Minga

Month: January 2025

Minga

Written by Crew Marketing

After working in California for the early part of his career, Jason Richards moved back home to the Okanagan Valley in 2008 to launch his first business, Vineyard Networks. He originally planned on settling in Vancouver; however, government programs supporting Kelowna entrepreneurs drew him back to the Central Okanagan.

After selling his first company in 2013 to a California based technology company, Richards launched Minga in 2018, capitalizing again on the community in the Central Okanagan and the enviable lifestyle Kelowna offered.

“The motivation to start Minga came from my own kids’ school experience,” explains Richards. “My kids were all great students, but there were still so many opportunities available to them through school, like clubs or extracurricular programs, that they didn’t even know existed.”

Minga’s journey involved a few years of exploratory work to learn more about the K-12 school system and how they could improve student engagement and participation using social media style tools. In 2020, Richards beat out 44 other startups to win the Okanagan Angel Summit, which secured $155,000 in angel investment for the company.

“One of the nice things about being a Founder in Kelowna is that it’s big enough to have access to what you need day to day, but small enough to be connected to everyone in the community that you need to be,” notes Richards. “Most people are invested in making the Okanagan a great place to live and do business, which is a huge competitive advantage.”

While Minga’s early discovery was primarily done in Canada, it quickly became clear they had to evolve the vision and the market.

“After visiting schools across the United States, we saw a rapidly increasing need for campus management and student safety,” notes Richards. “To achieve the goal of students wanting to be on campus, we first had to work on the basics.”

While engagement remains at the core of Minga’s vision, features like managing student movement on and around campus, improving student behavior, and overseeing events and activities have become the core of Minga’s Campus Management Platform, which is currently being used by over 1,000 schools in 500 districts in the US.

The Minga team, which has grown from 18 people and 100 schools at the beginning of 2023 to nearly 50 people and more than 1,000 schools in 2024, continues to mature, improving its processes so the company can scale more effectively and efficiently.

The Minga head office is located downtown in Kelowna’s Innovation Centre, allowing team members to stay well-connected with people in the community. The location is ideal, as it has facilitated easy access to Accelerate Okanagan, which offers numerous resources for startups in the region.

Though most of Minga’s current clients are in the US, Richards says he “cannot think of a better place [to build his company] or have better balance anywhere in North America.” He notes that the Central Okanagan’s lifestyle, which includes easy access to lakes, mountains, and other outdoor adventures, is critical for the overall mental health of his team, which is the cream of the crop.

Thanks to this quality of talent, Richards notes that investors from around the world are blown away when they come to visit Minga’s offices. The robust team of experienced people Richards has assembled will drive Minga’s success as the company continues towards their vision of supporting 5,000 schools and five million students in the next few years.

“The support we got from the community was amazing,” says Richards. “We had early angel investors, advisement support, some amazingly talented people. Everything just lined up, and we gathered critical mass in Kelowna.”


“Our theme for this year is “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” inspired by the Daft Punk song—we’re looking to be 10% better in 10 areas,” says Richards of his team’s work.

TerraSense Analytics

Written by Crew Marketing

The founders of TerraSense Analytics, which was originally launched as part of a local forestry company, had planned to use drones and artificial intelligence to detect trees that needed to be chopped down. However, in 2018, TerraSense President & Chief Technology Officer, Jozsef Hamari, attended a seminar at UBC Okanagan’s Survive and Thrive Applied Research (STAR) lab, where Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) set out a list of challenges through its Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) Program.

Through the program, which was designed to improve the Department of National Defence’s access to the creative potential of Canadian innovators, TerraSense pitched its software idea alongside 65 other companies; it was one of only a dozen or so companies selected in the first stage and was awarded $200,000 to pursue research and development of its intelligent surveillance and monitoring solutions.

