University student Ben Collings-MacKay, who is heading into his fourth year of a business degree at StFX, recently won a Spark Nova Scotia Competition for Northern Nova Scotia for his work in building a better life jacket for fishers.
He said the idea started during his first year of lobster fishing, and began working on the project in his second semester of his second year of school in a entrepreneurship class. Collings-MacKay said he looked back at some of the issues he faced while on the water and safety gear was one of them. He said the life jacket he is making will be built directly into the oil gear fishermen wear instead of being a separate device. Collings MacKay said the idea is to build a life jacket for fishermen that was designed by fishermen.
Collings-MacKay received $50,000 in the competition, with the money going towards his business, CM Marine Safety Equipment. He said he will use the funds for researching, prototyping, and hopefully some testing during the next lobster fishing season. Collings-MacKay has a few engineering firms and idea hubs in mind to work with this fall when he returns to school, adding he is excited.