Lively/Walden Business History Archive page 4
Lively/Walden Business History Archive
Page 4 – N – R
NAPA
The Northern Academy of Transportation Training (NATT) is a pillar of vocational education in Northern Ontario. Its history began on September 11, 2001, when CEO and President Kevin Pattison founded NATT Safety Services in Lively, Ontario. Originally focused on industrial safety and specialized rescue training, the company was built on the mission of ensuring workers return home safely.
Recognizing a critical need for professional, accredited transportation training, the organization evolved into the Northern Academy of Transportation Training. Today, it is a registered Career College under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005. This status allowed NATT to expand its curriculum from basic safety courses to comprehensive professional programs, including AZ and DZ truck driver licensing and heavy equipment operation.
A key part of NATT’s history is its commitment to accessibility. To serve the vast geography of the province, the academy expanded beyond its Sudbury roots, establishing training centers in Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, Brockville, Vaughan, and Timmins. They also became industry leaders in providing on-site, customized training for Indigenous communities, bringing education directly to remote areas to remove barriers to employment.
Now part of the broader NATT Group—which includes NATT Safety Services and NATT Personnel Solutions—the academy offers a “full-circle” approach by providing safety training, licensing, and job placement. Despite growing into one of Northern Ontario’s largest private career colleges, NATT remains headquartered in Lively, staying true to its founding values of pride, quality, and community service.
NCI
Noreng
Normet
Northern Equipment
Northern Plating
Nucor
Outside store
Perfetto
Powerline
Powertel
PSL
QMD
Reliable
Reliable Industrial Supply is a family-run and operated business, founded in 1997 in the Lively/Walden area. Built on the principle of providing reliable service and practical solutions, the company began operations in a single warehouse with a very focused purpose: blending a specialized chemical formulation for one key mining customer. From the outset, the business emphasized responsiveness, technical expertise, and strong customer relationships.
As Northern Ontario’s industrial landscape evolved, so did Reliable Industrial Supply. The company gradually expanded its capabilities to support a broader range of industries, including mining, forestry, water treatment, and manufacturing. This growth led to the development of custom chemical blending, toll blending services, and bulk chemical supply designed to meet the region’s unique environmental and logistical challenges.
Today, Reliable Industrial Supply operates two fully operational warehouses, serves customers across Ontario, and employs over 15 people, while remaining firmly rooted in the community where it started. A major recent milestone was securing NOHFC funding to support the ActiveGel project, which brought manufacturing previously done in the United States back to Canada. This initiative created new local jobs and strengthened domestic production capacity.
Since 1997 from its origins as a small, family-run operation in Lively to a growing provincial supplier, Reliable Industrial Supply continues to focus on innovation, environmental responsibility, and supporting sustainable industrial growth in Northern Ontario.
Reliable Industrial Supply provides custom chemical blending and industrial chemical supply services to clients across Northern Ontario and Ontario. The company specializes in creating tailored chemical formulations, toll blending services, and bulk product distribution for industries such as mining, forestry, water treatment, and manufacturing. In addition to blending and processing, Reliable offers formulation support, quality assurance, and logistics solutions designed to meet the region’s geographic and operational challenges. The business is also committed to environmentally responsible practices, offering compliant and sustainable chemical solutions where possible.
Reliance
Rock-Tech