“We are a defence-first tech startup that uses AI/ML (Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning) to build software to help recognize objects in multiple modes, edge computed in real time, for defence and security operations. It is inevitably quite technical,” explains TerraSense CEO, Mike McGinty, whose extensive military background was a welcome addition to the company. “It’s very niche, very specific, both in terms of domain and technology.”

Since 2018, TerraSense has been focused on creating intelligent surveillance and monitoring solutions using computer vision and deep learning technology.

Through additional IDEaS program funding and a $1 million DRDC Innovation contract with Transport Canada, TerraSense continued its upward trajectory.

In its initial years, the company was researching and developing two different proprietary products: Multi-modal Input Surveillance and Tracking (MIST) software, which leverages AI and sensor fusion in aerial surveillance, and Corona Remote Wireless Network (CRWN), which focuses on utility transmission systems.

With little technical overlap between the two products, CRWN was spun off into its own company about three years ago, leaving TerraSense to maintain its focus on defence and security applications through MIST.

In May 2022, the company was awarded an additional IDEaS program contract, the largest in the program’s history, valued at a record $8.976 million dollars, to further its development of MIST.

“Since then, we’ve received an additional $2.8 million and we are one of only 3 companies that have gone to the culmination stage of the IDEaS process,” notes McGinty. “This has allowed us to be funded to build product but also to build relationships with DND and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).”

TerraSense now also has relationships with some of the defence and aerospace industry’s largest multinational companies—including General Dynamics Mission Systems, Thales, BAE Systems, Raytheon— with whom it conducts R&D for products to enable Canadian and allied defense.

Along with its strong and supportive relationship with UBC Okanagan, which includes not only research but also recruiting staff and working with co-op students, TerraSense is also connected to KF Aerospace, with McGinty noting that “many people in the Valley probably don’t realize how big of a deal KF is in national terms.” The company has also benefited from Accelerate Okanagan’s tech ecosystem, as well as the presence and connectivity of the Kelowna International Airport.

“We make a big play of the lifestyle in the Central Okanagan, as there are lots of good reasons to live in the Valley,” explains McGinty of attracting talent to its team, which has now grown to around 30 full-time employees. “We pay a “fun bonus” quarterly to encourage people to buy their ski pass [or] buy a paddleboard. It’s meant to be seen as a lifestyle-supportive allowance for coming to the Valley.”

In its pre-commercial phase, TerraSense has started to have engagements and discussions in the UK and Australia, and the company is in the initial stages for discussion with the US market. The company will remain Kelowna-based, continuing to grow and contribute to the region’s ever-changing business ecosystem. Through its relationships and global presence, TerraSense will continue to showcase its innovative product and coherent business vision, brought to life by its most important asset: its team members.

“The existence of UBC Okanagan was a factor [in launching the business in the Central Okanagan] because it allowed incubation, acceleration, and support, and the prospect of talent and researchers,” says McGinty. “Also, the fact that there is also an emerging tech sector…all those things make it possible [to run our business] in a way that perhaps would not be possible in other parts of rural BC. The ingredients are here.”

Quails’ Gate Estate Winery

Written by Crew Marketing


As pioneers in the Central Okanagan’s agriculture and viticulture communities, the Stewart family’s legacy began in 1908 when horticulturist Richard Stewart Sr. emigrated from Ireland. After establishing one of the region’s most successful nurseries, Richard passed the torch to his son Dick, who planted the family’s first grape vines in 1961.

In 1989, Dick’s son, Ben Stewart, and Ben’s wife Ruth went on to found Quails’ Gate Estate Winery. Since then, Quails’ Gate has become a leading producer of BC Vintner’s Quality Alliance (VQA) wines, earning accolades over the years in national and international wine competitions. At the 2024 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada, the winery was awarded 15 medals, including 1 Platinum and 4 Gold, putting them at #4 in the Top 10 Wineries in BC.

