This week I delivered & set up product at South Eastern Farmers Co-op in Moncton and visited & toured the manufacturing facility at Bouctouche Bay Industries Ltd. in Saint-Edouard-de-Kent.  I delivered product to Pictou Fishing Supplies and visited Home Hardware in Cap-Pele, Pictou, Pugwash, Richibucto, Shediac, Tatamagouche & Wallace

I drove to Moncton New Brunswick this week to deliver and re-stock Trail Blazer’s Ratcheting and Forged Hand Pruners, Trail Blazer’s Telescopic Jumbo Anvil and Bypass Loppers, at South Eastern Farmers Co-op.  The Ratcheting Curved Hand Pruner & the Telescopic Jumbo Anvil Lopper are two of my favourite products.  They make my yard work easy and I like any product that makes yard work easy & more enjoyable.  Oh yes, and of course because they are two of our top selling products.  Both products are increasing sales for Trail Blazer and receiving great reviews every season.  It is very satisfying when we learn about people who like our products.  I look forward to developing new ratcheting products to compliment them soon.

There is nothing that I have found that would compare to Trail Blazer’s Telescopic Jumbo Anvil Lopper on the market today.  It is able to cut a three inch diameter limb with ease due to the patented ratcheting mechanism.  This lopper eliminates a saw in many cases and comes with extendable pin-locking handles to help you cut those out of reach limbs.

I drove to Pictou Nova Scotia this week to deliver and re-stock Trail Blazer’s Multi Function Scissors at Pictou Fishing Supplies.  The Multi Function Scissors are being used and praised about by commercial lobster fisherman all over Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.  Providing a product that is tested & accepted by the local lobster fisherman is something I am taking great pride in.  These scissors are great for cutting nets, ropes and practically anything to bring the traps in as quickly as possible … time is money on a fishing boat.    Oh yes, and they don’t rust even in the salt waters of our Atlantic Ocean … now how many can say that.  If you are ever needing a pair of scissors that will cut practically anything & last for ever … Try Trail Blazer’s Multi Function Scissors.  Now that the Multi Function Scissors have me visiting the fishing supplies shops, I will put some time towards developing a new product that will help the lobster fisherman and allow Trail Blazer to expend into this popular marine market.

The Multi Function Scissors were designed with our lobster fisherman in mind.  The smooth action brass hinge stays tight and does not develop play like less expensive options.  Surgical Stainless Steel blades are very sharp and will not rust.  The large handles are designed to accommodate work gloves when needed.

While in Moncton, I drove north east to Saint-Edouard-de-Kent to visit & tour the manufacturing facility at Bouctouche Bay Industries Ltd. where they make Oyster Gro™ … the complete farming system consisting of a compact housing with floats that provide versatility, efficiency and effectiveness.  They work with wire bending equipment & plastic injection machines.  They also manufacture Styrofoam buoys … a process I saw for the very first time.

We’ll look at the possibility of manufacturing our Extreme™ Hatchets in New Brunswick.  Half the weight of an average hatchet, it will handle many jobs while not adding unnecessary weight.  The reinforced Non-Break Polypropylene handle ensures strength.  The handle is also ergonomically contoured providing a natural feeling grip & control.

Monica Furlotte has successfully set up a new customer and shipped them our 15” and 18” Sawvivor™ Saw and Extreme™ 8” Folding Saw.  They are Knivbutik.se in Sweden!!  Knivbutik.se warehouses products Njurunda Sweden, outside Sundsvall and will be distributing our products to retailers in Sweden along with ESEE knives.  I look forward to our relationship and possibly visiting Njurunda Sweden.

The Sawvivor™ Saw is compact and great for backpacking & hiking.  Assembles in seconds and when not in use the handles fold down and the blade stores inside the main shaft.  Like the Take-Down Buck Saw it is built with anodized aluminum frame, stainless steel components and a Swedish steel wood blade.

The week started off with an exciting meeting at our Dartmouth factory where we reviewed the new prototypes of two new products that will be part of the Trail Blazer product assortment very soon.  Both these products will be manufactured in Nova Scotia, Canada … one at our head office location in Dartmouth and one in Windsor.  It is always exciting to see new products reach prototype stage and you can start feeling it work as you make the final touches and changes before planning production.  I’m very excited about both these products and look forward to presenting them to you soon.

As always, our new product direction is decided from the feedback and suggestions our customers give us.  These two products are no different … one was started by listening to Janet with Rafuse Home Hardware in Wolfville Nova Scotia and the other was from listening to Katharina with Manufactum in Waltrop Germany.

The week ended with Dawna, my wife, joining me Saturday morning for an in-store demo at Blomidon Nurseries in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.  I was welcomed by Andrew Palmer with a hot coffee while Dawna was checking out all the nice plants and completely redesigning our yard in her mind.  I soon started snaping the Jumbo Lopper blade to the open position to get some attention and then I started playing with my products for the fine people to see how they work.  The staff was wonderfully friendly and the customers loved to talk … well so do I, especially about Trail Blazer products.  I spoke to many people including a man who told me the first Trail Blazer product he bought was in Alberta and the staff had great product ideas that I will have to consider attempting to make for a future season.  Overall a good day and extra special when Dawna can join me.

I will be performing more in-store demos over the next two weeks to answer any product or business questions you may have.  You will be able to find me at Gow’s Home Hardware in Bridgewater on Saturday June 16, Wilson’s Home Hardware in Barrington Passage on Friday evening June 22 and Sissiboo Home Hardware in Weymouth on Saturday June 23.

All the Best, Shawn Levangie