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Alaskan firm goes from fridge to furnace

If a mine site in the Pilbara seems a harsh place to operate, imagine working in an Alaskan winter when the sun never rises and temperature doesn't exceed zero.

That's the home turf of NANA Development Corporation, an Alaskan native people-owned contractor that has set up shop in WA targeting resources work.

"It's just as difficult for them to understand how we operate at 50C temperatures in a mining environment," NANA Australia national operations manager Tony Connors said.

Despite the necessities of avoiding frostbite and exposure versus keeping hydrated and staying in the shade, Mr Connors sees a parallel between the two worlds.

"There's a lot of kindred spirit relationship between the two environments because they are extreme environments, just at different ends of the spectrum."

NANA is seen as role model for what indigenous companies in Australia can achieve. The $US1.8 billion ($1.76 billion) corporation has 11,000 employees and operations across the US.

Beyond mining and oil and gas work, the diversified company's services extend to maintaining the US President's Air Force One jets and a security contract at the White House.

"In their view, there's nothing incompatible with making a reasonable profit and developing a sustainable indigenous pathway," NANA Australia chief executive Simon Haigh said. "That is the way NANA Australia is going to have to operate when it's operating with Australian Aboriginals."

The Federal and Northern Territory governments and an oil and gas major invited NANA to set up in Australia because of its reputation for indigenous economic development.

Mr Haigh said its presence would bring benefits for both potential indigenous partners and resources companies. "They need this journey to access land and keep ramping up," he said.

Perth-based NANA Australia is initially targeting resources sector construction and infrastructure work ahead of pursuing the other kinds of work performed by its parent. It has started out by bidding for community accommodation projects in the Pilbara and the NT. The start-up plans to form alliances with Aboriginal company and traditional owner groups, initially in WA and the NT.

NANA Australia has struck its first such deal with the PLWA Group, gaining access to the Pilbara-based contractor's workforce. It also gives PLWA a potential leg-up to bigger projects.

"The strategy is to make a reasonable return but where possible to partner with indigenous companies, but not exclusively indigenous," Mr Haigh said.

While some specialists may be brought over from NANA in the US where needed, the contractor plans to source most of its labour locally.

"We're not going to see a flood of Americans coming over into the market from NANA," Mr Haigh said.