Since founding the winery, the Stewart Family has purchased additional vineyards and established additional brands, which they brought together under the BACAS Family Wines portfolio that now includes Quails’ Gate, Plume, and Lake Sonoma Winery. The family’s passion and commitment to delivering exceptional quality wines, while supporting the community and being good stewards of the land, is second to none.

“We have been leaders in the development of Canadian viticulture practices, but we couldn’t have done this alone”, says BACAS Family Wines President & CEO, Jennifer Cudlipp.

It is thanks in part to the “ecosystem of talent” Cudlipp refers to that so many businesses have grown and evolved in the Central Okanagan. There has been immense demand for Okanagan Valley wines, particularly in the last couple of decades, creating career opportunities that allow people to grow within the region.

“Post-pandemic, we’ve seen people moving to the Okanagan wanting more space and to enjoy the great parts of the region, with more balance than they might get in the Lower Mainland”, notes Cudlipp. “The fact that the Okanagan Valley is truly a four-season paradise and an incredible place to live, work, and play makes attracting new talent to the region an easy sell.”

The Valley is not only a fantastic place to live — it is also home to fertile ground, making it a premier grape-growing region. The Quails’ Gate team has researched the best selection of vines for the region and the best techniques to grow them. The winery has some of the most mature vinifera plantings—a common European grape that is the primary source of old-world varietals—in all of Canada. They also have the most extensive selection of mature Dijon Pinot Noir clones, which were the first official French clones of Pinot Noir to be available beyond France, named after a town in Burgundy.

“Part of our ongoing commitment to quality and innovation is reflected in our vineyard management”, explains Cudlipp. “After two years of winter damage, we are replanting several of our key blocks while we introduce the latest clones of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and others, ensuring our wines remain at the forefront of quality and taste.”

This ability to be nimble, move quickly, leverage global wine community connections, and invest in planting new vines right away sets Quails’ Gate apart and will contribute to the winery’s ongoing success.

As a leader in sustainability and environmental stewardship, Quails’ Gate takes a holistic approach to grape growing, incorporating practices that include drip irrigation to conserve water, sowing cover crops, and enriching the soil with compost and organic fertilizers.

In 2023, the winery announced its estate certification by Sustainable Winegrowing BC, which recognizes and encourages environmentally and socially responsible practices in the province’s wine industry. This complements the winery’s 2022 vineyard certification, making Quails’ Gate the sixth winery in BC to achieve full certification.

Looking ahead, the BACAS Family Wines team is excited about the addition of a new range of wines that will help bridge the gap while local vineyards are being replanted, as well as the launch of Ailm Estate, a sparkling wine project that’s been 9 years in the making.

“We have an incredible community of wine professionals here in the Okanagan Valley and our ecosystem of talent only continues to grow as our industry matures.”

“Our passion for making great wines is matched only by our dedication to ensuring every visit is unique and memorable. There’s a reason we’re known as one of the must-see wineries in the region!”

KF Aerospace

Written by Crew Marketing
In 1970, Barry Lapointe – an aviation enthusiast since childhood and an aircraft maintenance engineer by trade – launched a small aircraft repair business, originally known as Kelowna Flightcraft. The company started as a one-man show; however, Lapointe’s entrepreneurial spirit allowed him to push limits and take chances, leading to the iteration of the company known today as KF Aerospace.

As Canada’s largest commercial maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) company, KF Aerospace services major airlines and aircraft manufacturers, corporate fleets, and military aircraft. In addition to its MRO business, the company also offers a broad range of aerospace engineering services, cargo operations, charter services, and aircraft leasing. Since 2005, the company has also led a group of partner contractors to provide pilot training and in-service support for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

“Over the decades, KF Aerospace has evolved to encompass so many facets of aviation,” says KF’s Engagement, Communications and Marketing Lead, Matt Stone.

The company works closely with the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) and Okanagan College in Kelowna on aviation-related education and skills training programs, as well as with the Centre for Aviation Technology at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario.

