Justin Herman
39 Years Old
Class of 2020
“I decided that if I owned a business I could help people out by providing a safe and happy place to work while building something that I could share with my family.”
Justin Herman is a local entrepreneur with a success story as the co-founder and business partner with the Saskana Group.
Born in the hamlet of Janvier and living in Fort McMurray for the majority of his life, Justin has a strong advocate for his community, Indigenous business and youth.
His career success started at an early age, after working in Aboriginal business advising and business development across Northern Alberta, and he was determined to start a company that could offer youth a positive and safe work environment.
“I got into my line of work to help people and to make a positive impact on the youth, more specifically the Indigenous youth. I decided that if I owned a business, I could help people out by providing a safe and happy place to work while building something that I could share with my family,” he said.
Justin’s also a community philanthropist in the Wood Buffalo region as the former President of Northern Alberta Aboriginal Business Association (NABBA), as well as a former board member with the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce and United Way Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo.
“I helped my community (Chard Métis) become one of the founding communities to form the Alberta Metis Federation (AMF), develop a housing program to participate in the Cenovus Indigenous Housing Initiative, and negotiated the first-ever nominal land transfer between the RMWB and the Chard Metis,” he said.
In the coming year, he has plans to complete the land transfer between the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) and Janvier.
“I would also like to expand the economic portfolio for the community and continue creating jobs and opportunities for the community members. I would also like to continue to grow the company with a strong emphasis on hiring Indigenous and local first.”
While his career rapidly expands, the local family man said he is fortunate to have grown up in the Wood Buffalo region in a traditional setting with his grandparents and two teenage children.
“If I had to define success, I guess for me, it would be seeing my kids and loved ones happy and healthy, living meaningful lives and making a difference in the world and seeing my community and family thrive,” he said.