Mitchell Iwaasa
With a father who owned a business all his life, Mitchell Iwaasa was born into entrepreneurship and surrounded by innovation. He moved to the big city from Brooks to attend the University of Calgary and graduate with his business degree, before moving back home to work alongside his family at Iwaasa Industries, a commercial printing and sign company.
Mitchell Iwaasa
“I wore many hats, as local family business owners do. I was everything and anything from bookkeeper, labourer, manager and everything else in between,” says Iwaasa.
As family members grew older, they closed its doors. When Iwaasa saw the role for Economic Development Officer with Brooks Newell Region, he saw it as a nice fit with his business background. He applied and accepted the position in 2021 and became a governance board member for APEX Alberta in 2022.
“My father had a business for over 50 years, and I worked with him for over 25 years in the business. Right now, I’m helping support businesses from the other side of the table. With my background, I am able to understand what business owners’ needs are,” says Iwaasa.
He’s learned more about the work APEX Alberta does, and how they connect innovative entrepreneurs to programs, advice, and services to further support and accelerate them on their business journey.
“These entrepreneurs can start off fairly small, and innovation networks like APEX Alberta can help people take their idea to the next level. It’s the most inspiring thing. It doesn’t have to be a big grand plan. It can be a smaller idea that flourishes given the right atmosphere for it to happen,” says Iwaasa.
Brooks Newell Region Innovation Network will launch and will open an avenue for entrepreneurs in the area to connect and find support. The team hopes they can identify people who work in the innovation space, who can finally start their business ventures.
“It’s been nice to see the broad range of programs and opportunities that are available to entrepreneurs. Especially in the innovation sector, a lot of people don’t realize they’re innovators. They just think they’re trying something new. APEX Alberta is a way of helping them realize what they are and what they can do,” he says.
Iwaasa likes that innovation brings all types of opportunities to diversify the economy. He says there is an entrepreneurial spirit in the province and region, where people are trying to find new ideas and come up with creative ways to change how we do business, “And innovation is a great tool for that.”
The collaborative mindset that APEX Alberta has with the work they do is important. Economic development officers, employment services, post-secondary education, and the team at APEX Alberta all work together to create a hub for bringing resources together and giving people access to the services they need.
“I look forward to seeing where the work of APEX Alberta goes and grows from here. As an organization, it’s already doing great work in our region through RPAS and companies like Kinetisense. I’m optimistic about the future and what APEX Alberta is going to bring to our area,” says Iwaasa.