A central Alberta business was featured on a new business-pitch competition series that highlights Indigenous entrepreneurs.
Alberta K9, located in Gull Lake, was one of three Canadian businesses showcased on the first episode of Bear’s Lair, which airs on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.
Each of the first six episodes of the series features three businesses owned by Indigenous entrepreneurs – the winner of each episode takes home $10,000 and will advance to the semifinals. The overall winner of the show will be awarded $100,000.
During the series premiere on Sunday, the judges selected Alberta K9 as the episode’s winner.
“We were surprised we won,” said Matt Lapointe, who co-owns Alberta K9 with his wife Kelsey Boettcher.
Alberta K9 breeds, raises, trains and handles working canines for a variety of public safety roles, such as drug detection and ignitable liquid detection.
The other contestants on the episode “had amazing businesses with great social impact. The money we won is just kind of an extra bonus,” Lapointe said.
“The experience of going out there and getting to meet all of the different entrepreneurs, judges and people involved with the making of the show, … and seeing what’s behind a show like that was kind of the more exciting thing for us.”
The married couple saw a casting call for Bear’s Lair in January and applied. The team behind the series then reached out to Lapointe and Boettcher to tell them they were one of the 18 businesses selected.
Unlike other business-pitch competition shows, such as Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank, the judges in Bear’s Lair aren’t on the show to buy into these companies, Lapointe explained.
“The judges were more engaged in learning about our businesses and the social impacts of the businesses. It took away that money-based mentality around the businesses and focused more on the social impact,” he said.
The series was filmed in March in British Columbia.
Being a part of a show that celebrates Indigenous entrepreneurs was a special experience, Lapointe added.
“If we can help inspire other Indigenous entrepreneurs, that’s the biggest value in any of this,” said Lapointe, who is Métis.
“To be able to pass on what we do and to get the youth thinking, ‘I have a certain interest. Maybe I can start a business based on this interest.’ That’s the coolest thing for us.”
Alberta K9 was formally incorporated in 2016. Lapointe said he never would have expected to run a business like this.
“If you told me when I was a youth that one day I would be working with working dog, I would’ve thought you were crazy. I was scared of dogs when I was a kid,” said Lapointe.
The business has trained dogs that can be found working at organizations across Canada and the U.S., including in Edmonton, Camrose, California and New Jersey.
For more information on Bear’s Lair, visit www.bearslairtv.com. To learn more about Alberta K9, visit www.albertak9.ca.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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