May 2022 Newsletter

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IN THIS NEWSLETTER

Upcoming events and opportunities

Exciting news from Navigate – Navigate Partners with EcoBloc

Entrepreneur Spotlight – Dawson Greene, Green Head Growers

Board Spotlight – Jennifer Shears, NaturaL boutique, Gros Morne Wildlife Museum, Navigate Board Member

In case you missed it – Recap and video link to our April Entrepreneur Ecosystem Coffee Break: Indigenous Entrepreneurship

Calling all mentors! How to connect with us!

 

UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

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Navigate presents: May Entrepreneur Ecosystem Coffee Break – Start-up support for International Entrepreneurs

Are you an international student or a new Canadian who is considering starting a business and are wondering where to start?

Join us this May 18th to learn about the many resources that are available to help you start a business in Canada while connecting with a network of entrepreneurs, mentors and support organizations that are here to help you succeed.

Our monthly Entrepreneur Ecosystem Coffee Break sessions offer a free informal platform for entrepreneurs to share insights and to connect with each other and with support agencies, experts and potential clients, all while promoting their businesses, products and services.

We look forward to seeing you there!

May 18 from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Please register in advance here!
This is a free online event.
In partnership with Spicer Facilitation and Learning

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NLOWE’s 2022 Virtual Conference

Check out the remaining events as part of this year’s NLOWE conference.page3image56449600

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Bounce Health Innovation Month

We’re very excited to announce that the inaugural Health Innovation Month will be taking place during the month of May!

Stay tuned to learn more about the events that will be taking place throughout the month!page5image56450368

You can also learn more by checking out the Health Innovation Month website at http://healthinnovationmonth.ca

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Tools to Schedule Your Social Media – Digital is DoAble

Free digital marketing tips and tools from Guide to the Good

Date and Time: May 11th 10:20 – 10:30am

Blurb – Social media is an important part of digital marketing, but posting can be overwhelming. Luckily, there are free tools that help make the job easier.

Join here!page5image56452288page5image56452480

EXCITING NEWS FROM NAVIGATE

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Navigate Partners with EcoBloc

EcoBloc, a Newfoundland and Labrador-based technology company, will start manufacturing its rodent exclusion product in Corner Brook, NL, this spring/summer.

“I grew up in Corner Brook. I know we have talented people living here and away who would like to return home for the right opportunity,” said Jason Trask, CEO of EcoBloc.

EcoBloc’s military-grade technology uses ultrasonic sound to keep mice, rats and other rodents out of buildings, stopping the problem before it begins. The company started at the beginning of the global pandemic and has clients in Canada, the United States, Australia and Hong Kong.

“We are thrilled with the results our early clients have experienced – more than 99.99% efficacy,” said Mr. Trask. “We are currently talking with some of the biggest companies in the world about adopting our technology globally.”

EcoBloc has been in discussions with Navigate manager Allison Rowe for the last several months looking for ways to collaborate.

“Navigate is very eager to support this exciting business venture right here in Western NF,” said Ms. Rowe. “We look forward to working with EcoBloc over the coming months to help them further develop and grow their business and are excited to welcome them at the new Business Incubator and Makerspace located at the new Centre for Research and Innovation in Corner Brook.”

In the short term, EcoBloc is committing to manufacturing only in Corner Brook.

“We are in discussions with companies in North America, and Asia regarding our permanent manufacturing facility,” said Mr. Trask. “We want our permanent manufacturing base to be Corner Brook, but we need to be confident that we can attract the talent, and keep costs globally competitive before making that decision.”

Regardless of manufacturing outcomes, EcoBloc will conduct all its R&D for future products in Corner Brook, including the AI-based software that will complement its IoT (Internet of Things) products.

EcoBloc is currently looking to hire and contract with skilled engineers and technicians, specifically positions for an Electronics Technician, Embedded Software Developer, and Electronic Hardware Engineer.

“Whether you are a recent post-secondary graduate or you have been in the workforce for years, we are interested in speaking with you,” said Mr. Trask. “The first batch of units we make in Corner Brook are destined for the Hong Kong market.
EcoBloc is a great place for someone interested in working for a startup that is committed to improving the environment, human and animal health, and global food security. Anyone interested can reach out to Erin at [email protected].

 

NAVIGATE ENTREPRENEUR SPOTLIGHTpage8image62675872

Navigate Business Entrepreneur Internship participant Dawson Greene, who owns and operates Green Head Growers, is the subject of our Navigate Entrepreneurship Spotlight this month. Located in Mainland on the Port au Port Peninsula, Green Head Growers uses hydroponic systems in two greenhouses.

Navigate: Tell us a bit about your company!

