Welcome to “Trade Heroes”, a new series, where we highlight Edmonton region companies who have ‘exportitude’ – the mindset and commitment to think globally when it comes to their business. Exporting is never easy, but the impacts it brings in terms of economic growth and job creation are worth the effort. We’re proud to highlight these business leaders as heroes to acknowledge their hard work and the positive impact they bring to our regional economy.
Today we are featuring Grengine, a battery energy storage manufacturer and is an alumnus of the Trade Accelerator Program (TAP). TAP is a 4-day hands-on program designed to accelerate the strategic development of businesses and to better them for expansion into international markets. The TAP Alberta Cohorts of TAP Canada was created by the Toronto Region Board of Trade, and it is supported by the Mobilizing SMEs to Export initiative to assist in delivering Canada’s Export Diversification Strategy. The program is supported by national partners including Calgary Economic Development, the TAP Alberts stewards in partnership with Edmonton Global.
Grengine’s battery
Export journey
Connie, the founder of Grengine, confesses their export journey has seen challenges. At the beginning of their export venture, Grengine lacked in-depth knowledge of tariffs, duties, HS codes, and shipping of dangerous goods. “We were doing everything from scratch,” Connie says.
Without this expert knowledge, Grengine’s sales team spent a lot of time researching locations where they could successfully market their product – all areas where TAP helps. Fortunately, their involvement in Edmonton’s tech ecosystem led them to discover TAP and other support programs.
Connie Stacey, Grengine’s founder and CTO
The Trade Accelerator Program (TAP)
Grengine joined one of the first Edmonton region cohorts for TAP. The introduction to TAP proved crucial for Grengine as it familiarized them with the ecosystem and allowed them to learn from various industries. Moreover, TAP arranged for a logistics company to provide expert knowledge on the process involved in shipping dangerous goods, which was particularly helpful for Grengine’s industry. TAP also went above and beyond by providing feedback on Grengine’s proposal, and by providing them with free market research.
Connie emphasizes the pivotal role of TAP in their success as exporters. Without this program, reaching their level of success with exporting would have taken considerably longer. “It’s a wonderful program to take, especially if you haven’t already begun to export. It’s a great introduction into a number of different supports that are free to use.” She praises the exceptional enthusiasm and ongoing support from the program’s organizers, who still remain supporters of Grengine nearly 5 years later.
Learn more or suggest a Trade Hero feature
If you’re looking to go global, TAP is your key to exploring new markets. To apply for the next cohort, please visit this link. Don’t miss this opportunity to accelerate your business to new heights!
Additionally, if you’d like to suggest a business to be featured in Trade Heros, please use this form.
About Grengine
Located in Edmonton, Grengine is a company that focuses on sustainable energy solutions, particularly its innovative battery energy storage system (BESS). Formerly known as Growing Greener Innovations, the company recently rebranded and appointed Erin Rand as its new CEO in early 2023. Erin aims to lead Grengine towards industry revolution and a wider availability of clean technology. Working together since February 2021, Connie Stacey, the founder and CTO, and Erin share a common vision of building a greener future that is accessible to all.
