Theresa Keeping Benoit was born and raised in Stephenville, NL, during a time of prosperity for the town.
The first settlers of Stephenville were Acadian families from Cape Breton who migrated there in 1848. These settlers established a farming and fishing community from premises below Indian Head, a cliff, southeast of the present town. Theresa’s family and forefathers were among the first settlers who had their homestead at Stephenville Pond now known as Port Harmon.
During the second world war, in 1940, England did a land-lease agreement between the United States and Great Britain: NL was a Colony of England and exchanged 1859 acres of land in the northeast end of St. George’s Bay. Harmon Field became the largest U.S. air force base outside the continental U.S and a major refuelling stop for aircraft en route to Europe. Stephenville Pond was transformed into the beautiful Deep-Sea Port it is today, “Port Harmon Authority LTD”.
With the construction of the Ernest Harmon Air Force Base and Port Harmon, thousands of men from the surrounding area soon found work as tinsmiths, sheet metal workers, construction labourers, carpenters, etc.… The population increased virtually overnight.
Theresa was number 5 in a family of 11 children, born in 11 years and 11 days. She is of French and Mi’kmaw ancestry. She holds certification of Indian status and is a member of the Qualipu Mi’kmaw First Nation of Newfoundland. Theresa is long time member of NABBA in Ft McMurray, Qualipu, and the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB). Theresa moved to Ft. McMurray in the late 70’s, first taking a job as a Graphic Artist at Jean’s Printing, one of many family-run businesses owned by Mrs. Francis Jean. Theresa later purchased the Print Shop from Mrs. Jean. The city was growing fast, and she saw the need to establish a supply chain of goods needed by the Oil Sands Plants during their start-up and operation stage. She opened a Promotional Gift shop “Classic Awards” and purchased silk-screening and engraving machines to brand gifts for her customers.
Theresa has post-secondary training in business administration and the arts. She received a Masters Printers and Graphic Arts Trade Certification at Red Dragon Printers, where she completed her Apprenticeship. She attended Keyano College.
She has a long career in business spanning many decades, beginning with President and CEO of the 40-year-old company, TS Signs Printing and Promo Ltd. In Ft. McMurray, Alberta. She has three businesses in Ft. McMurray, when she decided to purchase Industrial land, she built three commercial buildings.
She moved her three related businesses, the print shop, promotional shop, and sign shop, combining them as one business in her new state of the art building, at 195 MacKay Crescent in the heart of the industrial area to Fort McMurray as TS Signs. She is the current President and owner of McMay Links Inc. involved in Commercial Development and Real Estate in Ft. McMurray, Alberta, and she currently lease office and industrial space.
Theresa is a proud mother of four children, 14 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren, all of whom live in Alberta. Her biggest regret is leaving her family in Alberta, she realized the necessity of good jobs and shared with many in the splitting of families because of work shortages.
After spending decades away from her native Newfoundland, she returned. The major shareholder and President of the aboriginal company, Vinking Marine Enterprises Inc. President and owner of Oceanview Estates, and President and the Major shareholder of Port Harmon Authority Limited in Stephenville, and Indian Head Solutions Ltd. All aboriginal companies.
Her long-term business goal has been to create private companies that are economically-sound, environmentally sustainable, and create attractive jobs for local families, including employment in cooperative programs for secondary and post-secondary Indigenous students.
Theresa is a dedicated fundraiser for charity, a community volunteer and strong advocate of aboriginal and disability rights. Her volunteer activities include membership on boards in religious, health, social and political associations.
Some of Theresa’s volunteering accomplishments include Girl Guides, Birthright, Bowl for Kids Sake, Old-timers Hockey, Minor Hockey, Father Patrick Mercerdi High School, teaching art and pottery, John Banovich Society for the conservation of wild animals in Kenya, Frank McKenna society for humanitarian projects in Haiti, lifetime member of Ducks Unlimited, lifetime member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, lifetime member of Safari Club International. A lifetime member of the Audubon Society.
Some of her accomplishments are: Small Business of the year award for TS Signs, Printing and Promo Limited, nominated as Alberta Business award of Distinction, nominated as RBC Entrepreneur of the Year Award, recipient award as ambassador for hiring immigrants.
