This week I attended the Fall Home Hardware market, located at their headquarters in St. Jacobs Ontario. During the market I received much appreciated help in the booth from Handy the Hound Dog. The independent dealers purchased products for spring delivery & now I will prepare our spring production schedule for the next 4 months.

I was proud to attend my 29th Home Hardware Market since we started supplying the stores in 1997. This is the time a year when I’m re-motivated from the new growth opportunities I learn from the dealers who share product & marketing suggestions. I work the market myself to listen to as many dealers as possible … this year I received some much appreciated assistance from Handy the Hound Dog. The dealers were purchasing Mark’s Choice Telescopic & Xtend-A-Tools for spring 2013 delivery, while other dealers were purchasing our Reverse D-Handle Snow Shovels & the Home Premier Professional Paint Poles for immediate delivery. I will now prepare Trail Blazer’s spring production requirements based on the market and present it to my team to begin immediately, so they may achieve spring delivery.

During the Home markets, I sometime have had the opportunity to meet different celebrities. Previous years I was excited to meet Don Cherry, Red Green and of course Mark Cullen. This year I had the opportunity & privilege to meet Erin McLeod, Canadian football (soccer) goalkeeper for the Canada national team and Olympic bronze medalist.

Erin McLeod is a Canadian football (soccer) Goalkeeper with a distinguished international career. She made her first appearance with the Canadian U-20 team who made it all the way to the 2002 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Championship Final. She was also the starter for Canada during the past two World Cups, in China in 2007 and in Germany in 2011. Erin has represented Canada at two consecutive Olympic Games. She was Canada’s starting goalkeeper at every match in the qualifying campaign for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and started five out of six games for Canada during the 2012 London Olympics.

Erin McLeod became an Olympic medalist after playing in goal for Canada against France in the bronze-medal match at the 2012 London Olympics, a match where Canada won 1-0 in the final seconds …. Very Exciting!!! My family watched the women’s soccer team, not only win an Olympic medal … increase the love for football (soccer) all across Canada.

I finished this exciting and motivating week, while I was traveling home in my Jeep Wrangler, stopping at various dealers & valued suppliers in New Brunswick & Nova Scotia. One of my many visits was with Karen Wheaton, interior decorator & owner of our valued independent Benjamin Moore dealer, Miramichi Paint & Decor in Miramichi, New Brunswick. I am very proud that Karen is presently offering Trail Blazer’s Xtend-A-Poles in her store and very pleased she will start to offer an assortment of Trail Blazer’s Xtend-A-Garden Tools. Trail Blazer offers a Cultivator, Edger, Hoe, Rock Rake, Scoop, Shrub Rake, Spade Cultivator, Transplanter, Trowel & Weeder. These tools can attach to any universal threaded pole to give your back a break or to get that out of reach job comfortably. When I presented Trail Blazer’s product catalogue to Karen, she explained how her customers, who are doing home decorating and renovations, also spend time in their gardens … She also talked to me about a great new product idea.

I also had the pleasure of visiting Mr. Savoie for the first time, while his son Martin was moose hunting. I have been working with Martin to develop multi colored Extreme Ergo Hatchets. He will have Trail Blazer’s Xtreme Ergo Hatchets produced by Wednesday next week and plans to deliver them to our office the next day … Now that’s great service!!!

All the Best, Shawn Levangie