“UBCO has an aerospace engineering stream now, so we’re really excited about that”, states Stone. “We have worked with Okanagan College for years, with students working out of class space located in our Kelowna facilities, so collaborating with UBCO further solidifies Okanagan as an aerospace region.”

“Relationships with these and other local organizations, like the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission, YLW, and the City of Kelowna, are beneficial for the company”, says Stone.

“It is critical to continue to work together to create jobs and nurture economic opportunities”, he adds. “I think the Okanagan can lead BC to emerge as a real leader in aerospace excellence at a national and international level, if we can expand on the successful collaboration we’ve seen here regionally.”

Today, KF Aerospace employs around 1,200 people between its head office and MRO maintenance facility in Kelowna, its facility in Ontario, and its military flight training program in Manitoba, and smaller operations in Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa to support other various programs and business initiatives.

In response to labour shortages faced by businesses nationwide, KF Aerospace has sought innovative solutions to support and retain its team members. In 2023, for example, KF Aerospace collaborated as a funding partner alongside the Government of BC, the City of Kelowna, Kelowna International Airport (YLW), and the YMCA to build and open a childcare centre at the airport, which provides dedicated early childcare spots for KF Aerospace employees and members of the community.

The business has recently expanded to Ottawa thanks to a landmark contract to jointly manage the RCAF’s Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) Program.

This Government of Canada contract, set to last for 25 years with a value of $11.2 billion, was awarded to SkyAlyne, a joint partnership between KF Aerospace and Canadian company CAE (originally known as Canadian Aviation Electronics Ltd.), a global leader in civil aviation and defence and security.

“Through SkyAlyne, we will be training all future RCAF pilots, navigators and sensor operators for the next two decades”, says Stone. “This is an opportunity to build on the 20 years of expertise and experience we’ve acquired managing the current pilot training program in Manitoba, and it positions our company to expand its defence support business.”

The company’s defence work will also include handling maintenance for the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft (CMMA) project. This project will see the Government of Canada acquire 16 P-8A aircraft from Boeing to upgrade the military’s capabilities in several defence areas.

Thanks to KF Aerospace’s longstanding relationship with Boeing and commitment to its customers, the company was recognized as one of Boeing’s top-performing suppliers in the Safety and Quality category at the 2023 Supplier of the Year event.

Through KF Aerospace’s collaborative, long-term business relationships and with so many exciting developments in the works, aerospace will undoubtedly remain a key economic sector in the Central Okanagan for the foreseeable future.

“Today, our company’s capabilities are so unique in the industry. We can do just about anything in aerospace. Our team’s comprehensive and complete aerospace expertise is unmatched in Canada.”

“We continue to expand and have great demand for our services, so we want to raise awareness of the career opportunities”, states Stone. “It’s a pretty great time to consider an aviation career.”

Vitalis

Written by Crew Marketing
Since its launch in 2016, Vitalis—named the third fastest growing company in Canada by the Globe & Mail in 2020—has proven its expertise in CO2 handling, supporting and furthering the cleantech industry within the Okanagan and beyond. As an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Vitalis has created different lines of industrial and commercial products, including equipment for CO2 extraction, heating and cooling, and capture, cleaning, and storage.

“We had been going down the path of launching the product line of CO2 (R744) heating and cooling equipment, and were able to attract some significant investment,” explains VP of Revenue, Carla Berrie.

This investment came in the form of an acquisition by the KKVB Group in spring 2024. German-based KKVB Group—now a majority shareholder in Vitalis—is the parent company of TEKO, who has built commercial and industrial CO2 refrigeration systems for European and international markets since 2004.

“Vitalis not only provides TEKO with direct access to the North American market, but it also contributes an incredible depth and breadth of R744-based applications and knowhow that significantly expands our ability to engineer and deliver sustainable solutions across refrigeration, district and industrial heat pumps, industrial extraction processes and CO2 recovery,” said TEKO Managing Director, Andreas Meier, in a press release announcing the acquisition.

