In 2023, the Canadian nonprofit sector added around $182 billion to Canada’s overall economic output, which is 8.3 percent of the country’s GDP, says Urban Echo. That is more than the combined contributions of industries such as mining, oil & gas, and agriculture. In terms of jobs, the sector employs nearly 2.4 million people, of whom 77 percent are women, making up 10 percent of all workers in Canada.

According to Urban Echo, there are several concrete tactics that companies can adapt from their nonprofit counterparts, including developing trust and mission-driven engagement. By their very nature, nonprofits have a distinct social mission that cultivates strong loyalty and trust among volunteers, funders, and beneficiaries. This clear link to a higher goal is a major advantage, and businesses can go beyond simple Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs to include a true social mission in their fundamental strategy.

Nonprofits excel at creating sturdy community alliances and using their combined resources and knowledge to accomplish common objectives, recognizing the value of teamwork over rivalry. Businesses can follow suit by using their local knowledge and experience to establish genuine long-term collaborations with nonprofits and community organizations.

As volunteers and committed staff who are enthusiastic about their work are often drawn to nonprofits—and inclined to stay for the long term—for-profit companies can also create a work environment where employees have a sense of purpose that extends beyond their salaries. As shown by the success stories of businesses that place a priority on social impact, doing so not only benefits the community but also increases employee loyalty and morale.

According to Bertina Ceccarelli, writing for Forbes, nonprofits foster and encourage creativity, which can benefit for-profit companies as well. Because nonprofits often lack easy access to finance markets for expansion and innovation, many organizations are incredibly resilient and develop creative strategies to continuously design program models that support their mission. A nonprofit’s objective frequently revolves around societal or environmental change, and meaningful change requires creativity and adaptability.

Businesses can apply these innovative strategies by cultivating a mission-driven culture that encourages and rewards creative thinking. Employees can be supported in challenging the status quo and exploring new ideas in a culture that values humility, resourcefulness, risk-taking, and teamwork. Building such a culture does not have to be expensive, but it does require leadership, perseverance, and patience.

Ceccarelli highlights collaboration as a key component. Nonprofits work to address important societal concerns, yet they cannot do so on their own. By depending on a strong network of corporations and partner organizations, much more can be achieved within the organization and the community at large.

A strong partner ecosystem can also increase credibility and make use of new networks for influence and resources. The ability to handle conflict, communicate a clear vision, and inspire action becomes even more important when there is no traditional business motivation at play. Vendor, consumer, and investor relationships that are currently transactional can become more valuable if viewed as partnerships. Establishing successful partnerships requires perseverance, understanding, and persuasion, along with a dedication to shared objectives.

Members of nonprofit teams collaborate to advance a social issue as a group. Since they cannot compete with the high financial incentives, bonuses, and perks of the corporate sector, nonprofits focus on selecting managers who can motivate their teams and staff members who seek a sense of purpose.

In order to maintain a variety of revenue streams such as sales, sponsorships, partnerships, and charitable support, nonprofits must establish strong connections with their constituents, according to Roger Sametz and Mark Volpe. This has pushed them to develop strategies and competencies that for-profit businesses can adopt. They must maintain a healthy mix of revenue sources, from earned income and contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations to government funding and partnerships.

More significant than any individual service, a nonprofit’s mission and vision inspire participation and trust. People are inspired by the mission, which serves both an operational and emotional need. When relationships are cultivated and sustained, they create ambassadors and advocates, encourage loyalty, and provide space for forgiveness when needed. Customers, board members, donors, and participants all feel connected to the same organization.

Developing closer relationships can similarly help a company differentiate itself and add value, says Sametz. Consumers may relate to a company’s purpose, align with what its brand represents, or want to belong to a particular culture. Focusing on connections promotes repeat business, reduces operating costs, boosts profits, enables cross selling, and helps create a corps of ambassador advocates. Talking to customers instead of at them is also valuable for both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Focused, values-based messaging that connects organizational strengths with constituent interests helps build support and engagement.

Because they must accomplish more with fewer resources, nonprofits are frequently efficient. They rely on committed boards and volunteers who raise money, take on responsibilities, and act as ambassadors, as well as employees who are motivated by more than a paycheque. The integration of print, digital, environmental, and social communications is the best way for nonprofits and businesses alike to ensure that every communication dollar reinforces each other in order to build brand recognition, trust, and participation in a sustainable way.

