What We Do
Willow-ICS organizes its work into six service pillars. Each pillar addresses a distinct set of challenges. Most engagements draw from more than one.
Economic Development & Opportunity Integration
Identifying, structuring, and moving opportunities to closure.
Many First Nations communities and organizations have opportunities sitting in front of them — partnership offers, procurement openings, joint venture proposals, funding programs — that do not move forward because there is not capacity to evaluate them, structure them, or push them to closure. Willow-ICS fills that gap.
Full Pillar DetailsServices within this pillar
- —Opportunity scanning and identification
- —Joint venture structuring with industry partners
- —Limited Partnership formation and equity participation strategy
- —Procurement readiness and supplier diversity strategy
- —Business case and feasibility study development
- —Funding pathway mapping (federal, provincial, industry, philanthropic)
- —Sales and marketing for Indigenous-owned ventures
Economic Migration Mitigation & Value Retention
Keeping economic value where it belongs — in the community.
When an outside contractor wins a contract on First Nations territory, or when a federal program funds a service delivered by a non-Indigenous firm, value flows out of the Nation and rarely flows back. Mitigating economic migration means designing strategies that capture, circulate, and retain that value.
Full Pillar DetailsServices within this pillar
- —Economic migration assessment
- —Value-retention strategy development
- —Procurement leverage analysis
- —Shared-services LP design
- —Business directory development
- —Indigenous procurement program implementation
- —Multi-Nation purchasing consortium structuring
Government, Industry & Community Liaison
Bridging three worlds that often misunderstand each other.
Willow-ICS sits between government program officers, industry procurement managers, and First Nations leadership — and helps each side speak to the others productively. This is the translator role that few consultants fill credibly.
Willow-ICS is not a law firm or financial advisor. Services in this pillar involve navigation and connection to qualified specialists, not legal or financial advice.
Full Pillar DetailsServices within this pillar
- —Impact Benefit Agreement (IBA) negotiation support
- —Consultation and accommodation processes
- —Industry-Nation partnership facilitation
- —Government program navigation
- —Funding application support
- —Legal and funding pathway advisory
- —Stakeholder engagement strategy
Community Engagement & Communications
Structured engagement through modern tools.
Engaging with communities, members, partners, and stakeholders requires more than good intentions — it requires structured systems that work at scale and move at the pace of Nation governance. Willow-ICS delivers those systems.
Full Pillar DetailsServices within this pillar
- —Community survey design and deployment
- —First Nation election campaign management
- —Newsletter and outreach systems
- —Social media strategy and content calendars
- —Community engagement platforms
- —Annual community impact reporting
Strategic Advisory & Document Production
Executive-level deliverables that move decisions forward.
The high-touch advisory work Darrel personally leads — decision packages for Chiefs and Councils, strategic plans, business cases, governance documents, and the kind of polished executive-level deliverables that move decisions forward in complex governance environments.
Full Pillar DetailsServices within this pillar
- —Strategic planning facilitation
- —Decision package preparation for Chief and Council
- —Board and governance document production
- —Recommendation memos and white papers
- —Initiative portfolio management
- —Multi-stakeholder workshop design and facilitation
Digital Operations & Technology Build
Full-stack digital agency capability for First Nation organizations and Indigenous enterprises.
Willow-ICS operates a full in-house digital agency — not outsourced, not subcontracted. This pillar delivers the technology infrastructure that makes every other pillar sustainable at scale: the systems that manage relationships, automate outreach, run campaigns, and keep operations running without requiring an internal tech team.
Full Pillar DetailsServices within this pillar
- —Custom website design and development
- —CRM platform build and configuration
- —Marketing automation and lead generation systems
- —Search engine optimization (SEO)
- —AI agents and workflow automation
- —AI training and voice/persona replication
- —E-commerce platform development
- —Mobile application development
- —Managed digital services and ongoing support
- —Digital strategy and technology roadmapping
Not sure which pillar fits your situation?
Most engagements draw from more than one pillar. A discovery call helps us understand your situation and identify the right approach.
Request a Discovery Call