Berrie explains that thanks to the KKVB Group’s European market share and complementary intellectual property, the acquisition bolsters Vitalis’ competitiveness in the global market, while allowing operational control of the business to remain local in the Central Okanagan.

“In discussions with the Government of Canada’s Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI), they said this is the type of investment Canada looks for, since it’s investing in both cleantech and manufacturing, both sectors the country wants to grow,” notes Berrie.

Since the acquisition, Vitalis has been able to gain a significant number of new contracts for its industrial heat pumps. The company has also expanded its manufacturing capabilities to double the space it already had, generating jobs locally for highly skilled labourers and engineers.

“Vitalis will play a central role in pursuing our vision of establishing KKVB Group as a global leader in the transition of mission-critical refrigeration and heating applications to sustainable solutions that can support commercial and industrial supply-chains as well as residential comfort while minimizing their environmental impact,” said Michael Millbrodt, Managing Director of KKVB Group.

While Vitalis’ sustainable solutions are expanding on the global market, closer to home the company is setting up one of its Vitalis Coolshift™ centralized air-source heat pumps at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) campus. This heat pump, using R744 (i.e., CO2 as a natural refrigerant with ultra-low global warming potential) will be the primary heating source, and an auxiliary cooling source, for the campus’ low-temperature district energy system, helping UBCO in its pursuit of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and achieving its decarbonization goals.

“Not only are we providing a very energy efficient system for UBCO, which is economical and provides energy security, but it also moves the needle on the university’s decarbonization targets,” says Berrie. “With decarbonization targets, it’s little piece by little piece but sometimes when a big boulder like this can be moved and you can really move the needle, it’s invigorating.”

As Vitalis continues to expand its reach locally, nationally, and globally, the positive social and environmental impacts its products have in communities through the effective use of CO2 as a natural refrigerant will grow.

“The work we do obviously has positive environmental impacts, whether that’s on the heating and cooling side to help people and communities decarbonize, or on the extraction side to help clean up the food supply chain,” notes Berrie. “A district energy system [like at UBCO] has a lot of social impacts as well, providing energy security and equality. There are so many benefits of being in this space, it’s pretty exciting.”

Calissi Farms

Written by Crew Marketing
James Calissi’s farming roots run deep—his mother’s family grew wine grapes, farmed crops, and raised lamb in Romania, while his father’s family grew wine grapes and olive trees in Tuscany. Close to 80 years ago, after immigrating to Canada, James’ grandparents bought a farm in East Kelowna where they operated an orchard. From there, James’ parents met, purchased their own farm nearby, and continued the family’s legacy, with 4-year-old James along for the adventure.

James’ journey to establishing the current iteration of the farm was many years in the making. He studied horticulture at UBC, completed a Masters of Agricultural Economics, then worked for the government and consulted for many years, even after he and his wife purchased the farm from his parents. While the land was an orchard for decades, with a small nursery for the family’s own use, James eventually converted the property to a fully operational plant nursery.

“We sold some trees to orchardists and eventually added rootstock sales,” explains James. “I was involved with the commercialization of new varieties from the research station in Summerland and commercialized the Ambrosia apple while working for Okanagan Plant Improvement Company. I enjoyed the work and had many connections worldwide, so I eventually started my own global commercialization company [Calissi Farms].”

Through its work with the University of Guelph’s breeding materials, which started in 2010, Calissi Farms ships new cherry varieties to nurseries around the world, where they are propagated as test trees, grown for several years, and assessed to determine the marketability of the fruit they produce.

Along with managing the cherries bred at the University of Guelph, Calissi Farms also provides rootstock and finished trees to orchardists throughout the Okanagan, Similkameen, and Creston regions. Most recently, the farm has added cherries from the University of Bologna in Italy and new rootstock from Germany. They’ve also signed propagation agreements for cherry varieties in the US and New Zealand.