From effective use of social media to building strong stakeholder relationships and collaborating with likeminded organizations, nonprofits have developed numerous skills that can significantly benefit businesses, according to The Nonprofit Cooperative. Social media provides an affordable way to expand reach and foster relationships. By sharing meaningful stories, behind-the-scenes content, and purpose-driven posts, organizations build visibility and community around their cause or business. Communicating with donors or clients on a personal level by using their names, thanking them, and informing them of the impact of their contributions builds trust and reliability, both essential for survival. Stakeholders feel valued through frequent check-ins, personalized messages, and unique updates. And unique opportunities for in-person engagement, such as open houses or appreciation events, can further deepen these relationships and are strategies businesses can adapt from the nonprofit sector.

Well-run nonprofits are experts in efficiency, creativity, and making the most of every resource. They excel at achieving more with less. Even when funding is available, businesses can adopt a lean approach, maximizing resource allocation, reducing waste, and finding creative solutions to operational challenges.

The nonprofit industry is also proof of the power of collective effort and mission-driven models. By examining and strategically implementing the core values of nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies can enhance their public image, strengthen community ties, and open new opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and long-term sustainable growth.

The post What Nonprofits Can Teach Business<p class="company">Lessons for Growth, Trust, and Innovation</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

But between the great recession, COVID-19, and the rise of the Internet, retail has gone from change to even more accelerated change. It’s not that people aren’t shopping any more—they absolutely are—but the way they are doing it is very different. The department stores at the malls, even the malls themselves, are no longer the only game in town, and people are looking beyond going to the store to get what they want. It’s as easy as scrolling a smartphone to find exactly the product that you are looking for.

So now that we are halfway through the 2020s, what do people want when they shop? What does a great shopping experience look like? While where people go to shop has changed, regardless of the venue or even whether it is real or virtual, for shoppers, it often boils down to two important elements: convenience and accessibility. They want to find the product they want with little fuss. They want the product to be as good as or better than advertised, and when they find it, they want the action of purchasing to be seamless and quick. The big difference is that they want all this on their terms, wherever they are, in the way that works best for them.

When it comes to the in-store, human experience, it’s often the employee working in the store that makes or breaks the sale. If shoppers have a question, they want the person answering to have knowledge about the product and understand where they are coming from so that the employee can provide them with tailored suggestions. This not only makes the consumer feel special; they also begin to trust the employee and the store.

It’s also not surprising that convenience and accessibility come into play here. People want to talk to staff members who are available for them and get answers to their questions right away. An interesting example of how this plays out can be found at the local hardware store. In the U.S., the Ace Hardware chain of smaller stores, about 7,000 to 10,000 square feet on average, has stolen a lot of the thunder from the big hardware players like Home Depot. These smaller stores, situated right in communities and selling much more than nuts, bolts, and paint, are resonating with the evolving shopping psyche of today’s rushed consumers, according to industry watchers. Each store carries about 25,000 to 30,000 unique products.

While the big box stores cater to the contractor or the homeowner doing remodeling work, these kinds of projects have slowed and now those big retailers are seeing declines. Ace, meanwhile, benefits as people continue to take on more modest projects. Michael Brown, a partner in consulting firm Kearney’s, tells CNN about this trend toward smaller and more intimate retail experiences. “It’s an interesting phenomenon,” said Brown. “Ace is your local customized, intimate hardware store where I can go in, get something very quickly, talk to people that I know.” Brown also notes how the stores are close to home and easily meet his project needs. “They’ve built a unique niche and their stores are also bringing a local flavor to them.”

This an important pivot from past convention. People are less willing to go out of their way to go to a store to get something, so it had better be a worthwhile venture. Convenience is dominating many aspects of shopping.

Another point to think about when it comes to today’s consumers is that they want to feel more knowledgeable than ever before. Scouring comparative websites and doing research are the new norm for shoppers, especially for larger ticket items. People will often come in knowing the pros and cons of a product and what the competition has on offer.

