The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce announced today that Lane Merrifield will be named 2017 Business Leader, at the Business Excellence Awards.

Merrifield is well-known as the founder of Club Penguin, the largest online virtual world for kids, which was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2007 for $350 million.  

The award recognizes and celebrates outstanding contributions to the business community in the Central Okanagan, which Merrifield has done through his leadership and passion for creativity and technology.

Merrifield took the lead in creating the 120,000 square foot Innovation Centre in downtown Kelowna, which opened up earlier this year, with the goal of building Canada’s most innovative, creative, and entrepreneurial technology community.

He has been keen on the venture since the founding of Wheelhouse in 2013, an organization that supports early-stage technology companies and entrepreneurs to develop and grow their business.

The state-of-the-art centre is home to businesses ranging from two-person startups to large technology and innovation firms, including Accelerate Okanagan and Business Development Bank of Canada.  

Merrifield's recent works include co-founding FreshGrade, a learning assessment and portfolio tool that many schools have already adopted, allowing more efficient ways for parental, student and teacher engagement and progress reporting.

Merrifield will receive the award at the Business Excellence Awards on Thursday, October 12th, at the Delta Grand.

Tickets are on sale now only until Friday, October 6th. Click here to reserve seats for the event.