the area. This instance is exemplary of the company's longstanding devotion to providing the best, most comprehensive service to its Aboriginal customers (Cando, 2012). Learning from Experience: Projects, Partnerships, and Investments The Fort Frances project demonstrated the need for Abenaki to expand to different parts of Canada, leading to a partnership with Hudson's Bay in Ottawa. Abenaki made inquiries into whether or not Hudson's Bay would be willing to let Abenaki use its fully stocked computer labs across Canada. This request was approved with the provision that Abenaki sell IBM computers and Microsoft software to its clients. The Abenaki- Hudson's Bay partnership was crucial in furthering Abenaki's growth, providing the company with a national presence throughout Canada. The Fort Frances contract also highlighted the need to provide on-site training at any location. As a result, Abenaki placed a newfound emphasis on mobile training, with the company now having three mobile computer labs that can be shipped anywhere and set up in minutes. Abenaki also negotiated with Basic Software Group (BSG) to become an Accpac Accounting Software reseller for First Nations across the country. Accpac Accounting was ultimately sold to Sage Software, which remains one of the company's most significant and high-profile partnerships. Another contract was cemented with James Bay Cree First Nation in Quebec. Abenaki visited the community for an evaluation and subsequently signed a contract in Montreal. That contract included a major installation of networks, IBM servers, and work stations all operating MS-DOS and MS-DOS Software from Microsoft and Corel. Other clients include Samson Cree Nation, which required a solution that included more than 200 computers and an automated voting service for the Council, as well as the United Steelworkers who wanted to automate searching for their arbitration cases (Cando, 2012). Furthermore, financial assistance from Atlantic Canada's Opportunities Agency's (ACOA) Business Development Program was key to their effort to modernize their management software into a web- based format. ACOA contributed $100,000 - more than half the project cost - to the company (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, 2011)