This is where shopping and the rise of the Internet intersect. People have instant access to pricing, reviews, and information about most any given product. Now that all this information is literally at our fingertips, it’s the big themes of convenience and accessibility which e-commerce must deliver on. This means end-to-end fulfillment—if you want that waffle iron at three in the morning, you should be able to find out why one online retailer’s is better than the rest, order it, pay for it, and have it on your doorstep shortly, making one-click access important. And none of this works without seamless delivery. If the customer doesn’t ultimately get the item they want delivered to their door in a timely manner, it is a failure. And that will impact how they perceive the experience and ultimately the brand behind it.

There is also the tricky and costly reality of returning items, a balance between trying to protect the business from receiving damaged or phantom returns while refunding customers as quickly and conveniently as possible. Capital One Shopping Research notes that nearly 123 million Americans will go clothes shopping online this year. Within that number, one out of every four of those items will be returned. That means billions in lost revenue for retailers, not to mention packaging waste, fuel waste, shipping costs, and frustration all around.

This is probably one of the biggest sticking points with e-commerce. How do people try something on? Ever since clothing stores first opened, people have tried on items to make sure they were satisfied with what they were about to buy. How does that work when you are on a bus going home from work scrolling your phone? This brings us to apps such as GlanceAI, a free virtual styling app for iOS and Android, and Google’s new Try-On tool, which uses generative AI to show you how clothes will look on your body. Upload a full-body selfie and in seconds, GlanceAI shows photorealistic images of you wearing outfits curated to your body type, skin tone, and even local weather. If you like what you see, you can tap to shop similar products from retailers.

According to GlanceAI, in less than a month from the app’s launch, it’s created more than 40 million personalized outfit images for over 1.5 million users in the U.S. alone, with 40 percent of them shopping in the app on a weekly basis. GlanceAI earns money through affiliate sales. “We’re not trying to turn you into someone else,” GlanceAI CEO Naveen Tewari told USA Today. “We’re trying to help you discover the best version of you. It’s not just ‘what shirt fits me?’ It’s ‘what outfit makes sense for me right now, in my city, with my vibe?’”

While e-commerce is growing and shopping in person at stores is declining, many successful businesses know that you don’t have to sacrifice one for the other. An omnichannel approach is one that combines e-commerce and the traditional retail experience and can give customers a unified experience no matter how they choose to shop on a particular day. It can mean a hybrid experience—being able to order and buy your coffee ahead of time and simply swinging by to pick it up, for instance. Of course, a lot of elements must work together to make such offerings successful.

Probably unsurprisingly, the root of many challenges is technology. Consider customer data being trapped in different systems that don’t talk to each other or a salesperson being left in the lurch, unable to access a customer’s details when they are standing on the store floor with them. Even if systems are working, data uploads may not be instantaneous, and customers can be left with the frustrating experience of not getting the item they want after all.

Successful implementation of the omnichannel strategy isn’t easy. It requires employees to grapple with changes to how they traditionally go about their jobs. They may have to learn and use new devices and systems; perhaps the commission system would work differently. All this could lead to dissatisfaction and resistance to reaching the goal of a unified approach to a retail experience. And of course, these integrated IT systems don’t just pop up out of nowhere; they require considerable time to implement and a lot of capital to set up.

If one thing is certain, it is that more change to retail is surely on the horizon. Ultimately, customer satisfaction is the constant and guiding light. Where retailers shine is in making the shopping experience feel personal, accessible, and rewarding.

The post Keeping It Personal<p class="company">The Outlook for Retail in a Changing Landscape</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Fastenal’s first Canadian branch, opened in Stoney Creek, Ontario in 1994, represents one of the most defining moments in that journey. It wasn’t a high-risk expansion or a bold bet; instead, it was a thoughtful response to demand. Many of Fastenal’s U.S. customers already operated in Canada and needed a partner who could match the consistency, speed, and reliability that had earned their trust. By “showing up where the customers needed them,” Fastenal embodied its own motto, Growth Through Customer Service, and laid the groundwork for something far bigger than just a branch.

From that unassuming start, Fastenal Canada has grown in both scope and sophistication. Today, the company has hundreds of in-market locations, a national distribution network, and a deeply embedded presence in Canadian manufacturing, construction, and industrial operations. Globally, Fastenal now operates in more than two dozen countries, employing over 4,000 team members outside the U.S., a testament to how the company’s original beliefs scaled across borders.

A model built on presence and partnership
In an era when many industrial suppliers are scaling back their physical footprints and leaning heavily into digital channels, Fastenal has followed a different path, one that blends high technology with deep local presence.

