Meet Kelsey Meston: A Catalyst Incubator Graduate Shaping the Future at SwitchUp Buckets
- Cathy Forner PMP, CMC
- Nov 24, 2025
- 4 min read
About Kelsey Meston: Kelsey Meston is a Central Albertan who, along with her husband Jenner, frequently travels and has also spent time on the rodeo circuit. Originally from Manning in Northern Alberta, Kelsey and Jenner now hail from Stettler, Alberta. Kelsey works, is a mom and entrepreneur/business owner. (Favorite quote: “You’re only as tall as the shoulders you stand on.” Origin unknown)
Where SwitchUp Buckets Came From
The idea for SwitchUp Buckets was born when Kelsey was preparing for a horse trip. While portioning out grain bags, she ran out of bags and had to make a special stop to buy more. She wished for a better storage option that was reusable, versatile, and convenient. Kelsey researched and produced the SwitchUp Bucket prototype and brought in an engineering company from Calgary to fine-tune the design and turn her vision into reality.
The inaugural product includes a 5-gallon bucket with 2 and 3-piece insert systems and is manufactured here in Alberta. SwitchUp Buckets was originally designed for animal feed storage and organization on the go, but uses have already expanded to hunting, fencing and dog supplies, gardening, window washing, camping and garage storage.
An Alberta Built Story
SwitchUp Buckets is proud to be an Alberta-founded company. Kelsey believes in economic loyalty, ensuring that every dollar from engineering to production stays in Alberta. Everything from design to molds to production has been crafted in Alberta using local manufacturers.
From Challenges to Momentum
Kelsey’s biggest business challenge before joining the Catalyst Incubator was not having familiarity with the business world, resources and funding, or even knowing who to go to with questions. Her uncertainty was “will there be a market?” The Catalyst Incubator program and mentors helped her develop a business plan, to understand marketing and move forward faster, with more clarity and confidence.
Kelsey states: “I loved that the program was mainly virtual and recorded sessions were available. Being rural, and having a ranch with animals, kids, work and helping my husband with his business makes it challenging to commit to in-person events.
For this program to bring top level knowledge and resources to rural entrepreneurs is outstanding! The coaches were realistic in their approach with our cohort members, and the variety of perspectives was also very helpful. Being in the program connected me to other entrepreneurs and industries. This program helped me move ahead much quicker than I expected to.”
Valuable Connections
Kelsey says: “The number of experts across different professions they brought in for us was so valuable. This ranged from Wendy Muise (Ground Floor Labs) with helping us understand and shape business ideas and value propositions, to lawyers and manufacturers, and more. We were able to ask personalized questions and schedule free consults with most of the guest speakers. We were also put in contact with other people and resources by coaches, Cathy Forner and Suzanne Ebelher, which were tailored to our individual needs.
Cathy and Suzanne were there to guide and mentor me with weekly chats, which were so beneficial. They also encouraged me to attend trade shows, do market research, and make connections.
Craig Elias has also been a game changer for me. I had listened to some of his and Brandy Old's (Alberta Innovates) webinars, but to have him help us with our pitches, along with one-on-one coaching time was incredible! He pushed me to pursue the online store, to think outside the box and really helped me with my marketing! All of these resources have been incredible.
After the program was over, Kelsey connected with Tyler Harke at Community Futures and people from previous cohorts, like Monica Paslawski from Ice Hero. Kelsey states: “I stay in regular contact with Monica, and we share information back and forth. I am so grateful that Cathy and Suzanne connected us.”
Next Chapter
Since completing the Catalyst Incubator program this year, and passing the one-year business mark, revenue for SwitchUP Buckets has increased, along with customers served. Selling in Canada and the US has been the focus. They have an Internationally trademarked name and internationally filed design registration. They have recently had interest from Australia and Europe, which is exciting! Kelsey and the team are reaching out to find out more from the trade commission about brokers, Intellectual Property and other legalities. They are thrilled to announce reaching an important milestone: partnering with a vendor with Canada wide distribution. Work will soon begin to fill that agreement.
Advice to Entrepreneurs
Kelsey shares, “The Catalyst Incubator was an incredibly valuable experience that gave me a ton of information. I appreciated being part of a community of people, each going through our own different experiences, all while learning tips and tricks to overcome business struggles. I highly recommend joining the program.
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