When Will Cadell emigrated from Scotland in 2005, he came in search of mountains of opportunity - literally.  He settled with his wife in Prince George, a town which combines their thirst for adventure and the great outdoors with his love of geography and technology.  The result was Sparkgeo, a geo-web consultancy that provides a way for users to visualize data by putting maps on the internet.  "We're about as far north as Silicone Valley gets," Cadell jokes.

The inspiration behind Sparkgeo was simple:  Cadell wanted a challenge.  Previously an Information Technology Manager, he wanted to create his own rewarding job.  He saw a gap in the geo services industry and filled that niche by becoming a consultant.  Initially, Sparkgeo supported eco-reserve.org, a non-profit technology start-up by building their webmap.  Now, Sparkgeo works with mountain communities, iPhone app developers, data providers and Northern B.C. First Nations as well as more "traditional G.I.S.'s" and mapping work.

In rare moments of downtime, Cadell loves to spend time with his family and mountain climb.  Climbing has provided a perfect example for his business:  "I'm scared of heights, but that's a good thing in rock climbing!  In business, fear keeps you from stepping too far outside of your boundaries.  Without it, I wouldn't be where I am today."

So what's the best part of Will's experience as a new small business owner?  Getting that first cheque!  "Each time it's a moment of revelation.  My clients are telling me that my work is valuable."  Another highlight is having a client refer to him.  Cadell says, "Word of mouth is important but Sparkgeo is primarily online so I rarely have the opportunity to shake hands with a client.  Because of our online presence, our clients in San Francisco only have to check LinkedIn and they can view previous client referrals.  It works for us."

www.sparkgeo.com