Manager Profile: Ron Hyggen, CEO of Athabasca Basin Security

September 3, 2013 in People
Explorer: Fall 2013

Ron Hyggen started with Athabasca Basin Security as its CEO in February 2011. In the short time under
his leadership, the company more than doubled its revenues and tripled the number of employees, expanded into Alberta, and gained two notable clients. And there are no signs of this tremendous growth slowing down in the foreseeable future.

“You always have to be growing. If your company’s not growing, it’s dying.”

Ron Hyggen

Originally from Lac La Ronge First Nation, Ron began his career as a web developer with aspirations of becoming an IT teacher. After graduating from the University of Saskatchewan with an honours in Education, Ron got a summer job with the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) as a Technical Support Technician. During his time at SIGA, he quickly moved up to Director of HR Systems and Business Planning, where he was responsible for planning and implementing systems, policies and change management for HR functions. Ron also spent two years working as a Senior Consultant for Deloitte, where he provided consultation services with numerous national and international companies across North America. “My experiences at SIGA and Deloitte were invaluable learning experiences,” says Hyggen, “I knew that in order to continue my personal development I needed to have a good cross section of experience and that is what I set out to get.”

Ron has implemented numerous changes to Athabasca Basin Security. He started by focusing on building strong foundations– developing a strategic plan, formalizing HR processes, updating company branding, and hiring a talented management team to ensure the company had capacity for growth. He has also spent a lot of time developing and expanding the company’s product offering to become a full service security company specializing in industrial, resource, and mine site security across the country. “We’ve added a lot of services in the past few years that our clients really appreciate. Drug dogs, paramedic services, access control systems, and surveillance equipment –we work in partnership with our clients to deliver the best security products that are tailored to meet their needs.”

The decision to spend a lot of time building foundations before growing the company has paid off. The company’s client list reads like a who’s who of Saskatchewan resource industries, including Cameco, AREVA, Mosaic, Conoco Philips, Japan Canada Oil Sands, BHP Billiton, and most recently, Potash Corporation. The company has also expanded into Alberta, opening a regional office in Fort McMurray, and has plans to expand into Manitoba, BC, and Ontario. “We are constantly exploring new opportunities and improving our company and services for our clients,” says Hyggen, “and we have a lot of strong prospects in the near future. As a company, you always have to be growing. If your company’s not growing, it’s dying.”