Meet Jeff Spence
Growing up on his family’s farm south of Maymont, Saskatchewan, Jeff Spence worked alongside his brother and sister to help his parents (who held down other jobs) complete tasks necessary for the farm’s success. These early lessons about community, hard work, and collaboration developed the values that would later shape his approach to business and leadership.
After earning his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan, Jeff moved to Calgary to work in the oil and gas sector before returning home his Saskatchewan roots. Saskatoon has been home for Jeff ever since, and where he is raising his four children: Jackson, Abby, Becca, and Kyle..
Jeff’s move to Saskatoon shifted his career focus to the mining sector. At Cameco’s Cigar Lake Mine Project, he was responsible for the design, procurement, construction, and commissioning of the process systems, including the site administration facilities. his work at Cigar Lake and on other Cameco projects is what led him to co-found what would eventually become Mainstay.
“Mining operations can’t just reassign people to project roles if it takes them away from the core work they do supporting ongoing operations,” Jeff says. “That’s what inspired our business. Mainstay partners with clients to support projects by filling key roles, such as project manager, engineer, or construction coordinator when they lack internal capacity. We fill these resource gaps by providing services to support development and ensure that shorter-term projects don’t impact operations.”
During Jeff’s many years working across northern Saskatchewan and Alberta, he saw many examples of Indigenous engagement and partnership done wrong; highlighting the importance of reconciliation. When the opportunity to partner with Buffalo River Dene Nation came up, Jeff saw the path to doing work the right way.
“When the opportunity came up for Mainstay to partner with Buffalo River, I saw opportunities for growth as an Indigenous-owned venture, but in a way more importantly, I saw a chance for a genuine Indigenous partnership that I think is one of the best ways forward.” – Jeff Spence
Jeff sees Indigenous ownership as more than just job creation; he sees equity positions as important investments in the community that provide a chance to participate in regional mining development in a meaningful way, with an active seat at the table through genuine partnership.
Mainstay’s motto is “Together, we thrive” Brad Pederson, an urban BRDN member who works as a professional engineer for Mainstay, describes it as a company dedicated to helping clients find solutions.
“I like to think that our clients of Mainstay when they have a problem or an issue because they trust us to get in there and work with them to find the best solution. i hope that Mainstay’s relationship with Buffalo River is the same; that we work together and do many great things.”
Brad Pederson – Urban member of BRDN and professional engineer for Mainstay
Mainstay is one of the first Indigenous-owned professional services firms specializing in engineering, project management, and construction support for Canada’s mining and industrial sectors. Mainstay’s experienced team of engineers and industry professionals deliver high-quality results by maintaining strong relationships with their clients.
Mainstay clients include: Cameco, Nutrien, NexGen, Fission, Orano, Mosaic, BHP, Teck resources, SSR, K+S
Mainstay at Nutrien Lanigan: Upgrades & maintenance
In October 2024, Nutrien shut down the Lanigan facility for four weeks to preform maintenance on their systems and make significant changes to the mill and mine equipment and processes. These shutdowns for maintenance and improvements are executed annually at all Nutrien sites.
The 14-member crew from O’Neil Project Management (now part of Mainstay) was a key part of the Nutrien team that had begun planning for shutdown in 2023, This included purchasing much of the equipment, materials, and services required to preform the work, managing the on-site work to ensure quality and safety standards, and then commissioning the newly modified systems.
Thanks to our team’s expert advice and hard work, Lanigan shutdown was reduced from ten to four weeks by shifting many activities off the critical path timeline of the shutdown. The team managed up to ~$50 million in capital projects on-site last year and has provided this service at Lanigan and other sites since 2016.
As a result of these many successes, Nutrien Lanigan has kept our team onsite for the next shutdown, scheduled for July 2025, and they have already begun putting plans together to achieve (and hopefully exceed!) targets.
find out more at mainstayreps.com