In addition to his work, James also serves on the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission’s Advisory Committee, where he has the opportunity to connect with business owners in other sectors, learning about how they operate and what strategies they use for success, which he can then consider for his operations.

Kelowna’s post-secondary institutions—which offer a pool of people to draw from when the time comes for him to hire—are among the many regional amenities that James appreciates. He notes that travel from the Central Okanagan is “quite convenient” thanks to the Kelowna International Airport, which allows him to connect with the airports in Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto.

“Kelowna is a nice-sized city, and we anticipate continuing our nursery here,” says James. “I expect to evolve the brand development of the new varieties that we commercialize.”

With two generations of orchardists behind James and fourth-generation family members working alongside him to operate the nursery, there’s no doubt Calissi Farms will continue to bring new fruit to life, evolve its work, and seek out innovative opportunities for many more years to come.

“The process takes 10 to 15 years,” explains James. “I travel to visit the people I work with, as it’s important to maintain those relationships. My work also involves managing patents, plant variety rights, and trademarks for new fruit varieties.”

Bylands

Written by Crew Marketing
Since it was founded in the mid-1950s, Bylands has been a family affair. John Byland’s parents, Adrian and Katie, met in the Okanagan after immigrating separately to Canada, got married, and bought the property which would eventually become Bylands Nurseries. Adrian and his ancestors had been farming in Holland since the 1700s.

After his father’s unexpected passing in 1982, John left university and joined his mother to run the business. Today, he oversees operations alongside his wife, Maria, and his children, Michael and Melanie.

“Both of our kids are in the business: our son is the Chief Operating Officer, and our daughter is in business development. My wife owns and operates Bylands Garden Centre, while the kids and I own and operate Bylands Nurseries Ltd.,” explains John of the family-run business.

When John took over, they were farming approximately 80 acres of land; today, that has grown to 450 acres. The company has transitioned from pure agronomy to a more sophisticated operation thanks to the tools and technology that allow them to make sure the crops are healthy and growing well. In the early ‘90s, Bylands was the first BC nursery to construct a water reclamation pond; with multiple ponds now, Bylands continues to reuse the water it consumes.

The number of plants they grow now is in the thousands, with a lot more production happening in greenhouses where the environment can be more closely controlled. During the busiest times of the year, Bylands employs about 180 people, including over 100 seasonal workers from Mexico, Guatemala, and Vietnam. The Central Okanagan’s highway transportation routes to Alberta provide easy access to Bylands’ largest markets: Calgary and Edmonton.

“There are pros and cons to anywhere you set up a business,” says John. “In the Central Okanagan, we are a little bit isolated [from other operations], so if there is a pest or something, it doesn’t affect us as much. The climate is fairly favourable; it’s dry, so there is a lot less disease pressure.”

While he notes that farmland value and the cost of business have risen significantly since they started the business, he says they’ve been able to manage it all quite well. Though he doesn’t foresee much organic growth for the business, John says they are “always looking for opportunity,” which will likely mean acquiring another operation somewhere down the line.

Over the years, Bylands has been recognized locally, provincially, nationally, and internationally. In 2011, Bylands Nurseries was awarded the first-ever RBC Grower of the Year Award by the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, recognizing the company’s financial performance, its innovation, marketing, and environmental standards, as well as its HR management. Following this win, Bylands was recognized as the 2011 International Grower of the Year at the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) Awards. More recently, in December 2023, John and

Maria were presented with the Lifetime of Outstanding Service Award by the BC Landscape and Nursery Association.

With its garden centres located in West Kelowna and Kelowna, and a solid succession plan in place thanks to the involvement of the next generation of Bylands, there are sure to be many more awards and achievements in the years ahead for this Central Okanagan legacy.

“There is no comparison to the depth of knowledge that we have today,” states John. “Our operation is a lot more environmentally friendly, with integrated pest management and more product diversification.”