Entrepreneurial Spirit Award winners

SIEF chose two companies to win the annual Entrepreneurial Spirit Award for 2021.

The two winners – Anytime Fitness and 3R Innovative Imaging – are First Nation entities that exemplify forward movement and involvement to create sustainable economic development for First Nations of Saskatchewan.

The winners were presented an award and recognized at the SIEF’s Annual General Meeting on Nov. 19, 2021 at the Dakota Dunes Resort.

Jake Sinclair and Anytime Fitness 

Jake Sinclair, a member of George Gordon First Nation, owns and operates two Anytime Fitness locations in Regina.

Since getting into the franchise business and opening the gyms in 2019, he has successfully overcome a number of challenges to grow the business. Repairing damage caused by two floods due to broken pipes in a neighbouring business, an errant driver crashing into the building and a leaking air conditioner was only the beginning.

The pandemic added a whole other layer of difficulty. Running a gym over the last 20 months – especially ones open to members 24 hours a day, seven days a week – has meant coping with shutdowns and restrictions and finding ways to navigate through the financial difficulties that resulted.

Each time, he has found ways to deal with what he faced. By marketing the business, pursuing options recommended by SIEF staff and advocating for the business with provincial health officials, the gyms have done more than survive. Membership sales have increased by 20 per cent since the beginning of the pandemic.

Plus, the gyms are giving back to the community, supporting groups such as Regina Treaty Status Indian Services (RT/SIS), the ALS Society of Saskatchewan, Canadian Blood Services and the Isabel Johnson Shelter, through charitable efforts organized by the 14 employees of Sinclair’s Anytime Fitness locations.

Sinclair was also awarded the COVID-19 Business Resiliency Award at the Indigenous Prosperity Forum Gala in Gatineau, Quebec on May 4, 2022.  The event was hosted by the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA), which is the umbrella organization for a network of over 50 Aboriginal Financial Institutions (AFIs) across Canada. The Saskatchewan Indian Equity Foundation (SIEF) is one of those AFIs.