In my family, birthdays are a big deal. We like to celebrate birthdays with great food and practical presents. If a family member's birthday is on a weekend, we usually go out for brunch, after celebrating with a big dinner the night before. As you might guess, good food is important to us.

This year at my mother's birthday celebration, my father was so excited he almost couldn't contain himself. There's a tendency in my family to give gifts that the giver actually wants to use, rather than what the receiver actually would like to receive. That's just the way it is. It's kind of like giving your wife a new chainsaw as a present.

In any case, my father was excited to give my mother a new lighting system, one that is solar charged and illuminates the outdoors with a large spotlight. The unit isn't like the small solar powered lamps you see on people's walkways; this system charges all day long and when activated, sends out a bright, panoramic light that illuminates the landscape. Needless to say, my father was very excited at my mother's birthday party.

There's a small Canadian company out there that is a leader in solar powered illumination. This company makes solar powered lighting and energy needs for aircraft runways, water channels, and all kinds of road signs. They even make solar powered lighting for bus shelters.

In short, this company's products are very cool. The company is called Carmanah Technologies Corp. and the stock trades in Canadian dollars on the Toronto Stock Exchange Venture Exchange.

The company has a track record of success, is growing significantly, and continues to innovate new products. I just like the whole package.

My parents are just a little bit older than the baby boomer generation, but trust me, they are serious consumers of stuff. When my father buys a sophisticated solar powered spot light for my mother on her birthday, I just know that a new trend is forming in the marketplace. It made me think about Carmanah Technologies, which I think will be a successful company for a long time to come.