For Immediate Release
April 23, 2026
Photography by: Ritche Perez
econext celebrated the accomplishments of local innovators and leaders in the clean technology and environmental services sectors during its Annual General Meeting and Industry Awards Reception on April 22, 2026.
“This past year has been one of action, growth, and meaningful impact for econext” says Laura Barron, CEO of econext. “Across our programs, projects, and partnerships, we have worked alongside our members and stakeholders to advance Newfoundland and Labrador’s green economy.”
The following awards were presented during this year’s event:
Each awardee highlights a distinct contribution to Newfoundland and Labrador’s green economy — whether through bringing new technologies to market, expanding into global markets, promoting sustainable practices, or helping to shape the future of the industry.
“We received some amazing nominees for all of our award categories this year” says Colin Heffernan, Manager, Industry and Community Engagement and emcee of the 2026 Industry Awards Ceremony. “Simply put, we have so many econext members that have been doing great things in the last twelve months. To mention them all, we would be here for hours!”
Backgrounder
Business Excellence Award
econext‘s Business Excellence Award recognizes a significant initiative or achievement of a business engaged in Newfoundland and Labrador’s green economy. This could include the completion of specific projects, business growth milestones, or a contribution to the community from a sustainability or corporate social responsibility perspective. The award is judged according to the initiative or achievement’s impact as it relates to economic growth and development, positive environmental effects, and public awareness of green economy and environmental challenges or opportunities.
econext is proud to present the 2026 Business Excellence Award to St. John’s International Airport Authority.
Some of their key achievements in this past year include the launch of an organic waste diversion pilot in partnership with Harbour Farmstead, a climate conscious rural food system. Through this initiative, SJIAA collected organic waste from airport concessionaires for composting, ultimately turning waste into nutrient-rich material that supports the production of fresh, locally grown produce. Over the course of the pilot project, 7,728 pounds of food waste was successfully diverted from our landfill, significantly reducing our environmental footprint.
To complement this work, SJIAA conducted a comprehensive waste audit across its facilities to better understand the waste streams generated on site. This analysis provided critical insight into the types and volumes of waste that end up in the landfill and served as the foundation for a new, data-driven Waste Diversion Plan.
Strengthening their approach to climate accountability, SJIAA collaborated with industry experts to develop the SJIAA Carbon Management Plan (CMP). To reinforce this framework, SJIAA also adopted a formal Carbon Management Policy, an annual requirement of the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program, which publicly affirms their commitment to continuous emissions reductions and embeds climate considerations into organizational planning. As of November 2025, SJIAA is targeting a 20% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2030. This target has been determined considering the progress experienced to date and planned activities over the next 5 years.
Supporting this work is SJIAA’s long-standing partnership with fellow econext member Fundamental Inc., who have provided expert guidance since 2017. Collectively, these efforts demonstrate SJIAA’s strategic approach to environmental stewardship. By combining measurable impact, strong analytical frameworks, community-centered partnerships, and clear alignment with their Strategic Plan, SJIAA continues to lead by example in advancing sustainability and supporting a cleaner, healthier future for our region, making them a well-deserving recipient of the 2026 Business Excellence Award.
Cleantech Innovation Award
econext’s Cleantech Innovation Award recognizes innovation at any stage of development in business and academia – from research and development, to commercialization, to refinement – of products, services, or processes that can mitigate effects to, protect, or enhance the environment. The award is judged according to the uniqueness of the innovation, the potential for positive environmental impact, and the potential for commercial application.
The winner of this year’s Cleantech Innovation Award is Angler Solutions Inc.
Angler Solutions Inc. are being recognized for a defining achievement in 2025: the development and commercialization of Model for Energy Systems Optimization (MESO).
MESO is a proprietary, patented modelling platform providing techno-economic analysis and optimization of early-stage renewable and hybrid energy projects. It was developed entirely in-house by Angler’s team of engineers and software developers.
At its core, MESO integrates capabilities that developers and analysts have historically needed multiple platforms to access. It performs energy balance modelling, GHG emissions forecasting, Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) and Levelized Cost of Storage (LCOS) analysis, and GIS-based constraint mapping — all within a single configurable environment. It supports a wide range of power generation technologies, energy storage technologies, and end uses including green fuel production and dynamic industrial loads. An AI-enhanced forecasting layer further strengthens the quality of inputs and outputs.
