It is our honour to recognize amazing businesses and leaders within our community through the Mayor’s Innovation Awards. As we approach the ceremony, we would like to introduce the nominees.
The Creative Collaboration award recognizes two or more companies or organizations that have forged an alliance and reached new heights or achievements that they couldn't have reached alone. Contributions may be across sectors, industries, geographies. or verticals.
Together, our Creative Collaboration nominees have created new products, services, operations, or partnerships. The stories that were shared on new and creative inventions, processes and more, reinforce just how powerful partnership can be for a business. We take great pride in the tight knit business support network in Barrie and these collaborations exemplify just that. We encouraged businesses to reach out to their neighbours, and we’re all, without a doubt, stronger because of it. These nominees are a testament to how a shared vision and collaborative spirit can drive positive change, opening new horizons for businesses and underscoring the transformative power of creative partnerships in our ever-evolving world.
This year’s Creative Collaboration Award is proudly sponsored by Marquee Benefits. Marquee Benefits is a Barrie-based firm specializing in tailored group benefits and retirement plan solutions, designed to enhance employee engagement, morale, loyalty, and retention. Their approach emphasises creating healthy workplaces by aligning plan design with business goals and employee wellbeing. Deeply embedded in the Barrie and Simcoe County ecosystem, they collaborate closely with regional employers and local communities to deliver value-driven services. With a promise of being approachable, knowledgeable, genuine, action-oriented, and dependable, Marquee Benefits underscores its role as a partner in supporting local business success.
This year’s Creative Collaboration nominees include:
Barns2Beaches Music Tour - Canadian Musicians Cooperative
The Barns2Beaches Music Tour is a collaborative youth-driven initiative that brings together musicians, technicians, and marketing teams to celebrate Canadian talent while strengthening local communities across Ontario. Evolving from a small end-of-season showcase into a large-scale regional tour, the program now provides meaningful training in performance, technical production, and communications—helping youth build skills and experience for careers in the creative industry. Supported by $200,000 in funding from FedDev Ontario and partnerships with organizations such as Georgian College, Multi-Tech Audio Visual, and local Destination Management Organizations, the tour offers free, high-quality performances that promote tourism and cultural engagement in underserved communities. With new leadership, early preparation, and expanded production capabilities, the 2025 tour has become a model of collaboration between artists, educators, municipalities, and industry professionals. Committed to 100% Canadian content, Barns2Beaches continues to demonstrate how music, creativity, and teamwork can drive innovation and community growth.
Bolder Future Marketing and the Sandbox Centre – Regional Hub for Applied AI Education and Implementation
Bolder Future Marketing and The Sandbox Centre have partnered to create a Regional Hub for Applied AI Education and Implementation, addressing the urgent challenge of helping small and medium-sized businesses adapt to rapid AI adoption. Individually, Bolder Future brought expertise in AI-driven marketing, automation, and founder education, while Sandbox Centre offered a vibrant business community, facilities, and the Regional Innovation Centre’s Lean Stack Program to support idea validation and scaling. Together, they launched programs like AI Jam Sessions and AI Video Workshops, teaching entrepreneurs how to integrate AI into marketing, customer service, and operations for measurable impact. This collaborative hub provides both the platform and the technical training needed to make AI practical, accessible, and actionable for local businesses. The initiative has already helped companies across Barrie and Innisfil scale faster, reduce costs, and strengthen competitiveness. By combining resources, expertise, and reach, the partnership ensures that small businesses can embrace AI innovation rather than fall behind, demonstrating the power of collaboration to future-proof the regional economy.
