The Unlikely Innovators Podcast

Innovation can emerge from the most unlikely places

Each week, Mike Commito and Steve Gravel, two unlikely innovators in their own right, will highlight stories of unlikely innovation in post-secondary education and the private sector. Drawing from their experiences in the college applied research world, they will showcase the bright ideas happening in colleges and communities across Canada.

Mike Commito is the Director of Applied Research at Cambrian College and Steve Gravel is the Manager of the Centre for Smart Mining, Cambrian’s Technology Access Centre.

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Latest episode

Jamie Dewar on making memories on the water

BusinessDesignEVInspirationalStartup

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The Unlikely Innovators commemorates its 100th episode on a boat! For this week’s episode, Mike and Steve chatted with Legend Boats co-CEO Jamie Dewar on a pontoon boat in their showroom in Whitefish. Jamie talked about how the company has evolved over the years and how innovation undergirds everything that Legend does. As people start heading out onto lakes to make memories on the water, the podcast is going on summer vacation and will be back in September 2023. Thanks for listening!

All episodes



Jamie Dewar on making memories on the water
BusinessDesignEVInspirationalStartup

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Mark Masotti on changing concrete with bio-graphene
BusinessEngineeringMiningScienceStartup

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Brit Ho on going from hospitality to tech
BusinessDesignStartupTech

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Dawn Larsen on digital mining solutions
BusinessEngineeringEVMiningTech

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Trent Mell on building a battery materials hub
BusinessDesignEVMining

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Jeremy Hansen on leading humanity back to the Moon
InspirationalScience

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Lee Elias on making a career of hockey
BusinessDesignInspirational

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Laura O’Blenis on building innovation ecosystems
BusinessEcosystemR&D

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Trang Tran-Valade on her unlikely journey in mining
BusinessMiningTech

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Brian Kingston on the future of Canada’s EV supply chain
BusinessEVTech

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Shouyi Ma on changing life trajectories
BusinessEducationInspirational

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Dan Breznitz on innovation lessons from around the world
BusinessEducationTech

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Daryl Adams on going from the front lines to the front office
BusinessMiningTech

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Brent Neilly on power tool innovation
BusinessDesign

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Kevin Oulds on making wills accessible
BusinessR&D

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Mike Campigotto on blending art and science in mining
BusinessMiningScienceTech

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Shane Prodan on the business of distilling
BusinessStartup

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Jodi Cooley on science underground
BusinessEducationMiningR&D

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Jenn Harper on the importance of representation
BusinessInspirationalStartup

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Frank Stronach on going from machinist to magnate
BusinessEducation

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Adam Maxwell on future-proofing our favourite foods
BusinessEcosystemHealthScience

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Cem Kansu on democratizing language learning with Duolingo
BusinessDesignTech

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Sheri Tingey on her passion for packrafts
BusinessDesign

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Peter Cowan on leading Ontario’s IP strategy
BusinessEngineeringTech

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Raed Kadri on how Ontario is driving the future of mobility
BusinessEVTech

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Kate Withers Hess on the future of decentralized computing
BusinessEducationStartupTech

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Gordon McCauley on building a bioinnovation sector from sea to sea
BusinessScience

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Brittlestar on the keys to creating viral content
BusinessEducationJournalism

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Emily Zarka on a career as a monster expert
Education

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Tom Pederson on selling the best off-ice hockey puck
BusinessInspirational

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Cate Murray on the power of stem cells and regenerative medicine

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Medha Parlikar on the potential of blockchain
BusinessTech

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Manjit Minhas on becoming a beer baroness and Dragon
BusinessInspirational

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Christyn Cianfarani on Canada’s defence and security industries
BusinessTech

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Ashley Larose on the past, present, and future of Science North
BusinessEcosystemEducationFundingInspirationalScience

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Emily Calandrelli on the wonder of science
EducationInspirationalScience

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Eric Blondeel on evaluating and insuring surgical procedures
BusinessHealthStartup

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Danielle Brewin Graham on investing in women entrepreneurs across Canada
BusinessFundingInspirational

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Kyle Haapala on working for a Boston-based startup from Sudbury
BusinessDesignTech

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Flavio Volpe on seizing the EV opportunity for Canada
BusinessEV

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Dale Dye on changing the way Hollywood does war
InspirationalJournalism

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Doris Hiam-Galvez on mining around the world and CIM 2022
BusinessEngineeringMining

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Curtis VanWalleghem on how Hydrostor is enabling the energy transition
BusinessTech

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Roseann O’Reilly Runte on how the CFI enables Canadian innovation
FundingInspirationalR&D

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Dom Kwong on making the future of motorcycling a reality
BusinessDesignStartup

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Minister Jill Dunlop on the importance of Ontario’s colleges
EducationR&D

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Steven Salz on the future of gaming and betting
BusinessDesignStartupTech

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Tim Borgares on combining real-world robotics and eSports
BusinessDesignInspirationalStartup

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Sheri Tomchick on the importance of having a Plan A

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Chris Hadfield on his career as an astronaut and beyond

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Amber Mac on staying on top of tech trends

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Peter Mansbridge on his unlikely journey from baggage handler to Canada’s anchor

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Tim McRoberts on going from the kitchen to the classroom
BusinessEcosystemEducationJournalismR&D

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Terry O’Reilly on how mistakes can lead to success
BusinessInspirationalJournalism

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Samantha Kuula on communicating the science behind SNOLAB
EcosystemEducationEngineeringR&DScience

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Gabrielle Roy on authenticity and pursuing your passion (rebroadcast)
BusinessEcosystemInspirationalStartup

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Kevin Dagenais on turning data into decisions
EngineeringEVMiningStartupTech

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Anthony Prenol on navigating the IP world
EngineeringLawScience

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Scott Everett on how modern tech can solve our most complex problems
BusinessEcosystemEducationEngineeringStartupTech

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Ash Agarwal on solving mining’s “Alexa problem”
BusinessEcosystemEngineeringEVMiningR&DStartupTech

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Ellie Ardakani on crossing the hidden bridge
BusinessEcosystemEducationInspirationalMiningStartupTech

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Victoria Coleman on how Verv helps consumers take control of their own health
BusinessEcosystemFundingHealthR&DScienceStartupTech

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Brian Lee on going from the mining sector to the tech sector
BusinessEcosystemEngineeringScienceStartupTech

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Karim Omri on scaling an engineering firm
BusinessEcosystemEngineeringEVStartup

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Mike and Steve reflect on the podcast journey so far
Education

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Shelby Yee on building a successful tech startup in the mining sector
BusinessEcosystemEngineeringMiningR&DStartupTech

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Charles Nyabeze really digs mining
EcosystemEngineeringEVFundingMiningR&DTech

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Stella Holloway on choosing mining as a career
EcosystemEngineeringEVMiningR&DTech

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Gabrielle Roy on authenticity and pursuing your passion
BusinessEcosystemInspirationalStartup

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Marc Fortin on why Canadian colleges are engines of innovation
EcosystemEducationFundingR&DScience

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Liam McGill on Sudbury’s rise as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship
BusinessEcosystemInspirationalR&D

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Oh, the humanities: Finding a place in STEM as a humanities grad
Education

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It takes a village: Constructing an effective innovation ecosystem
BusinessEcosystemEducationR&D

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Show me the money: Navigating the funding world
EducationFunding

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What is a TAC?
EducationFundingMiningR&DScience

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College Applied Research 101
EducationR&DScience

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Established in 2009, Cambrian R&D is Cambrian College’s applied research and development division. Our mission is to create an environment of partnership, development and learning that will benefit our industry partners, students, faculty and our community.