Thursday, January 17, 2008
Prince George Civic Centre

Congratulations to the previous 2006 Award Recipients!!

The ABORIGINAL BUSINESS AWARD sponsored by DUZ CHO REMOTE SITE SERVICES LTD. is presented by Chief Alec Chingee, Mcleod Lake Indian Band to

INTEGRATED POLE LTD.

Integrated Pole was established in 2003 to respond to the local need for high quality log production to meet the growing demand of the log home builders in the south cariboo area. Dee managed to get some financial support from a few agencies to lever his own funds to develop a home made bark stripping system to produce high quality finished logs for the log home builders. His innovation has rivalled any large production unit for speed and quality, resulting in rapid increase in demand for finished logs. The demand is such that he now has 4 staff and is developing a sanding system. The sander is of such innovation that forintek experts have stated it is beyond the capacity and understanding of the leading edge of the industry.

The idea simply came from demand and the need to produce higher volumes of high quality production logs to meet the huge demand for log homes being built and exported. The system design came from dee himself through experience and understanding the design needs of the system from a production need, rather than strictly an engineering process. The unit was then built in 100 mile house with the aide of local fabricators and design testing and improvement until the production speed and quality met his specifications.

The E-BUSINESS AWARD, sponsored by BELL CANADA is presented to:

DAN MARCOTTE - REMOTE LAW ONLINE SYSTEMS INC.

The E-Business Award signifies achievement in producing an it solution that has changed an industry and the north. Remote Law has done so. Their development was initiated by a Prince George lawyer that was convinced software could streamline the significant paperwork and data transfer process involved in home buying and selling. As a result, he was able to connect to TJ some 5 years ago to develop the idea framework. As a result of this work, the firm has managed to achieve exclusive rights to the entire BC online land title information and to develop a software that is now in operation to transfer all real estate documentation without the need of couriers or timely delays of finding transfer legal documents. In addition, the firm has grown from an idea to 12 full time staff now, a sub office in Vancouver and one in Vernon, and have started to make in roads to the UK market. Sales revenues have gone from zero to over 2k per day and are still growing. The development has included UNBC computing science which has resulted in collaborative R+D as well as the hiring of some 3 grads into the firm to date. In addition, the firm has raised over $2m in private financing from Vancouver groups and has just secured 500k from the federal government. We expect this software system with its security and land transfer capacity to advance to the point that utility address changes, as well as the entire mortgages process can happen in under one week without ever seeing a lawyer for buying a property!

The ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGY AWARD, sponsored by ALCAN PRIMARY METAL - BC is presented to:

REAPS - Recycling & Environment Action Planning Society.

REAPS was established in October of 1989 with the mandate of fostering environmental stewardship in the regional district of Fraser Fort George. The main focus is on waste reduction, by assisting the Regional District towards its goal in reducing the amount of waste going into the Prince George landfill by 50% plus. The REAPS program has contributed to reducing the human footprint on the local environment by reducing landfill requirements, by encouraging recycling and swapping, and by disseminating information about methods of addressing environmental degradation and improving both soil and air contamination.

The THE FOREST INNOVATOR AWARD, sponsored by DUZ CHO LOGGING is presented to:

SORIN SORIN PASCA, DR. IAN HARTLEY & DR. RON THRING OF UNBC

The Pine Beetle epidemic will leave vast areas of dead unharvested standing lodgepole pine. Present processes such as sawmilling and the manufacturing of oriented strandboard leaves about 20 percent of utilized wood unuseable; some fines or small fibres are the wrong size and shape for the osb process. Under the direction of Dr. Ian Hartley, Sorin Pasca's research project examines how to use sawdust from lumber production and fines from osb production and combine them with a cement to produce a wood-cement composite, a product found in use throughout the world. All wood contains sugars and extractives which inhibit the binding process, Sorin is experimenting storing the wood which improves compatibility between wood and cement. Sorin believes that the resulting products have potential uses indoors and out, in internal walls in place of gypsum board. He plans further tests for strength, durability, humidity resistance etc.

The COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AWARD, sponsored by UNBC is presented to:

DR. WAQAR HAQUE & O-NETRIX SOLUTIONS.

