17 Years of Vendasta

Seventeen years ago, Brendan King, Jeff Tomlin, fellow co-founders, and I started Vendasta out of Brendan's garage and then moved into a small office in Innovation Place. Back then, it was just a handful of us, armed with laptops, phones, data plans for hacking, and chairs we had to assemble ourselves. From the very beginning, we defaulted to openness and collaboration.

Every Friday, we invited friends and family to the office for informal beers, sharing what we’d accomplished that week and bouncing around new ideas. Those Fridays weren’t just about celebrating wins, they became the foundation of our culture. It was in those moments that we met many of our best friends, welcomed new team members, and even connected with our first investors.

We wanted the office to feel like anything but grey walls and cubicles, so we brought in my old sailboat and hung sails right in the workspace. It wasn’t just decoration, it was a symbol. A nod to Tom Sukanen and his story of passion, crazy ideas, and determination to build something people said was impossible. That sailboat reminded us that big dreams often look impossible until they’re done.

At the beginning, in 2008, I wrote this:

"As we set sails for this incredibly exciting venture on a flagship called VendAsta, we face the difficult navigation task. Adoption of an orthodrome will require us to make complex calculations along the way, innovate in various frameworks, constantly adjust the course, and most importantly it will force us to always do the right thing. As an oath and a constant reminder to stay on the right path, I chose to name this space 'My Orthodrome.'"

Over the years, Vendasta has gone through many changes and challenges. In a truly agile way, we’ve always been ready to react, adapt, and push the boundaries of comfort. Each evolution, whether big or small, has brought us closer to where we are today.

From those humble beginnings, Vendasta has grown into something far beyond what we could have imagined. What started in Brendan’s garage has expanded to a 17-story building in downtown Saskatoon that bears our name, as well as offices in the U.S., Europe, and India.

Vendasta has been built piece by piece by every single person who has been part of our journey, whether they’re still here or have moved on to new adventures. Every idea, effort, and contribution, no matter how small, has helped shape what Vendasta is today.

This anniversary is about celebrating everyone who has played a role in this incredible journey. Thank you for your part in building something truly special.

Here’s to the spirit of innovation, big ideas, and building what others thought was impossible, and to an exciting future ahead! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za3iJdv5iS8

Afternoon kayak trip

One beautiful afternoon, Jonathan Hunt talked me into a Kayak trip on the South Saskatchewan River from Saskatoon to Wanuskewin Heritage Park. I loaded my trusty Klepper kayak and off we went.

Annual go-kart racing challenge

Last Thursday I challenged everyone to a race at the Velocity Raceway go-kart track. This race is now an annual tradition at VendAsta. I tried very hard but I was unable to catch up to Michael Bree who you can see in this video in the car number 10. The clear winner of this Challenge was again Dale Hopkins. This kid can swim and drive. The team prize was snatched by the DD team AKA The Nathans.

VendAsta has new digs in Saskatoon historical landmark

I'ts official. We have just signed a lease on the 5,000 sq.ft. , top floor, of the Saskatoon historical landmark: The Avenue Building. The space we have chosen could not possibly get any sweeter. The Avenue Building is located at the heart of downtown Saskatoon (corner of 3rd Ave. S and 21 Street E) and it has quite a history.

According to wikimapia.org:

Originally known as the MacMillan Department Store, the structure on the south-east corner of the intersection was built in 1912 by Saskatoon’s future mayor, Frank R. MacMillan. In 1927, the T. Eaton Company purchased the business, but not the building, as it was ready to open its own store directly across the street. MacMillan’s store was the single largest department store in the city at that time. After selling the business to Eaton’s, MacMillan extensively remodeled his building, inside and out, to convert it to office space, and renamed it the Avenue Building.

It featured expansive atriums with elaborate tilework, some of which exists today. It is now home to a variety of businesses and organizations. It even became a movie set, portraying a police station, in the movie "Murder Seen".

In above picture from 1931 (saskatoonlibrary.ca): The Avenue Building, built in 1913, is seen at the corner of 3rd Avenue South and 21st Street East (across from Army and Navy). Also visible in the image are Avenue Coat and Dress Shop, N.Bawlf Grain Co., Saskatoon Novelties, Bank of Montreal, and Fingard Bowladrome. Autos are seen angle parked on the street and a man is also seen in front leaning on a light post.

VendAsta TurnHere video

We are into 4 weeks of building new product called MashedIn. See how we are connected:

Most promising new company

I am proud to report that today VendAsta won the 'Most promising new company' award founded by Saskatchewan Interactive Media Association Inc. This is big deal for us as it marks the first major award in our one year existence. Since January of 2008 we have grown to 27 employees who who easily represent the top echelon of Saskatoon technical community. Thank you guys and girls, thank you Sask Interactive. We are very proud.

From Sask Interactive website:
Saskatchewan Interactive Media Association Inc. is the professional organization representing interactive media developers in Saskatchewan. As that professional voice, SaskInteractive represents members involved in the development of content-based interactive digital media, as well as consumers and stakeholders. The Association acts on behalf of its members to represent their views to Government, Industry, the News Media, and to the general public.