Botree Inc. – Level UpTM Growth Hub and the Vanguard Network
The Level Up™ Growth Hub is a collaborative workforce innovation initiative designed to make professional development accessible, inclusive, and measurable for all learners. Created by Botree Inc., it blends research-backed methodology, behavioral science, and community-based learning to drive real-world comprehension, confidence, and behavioral change across sectors. The program’s pilot, The Vanguard Network, united public, private, and nonprofit organizations—including the City of Barrie, Innovative Automation, and Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital—into a shared learning ecosystem. Over 22 weeks, participants engaged in customized leadership and soft skill training aligned with organizational goals, supported by a metaverse learning environment and a dynamic Learning Experience Platform. This partnership-driven model showcases how collaboration between businesses, government, and education can transform workforce development. By positioning Barrie as a hub for innovation in learning, the Level Up™ Growth Hub demonstrates the power of accessible, data-driven training to strengthen both people and organizations.
Burro'd Theatre and Camphill Communities Ontario
The partnership between Burro’d Theatre and Camphill Communities Ontario is a powerful example of how collaboration can transform community spaces into inclusive cultural hubs. What began as Burro’d Theatre’s backyard Shakespeare performances has evolved into a citywide initiative that unites artistic excellence with social purpose. In 2024, Camphill Communities invited Burro’d Theatre to help reimagine their underused Novalis Hall as a home for professional, accessible theatre. Together, they developed a model featuring professional productions, sensory-friendly performances, and creative workshops that welcome people of all abilities. Their inaugural production, The Seagull (opening November 2025), employs local artists, engages volunteers, and has already drawn near-sold-out interest. This partnership exemplifies Barrie’s spirit of innovation—bridging the cultural and social sectors to create meaningful employment, foster inclusion, and strengthen community connection through the arts.
Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre and the Larche Family
Georgian College’s Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre (HBEC) is a cornerstone for local entrepreneurs, providing mentorship, education, and connections to help over 300 active clients start and grow their businesses each year. HBEC also engages hundreds of students annually through hackathons, co-ops, projects, and Maker activities, blending experiential learning with regional economic development. In partnership with Paul and Lawrene Larche, who bring decades of expertise in broadcasting, marketing, and communications, HBEC has created a media studio on campus that is accessible to both students and the entrepreneurial community. This collaborative space allows entrepreneurs and students to come together to produce audio, photography, and video content, turning ideas into tangible projects. The initiative demonstrates the power of partnership between education, industry leaders, and community members to provide meaningful resources and foster innovation. By combining expertise, technology, and mentorship, HBEC and the Larche Family Foundation have developed a unique hub that supports creativity, skill-building, and entrepreneurial growth.
Kelly Letourneau Media and Nat Caron Photography built a long-standing collaborative relationship, referring clients to one another to ensure marketing campaigns and visuals achieved maximum impact. Recognizing the potential to do more together, they merged their strengths in storytelling, strategy, and creative execution to form Oklahoma Marketing Inc., a full-service agency focused on both business growth and community impact. This partnership has allowed them to support numerous charitable and nonprofit organizations, most recently contributing $10,000 to Gilda’s Club Simcoe Muskoka. By combining their expertise, they’ve created a unified team that elevates brands while giving back, demonstrating how collaboration amplifies both reach and results. The journey of merging two established businesses required aligning workflows and teams, but it reinforced that true innovation often comes from reimagining what’s possible when the right people unite with a shared purpose. Oklahoma Marketing exemplifies how courage, creativity, and collaboration can turn business success into meaningful community impact.
Sandbox Centre and the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre – New Roots, New Routes
The New Roots, New Routes program was created in 2025 at Sandbox Centre to support newcomer entrepreneurs, inspired by the personal experiences of the Managing Director’s immigrant parents who faced barriers to mentorship, business training, and community connections. Recognizing the need for strategic collaboration, Sandbox Centre partnered with Georgian College’s Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre (HBEC), leveraging HBEC’s expertise in entrepreneurship, mentorship, and IP education. Together, they co-developed a structured program to help newcomers build and scale businesses in Central Ontario, combining Sandbox Centre’s network and delivery model with HBEC’s resources and guidance. The initial twelve-week accelerator was refined through participant feedback into four focused sessions, making it more manageable for newcomers balancing jobs, family, and adaptation to a new country. This collaborative approach ensures participants receive both practical training and community support, maximizing engagement and retention. New Roots, New Routes highlights how partnership, listening to participants, and shared expertise can create meaningful, lasting impact for entrepreneurs in the region.