Dr. Hacue has taken the time to link with industry and help with software development expertise at UNBC. He has dedicated his time and that of 2 grad students to help a Williams Lake firm develop an accounting and maintenance software system for Gibraltar Mines which can also be used for any other above ground mining application. Without this collaboration the final product would have been limited in scope and would have had several bugs as the latest software platform to create the needed A1 would not have been used. Even though Dr. Haque was not able to produce a publishable paper on the work, he focused on the local needs to create a viable local technology for a local industry and small company. Dr. Hacqe was able to aid in the development of the software and by laying the foundation and applying his grad students and hand picked undergrad students was able to help the firm produce a saleable product that is currently running the Gibraltar Mine accounting and maintenance system. In addition, the firm has hired two of the grad students full time at the Williams Lake office and has hired 4 co-op students over the last year. As a result, Onetrix has grown from a firm of 4 people to a firm of 8 full time staff in just under one year.

The THE MANUFACTURING INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD, sponsored by KPMG is presented to:

BRUCE SUTHERLAND — NORTHERN BC MILL CONSORTIUM

Northern BC Mill Consortium currently involves the firms Woodpro, Wolftek, K2, CIF Construction and CNC. They are in the process of growing into 10 firms. The company started as a result of Export North and CNC's efforts with the Russian market in identifying opportunities for our forest goods under the CIDA development CNC had. This grew after some initial meetings and work with CMHC and Leading Edge BC putting in 25k for setting up a technical consortium. This initial boost was then levered with their own funds to pursue and receive several contracts in Russia and China to develop forest technology using the skills of all of the organizations in the consortium. They are now looking to South America to move this further forward while gaining help from Export North and Leading Edge BC.

The MENTOR AWARD , sponsored by PRINCE GEORGE FREE PRESS is presented to:

DR. CHARLES JAGO – PRESIDENT OF UNBC

Dr. Jago has worked for the last 10 years as President of UNBC and has always attested that UNBC is a University of the North in the north. His efforts have expanded UNBC facilities by double if not triple capacity in his tenure. His ability to create a medical school and technology programs to meet the needs of the north in the various locations of sub campuses is truly a northern innovation. The development of health and learning using live-feed cameras has enhanced the learning and the ability to interact for many students who would not be able to be educated in their isolated communities. Dr. Jago has taken these issues on and put an infrastructure in place that will serve our no northern communities long after his tenure. The fact he received the Governor General's award is not a surprise to us! Every post secondary student has been affected by his work and help for being able to receive university level education in the north. In addition, introduction of the medical program which is producing doctors here is a direct result of his work. The teaching and learning building will be the final act of his mentorship to enhance both teachers and students at UNBC not only in Prince George, but around the province.

The NORTHERN BC PROSPECTOR OR DEVELPER OF THE YEAR AWARD, sponsored by NORTHGATE MINERALS CORPORATION & KEMESS MINES is presented to:

IMPERIAL METALS CORPORATION

Imperial Metals is owner, developer and operator of the Mount Polley open pit copper/gold mine in central British Columbia. The company holds a 50% interest in the huckleberry open pit copper/molybdenum mine in northern British Columbia and owns the Sterling Gold Property in southwest Nevada. Imperial owns the Mount Polley property through its subsidiary Mount Polley Mining Corporation. The 19,307 hectare property (includes mining leases) is located 56 kilometres northeast of Williams Lake in central British Columbia, between Polley and Bootjack lakes. Imperial's active exploration programs include Mount Polley, and the Bear molybdenum/copper property in northern british columbia. The company regularly reviews availability of North American metal properties with the intent to identify new targets and opportunities for potential development. Discover/develop/operate -- reflects Imperial's business objectives and mindset, born from a proven track record in exploration, mine development and operations. The Imperial team is working towards the emergence of the company as a low cost, long term producer of base and precious metals.

The TECHNOLOGY & INDUSTRY NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR AWARD, sponsored by THE CITY OF PRINCE GEORGE AND INITIATIVES PRINCE GEORGE is presented to:

SCOTT WALTER— SCOTECH SYSTEMS INC.

Scotech Systems patented a new vacuum hose system, vacuum cleaner hose connectors, modular vacuum cleaner hose systems. This system transmits 4 lines of power over multiple connection "couplers" which can be added or removed to lengthen or shorten your hose. There are 4 completely new innovations implemented in this system.