“While many brick‑and‑mortar companies are shrinking their physical presence and increasingly (or solely) relying on online platforms, Fastenal continues to invest in technology and focus on efficiency while being locally accessible,” says Tony Murphy, Senior Vice President of International Sales. Fastenal’s Onsite program, supported by branch locations spanning the entire country, allows the company to remain closely connected to customers and respond efficiently to their supply chain needs.

This philosophy shapes how Fastenal operates in Canada. Rather than detaching from customers, Fastenal embeds itself within their operations. Its Onsite program means entire Fastenal teams work inside customer facilities, helping manage inventory and solve logistical problems. This isn’t a transactional model; it’s deeply relational.

“Fastenal’s relationship with Canadian customers has evolved from a transactional approach to a deeply collaborative partnership model,” says Erik McCluskey, Regional Vice President. “Historically, the focus was on providing quality products and reliable service, but over time, the company has prioritized understanding the unique needs of customers across diverse markets. Today, partnership means acting as a true supply chain ally, delivering value through high service standards, data-driven insights, and customized solutions that help customers achieve operational efficiency and growth,” he explains. “This commitment reflects Fastenal’s broader strategy of fostering mutual success in an ever-changing industrial landscape.”

Fastenal’s proximity strategy is backed by a distribution system that is both robust and agile. Local branches across Canada don’t just hold inventory; they form a network that understands regional demand, respects local operations, and can respond quickly to emerging needs. In many customer sites across the country, Fastenal doesn’t just deliver products; it delivers insights and operational support.

Fastenal has deliberately chosen not to transition into a fully online model, instead prioritizing close, hands-on relationships with its customers. This approach is strengthened through its Onsite programs, which place dedicated teams directly inside customer facilities to provide tailored support and deepen operational integration. But Fastenal doesn’t stop at inventory. The team offers safety services, engineering support, manufacturing expertise, and industrial consultancy, all tailored to each customer’s needs. In industries that can’t afford downtime or misaligned parts, Fastenal positions itself as a strategic partner, not just a supplier.

People first: The Blue Team
One of Fastenal’s most potent differentiators is its workforce, affectionately known as the “Blue Team.” Not just order-takers, these are problem solvers and innovators who work side-by-side with customers to improve processes. “Another point that sets us apart is our people,” says Murphy. “Fastenal team members (‘The Blue Team’) are known for their problem-solving skills, entrepreneurial spirit, and collaborative approaches with customers to drive innovation and make continuous improvements within their business units.”

This isn’t mere talk. Fastenal promotes a culture of empowerment, giving its local teams autonomy in decision-making and investments. Hierarchies are flatter, and leadership is often homegrown, with many leaders in Canada starting in branch-level roles and working their way up. That growth mindset is baked into Fastenal’s internal development programs, wherein employees receive mentorship, cross-functional training, and opportunities to move across regions. The company encourages its people to think of their roles as entrepreneurial and to act as owners, solve problems, and lead change.

In its Canadian operations, this approach to leadership has paid off. Local teams influence branch strategies and contribute to Fastenal’s broader mission, and their success and dedication help Fastenal maintain a culture that is both caring and ambitious.

Building through community
Fastenal’s commitment to community is just as deep as its operational investments. The company doesn’t treat social responsibility as an afterthought; instead, it’s an essential part of how business is done. “The company believes that we not only exist to serve our customers and offer employment, but also to help those around us,” says Brian Widdifield, Marketing Manager.

Fastenal has always viewed the broader community as a key part of its ecosystem, not something that is separate from day-to-day business. The company encourages its teams to stay active locally, whether that means volunteering their time or supporting causes that matter in their area. This outlook traces back to the company’s founders and continues to be part of the culture at every level of the organization. Over the years, that commitment has taken shape through various community-focused initiatives, including programs like Blue Team Sports, the BK5K, and the more recent Blue Team Gives Back campaign, all of which help strengthen connections and support people where they live and work.

The BK5K is one of the most visible embodiments of this philosophy, an annual walk/run inspired by Fastenal’s founder, Bob Kierlin. Rather than compete against others, participants are encouraged to try to beat their own personal best, echoing Bob’s personal journey of self-improvement. Proceeds go to youth programs and community organizations, ensuring that the race’s impact extends beyond the finish line.

