BCBusiness

L I F E S T O RY: Marc Schutzbank completed two bachelor's degrees at the University of Pittsburgh, one in politics and philosophy and one in finance, before he won a Fulbright scholarship to UBC in 2011. The American was studying the economics of urban farming as part of his gradu- ate work in the university's land and food systems program when he connected with Ilana Labow, a member of a group called Fresh Roots, which grew food in backyards. After an elementary-school principal invited Fresh Roots to start a garden, the project expanded to other schools. Putting his knowledge of finance to work, Schutzbank helped turn Fresh Roots into a non-profit. In 2013, after completing his M.Sc., he negotiated a working agreement with the Vancouver School Board to establish and manage educational farms at two schools. Food grown is sold to school cafeterias and to local families that sign up for a weekly box of produce. In the summer, Fresh Roots employs high-school students to garden, sell the food at farmers' markets, and prepare and sell jams and chutneys. "It's a ridiculous miracle that this tiny little seed can grow into this gigantic plant," says Schutzbank, now a per- manent resident of Canada. "What the students see is that from small actions come significant change." T H E B O T T O M L I N E : With an annual budget of $280,000 (which includes grants and revenue), Fresh Roots grows 3,600 kilograms of food and employs 30 students. About 3,340 students visit its gardens annually. —M.G. L I F E S T O RY: Officially, Robyn Wilson is COO of Venue Kings Ticket Brokers, a seller of tickets for sporting events, concerts and theatre productions across North America. Unofficially, she's the North Vancouver-based company's chief everything officer. In October 2010, Wilson had just graduated from Bishop's University in Quebec with a BA in political science and economics when she took a job organizing files and tearing tickets from their books for the then-three-person operation. She jumped into the COO chair two months later. Having led Vancouver's York House School to three straight B.C. AA provincial high-school basketball championships and co-captained her basketball team at university, she credits that sports background for her leadership skills. "You have to have as many people buying in and participating at their best that you possibly can," says Wilson, who recently completed the first year of an MBA program at UBC. At Venue Kings, founder Anthony Beyrouti plots the company's long-term path while Wilson takes charge of the details and execution. T H E B O T T O M L I N E : Last year Venue Kings placed 106th in Profit magazine's annual ranking of the country's 500 fastest-growing companies. The business employs 25 people and projects revenue approaching $60 million for 2017. —D.H. R O B Y N W I L S O N COO, VENUE KINGS TICKET BROKERS, INC. A G E : 2 9 M A R C S C H U T Z B A N K Director FRESH ROOTS A G E : 2 9 L I F E S T O RY: Amy Kizaki admits that before she co-founded Kitskitchen Health Foods, she had never made a pot of soup, the company's product. If you identify a hole in the market and have a strong idea, a strategic vision and some operational experience, she says, you'll be able to pave your path. Kizaki was born in Fukuoka, Japan, while her parents taught English there; she also grew up in California, Vancouver and Washington state, where she became a realtor at 18. The property business took her to New York, but she returned to Vancouver to become an operations manager and manage the syndi- cation division at radio consulting firm Sparknet. In 2013, Kizaki met Kitskitchen co-founder and CEO Joni Lind, who wanted to make health-conscious, locally sourced soup and was looking for a reliable partner. The two opened their business the next year, using sustainable ingredients and cooking in a rented commis- sary kitchen before outsourcing production to two Lower Mainland facilities. "We launched it at the same time as the local movement was becoming prominent," Kizaki recalls. First, though, she and Lind created buzz via Instagram. That caught the attention of Alexandra (Alex) Troll, co-founder of The Juicery Co. and a 30 Under 30 winner last year, who became their first official retail partner. They now sell their soups—fans include The Bachelorette's Kaitlyn Bristowe—at some 70 stores in Western Canada, including Loblaws City Market, Urban Fare and Whole Foods. Kizaki also recently signed on as a partner with Kondi International, a Vancouver-based company that she and Lind plan to turn into a globally recognized fitness brand. T H E B O T T O M L I N E : If Kizaki and Lind can crack Eastern Canada and the U.S., they project revenue growth of between 185 per cent and 350 per cent for 2017. As of February, the pair was looking at potential partnerships or merg- ers that would help the company speed up its expansion plans. —N.R. A M Y K I Z A K I Co-founder and COO KITSKITCHEN HEALTH FOODS Partner KONDI INTERNATIONAL A G E : 2 9 42 BCBUSINESS APRIL 2017

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