What makes MESO genuinely distinctive from other similar tools on the market is its ability to be customized. Unlike competing tools, which offer standard analytical frameworks, MESO can be configured to represent a specific client’s actual energy system, then used iteratively for scenario planning, transition pathway analysis, and strategic decision support. The MESO platform is no longer a concept or prototype, having been piloted with users across Canada and internationally, including Growler Energy, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, NRCan CANMET, Memorial University, the College of the North Atlantic, and European firms including Netherlands-based Haskoning. MESO is an innovation built in Newfoundland and Labrador, solving global problems, with clear commercial traction already underway.
Angler Solutions Inc. is a Newfoundland and Labrador company building a globally relevant technology. MESO is not a future ambition, it is a working product with real clients, real deployments, and a credible path to scale.
International Business Award
econext‘s International Business Award recognizes a significant initiative or achievement of a Newfoundland and Labrador organization engaged in international business activities relating to cleantech or environmental services. Initiatives or achievements could include export success, diversification into new sectors or markets, collaborative research and development, or the establishment of international partners. The award is judged according to the relative impact of the internationalization activity for the individual business and/or the industry at-large.
The winner of this year’s International Business Award is North Atlantic.
In 2025 North Atlantic made one of the biggest international business acquisitions in NL history — a $600 million expansion into Europe, acquiring a controlling stake in Esso Société Anonyme Française SA and of 100% of ExxonMobil Chemical France SAS, two independent companies of the ExxonMobil group making up the Port-Jerome-Gravenchon oil refinery in Normandy, France. The Gravenchon facility is the second largest refinery in France and one of the largest integrated chemical complexes in Western Europe. This acquisition complements North Atlantic’s growing ambitions to help drive the energy transition. North Atlantic is taking big steps toward a cleaner, sustainable, and economically prosperous future. Strategically located between Europe and North America, North Atlantic is developing a Green Energy Hub in Newfoundland and Labrador with a 1.1 GW (gigawatt) wind-to-hydrogen project in Placentia Bay. The aim is to develop Gravenchon into a green energy hub, leveraging its infrastructure to accelerate the deployment of low-carbon fuels and renewable power.
North Atlantic’s expansion into Europe via France in 2025 represents a significant diversification of both markets and geography for the company. The acquisition gives North Atlantic a foothold in Europe where it aims to export hydrogen.
Industry Champion Award
econext’s prestigious Industry Champion Award recognizes the contribution of an individual to the growth of Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean technology and environmental services sector.
Don Drew of Newco Metal and Auto Recycling Ltd. is the 2026 recipient of econext’s Industry Champion Award!
Don’s career in the metal recycling business stretches over 16 years, 14 of those as Operations Manager with Newco Metal and Auto Recycling Ltd. Don has been involved in general operations, environmental cleanup projects, acquisition and distribution of material and equipment, including numerous projects throughout Newfoundland and Labrador as well as the Arctic. Don completed plans to properly recycle the metal from Cold War Dewline sites in the north while bringing the metal back to this province to be properly recycled.
Don is not known for complacency. Through his time at Newco he has worked to grow metal recycling in NL to exceed volumes recycled in larger provinces. Under Don, Newco has built a reputation worldwide in terms of the quality of the metal they recycle. A pioneer in circularity, Don has enhanced opportunities for regional landfills to utilize the by-products of the metal recycling operation, allowing them to use the soil removed from the recycled metal as alternating ground cover on waste disposal sites, reducing the volume of virgin blasted rock needed and increasing the compostability of the landfills.
In addition to leading private projects with Newco, Don has coordinated with Municipal, Provincial, and Federal levels of government to remediate ignored, abandoned, or troubled sites throughout the province. These former mines, mills, oil storage tanks, and derelict industrial locations are lingering hazards that he found responsible solutions for.
Don does not leave environmental stewardship at the office. He served for 15 years as mayor, deputy-mayor, and councillor with the Town of Bay Bulls; duties included chair of public works, waste management, development, environmental, and tourism. During that time Bay Bulls was honored with more municipal awards than any other town in the province, including Environmental Awareness and Excellence in Governance twice each. Don has worked diligently to ensure the environmental measures and policies of the town created a safe and sustainable community. Don has served on the board of econext numerous times, and has volunteered as a mentor for the Project Zero econext incubator. He has also generously given his time in raising funds for medical charities.
As a result of his commitment to the Circular Economy and the environmental industry in Newfoundland and Labrador, econext is proud to recognize Don Drew as the 2026 Industry Champion!
