This week I focused most of my attention and time on financial requirements we need to prepare for our spring delivery requirements and our busiest time of the year. I participated in Minister Steele’s pre-budget tour with CME and I learned about a great product created by Nova Scotia ingenuity.
I met with the Toronto-Dominion Bank twice this week to discuss the lower receivables & excess inventory we presently have from the decrease in consumer spending last spring of 2011. I also reached out to Maple Trade Finance, to see if they would cover some of the working capital tied up in our inventory, until we begin shipping again in January or February 2012 for next spring. I am pleased to advise you that Maple Trade Finance has issued Trail Blazer Products Limited a credit proposal in the amount of $1,000,000 for their accounts receivable invoice finance facility. This facility will be made available to our suppliers for funding their invoices generated from the sale of material we require to supply our Jumbo Ratchet Lopper to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. / Sam’s Club during 2012. Furthermore they will provide us the ability to provide our key suppliers with an undertaking of their supplier direct payment service that would provide direct payment to suppliers we selected upon the advance of funding generated from our loan advance. They anticipate funding to commence January 17, 2012. We are pleased to be working with Maple Trade Finance and look forward to a long standing relationship.
As Chairman of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters in Nova Scotia, I had the pleasure of joining Ann Janega, our Vice President with CME Nova Scotia, along with a small group of people from various different associations where we heard Nova Scotia Finance Minister Graham Steele open his presentation by stating;
“ Nova Scotians deserve to know how the government handles their money, and I want to make the province’s budget more accessible and understandable to people. This website brings the provincial budget into people’s homes, classrooms, and workplaces in a way that they have never seen before. It’s challenging, fun and informative. ” Finance Minister Graham Steele
He gave us time to speak about concerns with the tax structure & services being provided. I’d like to praise the Minister for taking the time to listen & speak with us. You can show him how you would balance the budget through an interactive website. (www.backtobalance.ca) This will be the centrepiece of the Back to Balance pre-budget consultation, which runs until the end of February.
I sat down with Lynn Christie & Jim Proudfoot this week, co-owners of Water Drills International Inc. to share ideas about the distribution of the Water Drill, a unique but simple device for unclogging sinks, tubs and toilet drains. They brought a unique combination of experience and talent to this venture, and together have advanced the Tool and its presentation to the point where it was just launched into the Canadian market through participating Home Hardware Stores across Canada. To learn more about The Water Drill, an ennvironmentally friendly solution for a common household problem, clogged drains, visit http://www.waterdrills.ca.
All the Best, Shawn Levangie
A Look back, December 5th 2010
One Year Ago, Ben Cumming joined operations to make improvements to provide better service for sales reps & customers - with an initial focus on;
- Procedures to provide samples, set up show logistics, layouts, specials, etc
- Procedures to fix current product issues & ensure the highest quality.
- Bring 2 years of experience to the R&D department & develop products.
- Make sure customer needs are known in regards to packaging & shipping.
Today, we have improved quality control procedures in place & now provided well designed point of purchase materials & packaging … thanks to Ben Cumming. (http://www.trailblazerproducts.com/1328-ben-cumming-focuses-on-serving-customer)