Black Gold is pleased to announce that it has recently expanded to Grande Prairie. Having a presence in Grande Prairie will allow our company to extend the reach of its services in one of the biggest industry hubs of the Alberta.
“Black Gold Emergency Planners is excited to establish an office and professional staffing presence in Grande Prairie. Management believes that the Peace River Arch area is an important region for future growth in Alberta. This area is very important to Black Gold because of the many clients that we have in the region as well as a significant number of clients who have operations in North East British Columbia. An office presence in Grande Prairie enables our team to provide enhanced service to this important geographic area at a more competitive price. This is meaningful to our clients today and in the future.” – Jason Swan, VP of Operations
With the expansion in Grande Prairie, Black Gold has welcomed Jenna-lee Natrasony to the team. Jenna-lee will be working from the GP office as a project manager, and trainer or public awareness consultant when necessary.
Q & A with Jenna-lee
We took some time to get to know Jenna-lee and asked her a few questions about herself and her background.
Q: What do you do at Black Gold?
A: “Project management and training/exercises and resident consultations (if the need arises.”
Q: How long have you been working in your field?
A: “I have been in the Emergency Management field for 10 years.”
Q: What is your education background – degree or equivalent?
A: “Liberal Arts degree in Sports Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts (4-Year Honors) in Applied Disaster & Emergency Studies.”
Q: How did you get where you are today?
A: “I did not know a whole lot about emergency management until I moved to the USA to attend university on a volleyball scholarship and learned what FEMA was. The US seemed to be a lot further ahead of Manitoba (where I grew up) as far as emphasizing emergency preparedness to the public. I found it very interesting and when I returned to Canada I pursued an education in Applied Disaster & Emergency Studies. While working on that degree I started looking into oil and gas and the opportunities in industry versus public service. I was introduced to the regulatory world through a position at the National Energy Board, which opened the door to working in emergency management from the industry side. I began to travel for work more frequently and realized how much I enjoyed the training and field work components of the EM programs. This brought me to Grande Prairie, where I have found some great opportunities working from a field level on corporate level projects.”
Q: What is your favourite thing about what you do?
A: “My favorite thing about working in emergency management is knowing that no two days are often the same, there is a lot of variety and complexity involved in planning for and managing emergency preparedness programs. This also includes having a chance of working with everyone from the newest operator to an experienced CEO. Being actively engaged in exercises and training, speaking with landowners and other stakeholders, and knowing that they put their trust in you to provide them with the right information to protect them in the event of an emergency takes a lot of different skills and I enjoy the challenge.”
Q: What is your biggest accomplishment?
A: “My biggest accomplishment (literally) would be having caught an 8’ sturgeon in the Fraser River.”
Q: What is your favourite ‘90s jam?
A: “I’m Gonna Be (500 miles) – The Proclaimers.”
Q: What do you do when you aren’t working? Sports? Hobbies? Travel?
A: “When I am not working you will most likely find me outdoors. In the summer if am not fishing I am either kayaking, dirt biking, playing beach volleyball or baseball. The fall is reserved for hunting and hiking, and in the winter if I am not traveling to go sledding for the weekend I will be chasing fresh snow at Powder King. I play competitive ladies and mixed volleyball all winter as well. In case that didn’t keep me busy enough, I am also an IOIA Organic Crop Inspector, and a Canada Safety Council ATV and Snowmobile Instructor, so when I am not playing or working my day job I try to stay busy with these other opportunities.”
Black Gold is excited to have Jenna-lee a part of the team as her knowledge will be an asset. Look for her and our branded truck in Grande Prairie!
