The Kootenay Association for Science and Technology (KAST) held their annual general meeting on June 13 at Selkirk College in Castlegar.
The AGM included a presentation from guest speaker Neil Muth, CEO of Columbia Basin Trust (CBT), as well as a "year in review" report on KAST from the organization's executive director Kelvin Saldern.
KAST is a community based, non-profit organization which works to foster a culture that values science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship in the region.
"We're an economic development organization," said Saldern. "We have a niche role in the wide range of economic activities that go on in the Kootenay and elsewhere. Our niche is in working in the science, technology and innovation arena. To do that we do two main things: We help people to start and grow technology and/or innovation businesses. The second thing we do is work with educators and recreational programmers and parents to get kids excited and passionate about technology."
KAST has a 12 member board of directors and covers a wide range of the West Kootenay/Boundary region from Nakusp to Midway.
KAST has several ongoing programs such as the Mentoring and Business Assistance Program (MBA) and Growing, Learning Opportunities with Science (GLOWS).
"With the KAST MBA program we provide coaching and mentor services to individual businesses," said Saldern. "We work very closely with entrepreneurs and our business coaches work with them as they develop their businesses. We get mentors from all over the place. A lot from the lower mainland, some from the region, and some from the United States."
The mentors for the program are all experienced entrepreneurs that are willing to share their knowledge with young business people.
"We also put on workshops and seminars," said Saldern. "We have a big conference coming up in October - the Business and Innovation Conference. We also have our KAST Innovation Awards coming up as well."
For the younger set, KAST offers GLOWS which is designed to inspire and stimulate interest in science and technology in West Kootenay/Boundary youth.
"We have a whole range of programs under our GLOWS program including the annual Community Science Celebration which draws about 2,000 people," said Saldern. "We have a raptors program where we bring in an organization that has wild birds. Hawks and falcons and things like that. So that's pretty exciting."