Owner: Nicolas Rousseau
Location:  Burnaby, BC

The Business

Burnaby’s Urban Foliage Inc. provides innovative green building solutions and services including consultation, design, distribution, installation and maintenance of living wall and green roof technologies.

Living wall and green roof systems are green ecosystems installed into urban buildings, both indoor and outdoor. Green ecosystems and plant life are proven to have positive impact on human beings.

The Founder

Urban Foliage Inc. President Nicolas Rousseau has studied living wall and green roof systems in depth, and continues his role as a research assistant at the Centre for Architectural Ecology at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in Vancouver.  He has a Masters Degree in Plant Physiology from the University of Poitiers, France, and an Engineering Degree in Horticulture with a specialty in Green Buildings from the National Institute of Horticulture in Angers, France.

The Small Business BC Connection

Small Business BC helped Rousseau find crucial information about the green roof and living wall industry and about confidentiality. He also recently attended the Small Business BC event INSPIRE – The Freshest Business Fair of 2010, where he met people that have been tremendously helpful to his company.

Urban Foliage is a 2010 Successful You Awards nominee for Best Concept.

Entrepreneurial Advice

For other adventurous entrepreneurs, Rousseau recommends starting a business in the province of British Columbia.  With great resources and networking opportunities offered by organizations like Small Business BC, BCIT and government self-employment programs, he found starting a business in BC quite easy.