Sixteen years ago, SunDog Tours consisted of one van, one driver and seven days worth of work.
It was a business that was born out of necessity. Paul Hardy had spent the previous winter coordinating tours for groups from the United Kingdom and, at the outset of that season, he realized Jasper had few transportation options and even fewer winter activities to send his visitors to.
So the following year, the young entrepreneur bought his first van and recruited his then girlfriend, now wife, H茅l猫ne Caron to take care of the administrative side of the budding business.
鈥淲e started it together, and we didn鈥檛 have any employees. H茅l猫ne did bookings, accounting, basically everything else. I did all the driving and marketing.
鈥淚 went to the airport twice a week and I set up a schedule of activities: we did dog sledding, snowmobiling and a ski day at Lake Louise,鈥� said Hardy, who was in Edmonton earlier this month with his current business partners, Scott Eady and Shayne Brooking, to accept the Small Business Award of Distinction at the Alberta Business Awards.
That first season, it was rough going for Hardy. He was working seven days a week, and two of those days were spent driving first to Calgary to drop guests off at the airport, then to Edmonton to pick up another batch of visitors and finally back to Jasper.
鈥淎irport days were brutal,鈥� he said. But, it was those tour groups that made SunDog possible, so that first year Hardy got behind the wheel every day from Dec. 13 all the way through to April 10.
Sixteen years later, the business has grown to have around 50 employees and 25 buses, as well as a headquarters in Jasper and Banff.
But, even with that success, Hardy said the story of SunDog Tours isn鈥檛 one of rags to riches, nor is it the story of one man鈥檚 success.
Rather, he said, it鈥檚 the story of a business that鈥檚 always striving to improve, and of a team that鈥檚 committed to that effort.
鈥淲e鈥檙e always trying to do new things and get better,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 look at us and with every new initiative, it鈥檚 basically like starting over and being a start up again.
鈥淲e have a really great team now, that is probably what I鈥檓 most proud of: the people we鈥檝e been able to attract and keep. In the very end it鈥檚 our drivers and guides that are the face of the company and really take the product out to the streets and I feel like we鈥檝e got the best in the business. I just feel really lucky that they鈥檝e chosen to work for us.鈥�
Hardy said he also feels lucky to have had the support of other up and comers in those early years. He specifically mentioned Todd Noble of the Tramway, who helped him set up the tram shuttle that still exists today, and Brian Rode of Marmot Basin, who was a key partner from the beginning.
It鈥檚 all of those partnerships鈥攚hether it was joining forces with Eady in Jasper or expanding into Banff with Brooking鈥攖hat got the business to where it is today, and got it not only nominated but, awarded with the Small Business Award of Distinction Feb. 28.
Of that honour, Hardy said it is one that he shares with the whole company.
鈥淚t certainly didn鈥檛 feel like an individual award. It felt good for our whole company. I really feel like the people we have [working for SunDog Tours] care about what they do, so when they get a bit of recognition for doing a good job, it鈥檚 nice to share that with them.鈥�
The Alberta Business Awards are hosted by the Alberta Chambers of Commerce. There were three Jasper businesses nominated for awards this year. SunDog Tours was up against four other businesses for the Small Business Award of Distinction. Smitty鈥檚 Family Restaurant was nominated for the Employer of Youth Award of Distinction, and the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre was nominated for the Diversity Leadership Award of Distinction.
聽Nicole Veerman
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