In Canada, the BK5K has grown into a beloved annual event. The third Canadian edition drew more than 250 participants and raised over $31,000 CAD for local charities. Even as the event has scaled, Kierlin’s original spirit, a focus on personal growth and giving, remains front and center.

Beyond the BK5K, Fastenal’s community commitment is visible through Blue Team Gives Back, which organizes local campaigns such as blood drives, volunteer days, and disaster relief. Rather than relying on a corporate foundation, Fastenal decentralizes giving; local branches decide how to engage, consistent with the values of their communities. This model fosters real connection and meaningful impact.

Milestones in Canada: three decades of beating expectations
Fastenal’s journey in Canada is marked by steady growth, strategic milestones, and deepening roots. When that first branch opened in Stoney Creek in 1994, it had just two employees and modest sales, but the vision behind it was expansive. That humble beginning would spark decades of expansion, and by 2019, Fastenal Canada was already reporting over 1,500 local employees, more than 250 in-market locations, and a network of vending machines serving customers across the country. This growth demonstrated not only operational scale but also the strength of the Blue Team and its ability to serve a diverse, complex customer base.

A pivotal moment came in 2014 with the opening of Fastenal’s high-tech distribution centre in Kitchener, Ontario. Built with automation and forward-looking logistics, the facility quickly became a backbone for Canadian operations. So strong was the momentum that within a few years, Fastenal expanded the facility by another 90,000 square feet to keep pace with demand.

Beyond infrastructure, leadership evolution has helped solidify Fastenal’s Canadian identity on a global scale. In July 2024, Jeff Watts, a longtime Canadian leader with deep Fastenal roots, was promoted to President and Chief Sales Officer. His ascent reflects more than just tenure; it signals Fastenal’s trust in homegrown talent and its recognition of Canada’s role in shaping the company’s future. Each of these milestones illustrates that Fastenal’s expansion in Canada was never accidental. It was intentional, strategic, and customer-driven.

Innovation at every turn
Fastenal has long positioned itself at the intersection of high-touch and high-tech. Its innovation framework is not about flashy gadgets, but about practical, data-driven systems that deliver value where it matters most: on the shop floor, in customers’ production lines, and in their financial planning.

The heart of that innovation in Canada is the FMI suite: FASTStock, FASTBin, and FASTVend. These tools transcend traditional inventory models by offering real-time usage tracking, analytics, and automatic replenishment. FASTVend machines offer vending-style access to safety and maintenance supplies, while FASTBin uses infrared or RFID to detect depletion and trigger orders. FASTStock, meanwhile, offers scanned stocking locations that are flexible and scalable.

Indeed, Fastenal is continuously enhancing its digital capabilities to meet evolving customer needs. Greg Mees, Regional Vice President of Fastenal Canada, notes, “Fastenal is actively rebuilding its P.O. Automation tool, which is a best-in-class solution for organizing and tracking inventory and assets in customer stocking locations.” This rebuild includes improved reporting, analytics, and integration with Fastenal Managed Inventory Technology, further cementing the company’s position as an innovative partner in complex supply chain management.

According to Fastenal’s more recent earnings reports, the appetite for these systems remains strong. In 2025’s first quarter, the company recorded more than 6,400 new weighted FASTBin and FASTVend signings, and total signed and installed devices surpassed 129,000 MEUs. That level of adoption illustrates not just customer trust in FMI, but Fastenal’s capacity to scale advanced systems globally.

In Canada, the benefits of these technologies play out in tangible ways. Onsite teams analyze data to improve stock cycles, helping companies reduce excess inventory and minimize unaffordable downtime, and distribution branches use analytics to optimize where inventory should be placed, improving response times while cutting transport costs.

Fastenal’s commitment to purposeful innovation is summed up in a company statement: “We seek to improve upon existing tools and apply new ones to further improve data across the entire supply chain, from sourcing, during transit, all the way to the customer facility.” This approach shows that technology for Fastenal is not just about being modern; it’s about being relevant and aligned with customer goals.

Building a sustainable future
One of those goals is sustainability, and at Fastenal Canada, this is integral to how the company creates long-term value. The company’s ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) commitments guide its decisions, investments, and operations. In its 2025 ESG report, Fastenal highlights multiple streams of sustainability work, from waste reduction to energy management, across its global operations.