She is a well-known wildlife, portrait and nature artist who has displayed her work throughout Canada. Theresa’s painting passion includes – working in a variety of mediums such as oil, acrylic, water-colour, silk-screening, pen & wash and airbrushing. She enjoys painting with different materials such as canvas, board, exotic papers, and fabrics.
Theresa is ranked among countless artist who are considered Wildlife Artist. She is fascinated by animals and how they live together throughout the history of the world. Many have become extinct and this moved her to participate in conservation of the wild spaces, animals, and the worlds ecosystems for all generations to come.
As a member of many groups and society’s she has travelled the world photographing , sketching and painting birds and animals in their habitat.
As an aboriginal she grew up in the outdoors life of fishing and hunting, this gave her access to habitats of animals. She demonstrates this in every stroke of her brush as her style of expression is realism.
She has won awards in her professional life and as an artist at The Calgary Stampede, Safari Club, Ducks Unlimited, Canadian Wildlife Federation, the Wood Buffalo Artist Forum.
She has attended numerous studies, courses, and workshops throughout the world as far as Africa, USA, Haiti, Europe, Bermuda, British Columbia and Alberta, and supports many clubs promoting outdoor education.
Dale Merkel was born in Drumheller Alberta on December 07, 1956, The eldest son in a family of four children.
Dale’s Grandfather, Jake Merkel had moved to the area as an immigrant from Germany. They often joke about being related to Angela Merkel the Chancellor of Germany.
His mother Violet Keough immigrated from Ireland.
Dale‘s father worked at Hudson Bay oil and gas company for over 25 years.His mother worked for Simpsons Sears throughout her life.
Dale grew up in a farming community. His family operated many sections of farmland, growing grain, vegetables and a verity of crops, as well as beef farming.
Drumheller Valley was renown as the home of the dinosaurs. As a child he and his younger brother would set up a booth every weekend to sell dinosaur bones and fossils as well as field crops and vegetables to tourist, and locals. He combed the hills for specimens of dinosaurs with his dad as a child.
He is proud to be from a home that has the world famous Royal Tyrell Museum .
Organizational Capacity :
Dale Merkel: Management of Construction Operations and Master Carpentry.
Dale is a dependable commercial construction manager, supervising and dedicating the implementation of safe working procedures and construction oversight.
Dale is proficient at organizing and monitoring materials supplies, delegating and assigning tasks to staff, workers and contractors alike, he spent many years in on site coordination and management. He managed as many as 100+ workers and 20 or more contractors on different projects.
Dale is a dependable commercial manager and supervisor dedicating the implementation of safe working procedures and construction oversight. Dale specializes in maintaining quality control and safety inspection’s.
He oversaw projects in the multiple millions of dollars.
He worked in Fort McMurray building and overseeing the Conoco Phillips Oil Refinery. Managed many commercial jobs in Calgary and throughout the province of Alberta such as Southland Leisure Centre, Many Totem Lumber stores, Care West Hospital facilities to name a few.
After high school, Dale attended Sait Southern Institute of Technology in Calgary, where he received his degree in Carpentry, Construction Management and Business.
Dale is a photographer and can seldom be seen without one of his cameras.
Dale was a volunteer in Emergency Response in Drumheller, was an Ambulance driver for many years, a Boy Scout Leader, and a Minor Hockey Coach. A member of the Lions Club in Alberta. An active participant in the Frank McKenna Society for Humanitarian projects, Dale accompanied others to Haiti, he built two homes for the poor. He actively partakes in the John Banovish Society for conservation of of wild animals in Kenya.
He played Badminton competitively and attended the Winter Games in 1986 and again in 1988. He was very athletic and participated in Basketball and Volleyball throughout his youth and adult life.
In 2007 Dale moved to Newfoundland and as President of Operations at Oceanview Estates, has overseen the construction of an 18 lot Oceanview and Oceanside Subdivision in Kippens, called Driftwood Drive.
He organized engineering and overseen the construction of a Commercial Industrial Building, two Model Homes, and several Executive Oceanside properties for his Vacation Rental Business.
Since 2015, Dale was appointed President of Operations of The Port of Stephenville and the adjoining Indian Head Industrial Park. The company has focused on the operations of the deepsea port facility and is in the process of reorganization, expanding from a focus on Port Operations to a vision on a set of targeted business operations. PHAL adopted a Trade Name in 2017, Port of Stephenville, “POS” operates year round under Port Harmon Authority Limited.
