NWO Pitch It 2025: The Final Showdown Results! 🎤
Thank you to everyone who submitted their bold and innovative business ideas! The Fourth Annual NWO Pitch It Finale has officially concluded, and we are thrilled to announce the winners!
On April 27th, 2025, Northwestern Ontario's top emerging entrepreneurs pitched live for a chance to win $10,000 in cash prizes. Congratulations to Stephanie Verplaetse, our First Prize winner, who claimed the $5,000 cash prize, and to Sara Brunner, our Second Prize winner, who earned the $3,000 cash prize! Both delivered exceptional pitches and truly impressed the judges with their groundbreaking ideas.
🎉 People’s Choice Award – We Have a Winner! 🎉
The people have spoken! After a very close race, Ali Crandall has won the Pitch It 2025 People’s Choice Award 🎉. Huge congratulations to Ali!
We also want to recognize Lena/Taylor and Sara Brunner, who were strong contenders and received an incredible amount of support. It was a tight competition right to the end! Thank you to everyone who voted and cheered on our amazing finalists!
✨ Meet the Finalists! ✨
Get to know the amazing entrepreneurs behind this year's NWO Pitch It finale! Learn more about their innovative business ideas and bold visions.
For those who missed the event, you can still catch all the action on the NOIC YouTube Channel.
While not all finalists secured a top spot, we are incredibly proud of the remarkable pitches and ideas that made this event such a success. Congratulations to Stephanie for taking home first prize, Sara for securing second prize, and Ali Crandall, who won the People’s Choice Award after a very close public vote!
Our Finalists
Stephanie Verplaetse (First Prize Winner)
Name of the Business: Northern Airworks
Stephanie is a dedicated mom of three boys and a registered respiratory therapist with a strong passion for lung health and home safety. Her journey toward radon advocacy began after attending a lung health conference, where she learned that radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. That eye-opening experience sparked a mission to make a difference in her own community.
Driven by her healthcare background and a deep commitment to prevention, Stephanie co-founded Northern Airworks to provide accessible radon testing and mitigation services across Kenora and Northwestern Ontario. With a hands-on, community-first approach, she's dedicated to helping families breathe easier - one home at a time.
Sara Brunner (Second Prize Winner)
Name of the Business: Sara Brunner, Nutrition & Consulting
Sara Brunner, RD is a Registered Dietitian, entrepreneur, and the founder of Sara Brunner Nutrition & Consulting (SBNC) - the first virtual nutrition company to offer a Lyme-specific program developed by a dietitian-turned-patient.
After Lyme disease left her unable to work or walk, Sara became her own first case, applying clinical precision to navigate her recovery. Years of research and lived experience led her to develop the Universal Lyme Diet (ULD) - a structured, step-by-step framework designed to support foundational healing, gut restoration, and the complex needs of Lyme and co-infections.
Since launching SBNC in 2024, Sara has supported clients across borders, quickly becoming a trusted voice in the chronic illness space. Now, she is focused on expanding the ULD into multiple formats - including guided programs, self-study courses, and practical tools for symptom management - to make healing more accessible and less overwhelming for those who need it most.
Ali Crandall (People’s Choice Award Winner)
Name of the Business: Stella Apothecary
Ali Crandall grew up in Kenora, Ontario, where Lake of the Woods shaped her deep connection to nature.
After working in communications at LWDH for six years, her explorations through Central America inspired her move to Toronto to pursue technology and design studies at Juno College. During her seven years in Toronto, Ali thrived in her role as a brand consultant at Hubba, a wholesale marketplace, helping craft brands develop compelling brand stories. Her strategic insights guided hundreds of brands through successful retail partnerships during Hubba's critical Series A and B funding phases. Ali is a passionate bass angler, rower, cross-country skier, and Pilates instructor.
Drawn back by the magic of Lake of the Woods, Ali and her partner returned to Kenora in 2020, working remotely in sales and marketing to be closer to family and her beloved dog, Stella. When Stella's health declined, Ali re-immersed herself in her decade-long passion for botanical healing with essential oils, creating luxury self-care products. Following Stella's passing in 2024, she founded Stella Apothecary, applying her brand expertise to create wellness solutions for nature-loving consumers.
Lena Morelli and Taylor Hazel
Name of the Business: Local Society
Lena Morelli and Taylor Hazel are best friends, first cousins, and proud Fort Frances locals. Born and raised in Northwestern Ontario, they grew up immersed in the food and beverage industry, gaining hands-on experience and developing a deep passion for their craft.
Their journeys took them beyond Fort Frances to larger cities and even other countries where they honed their skills, broadened their perspectives, and deepened their appreciation for quality food and service. But no matter where life led them, Fort Frances always called them back.
With a shared vision and a commitment to bringing something truly special to their hometown, they returned with a dream: to introduce a much-needed service and product that had been missing for far too long.
Their bond - built on both shared experiences and unique strengths - makes this journey even more meaningful. They couldn't imagine doing this anywhere else or with anyone else. This is home, and this is where their dream becomes reality.
Ethan Raj
Name of the Business: Always Moving Logistics Forward (AMLF)
Ethan brings extensive logistics leadership experience from managing Bloomex Canada's GTA delivery fleet, where he honed route optimization and team coordination. His passion for efficient logistics began in 2004 when he earned provincial recognition in a DECA presentation category for a cost-effective logistics model - a foundation he is now building upon to launch Northwestern Ontario's first all-electric courier service.
Since relocating to Fort Frances in 2022, he has focused on securing grants (iZEV, FedNor) and forging partnerships to deploy a mixed EV fleet aimed at reducing shipping costs for rural businesses by 60%. He is also planning a partnership with Sioux Lookout Youth Corp to train Indigenous drivers while delivering eco-friendly solutions tailored to local needs - from pharmacies and farms to remote households.
As a daily driver of a Honda Clarity Plug-in, he lives his zero-emission mission. Let's redefine rural logistics - sustainably, affordably, and inclusively.