Modular hose systems allowing a person to add or subtract lengths of hose depending on their requirements.
A revolutionary new "twist" together and apart system rather than the traditional push and pull method of connecting. This system is very quick, and takes very little effort to put together and take apart.
A double swivel in the centre of the hose. This eliminates any twisting and kinking of the hose.
A removable handgrip and couplers that give access to the centre of the hose. This feature allows easy access to clogs etc. It also makes transporting a hose (for built in vacuums) much easier with a shorter length of hose and without its handgrip swinging and banging into things. The handgrip may be left connected to the wand.

The TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTER OF THE YEAR AWARD, sponsored by COLLEGE OF NEW CALEDONIA is presented to:

BERNIE HILDEBRAND—EXTREME ACTION SPORTS

Extreme Action Sports has developed a new hybrid between a dirt bike and a snowmobile that has achieved a U.S. patent. The innovation deals with developing a track system that rolls with bumps through a series of calculated wheels that are under the track. These wheels act as shock absorbers and allow the recreational vehicle to travel at speeds of 70 mph over rough terrain with little problem. In addition, the vehicle has a patented design for the front suspension that enables the vehicle to lean into turns without lifting the opposing ski as is the case with snowmobiles. At a very minimum, Extreme Action Sports has helped create one new patent and one new technical hire. It is also lining up to deliver some $5 million in production revenues to the north as orders will be filled in northern BC and exported around the world.

The TECHNOLOGY PROVIDER OF THE YEAR AWARD , sponsored by THE APPLIED SCIENCE TECHNOLOGISTS & TECHNICIANS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA is presented to:

KEITH GOODE—SPATIAL MAPPING
and
ROBERT STARK—REMOTE SECURITY LTD.

KEITH GOODE—SPATIAL MAPPING:
Using innovation and core values of the firm, Spatial has been able to produce a new product using the web, GPS and mapping technology delivering mapping and mapping technology to forestry industry in northern BC. This year, the firm has developed a new technology that has altered the bus transport industry, especially for school buses. The innovation has been in the use of mapping and the internet and GPS. The result is a GPS unit on a school bus that sends a wireless location signature to the main server which in turn positions a signal on a scalable map on the web every 2 seconds. The result is a site in which a parent can access via a paid password to see a particular school bus and know when their bus is approaching their local stop. In this way, kids are not left standing in the cold for a bus without knowing when it is going to arrive. On the return trip, parents can see via a web site on their desk, or on a Blackberry, when their child is being dropped off. As of today, a test site with one private school in Calgary is proving very successful and will be used by other schools soon. In addition, other trucking firms and dispatching for vehicles will be pursued.

ROBERT STARK — REMOTE SECURITY LTD.
Remote Security Ltd. Markets a federal government approved high security lock and door system, designed specifically for explosive magazines. The unit is classified as a Unicue type 12 design, and is known as "the Stark Door," with the RS2002 Model High Security Lock System. This patented high security lock was reviewed and approved by the explosive regulatory division (E.R.D.) of Natural Resources Canada, the governing body for explosives safety. It was approved under the existing standards and again most recently under the new E.R.D. May 2001 storage standards for industrial explosives. To the best of our knowledge, the Stark Door and RS2002 High Security Lock System is the only model, other than the federal government model, to be accepted under these stricter 2001 standards. Stark doors and locks aided the recognition of the north as a centre for innovation and manufacture.

The TECHNOLOGY START-UP OF THE YEAR AWARD , sponsored by INNOVATION RESOURCE CENTRE is presented to:

SCOTT WALTER— SCOTECH SYSTEMS INC.

Scotech Systems patented a new vacuum hose system and vacuum cleaner hose connectors. Moving forward after seeing a need, understanding the risks and amount of devotedness required to peruse, develop and follow through with such a project requires a lot of entepreneurialism. Keeping an excitement and an eagerness to learn, being able to for see an end result, and willing to put all else aside to follow your dreams is part of the entrepreneurial spirit. Scott Walter, President, had to put aside his existing retail business to more or less run on its own in a difficult local economy to move forward with his goal of developing this larger scale industry. Tremendous research and constant learning have been used to bring this system to reality. Methodically each step has been researched and understood to develop this system. A lot of "sticktoitiveness" has been required to work through 3 years of milestones and development.

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