In Canada specifically, Fastenal plays a significant role in the Call2Recycle battery collection program. 2023’s ESG report notes that Fastenal’s Canadian distribution centres and branches collected massive volumes, making Fastenal one of Call2Recycle’s top partners. This work helps divert hazardous materials from the waste stream and underscores how Fastenal aligns environmental responsibility with operational logistics.

Another major initiative is the partnership with Trex through the NexTrex program, which recycles plastic film and other soft plastics, turning them into composite deck boards, contributing to Fastenal’s global waste diversion goals and supporting circular-economy principles.

On the facility side, Fastenal’s Kitchener distribution centre is working toward ENERGY STAR certification, a standard that would place it among the most energy-efficient facilities of its kind in North America. These efforts illustrate how environmental sustainability and business efficiency can go hand in hand. Moreover, Fastenal’s sustainability model doesn’t just focus on the environment, but includes labour efficiency, ethical sourcing, governance frameworks, and operational transparency. The company sees these efforts as value creators, reducing risk, building trust, and strengthening long-term customer relationships.

A culture that drives everything
Fastenal’s organizational culture, especially in Canada, can be distilled into one idea: people matter. The company’s success isn’t just about its systems or scale; it’s about its workforce, and Fastenal has cultivated a workplace culture rooted in respect, trust, and a genuine commitment to the well-being of its employees. Team members are encouraged to take ownership of their roles, explore opportunities for professional development, and embrace new challenges that help them grow both personally and within the organization. This culture of empowerment not only supports individual success but also strengthens the collective performance of the company, ensuring that employees are motivated and engaged with Fastenal’s broader mission and values.

This isn’t just rhetoric. Fastenal invests in internal leadership development, cross-regional moves, mentorship programs, and career pathways. Employees see themselves as part of a bigger mission and not just working for a supplier but building a partner ecosystem. The result is a workforce that is not only capable but proactive. Blue Team members identify inefficiencies, propose improvements, and often lead initiatives that drive genuine operational change. This closeness to the customer, combined with empowered teams, helps Fastenal maintain agility even as the company scales.

Facing the future: challenges and opportunities
Fastenal Canada at 30 is not resting on its laurels. The industrial supply landscape is in flux: global supply chains are under pressure, sustainability demands are increasing, and customers expect both agility and innovation. And Fastenal’s strategy for the future is shaped by these trends and by its own strengths.

First, Fastenal sees automation and predictive inventory management as core to its next phase. As more customers adopt FMI systems, Fastenal plans to deepen its analytics capabilities, offering even more precise forecasting and operational insights.

Second, the company is investing in sustainability infrastructure. As ESG disclosures become more important for both customers and regulators, Fastenal is aligning its operations to meet stricter environmental standards, reduce waste, and increase transparency. Its recent ESG report outlines investments in carbon reporting, safety, and supply chain resilience.

Third, Fastenal is doubling down on its people-first philosophy. The Blue Team model, empowering local teams and promoting from within, remains central to the company. In a world of automated supply chains and frictionless ordering, Fastenal believes relationships will continue to matter.

Finally, the company is expanding its community footprint. As it grows, Fastenal wants to deepen its impact, especially in Canadian communities. Whether through the BK5K, Blue Team Gives Back, or local volunteer programs, Fastenal views social responsibility as inseparable from business success.

After 30 years in Canada, Fastenal has become more than a branch network or a parts supplier. It’s a true partner to customers, to communities, and to its own people, with a journey reflecting a rare balance: scaling globally while staying rooted locally; innovating technologically without abandoning presence; and growing profitably without losing its soul.

Fastenal’s story is not just about building a business; it’s about building trust, capacity, and a shared future. As the company looks ahead, its guiding principle remains clear: one team, one goal, many countries. And nowhere is that more real than in Canada.

The post One Team, One Goal, Many Countries<p class="company">Fastenal Canada</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Back in 1928, young Karl Garaventa pioneered ropeways to transport logs across Switzerland’s rugged mountains. This carved a path for cable cars, global expansion, elevators, and lift solutions, ultimately making life more accessible and inclusive for everyone. As an industry pioneer, Garaventa Lift built the first tramway in Palisades Tahoe (then Squaw Valley) in 1967. About 10 years later, the company installed the first wheelchair lift in America, a dozen years before the Americans with Disabilities Act became law.

