"The Kootenay Association for Science and Technology (KAST) and the Kootenay Rockies Innovation Council (KRIC) undertook a survey, consisting of over 120 questions, of 82 businesses in the manufacturing sector and 97 businesses in the technology sector. Businesses represented communities across the region, spanning Sparwood to the East, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) Area E to the West, Golden to the North and Creston to the South. "