THUNDER BAY – The Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre hosted the RBC Innovation Awards luncheon at the Valhalla Inn today to announce the winners and celebrate innovation in our region. Three RBC Innovation Awards were presented including Innovative Company of the Year, Innovative Project of the Year, and Innovation Hero of the Year.
One of the exciting and unique aspects of the RBC Innovation Awards are the innovative stories and presentations given by the winners. Great speakers have told their captivating stories that allowed the attendees to both laugh and be inspired.
The 2012 Winners are:
Barb Courte the award recipient in the Innovation Hero of the Year category. Barb Courte is one of Canada’s top women in the mining industry. She gives everything she can to her employees and continually adapts and evolves her companies to change with the new opportunities provided in the Thunder Bay region. She is a prime example of how someone can benefit from the opportunities in the Thunder Bay region while continually giving back to the local economy.
The Meaglow Semiconductor Research Reactor is the award recipient in the Innovative Project of the Year category for the ambitious development of a proprietary epitaxy growth process to develop nitride semiconductors. During the past 12 months they have gained global recognition for their efforts putting Canada, let alone Thunder Bay, on the map in the nitride semiconductor space.
Global Hydration is the award recipient in the Innovative Company of the Year category. A fast growing company, Global Hydration recently initiated a pilot project with First Nation communities in rural Manitoba to provide water purification equipment and training to create a sustainable source of clean drinking water. Global Hydration had sold their water treatment solutions around the world. They readily give back to the community and continually participate in joint research projects with Lakehead University.