In January of 2015, Jenn Harper had the most vivid dream of Indigenous girls wearing lip gloss. That dream is what gave birth to Cheekbone Beauty, the very first Indigenous-owned and founded cosmetics company.
Harper firmly believes that a business can be both successful and have a social cause. She thinks about “streams of giving” as much as she does “streams of revenue” – maybe more. Cheekbone’s definition of success is not based on what you attain for yourself, but instead in what you give back to your community.
Established in 2022, the Canadian Bio-Cleantech Applied Research Network (CBARN) is a network of southern Ontario colleges and one university providing research and development, and technical and commercialization support to southern Ontario’s small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the bio-cleantech industry. CBARN is supported by a $3-million Government of Canada investment through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).
After a very successful inaugural year of driving de-carbonization and fostering a green recovery through innovative solutions within Ontario's bio-cleantech sector, CBARN and its members, Lambton College, Fanshawe College, Mohawk College, Loyalist College and Western University, are set to expand its reach as it enters into its second year.
