Article Synopsis
This NPC article covers four Nanaimo manufacturers that received over $5 million through the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund, collectively expected to create at least 83 jobs. VMAC Global Technology received up to $3.4 million for electric vehicle compressor production (45 jobs). Niik Steel received $900,000 toward a $5 million structural steel expansion (26 jobs). Generating Resources for Tomorrow received up to $735,000 for waste soil and construction material processing (6 jobs, 100,000+ tons diverted from landfill since 2021). Rootside Provisions received up to $156,000 for a new vermouth and aperitif production facility (6 jobs). The article argues Nanaimo's manufacturing sector reflects the city's evolved industrial identity, supported by marine geography, industrial land, transportation infrastructure, and lower costs than the Lower Mainland. Workforce housing affordability is flagged as a constraint on continued growth, linking to a separate NPC piece on that topic.
What connects an apéritif, structural steel, remediated soil, and a rotary screw compressor?
At first glance, not a whole lot. But all four are products of Nanaimo manufacturers who recently received more than $5 million in provincial funding, and together they make a single argument: this city is still a place where things are made, and the people making them are worth investing in.
Where Grit Meets Growth
Nanaimo was built on grit. Coal mining, forestry, and heavy industry shaped both the economy and the identity. In the 21st century, that industrial character has not disappeared so much as evolved into something more diverse and, frankly, more resilient.
The BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund was created to help B.C. manufacturers modernize operations, expand production, and strengthen local employment. Four Nanaimo companies are among its recent recipients, collectively receiving more than $5 million in commitments toward projects expected to create at least 83 new jobs in the region.
That is a signal worth paying attention to.
Who Are Nanaimo’s Manufacturers?
The city’s industrial history is well known, but the current manufacturing ecosystem is considerably more diverse than most realize. Nanaimo’s companies produce construction materials, environmental technologies, fabricated metal products, specialty food and beverage, industrial equipment, and even Elvis Presley jumpsuits.
Many choose to scale here for practical reasons: strategic marine geography, industrial lands, transportation infrastructure, a strong trades base, and regional significance within Vancouver Island’s economy. Those conditions make Nanaimo increasingly attractive for companies looking to expand without the costs of the Lower Mainland.
The four companies supported by this fund each reflect some version of that logic.
VMAC
VMAC Global Technology has designed and manufactured mobile air compressors in Nanaimo since 1986. Their rotary screw compressors serve service trucks, utility fleets, mining operations, and commercial vehicles across global markets. The company received up to $3.4 million to establish a new 5,000 square foot production facility and increase capacity for lightweight compressors built for the commercial electric vehicle market. The expansion is expected to create 45 new jobs.
Niik Steel
Niik Steel fabricates structural steel for infrastructure and construction projects across British Columbia. A $900,000 commitment supports a broader $5 million capital expansion, including a new 8,000 square foot facility and increased fabrication capacity. The project is expected to create 26 new jobs at a time when demand for domestically fabricated steel is rising alongside major housing and infrastructure builds across the province.
GRT
Generating Resources for Tomorrow processes waste soils and excess construction materials into reusable aggregate products including coarse sand, pea gravel, and oversize rock. Since opening in 2021, the company has diverted more than 100,000 tons of material from landfill. Up to $735,000 in funding will support new equipment to increase production speed and expand the range of products GRT can offer, creating six additional jobs.
Rootside Provisions
Rootside Provisions, operating under the Esquimalt Vermouth and Aperitifs brand, produces vermouth, aperitifs, and cocktail bitters using botanicals sourced throughout British Columbia. Its Rosso vermouth received international recognition at the 2023 World Vermouth Awards in London. Up to $156,000 will support construction of a new production facility on a six-acre property outside Nanaimo, expected to triple capacity and create six new jobs.
What This Means for Nanaimo
Together, these four projects are expected to create at least 83 new jobs in the region. Manufacturing employment tends to generate demand well beyond individual companies, across supply chains, skilled trades, transportation, and supporting industries throughout the local economy.
That growth brings its own questions. As Nanaimo’s manufacturing sector expands, workforce availability and housing affordability are becoming increasingly important to the city’s long-term economic development. A city that keeps building its economy also has to build the conditions that let people afford to live and work in it. NPC has explored that challenge in depth in a recent piece on workforce housing pressures and regional growth.
Nanaimo’s industrial character did not end with coal and timber. It filled new boots. Some cities inherit their economies. Nanaimo keeps building its own.
