Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes launches stand-up desk

Oristand co-designer Steven Suchy stands tall
Oristand co-designer Steven Suchy stands tall

THE#BCBIZDAILY
Plus, Oakridge Centre expansion shrinks and B.C. ski resorts top USA Today contest
 

Stand-up guy
Ryan Holmes, founder and CEO of Hootsuite, has launched a low-tech alternative to pricey stand-up desks. His new Oristand laptop stand is made of industrial-weight recyclable cardboard, folds up for carrying or storage and costs US$25 (or US$100 for five).

Unable to sit for long periods due to back problems cause by sport injuries, Holmes discovered that conventional stand-up desks generally start at $200 for base models and can’t be easily set up and taken down. With the help of Vancouver designers Steven Suchy and Nathan Martell, he came up with the Oristand, which sits on top of a traditional desk and can be put to use in under 10 seconds. It is ergonomically correct, weighs less than two pound, can support any laptop-keyboard combination and comes in three colours.

“Many companies want to provide stand-up desks as an option to enhance the work environment and promote the overall health and well-being of employees, however cost is a big barrier,” said Holmes in a release. “The investment is simply not feasible for many small-to-medium-sized businesses. We wanted to create a product that would solve this problem for both companies and employees.”

Mall gets small
Vancouver’s Oakridge Centre will not expand as much as originally planned. Oakridge landlord Ivanhoé Cambridge plans to proceed with a ground-level westward expansion but has scrapped a proposed second retail level along with 450 residential units. Adding a second retail floor would have increased the existing 574,000-square-foot mall to about 1.365 million square feet, making it B.C.’s second-largest mall after Metropolis at Metrotown.

Ivanhoé Cambridge cites a recently discovered aquifer below the site as the reason for the changes but also says there would have been difficulties retaining tenants during the planned eight years of construction. (via Retail Insider)

Top slopes
B.C. ski resorts rank near the top of all five categories in USA Today’s current contest to name North America’s 10 best skiing and snowboarding destinations.

Rankings as of Wednesday afternoon were:
Best Ski Resort: Whistler Blackcomb, second place; Revelstoke Mountain Resort fourth place
Best Cross Country Ski Resort: Silverstar Mountain Resort, fourth place
Best Terrain Park: Big White Ski Resort, second place; Whistler Blackcomb, fifth place
Best Ski Town: Whistler, fourth place
Best Après Ski Bar: Garibaldi Lift, Co. in Whistler, second place

You can vote once a day until voting ends on Monday, February 8, at 9 a.m. Pacfic Time (noon ET).