Impact Story: James Summers-Gill

Kendyl Farms
Kelowna, BC

Peer Supported Startup Program

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“There’s nothing better than growing carrots in midair; they’re my favourite,” says James Summers-Gill, who is also partial to heart-shaped cucumbers.

Sound impossible?

Well, James is no stranger to defying great odds.

On April 1, 2016, while walking his daughter to school in Kelowna, British Columbia, James was the victim of what he calls “the worst April Fools’ joke ever.” Attacked randomly in the street, James was beaten within inches of his life.

“My doctor told me multiple times that he thought it would be impossible for me to survive”— never mind live a full life. “But here I am.”

Life-threatening injuries became life-altering ones. Diagnosed with extreme traumatic brain damage, high anxiety, and depression, James was also told he would be only marginally capable of functioning in society and likely never work again.

Today, James is the founder and CEO of Kendyl Farms, dedicated to solving agriculture’s biggest challenges with advanced farming systems and producing delicious, safe and sustainable food.

“It’s been a long battle to get here,” James says. He lost most of his memory due to brain trauma, thus forced to get reacquainted with many things he once knew, cared about and enjoyed. For example, upon returning home from the hospital, James was drawn to “these wonderful yellow tubes with green stuff” out on the deck but had no idea what they were.

It turns out they were the 400-ish plants of a hydroponic garden.

Even though James couldn’t remember the why or how of this hobby, it reawakened an interest in innovative food systems.

James relearned and strengthened his “gift for growing” on that four-by-six-foot deck—a small space that has evolved into a big mission.

James wants to revolutionize how we grow food by way of vertical farming. It’s a method that uses traditional hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics and requires the careful control of factors such as temperature, lighting and irrigation to optimize growing conditions. According to James, vertical farming uses 96% less space and 98% less water than traditional methods; it’s chemical-free, produces high crop yields, and can facilitate a 365-day growing season.

Above all, James believes that vertical farming is a key solution to the world’s food and climate crises, and it’s the ultimate goal of Kendyl Farms to innovate a complete vertical system that can be replicated and relied upon anywhere across Canada or worldwide.

To help turn this vision into a business, James joined the Rise Peer Supported Startup Program (PSSP).

“As a disabled person, it’s really hard to find available and affordable resources,” James says. But because the program was accessible online and cost-free, it opened new doors.

“I developed parts of my business plan and my pitch deck [at PSSP] and got to present it in front of people,” James says. Meaningful connections were also made with the volunteer mentors—several of whom James keeps in touch with.

“It’s been great to have people to talk to [about the business] because once you’re in front of investors, it’s unforgiving.”

That’s where James’s focus is now—on finding investors to help Kendyl Farms acquire property for a facility much larger than the 400-square-foot garage it currently calls home.

(It should be noted that James has grown 9,000 lettuce plants per month in said garage, as well as strawberries, tomatoes, airborne carrots, cucumber hearts, and more.)

While the journey is ongoing, James hopes his story can inspire others and inspire change.

“The system is not designed for disabled persons to ‘get ahead.’ … There are so many things that we have the capacity to do; we just need to be given the opportunities.”

Ever resilient, James’s advice to other entrepreneurs with disabilities is simple: don’t give up.

“Just keep pushing. Somebody is going to come by and help. They will, but you gotta keep at it.”

James Summers-Gill was our 2023 Rotman Family Entrepreneur of the Year.