ASK Prospecting and Guiding (ASK) as a company has evolved from an informal, family initiative that began many years ago in Benton with Allan Keats who was employed as a mineral prospector for such mining conglomerates as Noranda. His reputation was such that he was a well known and respected figure in the mineral exploration business. So much so that the precursor of this company was the subject of a CBC "Land and Sea" program done in 1992 about the mining and exploration industry. More recently, a German film company included a profile of recognizing a unique, niche business opportunity, Allan involved his sons, Suley and Kevin, essentially as freelancers in the prospecting field. Subsequently, in 1999, Allan and Kevin formalized their business arrangement into a corporate entity, ASK, Headquartered at Gambo.

ASK is an acronym for Allan Suley Kevin. Their main focus from the beginning was prospecting for minerals. However, under Allan’s initiative, the company expanded it’s interest to include providing hunting and fishing guides. Since then, the company has expanded to include such service as trenching and excavating, selling mining supplies, and cutting and polishing rocks.