Lethbridge College Rising Star Award

"Joshua Day Chief is this year’s Rising Star award recipient. Just seven years after graduating from Lethbridge College, Day Chief is CEO of AdvancedAg Inc., a family-owned company focused on producing beneficial blends of bacteria for crop and soil health. Day Chief’s first steps into the industry in 2013 included working on research projects for Advanced Water Technologies (AWT), a company owned by his mother, Phyllis Day Chief, while also juggling a job in the environmental consulting world. AWT’s projects focused on using bacteria to naturally clean up lakes and stormwater ponds. Day Chief helped to double AWT’s client list in the first year, while also researching and marketing a bacteria-based product for agriculture, which helped to diversify and grow the company.

Day Chief enjoys the challenge of new opportunities and engages a team approach to drive projects. He’s a natural leader and his ability to share his vision with others allows them to buy-in to his projects. In 2017, AWT had applied bacteria to roughly 1,000 acres and added one new brew location, with farmers noting increased plant health and yield for their farms, while allowing them to cut back on harmful chemicals and synthetic fertilizers. With AWT still in operation, AdvancedAg Inc. was created the following year to meet the demand in the agriculture market. Investing in research, Day Chief’s team developed new technology and software to culture and grow their “bugs.” In 2020, AdvancedAg Inc. has 25 brew facilities across Canada and will treat close to 400,000 acres of crops, while maintaining a strong, growing client base for water restoration." 

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