At the Channel Innovation Awards 2022, several distinguished companies were recognized in five special categories. Every candidate has made exceptional contributions to bettering the lives of Canadians.
Let’s take a look!
Data Management Master Award: Esri Canada
Esri Canada grabbed the Data Management Master award for its tremendous role in harnessing critical geospatial data to accelerate Toronto’s public transportation development. Not only does its data convey the importance of location, but it also stands as a poignant example of intelligence through data.
As a company, Esri Canada provides the geospatial intelligence organizations need. Focusing on the “science of where,” the ArcGIS services help manage, visualize, and analyze geographic data, delivering the most relevant information to inspire positive change across industries. The company spends more than 30 per cent of its annual revenue on research and development, and its solutions are found in more than 350,000 organizations, including 75 per cent of Fortune 500 companies.
Congratulations to Esri Canada for winning the CIA’s Data Management Master 2022 award!
Remote Work and Collaborative Spaces Wunderkind: Corel
When energy provider Graybar gave up on grappling with its own solution’s inflexibility and compatibility issues, it looked to Corel’s Parallels Remote Access Servers (RAS) for help. Parallels RAS provided 24/7 virtual access to the new tools, allowing the Graybar team to work more efficiently from all locations, unifying its distributed workforce. Corel’s role in rebuilding Graybar’s workforce is a textbook case of digital transformation, earning it the Remote Work and Collaborative Spaces Wunderkind Award in 2022.
Corel has been enabling organizations to reach their full creative potential for more than 30 years. With a rich portfolio of creative, collaborative, and productivity solutions, Corel provides the full range of tools organizations need to succeed, large or small. Additionally, its expansive partner network and support structure leave no question unanswered.
Congratulations to Corel Corporation for winning the CIA’s Remote Work and Collaborative Spaces Wunderkind 2022 award!
Innovator of the Year: FlexITy
FlexITy earned the Innovator of the Year award with its GetWell Inpatient engagement technology used in Canada’s first smart hospital. The solution greatly improved the quality of care for patients, offering a superior experience to traditional hospitals.
Specializing in cloud, networking, analytics and more, FlexITy has a proven track record in finding the right solutions for its customers to stay competitive. The company’s success is rooted in its customer-centric approach powered by an expert team. Regardless of how businesses transform, FlexITy can help them innovate with accountability and commitment to performance.
Congratulations to FlexITy for winning the CIA’s Innovator of the Year 2022 award!
New Normal Ninja: Korem
Les Rôtisseries St-Hubert Ltée operates 120 rotisseries in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick, serving 31 million meals annually. As one could imagine, it owns a massive geolocation database to ensure an optimal service and delivery experience for its customers. But as its databases grew, its on-premises solution started to buckle. To seamlessly transfer its operation to the cloud, it contacted Korem, the geospatial one-stop-shop provider, to leverage its cloud-based geolocation solutions.
To help St-Hubert migrate, Korem provided end-to-end services from consulting to integration and helped St-Hubert select the right platform for its business. Once the migration was complete, St-Hubert no longer had to worry about maintenance and scalability. Further, St-Hubert increased its address match rate from 75 per cent to 96 per cent, reducing the burden on call centres. Korem’s lead in St-Hubert’s adaptation to the new normal has earned it the New Normal Ninja award.
Congratulations to Korem for winning the CIA’s New Normal Ninja 2022 award!
Emerging Technologies Guru: ATB Ventures
When Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) sought a digital identity management system, ATB Ventures rose to the challenge. Its blockchain-identity management solution, Oliu, and digital credential wallet, Proof, allow businesses and regulators to develop use cases and issue, use, and verify digital credentials in a sandbox environment, perfect for answering the government’s call. The partnership between the two will resolve a host of inaccessibility and privacy and security issues. It still has some way to go, but there’s perhaps no better example of a more important emerging technology in Canada.
Congratulations to ATB Ventures for winning the CIA’s Emerging Technologies Guru 2022 award!
C4 Award for Diversity and Inclusion: Benchmark Corp
Having won CIA’s Top 100 Newcomer of the Year award last year, Benchmark Corp again enters the hall of fame this year for its contributions to diversity and inclusion.
In Dec. 2019, Benchmark Corp. launched its Better and Stronger Together as Allies initiative with Ottawa. Realizing that few groups in Canada focus on male diversity allyship, Luc Villeneuve, President of Benchmark Corp., together with Martin Bernier, CIO of uOttawa, and Sarah Paquet, CEO of FINTRAC, held a panel discussion at FWD50 on male allyship. The event attracted over 1500 attendees. The panel focused on attracting other men to support equality and foster a safe space for candid discussions. Benchmark Corp continued to build on this initiative, consulting experts as well as soliciting opinions from friends and family. They agreed on the following: ensure all voices are heard, coach men who need support, help men feel comfortable with being uncomfortable, sponsor women, etc.
Their efforts gained significant momentum in 2021. The community has grown from 40 to 400 in a little over a year. In addition, Better and Stronger Together as Allies has established a subgroup of young male voices in its community, giving them an avenue to voice their experiences without judgement.
Congratulations to Benchmark Corp for winning the CIA’s C4 Award for Diversity and Inclusion 2022 award!
