I traveled last night to Thunder Bay, Ontario to speak at the IDEA Factory Challenge. This is a beautiful community of 120,000 just north of the Minnesota border. It is an area known for its natural resources.

I love coming to the smaller business communities in this world. The people are so appreciative when I make the trip. I feel privileged to be asked to be part of a community event. I always find very resilient businesses with great energy and ideas. They see themselves as needing to try harder because they are not in a major urban hub (like Toronto or Calgary). This fits well when I talk about what it takes in business: Passion, Courage, Resliency, Humility and a streak of Craziness!

This competition was to award prizes ($150,000) to execute on the best idea submitted. And the winner is?