit of Lekwammen, carved for the Commonwealth Games in Victoria to symbolize unity amongst all Tribes and Nations of the world.

Mr. Robin Hood, Robin is of First Nations decent from the Ktunaxa Nation, which shares both Canada & the USA. Robin served 12 years in the United States Marine Corps. Robin became one of the most highly decorated First Nations Marines of his age. While in the corps he attended UCLA and National University where he achieved two MBA’s, one in Business and one in International Business. Upon leaving the marine corps Robin used his education as an independent consultant in the business community and then was elected to the ktunaxa nation council and lower kootenay band council, then was hired as director of the economic development and investment planning.