Three Thunder Bay entrepreneurs have been honoured for their innovation at a luncheon on April 30.
The awards, given by the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre, are designed to celebrate innovation for business and community projects in the Thunder Bay area.
This is the first year the awards have been held. The winners were heart specialist Dr. Chris Lai, Cinevate Inc. and JustParts.com.
This year’s winners “speak to the future of where the North is going,” says Judy Sander, manager of the innovation centre.
Lai, a cardiologist at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, stands out as the only individual winner. He is the recipient of the innovator hero of the year award for his efforts to improve services for heart patients in the area.
“When I moved to Thunder Bay in 1992, I saw that there is a need; I saw that there was the opportunity to improve cardiac services in Thunder Bay,” says Lai.
He took advantage of the opportunity and started programs to help heart patients. He started Northern Hearts, an organization that assists people living with heart disease in northwestern Ontario.
The organization has programs such as the Northern Hearts retreat. On the four-day getaway, patients learn how to adjust to living with the disease. Lai also created Walk with Doc, which allows patients to walk in a local park while talking to a health-care professional.
Lai was also instrumental in making Thunder Bay the first non-research centre to carry the medication to break up blood clots during heart attacks.
“In a way, we are innovative and ahead of the curve,” says Lai.
His efforts are especially needed in Thunder Bay, which has the highest rate of heart disease in Canada, according to northernhearts.org.
“There is a need,” he says. “There is a very, very unique opportunity. Once in a lifetime, you can see the golden opportunity to help out people and if you don’t contribute to the community … who would do it?”
Cinevate Inc., a photographic lens company, is the winner in the innovative company of the year category. The company features a camera lens that makes digital video look film, which is higher quality. This allows amateur or independent videographers to capture film-like images, without spending the thousands of dollars extra on film technology.
“These things mean something to me as a person who’s trying to make a difference in his little sphere and the fact that we employee eight people and we bring in money to Thunder Bay that’s coming completely from outside,” says company founder and CEO Dennis Wood. “So being recognized for those things is important to me.”
JustParts.com is the winner of the innovation project of the year. The Thunder Bay-based site allows users to connect with each other to buy and sell auto parts online.
“We’re getting people from all over the world coming on buying and selling,” says JustParts.com CEO Michael Racco.
The site features Racco’s invention, which he calls the parts car tool.
“There’s nothing out there like it,” says Racco.
The tool allows buyers to see pictures, and soon video, of sellers’ vehicles. That way, buyers can easily see if sellers have the correct part for their car. This was difficult before because it wasn’t possible for sellers’ to list all the parts on their vehicles individually.
The site also allows users to see what parts are compatible with what vehicles – a service that was previously only available to auto parts dealers.
JustParts.com and Cinevate Inc. will go on to represent the region at the Northern Ontario Innovation Awards later this spring.
northernhearts.org
cinevate.com
justparts.com
