WINDSOR ESSEX

​“Spark" Mentorships & Grants Program



2018 Windsor Essex ​“Spark" Program Winners:


​Amy Saba, The Branding Loft
TOURISM IDEA: Crafted on Riverfront 
Mentor: Brad Oke (Smackwater Jack's)

Michael Difazio, Reclaim Artistry
TOURISM IDEA: Woodworking Workshop Experiences 
Mentor: Adriano Ciotoli (WindsorEats)

Jennifer Desjardins-Grondin, GL Heritage Brewing Co.
TOURISM IDEA: Heritage Partnerships and Experiences
Mentor: Krista Kalbfleisch (CN Tower)
Stay tuned to our social media channels for updates on their progress.
See our Windsor Essex (Round 2) "Spark" ​winners. 

    To join our Tourism Innovation "Spark" Community, please enter your contact information below to receive program updates by email:
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The Tourism Innovation Lab is a program of Hackforge
Copyright @ 2025 Hackforge

Central Canada Home Base 
Tourism Innovation Lab
c/o Hackforge
300 Ouellette Ave, Suite 210, Windsor, ON N9A 7B4
​​​[email protected]
647-948-5651 x 1
1-844-455-0325 x 1

​Western Canada Home Base
Tourism Innovation Lab
c/o The Common
38016 Cleveland Ave, Squamish, BC V8B 0A1
[email protected]
647-948-5651 x 2
​1-844-455-0325 x 2


We respectfully acknowledge that our home base in Windsor-Essex sits on the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations, which is comprised of the Ojibwa, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi Peoples. We also respectfully acknowledge that our home base in Squamish sits on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples: Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam First Nations. We will honour this by collaborating with Indigenous-led organizations and businesses to support the advancement of Indigenous tourism in those regions and across Canada.​