Industry Media - Features
The year 2011 was a remarkable one for renewable energy in Canada. As hardship and crises plagued many of the world’s economies, a town in Nova Scotia celebrated the renewal of a manufacturing legacy that would spark national attention.
The co-founder and CEO of Urban Green Energy (UGE), Nick Blitterswyck, grew up with the great Canadian outdoors in his DNA. On Vancouver Island, where his parents were the caretakers of a nature reserve, he discovered his passion for preserving the awe-inspiring beauty of our earth.
In 2003, Australian Michael Humphreys started the Apricus Solar Company, at the outset of what would become a huge push towards renewable energy development. In 2005, Apricus Australia was launched under the guidance of Chris Taylor, whom GRO had the pleasure of speaking with to learn more about Apricus’ technology and progress—as the competition rises for solar hot water products around the world.
Ecotex has a motto—to “create raving fans” of customers. The company has been providing laundry and linen management services to hospitals, ambulatory care centers and medical facilities for more than 30 years, and in that time Ecotex has proven that the trust of their clients is built, not won.
Under the broad scope of waste management services, one company in Yellowknife, NWT, has learned how to take environmental waste management expertise to the next level. KBL Environmental, a company with firm northern Canadian roots, truly does it best for customers in the mining, oil and gas, government, industrial and commercial sectors.
With the healthcare sector in Canada seeing growing challenges every year, healthcare service providers must face a magnitude of obstacles in order to provide the best possible care to patients.
In Manitoba, a hotbed for trailer production, Arne’s enjoys a reputation for being at the top of its trade. Gerald Bouchard, president of the company, says: “We’re known for building the most robust field trailer on the market today. We use a high level of engineering to build the toughest trailer with the longest life out there.”
Whether for water, land or wind, AXYS Technologies focuses on tailoring its products to suit the requirements of its clients. These needs can cover a range of environmental areas, including marine technologies, hydrological applications and wind monitoring systems.
REDRIVEN POWER INC. was founded in Ontario in September 2007, and the company has seen its fair share of challenges. However, armed with a knowledgeable and growing staff, the company has stuck to its purpose of “supplying people with the knowledge and tools necessary to generate ecologically friendly electricity through the use of wind turbines.” - view here
ACADEMIA RFID IS THE world’s leading RFID centre of excellence, working hand-in-hand with an international network of universities, industry-recognized associations and technology partners offering trilingual RFID training and certification, research and development, and expert RFID services to public and private organizations interested in discovering and implementing RFID technology and practices. - view here
THE NEW BRUNSWICK Forest Products Association approximates that over 85 per cent of New Brunswick is forested land. While the forestry industry in Canada has shrunk over time, New Brunswick is very much reliant on the industry in order for the provincial economy to prosper. - view here
THE HYBRIDYNE STORY began with two friends sitting at a restaurant discussing the future. Thomas Cleland and Les Mac were both veterans of the technology industry, Cleland being involved in several leading edge technology and power quality companies over the years, and Mac having many years in high availability power in the data center and power quality industry behind him. The two enterprising friends met in 1999, when Mac was a client of Cleland’s. - view here
GREEN SUN RISING Inc., based in Windsor Ontario, has done something that most companies can only dream of: run a successful enterprise while educating the public about the reasons to care about renewable energy—and the company is thriving in both capacities. - view here
DYESOL, A WORLD leader in Dye Solar Cell (DSC) technology, was formed in 2004 in order to commercialize DSC technology that was being developed by STI, Greatcell Solar and EPFL. Since its early days, the technology has been integrated into a range of commercial product solutions, and Dyesol looks to expand DSC’s potential. view here
SINCE 2003, FORTUNE CP has built its reputation on offering sophisticated products for the renewable energy industries in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. The company is based in the UK and is primarily focused on the provision of solutions in solar, wind and bio-fuels. - view here
VERGNET EOLIEN, THE only French manufacturer of wind turbines, boasts over 20 years’ experience around the world in renewable energy development. Historically, the company’s primary business has been supplying water to rural areas, but like a true pioneer, Vergnet has continued to adapt to changing markets and has evolved to offer “original, pragmatic technologies adapted to their environment,” including growing the wind business. - view here
IN NORTHERN ONTARIO, access to reliable power is critical, for major cities and the smaller communities that are part of the cultural makeup of the province. Great Lakes Power Transmission (GLPT) is the key component of Ontario’s northern transmission system, connecting the northern and southern regions of Ontario. - view here
December 2011
BESTECH was created to address the industrial market’s needs for a system integration and industrial automation group of professionals. That group of professionals has helped the company to grow to be a recognized leader in the industrial automation market, and based on BESTECH’s advanced line of products and commitment to service, the company should see the same success for many years to come. - view here
While it is not necessarily a glamorous industry, waste water treatment is certainly a critical one. Bishop Water Technologies,located in Eganville, Ontario, has been a “sludge innovation company” since 1992. Originally an offshoot of Bishop Aquatic Technologies,this Canadian technology-focused company has one mission: to develop simple, cost-effective environmental solutions. - view here
Gary Anderson, CEO of 1,000 Islands Airboats, says: “Hovercrafts are good but when you bring them to northern conditions, the ice cuts the bag that keeps it afloat. And when you go from a hard surface, the ice, to a rolling surface, the water, where the bag has to work at 100 per cent to float the boat, sometimes it does not when the bag has ice cuts in it and the boat rolls over.” - view here
CanChem obtained its technology from Turbo Resources in 1989. Tobey Petersen, president of Canadian Chemical Technology, says: “The goal was to develop chemicals and processes to solve problems in the oil and gas industry. Since the mid-80s we have experienced enormous success with our products.” - view here
At that time, there was only one manufacturer of tree spades, and thenursery’s tree transplanting needs began to exceed this manufacturer’s capabilities. When the nursery was shut down during the winter months, the company began to design, develop and manufacture its own tree spade. And so, in the early 1980s, Dutchman Industries was born, and with it, the Dutchman Tree Spade. Today, the product represents the industry standard for tree equipment throughout North America. - view here
Starting life as Ber-Mac Electrical and Instrumentation, the company has been supplying electrical and instrumentation services, equipment and devices, both domestically and to international markets since 1980. view here