DG: We are an agriculture company specializing in hydroponics. We currently have two greenhouses. One is just for the summer, where we test different varieties of plants. The other, which we just opened, is a commercial greenhouse, capable of producing 15,000 heads of lettuce each year. We’re producing about 1,000 heads per week at the moment – five or six different types of lettuce and leafy greens, the majority being Romaine lettuce.

Navigate: What are your main objectives?

DG: We started this business to create jobs and boost the economy for our community. In addition, we realized that the quality of produce in our province isn’t the best and would like to ensure that our people have access to high quality, fresh produce.

Navigate: What is your promise to your clients?

DG: Our lettuce crop is grown without the use of soil; therefore, there is no E. coli or other types of bacteria to contend with – only water and nutrients. We are trying to be as organic as we can, and to provide competitively priced, fresh produce all year long.

Navigate: Who are your clients?

DG: We see our customer base as local. We’re currently trying to determine distribution. The plan is to sell as much locally as possible, through farmers markets, and perhaps through local grocery stores.page10image56456320

Navigate: What advice do you have for entrepreneurs who are just starting out?
DG: Find something you enjoy doing and keep trying to make it work. It is worthwhile to check out Navigate – their internship program provides an opportunity to meet with other entrepreneurs and learn about funding programs. Potential entrepreneurs, Grenfell and CNA students, should stop by and get to know manager Allison Rowe and the others involved in the program.

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NAVIGATE BOARD SPOTLIGHT

 page11image62680656page11image62683568Navigate Advisory Board Spotlight: Jennifer Shears

A wildlife museum, a seal fur shop, accommodations galore and inshore commercial fishing – all aspects of Jen and Kerry Shears’s very busy entrepreneurial profile. We asked Jen, a member of the Navigate Advisory Board, to share a little bit about her endeavours and thoughts on entrepreneurism.

What is your role with Navigate and why do you want to be involved?

I’m a board member with Navigate, so I help provide advice and direction for its programs and initiatives. I am happy to be involved because entrepreneurship is a very important component of our rural economy. It can be daunting though, so I’m hoping my knowledge and experience will contribute to supports that allow local entrepreneurs to thrive.

Tell us how your business got started.

My husband (Kerry) and I are two different types of entrepreneurs. Kerry has always had entrepreneurship in his veins. He knew from the age of three that he wanted to be self-employed, and his parents tell many stories of him selling and flipping items throughout his childhood. I was set with a good government job at a very young age and didn’t really have a desire to be a business owner, but sometimes the demand for a product or service is so obvious that you have to act on it.

Kerry and I started dating at 15, and after college he worked for an outfitter as a hunting guide. He learned that the wait time for a taxidermist on the island was two years, so he went to a taxidermy school in Calgary and opened a studio here in the busy tourist town of Rocky Harbour. Visitors were fascinated by the taxidermy and they loved coming into the studio to see the mounts, and that led to us opening the Gros Morne Wildlife Museum in 2009. It consists of dioramas featuring Newfoundland wildlife and habitats. The gift shop contains renewable resource- based products like fur clothing and antler carvings. The seal fur products were in high demand, so in 2012, we opened a store on Water Street in St John’s called NaturaL boutique, which has grown to include Christmas pop-up locations and retailers across the province and in Alberta.

Visitors to the museum also made us aware of a shortage of tourist accommodations in the area. In 2010, we opened three hotel-style rooms, and since then we’ve built our accommodations offer to over 50 cottages and suites in Rocky Harbour. In 2021, we purchased a commercial fishing licence, and we are working on incorporating aspects of that into our offer.

What are some successes/achievements you would like to share?

The main success I’ve achieved through these business ventures is the ability to be gainfully self-employed, and have a lifestyle that is largely on my own terms and (busy) schedule. Showing our eight-year-old daughter the benefits (and struggles) of hard work is a valuable life lesson for her as well. It’s also rewarding to be able to provide employment opportunities for people, and contribute to the viability of the rural economy and renewable resource-based industries.page13image56458432

What is your vision for growing entrepreneurship in western Newfoundland?

Mentorship and community are important aspects of growing entrepreneurship. Nobody knows everything, but the more connections people have, the more accessible information and tools become. The more we can help foster opportunities for new entrepreneurs to learn from experienced ones (and vice- versa), the stronger the community will be.

Do you have any advice for new entrepreneurs?

  • Profit margins and overhead costs will make or break you. You can have the best idea in the world, but if you can’t create/purchase and sell at a price that yields adequate profitability it won’t be financially viable.
  • For any large purchase or investment, reach out to government departments, financial institutions, and entrepreneurship centres to see if there is existing financial or in-kind support that you can avail of. Funding and support sometimes exist for unexpected things.
  • Make sure your business endeavours align with your core values and beliefs. As with life in general, we are more effective and sustainable as entrepreneurs when we are our authentic selves and we love what we are doing.

