Métis organization meets growth demands, builds scalability with tailored ERP solution

The primary focus of the MMG is to improve and enrich the lives of FMMN members by funding social service programs, health initiatives, education opportunities, cultural activities, and housing to ensure prosperity is shared among current and future generations.

Over the years, they have built a diverse portfolio of successful partnerships and self-performed businesses, providing business development and administrative support to help their partners obtain contracts – with an emphasis on construction services for oilsands operations in Northern Alberta.

After experiencing explosive growth with a new acquisition in 2022, MMG discovered their current systems were struggling to meet new demands and sustain operations at the same time. They were looking to undergo a complete digital transformation across all business assets and this first major raised the stakes; to set the tone for the rest of the transformation project, it had to be successful.

In 2022, MMG took a bold step forward with the asset acquisition of Roughrider International – a move that diversified their services within their self-performed division of McKay Métis Contracting (MMC) into fuel and lube distribution for oilsands mine sites.

Within 18 months, MMC’s revenue doubled, exposing the limits of their aging, manual systems. Paper-based workflows and QuickBooks could on longer support their pace of growth, while manual Excel reporting created operational bottlenecks. Financial controls were slipping, risking accuracy and efficiency.

Recognizing that sustainable growth required a digital transformation, MMG set out on a critical mission: to modernize their systems, strengthen their controls, and enable scalable growth for the future.

In mid-2023, MMG leadership engaged with MNP’s Indigenous Services to collaborate on this transformation. The process started with a comprehensive three-month discovery and due-diligence phase in which MMG leadership and MNP Digital’s team worked to define clear and measurable goals:

• Identify and implement a scalable ERP solution that could support MMG’s growth model
• Replace manual, paper-heavy workflows with streamlines digital processes
• Reinforce financial controls that were system-driven rather than person-dependent
• Ensure future acquisitions could be integrated quickly and consistently

After rigorous testing, Sage Intacct emerged as the best fit for the job – offering seamless integration with other platforms and enabling strong integration and configuration capabilities, giving MMG the ability to future-proof their operations without requiring custom code development.

This scalable system could manage assets, employee and equipment tasks, and integrate with payroll systems like with ADP, creating a robust operational backbone for their organization’s next phase of growth.

Working together, MMG and MNP Digital customized and implemented Sage, with a focus on training, adoption, and long-term sustainability. After six months of testing, training, and implementation, the new ERP system went live in early 2025, delivering a unified, transparent, and real-time operational hub.

Since fully launching their new system, MMG has seen significant improvements in their ability to streamline financial processes and boost overall organizational efficiency.

Some milestones include:

• Rapid acquisition integration: A newly acquired company was fully onboarded in just two weeks – a process that once took months.
• Data optimization: Over 15 years of legacy data was seamlessly integrated, reducing over 1,200 accounts to 200 – improving clarity and manageability.
• Enhanced decision-making: Immediate access to key metrics like project profitability and asset details enables smarter, faster decisions.
• Operational efficiency: Automated workflows and centralized data significantly reduce manual effort, freeing up resources to focus on strategic growth.

This transformation has reinforced MMG’s core missions – to drive prosperity for the Fort McKay Métis Nation. Improved systems have translated into improved capacity to delivery vital social impact, expand programming, and create opportunities for future generations of community members.

With Sage Intacct now fully implemented, MMG is positioned for the next phase of its growth – driving operational efficiency, supporting future acquisitions, and continuing to deliver meaningful impact for the Fort McKay Métis Nation.