More than a year after sensing “there’s a good business opportunity here,” Steve Daynes is both anxious and excited to “hit it head on” with the official launch of his new business NanoNation Canada.
The 100 per cent Indigenous-owned Peterborough-based company (Daynes is the general manager and clearly very proud of his Indigenous roots) specializes in the distribution and application of antimicrobial cleaning products ideally suited for use in hospitals, long-term care facilities, schools, food processing plants, restaurants, retail outlets – anywhere that pathogens like viruses and bacteria find a home.
At the heart of NanoNation’s success is its exclusive use of Bacoban, a multifunctional hard surface disinfectant and cleaning agent manufactured in Lindsay. While deadly to disease-causing microbes, Bacoban is non-toxic to humans and animals and is perfectly safe for use on hard surfaces including cell phones, computers, and medical equipment.
“We saw that Bacoban came out of Germany and is a solid product, so we joined up and here we are,” says Daynes, who also owns and oversees Level A and The Staffing Connection, two Peterborough-based businesses that connect people with jobs, both temporary and permanent, in professional fields.
“It was in January of last year that we started talking to some people about this idea,” Daynes recalls. “We’ve had some pretty good clients since then, both here in the Kawarthas and as far away as the Northwest Territories.”
“All our clients have been quite happy,” he adds. “It has given them the reassurance they’re doing everything they can to keep themselves, their own clients, and their staff safe.”
Approved by Health Canada, Bacoban’s colourless and odourless solution kills 99.9 per cent of bacteria, viruses, and fungi while leaving behind a protective hygienic surface that prevents growth of bacteria, mold, and mildew. It’s highly effective on a variety of surface types, including plastic, ceramic, metal, stainless steel, porcelain, and glass.
Unique to NanoNation Canada is its application process, which uses electrostatic technology so that the sprayed disinfectant uniformly reaches and bonds on all surfaces, followed by the application of a protective nano-coating that actively inhibits pathogens for up to 90 days. This is a huge plus over other cleaning solutions where surfaces can soon become contaminated again, requiring repeated disinfection and increasing costs.
With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, Daynes admits the timing of his starting his business “was impeccable” as things turned out. While NanoNation Canada wasn’t started with COVID in mind, it has certainly become much more relevant and needed as a result of the pandemic.
“There was a need for this product before COVID and there’s going to be a need for it after COVID,” Daynes explains. “It’s unfortunate that a lot of businesses have been affected negatively by the pandemic, but this product is definitely a good news story for them.”
To coincide with the official launch of NanoNation Canada, Daynes is also branching into the retail market to have his product distributed and sold for home use. This will see wipes and spray bottles made available for use in smaller settings such as homes, vehicles, and small offices.
“We’re in talks with a couple of grocery stores,” he says, pointing out that consumers will notice an important difference with NanoNation Canada’s wipes.
“Our wipes are an actual thick towelette. A lot of competitors use a very thin cloth — so when you go to wipe something it rips on you. With our towelettes, you have to physically pull on them hard to rip them.”
VIDEO: NanoNation Canada and Bacoban partnership
Having started and overseen his other business interests for close to 20 years now, Daynes says lessons learned from those experiences are guiding him through this new venture.
“I’ve made sure I have the right people in the right places to help me be successful,” he says. “I’ve got a good team of people and I have the infrastructure in place to support me.”
“It’s exciting to be back in the trenches starting up a new business and being able again to do all those things I once did,” Daynes adds. “It’s nice to get back into the grassroots of building a business from scratch. I really enjoy it.”
For more information about NanoNation Canada and its application process or to purchase Bacoban products, visit www.nanonationcanada.com.
Businesses and workplaces looking for a quote can email quote@nanonationcanada.com.
This story was created in partnership with NanoNation Canada.