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

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April Entrepreneur Ecosystem Coffee Break – Indigenous Entrepreneurship

This April, we were honoured to welcome special guests from Ulnooweg, Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation, Grenfell Campus, the Newfoundland and Labrador Indigenous Tourism Association (NLITA), the Nunatsiavut Government, Futurpreneur and local entrepreneurs to discuss Indigenous entrepreneurship and business practices. Some of the topics we covered during the session included:

• What it means to be an Indigenous entrepreneur

• How culture helps shape Indigenous businesses

• Resources to help Indigenous entrepreneurs start or grow a business

• Advice for conducting business with Indigenous companies from a cultural sensitivity perspective

• Local Indigenous business success stories

The discussion was very informative and filled with meaningful information and insights into Indigenous cultural and business practices. Some of the key takeaways from the conversation included the importance of the following:

1. Storytelling

Storytelling or “unikkausik” (as it is called in the Inuttitut dialect) is central to Indigenous business practices, as Indigenous cultures are deeply rooted in ceremony and Oral Traditions that are passed down from one generation to the next to sustain and preserve culture.

2. Differentiating Between Various Indigenous Cultures

Another key point to consider from a cultural sensitivity perspective when doing business is the importance of understanding the differences between various Indigenous groups. Each group is shaped by its own unique history, culture and Oral Traditions, and what may be common practice for one, may not be for another.

3. Respecting Elders

The importance of respecting elders, following proper protocol and deferring to their guidance and wisdom was also underlined.

4. Deliberative Democracy

The practice of “deliberative democracy” – a steady and deliberate decision- making process that aims to understand and consider the perspectives and interests of all members was also highlighted as being central to collective decision-making processes.

5. Key Values

The importance of values like authenticity, honesty, humility and truth was also evident throughout the discussion.

6. Relationship Building and Understanding Your Why

Yet another salient point was that when reaching out to Indigenous groups to do business or to partner on an event or activity is it very important to understand your why, as invitations made to ‘check a box’ may be perceived as cultural appropriation. If inclusivity and fostering relationships is the aim, invitations are most welcome. As one speaker put it when quoting from Shawn Wilson’s

book Research is Ceremony, “Relationships don’t just shape Indigenous reality. They are the reality.”

7. Preserving Culture and Nature for Future Generations

Other advice for Indigenous and non-Indigenous entrepreneurs starting up? Always ask yourself how your actions represent and preserve culture for current and future generations, because as the well-known proverb goes, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

Watch the video now to learn more about Indigenous entrepreneurship and the many supports that are available to help you start or grow your business.

The April coffee break also provided local entrepreneurs and support organizations an opportunity to connect and to highlight their businesses and programs including:

Entrepreneurs

Carmelita Morgan, Carma Yoga with Carmelita Morgan, Deer Lake

Offering yoga classes and retreats in the Deer Lake / Pasadena area. Also available to present at retreats, conferences, or workshops. For details, contact Carmelita at [email protected] or https://carmayogadotca.wordpress.com/ or https://m.f acebook.com/carmayogawithcarmelita/.

 

Edwina Bateman, Avail HR Training Solutions, Port aux Basques

From empowering employees to customized leadership development, Avail provides a learning experience that will assist organizations to break through communication barriers to build a happier, healthier and more engaged workplace. For more information contact Edwina at [email protected] or 709-694-3513 or visit www.availhr.com.

 

Gertrude Bradbury and Julia Byrne, Locke’s Electrical, Corner Brook

Locke’s Electrical Ltd. is a multi-disciplined firm which specializes in the project management and construction of Electrical, Civil, Distribution, and Transmission Infrastructure. Gertrude can be reached at [email protected]. Julia can be reached at [email protected].

 

Ivan J. White, Abadak Wilderness Adventures, Flat Bay and Indigenous Community Liaison, MUN-Grenfell Campus
Creating platforms and telling the stories of Mi’kmaw people, their heritage, and their history on the island of Newfoundland. For more information contact Ivan at [email protected] or visit www.facebook.com/AbadakWilds

 

June Farnsworth, Spirit Horse Therapeutic Arts, Port au Choix

Coming soon! Local gallery and gift shop with unique locally produced artisan products, experiential workshops, and retreats. To learn more contact June at [email protected]

 

Lynn Kendall, Appalachian Chalets & RV and Wayward Spruce, Corner Brook, and Assistant Professor, Program Chair – Business Administration, MUN Grenfell Campus
Step out of your self-contained chalet or RV, hop on your snowmobile, ATV and hit the trails. Our location offers direct access to hundreds of kilometres of adventure on snowmobile, ATV and hiking trails. Also, located on-site, come dine at the Wayward Spruce is open for home-made burgers, hand cut fries, local fare and more! For details
visit https://appalachianchaletsrv.ca/ and https://www.facebook.com/waywardspruce or contact Lynn at [email protected]

 

Mireille Sampson, User-Friendly web Design, Corner Brook

Mireille is a UX Designer and Webflow Developer who recently moved back to Western NL from the UK to launch her new website design business. For details, contact Mireille at [email protected] or visit https://www.userfriendlywebsite.design/.

