Corner Brook, NL
April 8, 2026

From March 20-22, 2026, econext hosted its annual Ideathon at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University, challenging students from both MUN and CNA to answer a big question in just 48 hours: How can Newfoundland and Labrador transform its freight and distribution networks to be more resilient and sustainable by 2035? 

Using real-world data and industry insights, students explored one of the province’s more pressing challenges, shipping. Transportation in Newfoundland & Labrador is the single-largest contributor to our carbon footprint, accounting for 43% of all Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The event brought together students from a variety of disciplines to develop practical, forward-thinking solutions for a greener future that tackles the province’s distributed supply chain.

“Working with students offers the chance to engage the future of the industry, while seeing the problem through a new perspective.” Said Zakiya Young, Workforce Events Lead with econext. “We work to help create these prompts that mirror real challenges for our province, and the students show us their innovation and knowledge in that space. They are the next generation to help explore and build the green economy.”

Throughout the weekend, participants took part in workshops, hosted by econext in partnership with Navigate NL, and received one-on-one mentorship from industry. These sessions helped students develop their ideas into expansive pitches. At the end of the event, a panel of judges evaluated the final presentations on criteria including innovation, feasibility and impact of the idea for Newfoundland and Labrador. Winners received a cash prize, and the opportunity to continue their idea development with econext’s help.

First Place Winners – $3000 | Green Mangoes

Green Mangoes (Rielle Chou, Lanthika Dhanapala, and Yueyue Xing) took first place with their innovative project — a shared distribution center in Corner Brook, featuring cold storage and sorting facilities that local grocery stores could rent.

Second Place Winners –  $2000 | Green Gang

In second place, Green Gang (Christopher Abetianbe and Ajith Raj) proposed a digital, AI-powered platform that integrates data from various logistics stakeholders to provide real-time analytics.

Third Place Winners – $1000 | Team A-Z

Third place went to Team A-Z (Andrew Mosher and Zadok Kwame Gyesi) who proposed using empty container space on existing Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) routes to transport westbound freight directly from Montreal to Corner Brook.

econext extends a sincere thank you to its partner, Navigate NL, as well as mentors and judges who helped make this Ideathon possible.

Judges & Mentors:

Kirsten Mercer – City of Corner Brook

Renee Wheeler – Navigate NL

Lynn House – Western Regional Waste Management

Katie Baird – ShipNow Logistics

Carla May – NavigateNL

Ogaga Johnson – econext

Zakiya Young – econext

Timilehin Oguntuyaki – econext

Thomas Young – MUN

Dr. Garrett Richards – MUN

Ken Carter – MUN

Chelsie Cake – econext

econext would also like to especially thank its sponsors, CBDC Humber and Hatch, for supporting this event and helping students learn and engage with the green economy.

For more information on further ideathons or partnership opportunities, contact Zakiya Young at zakiya@econext.ca. 

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