Entrepreneurship

From nail guns to jigsaws, the newly opened Hilti Tool Library in Western’s Schmeichel Building for Entrepreneurship and Innovation offers students across campus access to state-of-the-art tools. Located in the Sabourin Family Foundation Maker Space – one of two maker spaces inside the Schmeichel Building for Entrepreneurship and Innovation – the Hilti Tool Library provides opportunities to work on prototype ideas with a range of professional equipment, including circular saws, jigsaws, angle grinders, bench grinders, nail guns, impact drivers and others. Eric Morse, executive director of the Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship, said the library represents another piece of the grand vision for the Schmeichel Building as a place where ideas come to life. “Thanks to Hilti’s generous gift, if our students can dream it, they can build it,” Morse said. Hilti, a family-owned company, is a world leader in construction hardware, software and services. “Entrepreneurship and Innovation is part of our company’s DNA,” said Anurag Sharma, Hilti Canada’s president and general manager. “We started in 1941 out of a small garage, where our founder Martin Hilti was really focused on coming up with new tool solutions. Today, we are across the world in 120 countries, and we firmly believe that the construction industry needs innovation and creative ideas to make it more productive, safer and sustainable.” Sharma said he was excited for the possibilities opening up for Western students who will experiment with different tools in the maker space. “Hilti firmly believes in trying things, ideating, and creating. Hilti’s values are totally aligned with what Morrissette Entrepreneurship is doing,” Sharma said.  

‘Empower students’

Neil Enns, a Morrissette Entrepreneurship staff member known as the “master maker,” has been guiding students through the fundamentals of design and working with tools over the last few months. “What I love about it is that we can empower students through the ability to use tools. That translates into them having a broader horizon for their vision,” Enns said. “Their dreams can be bigger.” Enns will continue to run several safety and training workshops to help students get familiar and comfortable with the tool library. “There is something special about working with your hands. Your hands have a brain of their own,” he said. Aariz Nathani, a second-year BMOS accounting student pursuing a bachelor of management and organizational studies (BMOS), has been a frequent participant at Enns’ workshops. “Before the maker space, I had never used tools like drills or sand blocks due to a lack of resources, training and just confidence. Building an organizer and laptop stand gave me hands-on experience and a new appreciation for craftsmanship,” said Nathani. “These skills are valuable for my entrepreneurial journey as they help me understand materials, product design and sustainable production. It gives me the freedom to explore.”