RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE DANIELLE SUVEE
Danielle Suvee
Firstly introduce yourself and tell us where your home place is. Describe your job/jobs in just under four sentences. Please also provide your title and profession.
Danielle Suvee, Specialized Customer Experience Representative and DE&I Committee member for Grainger Canada in Edmonton, Alberta. I am of mixed ancestry, Scottish on my mother’s side and Cree (and Metis) on my father’s side. I am a member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation and the Whitefish Lake First Nation #128.
January marks my 10th year with Grainger Canada. Within my role I provide customer service to our large national accounts within the Oil & Gas, Agriculture & Mining and Constructions & Manufacturing industries. I also help to facilitate training to new team members and help to streamline processes. I sit on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee for Grainger Canada and have leveraged this role to help educate on Indigenous culture and social issues. For example, during National Indigenous History month I was able to present information on Indigenous cultures, traditions, ceremonies and the Indian Act. For the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation I created a presentation that was shared nationally within Grainger. Both helped to educate and shed light on all aspects of Indigenous culture, history and shared learning resources. It’s very important for all Canadians to learn the history of our country because it all began with Indigenous peoples.
What sparked your interest to work in this industry?
Working in the industrial supply business was an easy transition for me because I grew up out in the country, where hauling wood, doing work outside with tools was a regular thing. My dad is a logger and on his days off you could always find him outside working on a vehicle which is still true to this day. He would get me to help him by passing him tools, taught me how to change oil and tires. We spent a lot of time at the racetrack as both of my parents used to race in hit to pass. I guess I kind of just stuck with what I knew. Back home in Prince George, I worked at a local family-owned automotive parts store for 5 years who also sold some safety and industrial supplies. Grainger was considered one of their competitors. When I moved to Fort McMurray, I was looking for a job and seen a Grainger branch so I applied. Ten years later and I’m still here!
I guess you could say I like to challenge the “status quo” and really enjoyed working in a male dominated industry. I’m happy to see that times are changing and that there’s a lot of women in the industry.
What do you enjoy most about your profession?
I really enjoy helping people. I like helping our customers find the right products for the job, getting those orders placed for them and problem solving any issues they may be having. I also really enjoy training people whether that be a new hire to the company or someone new to our specialized team. I like sharing the knowledge that I have collected over the years, setting them up for success and helping to develop them into strong team members.
What does success look like to you for Indigenous youth?
Success may look different for everyone; everyone has their own goals. Whether it be achieving higher education or pursuing a professional career. To learning and practicing your traditional culture. Learn as much as you can from your elders and knowledge keepers. They are very special, don’t take them for granted. It’s up to the next generation to pass down our traditions. And most of all, embrace and celebrate who you are!
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?
Failure is something that no one wants to happen. I firmly believe that we can learn the most from our failures. For myself, it has allowed me to do a lot of self-reflection and really assess who I am and who I want to be. It has helped me to change my mindset so that I can be more open which has helped me grow a lot personally.
Do you volunteer? If so, where and why is that important to you?
I have in the past and am currently looking for more volunteering opportunities that align with my values. I have also led a few initiatives within our company where we were able to donate to local charities such as Hope Mission and The Mustard Seed. I feel it is important for us to help the houseless community. Most see them as the typical stereotypes, but they are people just like everyone else. We cannot assume the situation that has put them there. Some of these people within the community are our elders who have experienced the worst kind of trauma with having to attend residential schools. Unfortunately, they haven’t been given the tools and resources to help themselves heal and in some cases the time. I feel that it is our generations responsibility to give back and help our elders heal.
In the last year, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?
In the past year I have really embraced managing personal change. It has really helped me to take things as they come and not allow it to bother me in any way. No issue is too large. It’s easy to look at the issue as a whole and get overwhelmed but if you take a look at it and break it down into the steps that need to be taken it’s no longer a big issue. It’s a great thing to understand your emotions, find balance in your life and to work on a positive mindset.
“Kiyam” – Is a common term in the Cree language used often when you’re truly at peace with yourself and with your surroundings. And nothing anyone does or says can or will affect, or no negativity, or malice will touch you.
I am continuously working towards kiyam.
What are some challenges you think the next Indigenous generation will face in your industry/profession?
When I think of Indigenous youth who grew up on a reservation, I can see some challenges they may face. We know that reservations were purposely built to move large populations of Indigenous people hours away from large cities. A lot of these reservations are remote and don’t have high-speed internet. When it comes to technology-based companies, they’re always looking for candidates with lots of computer experience. Many indigenous youth may have little to no experience with computers so they may not get hired due to this reason.
What advice would you give to a smart, driven student about to enter the “real world”? What advice should they ignore?
Really take a good look inward and figure out – what do you value, what drives you, is what you are working towards going to make you happy? Find a way to work those things into your life. What’s the point in doing something if it doesn’t make you happy or feel fulfilled? And don’t worry about the typical “life stages” that everyone thinks you must hit at certain points in your life. Everyone has their own path!
Hiy Hiy