Through its FedNor funding vehicle, the federal government is investing $185,000 in Eco Carbon Foam Inc., a Thunder Bay-based business that produces foam board insulation from recycled plastics. The government says the investment will help the company acquire and install automated packaging and testing compression equipment. The additions to the existing facility are expected to allow Eco Carbon Foam to increase manufacturing output while also improving production and quality control efficiency, enabling the company to serve large contracts and meet market demands, and helping to expand a critical need for housing infrastructure in Northwestern Ontario and beyond.

In addition to expanding Eco Carbon Foam’s manufacturing output and efficiency, the investment is anticipated to create 20 jobs and to support new strategic alliances.

“Eco Carbon Foam is a family-run business in Thunder Bay who presently employs 12 people and will be using the funding to hire additional staff,” says Marcus Powlowski, Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay—Rainy River. “They are an innovative manufacturer that produces an environmentally sustainable construction product. The FedNor funds are going to support the expansion and continued economic growth in the Thunder Bay area. I am proud that Eco Carbon Foam is helping reduce environmental damage from plastic waste.”

Viktor Rogalski, Eco Carbon Foam’s owner and director, says the investment is welcome and well placed. “We are proud to be a manufacturer of insulation that supports construction and helps reduce energy use for Canadian families and businesses,” says “This FedNor investment is going to help us to continue growing, creating new jobs, and supporting our partners in the construction industry.”

The government says it’s making the investment via FedNor’s Regional Growth Through Innovation Fund (REGI), which supports the growth of Northern Ontario businesses, their expansion into new markets, and their adoption of new technologies and processes.