The RAINWATER development by SEAN. in South Barrie exemplifies the power of collaboration between forward-thinking organizations to achieve groundbreaking results in residential construction. Through a charette process, diverse stakeholders contributed expertise that enabled several industry firsts, including the integration of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) and Cold-Formed Steel (CFS) into a hybrid structural system—an unprecedented approach in North America for residential buildings. Nordic Structures supplied the CLT, supporting a design focused on sustainability, carbon reduction, and energy efficiency, while Enbridge Sustain contributed to the project’s first solar and geothermal installations in Barrie. Moses Structural Engineers, Pearson Engineering, and SEAN. worked closely to overcome unique engineering challenges, achieving a target of 30% reduced energy use and over 42% lower emissions compared to Ontario Building Code standards. This collaborative effort demonstrates how innovation, sustainability, and technical expertise can intersect to deliver projects none of the partners could have achieved alone. The lessons learned from RAINWATER are poised to influence sustainable multi-residential construction across Ontario and beyond.
TARA Talks began as a shared vision between Geneviève Lagacé-Gore and Dina Tzirakos-Hawker to create a platform where women could share their stories, build business skills, and connect authentically. The inaugural event, hosted at Sandbox Centre in Barrie, blended TED-style inspiration with practical workshops, celebrating the ambition and talent of local women entrepreneurs and professionals. Its success inspired the creation of TARA on Tour, a regional series that brings the same high-quality, empowering experience to communities across Central Ontario, including Orillia and Muskoka. The tour’s collaborative model relies on strong partnerships, adaptable event planning, and the leadership of Megan Hall and Samantha Yandt to ensure consistency and impact at each stop. By connecting women, communities, and local organizations, TARA Talks demonstrates how a shared vision can grow into a dynamic, region-wide movement. This initiative highlights the power of collaboration to expand access, inspire leadership, and create meaningful opportunities for women across the region.
WYRED began as an innovation-focused consulting brand, helping industrial and enterprise clients navigate digital transformation and connectivity challenges. In response to a critical market need, the team developed KYRO, a next-generation private cellular network solution that delivers resilient, secure, and scalable connectivity for industries like mining, energy, utilities, and public safety. Inspired by real-world challenges faced by industrial clients, WYRED designed KYRO to combine telecom-grade performance with field-ready simplicity, overcoming integration, regulatory, and legacy system hurdles. Founders Paul Howarth and Shaun Mohammed brought their expertise together to create solutions that not only keep pace with technological change but drive it forward. Through collaboration with clients and industry partners, WYRED ensures its advanced connectivity solutions are practical, adaptable, and mission-ready. This initiative highlights how partnership, innovation, and a focus on real-world applications can transform operations and expand possibilities across critical industries.
Congratulations to all the talented nominees in the Creative Collaboration category of the Mayor's Innovation Awards! Your innovative and collaborative efforts have not only showcased your creativity, but have also contributed significantly to the betterment of our community. The ability to come together, exchange ideas, and bring diverse skills to the table is what sets the winners of this category apart. Your dedication to pushing the boundaries of what's possible and finding new and imaginative solutions to local challenges is truly commendable. This recognition is well-deserved, and it highlights the positive impact that creative collaboration can have on our city. May your achievements inspire others to embrace teamwork and innovation for the collective benefit of our community. Well done, and here's to continued success in your future endeavors!
Stay tuned for the announcement of the winners following the Mayor’s Innovation Awards ceremony on November 27th!
Thank you to the sponsors of the 7th Mayor’s Innovation Awards, Adams Hamilton, Ain Whitehead LLP, Innovative Automation, Marquee Benefits, reIGNITE Conference and the Sandbox Centre for recognizing the importance of these local businesses.