Expanding into other countries, including Canada, in the mid-70s, Garaventa Lift has grown organically and through acquisitions, and began manufacturing home elevators in 2008. In 2018, Garaventa Lift became part of a TSX-listed group when it was acquired by Savaria.

Investing in people and products
Over the decades, Garaventa Lift has built a reputation for quality, innovation, and service that exceeds customer expectations. The company’s lift solutions are found everywhere, including private homes, places of worship, schools, train stations, and commercial and office buildings. No matter where the company’s custom-made products are located, one thing remains the same: Garaventa Lift’s unwavering commitment to its customers.

“Garaventa Lift employees remind each other that the products we build have a purpose: helping people,” says Senior Regional Sales Manager, Kari Collins, from the company’s Canadian operations in Surrey, British Columbia. “We are enabling people to stay in their homes and to move throughout the world in public spaces. We are breaking down barriers, and that’s truly felt from the top down. Those messages are being shared and heard continuously. We take pride in what we do because we know we are not just building the widget, we are not just building ‘something’—we are creating products that help people in their day-to-day lives.”

The world is very different today from when Collins joined Garaventa Lift 33 years ago. Not only has lift technology advanced, but attitudes toward women in the workplace have changed. When Collins joined, the lift industry was male-dominated. Today, the company has more women on the shop floor, working as lead hands, office managers, and supervisors.

“We are very progressive that way,” says Collins, who supports women in the sector and advocates for their interests. Starting as a product designer, she has been responsible for product management, product releases, product engineering, scheduling, production, and inside sales with a focus on architects. Today, she is Garaventa Lift’s first and only senior regional manager, heading a team of regional managers.

Collins is not alone in reaching 30-plus years with the company. Garaventa Lift is known for retaining its staff because of how well it treats them. Senior employees are valued for their wealth of experience, which they readily share with new workers, helping to make Garaventa Lift a great place to work and grow. And the management team has a strong, family-first approach with an emphasis on work-life balance. Support for employees starts at the top.

“What has made me successful at Garaventa Lift is being given opportunities to step forward, take the lead, and develop,” Collins says, “and to really strengthen my confidence, not just as an employee, but as a person. I’ve really been given opportunities. Some of them were scary, but you do become comfortable with being uncomfortable. That piqued my interest enough to make me stay as long as I have. So I give thanks to the mentors I’ve had at the company for these opportunities, and for letting me see what I can do with them.”

Adapting to change
Since no two locations are the same, all Garaventa Lift products are precisely measured, designed, custom-manufactured, and installed. Serving clients in four markets—residential lifestyles, public accessibility, residential accessibility, and independent living—Garaventa Lift has seen shifting trends in recent years, including technology and generational changes, such as the emergence of two audiences for its lift products and solutions. There are those whose loved ones are in wheelchairs and need to manoeuvre around the house; other buyers, perhaps in their 40s, are thinking ahead to their golden years and futureproofing their homes for when accessibility becomes a challenge. “We need to adapt to both and cater to what they are looking for,” says Collins.

“When the corporation was created, there was very much a focus on that generational change and how to maintain accessibility for everyone,” says Brett Taylor, Vice President of Operations. “How that has grown and evolved has been quite significant.” Today, many customers want residential elevators that are not just functional but also beautify their homes or serve as conversation pieces. Many homeowners today want them installed in see-through glass enclosures, often with visible mechanical components for an interesting industrial look; some buyers are choosing bold circular designs and other imaginative solutions.

“We have a range of products that are attainable for everyone, from entry-level to something quite fluid,” says Taylor. “And I think it’s very interesting, because it covers a large spectrum, allowing homeowners to be creative and realize their design vision.”

Today, not only homeowners but architects and builders are incorporating accessibility products into their designs for everything from high-end homes to rental housing. With real estate becoming more expensive, people are building up, not out, and customers want elevators for everything from moving Christmas decorations downstairs to lugging vacation luggage.

“In North America, it’s more vertical now,” Collins explains. “You could call it a luxury, having this type of equipment, but when you’re hauling vacation suitcases up and down four floors, it feels less like a luxury than a necessity.” Garaventa Lift was recently behind the installation of 150 elevators for a 75-unit townhome project. “They are building forward, looking at who’s going to be buying these places and building it right into the design on the ground floor.”

