Success stories
An Alberta entrepreneur was inspired by his battles with a common mood disorder to "build a better mousetrap". As a result, a compact, high intensity light source is helping individuals all over the world combat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), jet lag and even the effects of shift work.
The Litebook Company Ltd.
Owners: Larry Pederson
Growing up in Alberta, Larry Pederson spent hours playing outside every day. As an adult living in Southern California, he got plenty of sunshine. It wasn't until 1994, when he moved back to Medicine Hat, that he experienced the fatigue and depression typical of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Turning down his psychiatrist's offer of Prozac – and despite his initial scepticism – he decided instead to try light therapy. To his amazement, after 30 minutes of sitting in front of a large, fluorescent light box, his symptoms subsided dramatically. "Suddenly the glass was half-full again, instead of half-empty."
Larry was pleased with the treatment, but not with the technology. The light box he used was large, cumbersome, and extremely inconvenient to transport. He decided that there must be a way to improve it. In 1999 he started to conceive of his business, and approached Community Futures Entre-Corp for assistance. He received help with his business plan, and developed a strategy to bring on investors.
In 2000 Larry developed The Litebook® -- a compact, easily transportable light source that uses white LEDs to produce a very bright but safe light which mimics the beneficial wavelengths of sunlight. The Litebook Company Ltd. was incorporated, and Larry's business was on its way. In 2003, needing money to fund a large production run, Larry again turned to Community Futures Entre-Corp, and was granted a loan of $100,000 – a loan that has now been repaid in full.
Larry has achieved a double success. As a businessman, he is founder of a company that is a strong competitor in the global market, with The Litebook® selling in over 50 countries. But he is also fulfilling a mission – to improve the quality of life of people around the world, and to encourage the scientific community to investigate the many benefits of light therapy.
