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Welcome to episode two of our KDays Innovation Zone retrospective! 

Alberta Innovates had the opportunity to participate as in-kind sponsors for the Innovation Zone led by Explore Edmonton. This was a great opportunity to meet and feature some Edmonton-based entrepreneurs, businesses and students on the Shift podcast. 

This second episode is my discussion with Kathy Janzen and Ken Schmidt from Wilson Analytical Services. We dive into the work they're doing in the area of spectroscopy.  

Other KDays Innovation Zone interviews include:

• Jean Bruce Koua from Elev Homes,
• Krishna Panchal from the University of Alberta's Future Creators, and 
• Joe Callahan from Correct AI.

Bios

Ken Schmidt, President and founder

Ken is an Alberta based Professional Chemist and entrepreneur. He completed his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Calgary in 1990. Over the last 25 years, he has worked with universities and the mining and energy industries to solve industry specific problems in sulfur chemistry, catalysis, ceramics, chemical vapour deposition (CVD) coatings and spectroscopy. His expertise is in industrial analytical chemistry, process laboratories for industry, instrument design, manufacturing, sales and technical support.

He has been involved in several high tech start-ups, including Wilson Analytical (which he co-founded in 2003). He is also President of Canadian Tool, a Montreal firm specializing in machining and manufacturing. Ken's key role at Wilson is technical development and customer relations.

Kathy Janzen, Vice President and founder 

Kathy is a professional Chemist with twenty-five years of experience with the RCMP as a forensic scientist, followed by two years as one of the principles of the analytical services side of Wilson Analytical. She was also involved in several high tech start-ups, and worked with entrepreneurs at the Northern Alberta Business Incubator (NABI).

Kathy served 10 years as the Executive Director of the Association of the Chemical Profession of Alberta (ACPA) and was also the former council chair of the Federation of Canada’s Professional Chemists. Kathy's main role with Wilson is financial and strategic planning, sales, and human resources. Together, Ken and Kathy make all company business decisions.

Shift by Alberta Innovates focuses on the people, businesses and organizations that are contributing to Alberta's strong tech ecosystem.