 

Penny Lambert, Western Driving School, Corner Brook
Providing driving instruction throughout Western NL. Penny can be reached at [email protected].

 

Richard Lewis, Founder & President, Indigrow, Happy Valley-Goose Bay

Richard provides facilitation and business management supports to Indigenous organizations. Richard can be reached at [email protected] or 709-899- 4613. For more information visit www.indigrowbusiness.ca.

 

Trina Reid, Under the Stump Inc., Rocky Harbour

Under the Stump is a family-owned and operated business which takes visitors on guided tours of the Gros Morne are. The walking and storytelling tours offer insights into the life, struggles, and traditions of a family with Indigenous roots. Trina can be reached at www.underthestump.com. Cultural tours and Designs by Scott (Artisan soaps, candles, etc.)

 

Support Organizations

Andrew Hibbitts, Horizon TNL (formerly RDÉE TNL), Mainland

Horizon TNL provides support to francophone and bilingual entrepreneurs. Contact Andrew at [email protected].

 

Angela Brockway, Qalipu First Nation, Corner Brook

Ang is the Manager of Tourism and Community Development for Qalipu. She can be reached at [email protected]

 

Arlene Blanchard-White, and Nicole Travers, Ulnooweg, Stephenville

Ulnooweg provides support to Indigenous entrepreneurs. For more information contact them at [email protected] and [email protected] respectively.

 

Brent Decker, Department of Industry, Energy and Technology, Corner Brook

Brent is an Economic Development Officer with the Government of NL. He can be reached at [email protected].

 

Carla May, NLOWE, Corner Brook

Carla is the Start-Up Advisor for Western Region with NLOWE. She can be reached at [email protected]

 

Caroline Swan, Newfoundland & Labrador Indigenous Tourism Association

Preserving and promoting indigenous culture, knowledge and places in NL. For more information visit www.nlita.net or contact Caroline, NLITA Executive Director at [email protected] or 709-220-6915.

 

Jillian Larkham, Ruth Jacque, and Jillian Mitsuk, Nunatsiavut Government, Happy Valley-Goose Bay/Postville/Hopedale
Jill, Ruth and Jillian work with the Department of Tourism and can be reached at [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected] respectively.

 

Lezley McCarthy, Qalipu First Nation, Corner Brook

Lezley is the Business (Community) Development Officer. She can be reached at 709-634-5479 or [email protected]

 

Owen Bursey, Grenfell Campus, Corner Brook

Owen is the Indigenous liaison for the Grenfell Marine Biomass Innovation Project. Owen can be reached at [email protected].

 

Peter Howell, Industrial Research Assistance program (IRAP), National Research Council of Canada (NRC)
Peter is available to speak to entrepreneurs about funding opportunities available through the National Research Council of Canada. He can be reached at [email protected] or 709-722-7858.

For more information on programs and services
visit: https://nrc.canada.ca/en/support-technology-innovation

 

Robert Thomas, Qalipu First Nation, Corner Brook

Robert is the Experience (Tourism) Development Officer. He can be reached at 709-634-4397 or [email protected].

 

Robyn Drodge, MUN, St. John’s

Robyn is the Educational Support Coordinator for the MUN Faculty of Business Administration.

 

Scott Andrews, Futurpreneur Canada, St. John’s

Scott supports young entrepreneurs throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Scott can be reached at [email protected] For more information about their programs including the Futurpreneur IESP (Indigenous Entrepreneur StartUp Program) visit www.futurpreneur.ca or www.futurpreneur.ca/en/indigenous

 

Stanley Oliver, Labrador Office of Indigenous & Northern Skilled Trades, Happy Valley-Goose Bay
Stanley is the Indigenous Manager and can be reached at [email protected]

 

Yvonne MacDonald, Qalipu First Nation, St. George’s

Yvonne is an employment officer with the Department of Training and Education. She can be reached at [email protected]

 

Thank you again to everyone who attended this session! We look forward to connecting with you during our next virtual coffee break on May 18!

Carole and Allison

 

Navigate is recruiting mentors!

Eligibility Criteria and Expectations:

  • Looking for mentors with 5+ years entrepreneurship experience or 10+ years corporate experience in a pivotal role
  • Available to work with an entrepreneur mentee for a minimum of 4 hours per month
  • Willing to work with a mentee to set goals and expectations in addition to providing knowledge, advice, networking connections, etc.
  • Agree to provide feedback and updates to Navigate Manager on the progress of the mentee and goals and targets attainedFor more information, contact Allison Rowe at [email protected] to become a mentor with Navigate.

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