A handful of regional individuals are the recipients of the yearly RBC Innovation Awards.
Sioux Lookout’s Brian Kaden Kanakakeesic, who is a self-taught blacksmith, took home the Young Innovator of the Year award.
Hero of the Year went to Kenora’s Lake of the Woods Brewing Company.
A Kenora IT company FSET Inc. that took home the Innovative Company of the Year award.
Here is the complete rundown of the 11th Annual RBC Innovation Awards:
Innovative Company of the Year: FSET Inc. FSET Inc. is an Information Technology and Service provider offering a wide range of IT solutions. Based out of Kenora, Ontario, FSET specializes in progressive technology-based solutions within the public sector including Law Enforcement and Healthcare. The company now has the first and only fully hosted solution to allow Canadian law enforcement to bring their office to their mobile screen.
Young Innovator of the Year: Brian Kaden Kanakakeesic. Brian Kaden is a self-taught blacksmith working out of Sioux Lookout forging specialty knives right in his own garage. At the age of 16, Kaden took it upon himself to learn knife geometry and the trade. Kaden often utilizes spare parts and scrap materials to make his creations – including making his own tools, such as his knife grinder. He now sells custom-made knives using a variety of steels.
Marvin Detweiler Advisor of the Year: Kevin Kalyta. Kevin holds years of experiences starting and scaling business in the food and hospitality sector. In the past year, Kevin has come in and graciously volunteered his time coaching and mentoring several Innovation Centre’s clients. He has been an incredible wealth of knowledge for entrepreneurs and staff – who have also been learning from Kevin’s financial acumen.
Innovation Hero of the Year: Taras Manzie, President & CEO of Lake of The Woods Brewing Company. Taras has built a business on “putting people and employees first.” Ever since the beginning in 2013, when Lake of the Woods started a Charity Pints program, they have been community minded. They have been leaders in Northwestern Ontario by being the first business in their community to eliminate plastic straws; they use team-building events to plant trees; and they offer free staff meals. Lake of the Woods has grown exponentially since its beginnings, has built a business that now employs over 125 people and has a community development record second to none.
Innovative Project of the Year: Spring Drain – TBT Engineering TBT Engineering was approached by CP Rail to provide an innovative solution to a problem that was occurring as trains traveled over areas where the track was laid on peat bogs. The product they created, called ‘Spring Drain’ is an engineered perforated, reinforced flexible pipe filled with crushed rock. This system provides a significant reduction in ground water pressure and increases the stability of the railway. To date TBT Engineering has treated 7 peat boils and installed approximately 450 ‘Spring Drain(s).’