Andrea Markey
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 26/05) - Richard Barnes was awarded the Young Entrepreneur Award for the NWT last week in Calgary for the success of his venture Cold Mountain Computing.

Barnes, 35, co-owns the software development business with his wife, Nancy Heimbach.

The Business Development Bank of Canada made the presentations to one person from each province and territory as part of national Small Business Week celebrations. Barnes was selected by a committee based on his community involvement and business successes.

Since opening in 1998, the company has grown an average of 60 per cent each year.

With 14 regular employees, and up to 20 during the busy year-end season, the company sells $500,000 worth of products annually.

Barnes and Heimbach are looking to expand their base by developing more software packages, in addition to direct service contracts for government and other businesses.

That doesn't mean employee numbers will begin climbing just yet, though.

"If we started adding a pile more employees, we would have to add more management and I want to be involved with the clients directly as much as possible," said Barnes.

The size and nature of the company allows for flexible schedules and requires a comfortable workplace, he said.

"Giving our staff an environment where they want to work, be creative and involved, gives a better product and better customer service in the North," he said.

Jan Fullerton has been with Cold Mountain Computing as project manager since January. She is also president of the Aurora Arts Society.

"Most funders for the society don't want to meet on a Saturday or in the evening," she said. "Working here makes it easier to meet them in the day, and make up my work at other times."

The casual work environment also allows her dog to accompany her each day to the office.

Awards are a nice way to know something is going right, Barnes said.

"Especially in the IT business, we work in a vacuum sometimes because we get so focused on what we are doing," Barnes said.

Barnes and Heimbach also won an Achievement of Excellence award from the Akaitcho Business Development Corp. recently.