Hauling food, equipment and people to the many remote work sites around Yukon takes rugged persistence. Keeping customers happy with your service takes an aim to please.
These are the qualities that Small’s Expediting & General Services fosters in its employees according to operations manager Stuart Murray.
“We take a lot of pride in getting things done right and done on time,” he says. 
“We had a driver this summer making a grocery delivery to a work camp way off the beaten track. He knew part of the road was going to be really rough. So, he took a crate of eggs on the seat beside him to make sure they didn’t break. Not one cracked.”
Another story Murray likes to tell is about two drivers operating a truck/trailer combination on the Dempster Highway last winter. It was February in the middle of blizzard conditions when one of the trucks had a mechanical problem.
“They’re in the middle of nowhere. They had to ferry the loads to the destination. It was physically demanding to transfer the load by hand in the freezing weather from the broken-down truck to the other truck. But they worked together and kept each other going to complete the job on time.”
That’s the kind of character required from workers who are often out of communication and in isolated locations.
“We’re often by ourselves with nothing but a truck and a sat phone,” says Murray, referring to the usefulness of satellite phones in areas that don’t have cellular phone coverage.
Owner/operator John Small started the expediting firm in 2004 and has grown the company to 20 employees in the summer months and 15 in the winter when operations are scaled back. Small’s provides services mainly to mining and exploration companies, including service companies like caterers and drillers. Small’s client list includes Capstone Mining Corp., Goldcorp Inc., JDS Silver and Victoria Gold Corp.
From its main location near the Whitehorse airport terminal, another warehouse in the city’s McCrae industrial area and a seasonal base in Dawson City, Small’s provides services such as freight pick-ups and deliveries to both local and remote sites in the Yukon and surrounding areas; passenger shuttles and crew change transportation; freight consolidation, a lay-down yard and storage containers/warehousing; and are expeditors for field supply, camp supply, and grocery shopping orders. 
“Our goal is to grow with the Yukon’s private sector,” says Murray. “Mining and exploration is on an upswing. We want to be a contributing factor in the high-end mining and transportation industries.”
The trick is to manage a service company in the boom-bust economy, which the mining industry is subject to thanks to frequent swings in commodity prices.
“When commodity prices are low, mining companies are less inclined to work,” says Murray.
And then there are the challenges of operating in the bush and keeping its fleet of 30 vehicles working. “When it’s raining, snowing or freezing, these conditions are tough on equipment. It’s a challenge to our drivers.”
Part of Small’s success is due to the emphasis it places on collaborating with First Nations groups in the Territory. “We have partnered with various First Nations to provide services to communities,” Murray says. 
Ultimately, being able to efficiently maneuver in a dynamic workplace is crucial.
“Working in the modern Yukon means we must be willing to adapt to changing policies and markets facing our industry,” says Murray, adding that he is optimistic about the company’s opportunities. “I see where Small’s is going with the services it offers. It’s a growing business.”