Dawn Lambe: building the North's biomass economy.

• Author: Berti, Liam
• Position: 5 NORTHERN LEADERS-ADVERTISING FEATURE - North Bay's Nipissing University - Interview

She is building a net-zero home off the grid, her family hunts and fishes for their own food, and she lives an incredibly primal lifestyle.

Yet after just a year and half as the project manager of the Biomass Innovation Centre (BIC) at North Bay's Nipissing University, Dawn Lambe has also positioned herself at the forefront of Northern Ontario's bioeconomy.

Propelled to that position by her unquestionable passion for the field, the enigmatic and evocative leader of Northern Ontario biomass lives the strange but necessary dichotomy of harmonizing state-of-the-art technology and sustainable practices.

"I feel like I'm on that cusp of intense satisfaction, transformation, change and seeing the North taking the place it rightfully should take in the provincial economy," Lambe explained. "It's like being in 1984 and having Steve Jobs or Bill Gates say 'hey, want to try and build a computer together in my garage?'

"It's about finding that perfect harmony where technology enhances your life, but doesn't become your life," she continued. "I love finding that blend."

The BIC, which was established by Nipissing University's School of Business in 2009, was created with one ambitious goal in mind: develop a robust bioeconomy in Northern Ontario.

But when the centre, which operates out of a white portable on the south end of the university campus, received $565,000 from the Trillium Foundation in 2010 to establish training infrastructure to grow the biofuel and biomaterial workforce, the school needed someone to fulfill the grant's obligations while building a sustainable life beyond the funding.

Which is exactly why Lambe was hired as the project manager soon after, which saw her oversee the development of biomass training and seminars, contributing to developing and effective policies and further encouraging biomass projects.

As Dr. John Nadeau, director of the School of Business at Nipissing University, explained, Lambe's presence has been a tremendous asset for the centre given thenobligations under the Trillium grant.

When she began her role in June 2013,85 per cent of the deliverables were still to be completed with just over a year of funding left. But now, with those obligations taken care of, Lambe said to accomplish that feat was amazing.

"It's her entrepreneurial nature that fit the role and has been really helpful for us," explained Nadeau. "She was the right person for the job, particularly because she needs to drive the centre towards a...