This week, I learn what we needed to do to expand in the Scandinavian market from Tobias Norén with Knivbutik.se in Sweden & prepare products for Per Inge Sagmoen with S-Ski & Sport in Norway. I offered products to Marvin Hall with Blue Ridge Knives in the United States and catalogues to John Ross with Woodland Supplies in British Columbia.
After checking in with my customers, I heard from Tobias Norén with Knivbutik.se, part of Njurunda Skogstjänstin Sweden. Tobias told me that they’re very happy with Trail Blazer’s service and products. This is great news but unfortunately, we need to find a better shipping options (And we will) because the products are expensive in Scandinavia with high shipping cost from Canada. Trail Blazer products will get better known and more popular through out Sweden, in the near future, becauseTobias is working on it, now I’ll do my part! I have asked Betty Millard our shipping coordinator to work with shipping suppliers to find better options for getting products to Scandinavian countries because of continued interest in our Sawvivor™ Saw, Xtreme™ Hatchets and Xtreme™ Folding Saws throughout Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland.
Trail Blazer products are getting better known and more popular through out Norway because of Per Inge Sagmoen with S-Ski & Sport. Thank you getting the job done well! Per Inge sent me an e-mail this week, he was checking to see if there was anything new about the shipment of Sawvivor™ Saws … That will be shipping out to him next week.
I started this week traveling in New Brunswick, where I visited dealers like Bernie Regenbogen with Paint Supplies & Decorating Inc in Saint John. Bernie caries our Xtend-A™ Poles, offers them in pink and are popular among contractors including Bob Wishart with Big Improvement Painting … Who I had the pleasure of meeting during my visit with Bernie. I also had time to visit Colour Collections & Décor Inc., Dykeman’s Hardware, Grand Bay Hardware, Hampton Hardware, Hatfield Hardware, Home Hardware, ICI Paints, Loch Lomond Hardware and Moffett’s Hardware. These stores are located in & between Saint John and Sussex New Brunswick. I finished the day in Monctonwhere I enjoyed the evening at the Pump House Brewery (Scotch Ale - Deep amber colour with a rich smokey aroma) and St. James Gate (Macallan – The single malt scotch).
I started the next morning with a great breakfast at the Hynes Restaurant (a common stop fo me) before I drove to Saint-Edouard-de-Kent near Bouctouche New Brunswick. There I saw Trail Blazer’s Xtreme™ Ergo Hatchets are being produced .. The first time in NB. Now Trail Blazer is pleased to produce products in both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Marvin Hall with Blue Ridge Knives, One of our distributors in the United States, has received their purchase order of Sawvivor™ Saws & Take-Down™ Buck Saws in good condition … good news! Marvin also let me know that the Xtreme™ Mini Hatchet is something they would be interested in offering to their dealers. I then, as per his request, recommended they look at stocking the Xtreme™ Folding Saw with the hatchets and the Xtend-A™ Blade can compliment the Xtend-A™ Saw and Xtend-A™ Pruner which they presently offer to their dealers. I am pleased that Blue Ridge Knives has been distributing Trail Blazer products through out the United States since 2004.
Our products are getting better known & more popular through out the United States, because of the tremendous & much appreciated, support of our distributors like Ace Hardware, Blue Ridge Knives, Excel Garden Products, Grainger Industrial Supply, Liberty Mountain, Siemer Enterprises, True Value Company & Worldwide Distributors.
Back in Canada, John Ross with Woodland Supplies Ltd, One of Trail Blazer’s valued distributors, out west, in British Columbia, has received their purchase order of Take-Down™ Buck Saws, Telescopic Ratchet Loppers, Xtend-A™ Saws & Xtreme™ Hatchets in good order …. Again good news! John was wondering if we could send him about 150 copies of Trail Blazer’s product catalogue. I am very pleased when distributors ask for our product catalogues and pass them out to their dealers with the hopes that they will purchase more of Trail Blazer’s products. I have asked Justin Caldwell our customer service coordinator to make sure they are sent to him next week and that I could use another 50 product catalogues myself … for my local store visits. Justin will make 250 product catalogues available for distribution every month until April, when we update the information to provide our Fall/Winter 2013 selection .
Brenda Ibey with Avant-Garden Shop in Peterborough, Ontario informed us that she will consider Trail Blazer Products for next spring. With the uncertainty of Manchester distributing our products next year. I will keep in touch with Brenda and reach out to as many other dealers in Ontario as I can … so they order directly from us, in Nova Scotia.
All the Best, Shawn levangie