LINDA WEIGL APPLIES INNOVATION TO AN OLD-ECONOMY INDUSTRY – AND TAKES ON THE WORLD
Books have played a seminal role in Linda Weigl’s life ever since, at age 5, she was sent to a boarding school and found solace in its vast and impressive library. “It became my companion, my safe place,” she says. “I realized early on that we could experience the whole world with a book,” she adds. “Reading makes us think about what it is to be human. It broadens who we are.”
That passion drove the Calgarian – who was recently honoured by BMO Celebrating Women in the category of Innovation and Global Growth – to found Weigl Educational Publishers in 2000 and dedicate her life to publishing learning resources for classrooms and, of course, libraries. Today, her company is one of the largest independent educational publishing houses in Canada.
Upon incorporating, Weigl branched out internationally, a strategy that defined her reach in a serious way. In 2010, she first ventured onto a digital platform, launching AV2 Books, which introduced audio, video and other digital elements into the Weigl products. It was an immediate success. “Never again have we published a book only,” she says. “It wasn’t the most sophisticated software, but we knew that teachers needed a bridge between print and digital and we thought this was going to be that solution. It turned out that it was.”
In 2015, Weigl released Lightbox – exclusively distributed by Follett Corp. – which offers fully digital books that allows kids to enjoy a range of features, including audio, video, interactive activities and web links, for a superior reading experience.
Weigl used to release around 100 titles a year, but the company’s digital innovations have moved that number up to 800 – and counting. This year, Weigl is also releasing a language platform that will allow kids to read books in their indigenous language, whether they’re in the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Japan or China.
And the innovations aren’t about to stop there, says Weigl. The company is currently developing a comprehensive classroom product that will help make teachers’ work more efficient, while providing additional bells and whistles to appeal to the digital learners in every classroom.
As to what accounts for her success, Weigl says it’s her team’s ability to take a concept and run with it. “Vision is only important if you can put it into action and apply it,” she says.
“Who would have thought a little girl born in Saskatchewan would ever be a publisher?” Weigl adds, with a laugh. “If you think it, it can happen.”
I REALIZED EARLY ON THAT WE COULD EXPERIENCE THE WHOLE WORLD WITH A BOOK