Founders of Calgary-based SMART Technologies have captured a $10,000 Manning Innovation Award for their groundbreaking whiteboard technology.

Partners Nancy Knowlton, the company’s president and chief operating officer, and chairman and CEO David Martin are among four Canadian technology innovators to be honoured at an awards gala Oct. 4 in Ottawa.

Formed by the husband and wife team in 1987, SMART Technologies has won numerous awards for revolutionizing the concept of distance collaboration and interactive learning with the world’s first interactive whiteboard.

“We found that SMART Technologies’ presentation products have had a definite impact on the way learning occurs in our classrooms,” said Brent Hay, manager of technology and innovation at Master’s Academy & College in Calgary.

“Not only are the students more engaged, but teachers are incorporating more multimedia, research and interaction into the lessons every day.”

Dave Olecko, Business Edge
SMART Technologies president Nancy Knowlton is watching revenues rise.

The company’s clients include Procter & Gamble, Ford Motor Company, NASA, Bell Canada and Intel Corporation. SMART products are sold in 65 countries and the firm has opened offices in the past two years in Washington, D.C., New York, the Los Angeles area, Bonn and Tokyo.

SMART Technologies’ revenues have grown by at least 43 per cent a year during the past five years and the firm projects sales of about $100 million for fiscal year 2002.

Knowlton and Martin have also founded the SMARTer Kids Foundation, which offers a range of community initiatives including a campaign to equip Grades 5 and 6 classrooms with leading-edge technology and teacher training.

“We have a lot of people approach us at trade shows and sometimes on the street and tell us that we’ve made their work and their lives better,” Knowlton says.

“That’s a pretty powerful statement.”

The Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation in Calgary will distribute $145,000 in prize money next month to the four innovators, as well as $20,000 to be shared among eight Canada-Wide Science Fair winners. Since 1982, the non-profit foundation has awarded more than $2.9 million to Canadian innovators.

Along with the SMART founders, Ottawa-based carpenter Malcolm Jefferson was named an award recipient for developing the Centric-Safe Haven bicycle child carrier. The final two recipients were to be named this week.