Some homeowners plan inventively for future mobility needs by creating stacked closets in their houses. By designing a series of corresponding closets or cabinets on each floor, lined up on top of each other, a hoistway can be created. When needed, the closets/cabinets can be removed, and an elevator installed in the vertical stack.

Garaventa Lift recently worked with one of its partners on a glass elevator in an enclosed hoistway. Instead of a plain background, a muralist painted ocean scenery on the inside of the hoistway. As the elevators went up and down, anything below the upper landing was ‘underwater.’ The lower the elevator went, the darker the ‘water,’ complete with sea creatures at the bottom. “They even had a little mermaid song playing,” says Collins. “Our products are as imaginative as you want them to be—or as simple.”

Embracing technology
Just as markets are changing, so is Garaventa Lift’s approach to technology. The company is brilliant at listening to its customers, many of whom grew up with technology and are requesting elevators and accessibility devices with the newest state-of-the-art features. Even in the design phase, many customers prefer to see videos of elevators in use and virtually explore their designs and features, so Garaventa Lift gives them the tools to create their own 2D and 3D renderings.

Through the company’s innovative Design Your Own Elevator Cab tool, clients can select colours and upgrades, fixtures, lights, handrails, gates, and more. Many of these sophisticated sales aids trace their development to the pandemic, when homeowners couldn’t visit showrooms and went online for products and ideas. “Virtual design tools are fantastic, because they allow people to see what the product will look like in their home, with the features they want,” Taylor explains. “And this is important for consumers right now, helping them get what they want for their money and being able to do it from their own home.”

In manufacturing, the team has introduced robotics and autonomous running cells in recent years. This allows Garaventa Lift to program in advance and run equipment without human intervention. “The factory scene is changing globally. To maintain that competitive edge and to attract talent, you need to have technology,” says Taylor. This investment will see the company become faster, more effective, and more cost-competitive. “Our product has always been and will continue to be hand-built, by trained and qualified individuals that build in quality with ownership,” says Taylor.

And the company’s moves haven’t gone unnoticed in the industry. Recently, Garaventa Lift was awarded the 2024 EW Ellies Award for Best Supplier – Accessibility by NAEC, the National Association of Elevator Contractors. “It’s like a Grammy Award,” says Constantine Nip, Sales and Marketing Director. “The 2024 EW Ellies Award reinforces our mission to make every space accessible and inclusive, ensuring that everyone can navigate their environment with ease and dignity.”

Looking forward
With its eye on the road ahead, Garaventa Lift is hiring Red Seal workers to maintain its equipment, which include machinists, electricians, and millwrights, and maintains an apprenticeship program, aiming to build up the future workforce. From an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standpoint, the company has invested in its paint powder process line and can recover 100 percent of powder waste. “This is something we didn’t have before,” Taylor shares. “We’re being considerate of the environment, reuse, and recycling. We also have LED lighting in our products now instead of any halogen, which means less energy consumption. And we have different options in our elevator products—there’s hydraulic, which uses oil, but a lot of people are switching over to electric with servo drives. So we have that option available for our customers as well, producing a smaller environmental footprint.”

As technology, design preferences, and environmental priorities evolve, Garaventa Lift continues to adapt, proving that progress happens when a company listens closely, invests boldly, and never loses sight of the people it serves. Nearly a century after Karl Garaventa first engineered ways to move people and goods across impossible terrain, the company that bears his name continues to embrace that same spirit of ingenuity and commitment to improving lives. With its blend of craftsmanship, creativity, and compassion, Garaventa Lift is poised to carry its legacy of lifting communities well into the next century.

The post Sometimes You Just Need a Lift<p class="company">Garaventa Lift</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

“We’ve created a single, stronger brand that simplifies the customer experience,” Senior Marketing Manager Brianna Henderson says, and this will allow Bailey International to provide comprehensive product portfolios more easily. The union has created the opportunity to combine the subsidiary websites into a single site, and Henderson’s team has developed a robust content strategy with handy resources such as a new catalogue.

Part of the company’s trade show schedule includes CONEXPO-CON/AGG and Work Truck Week in early March 2026. These events always give the team a chance to connect with customers and highlight how Bailey International is evolving as a company and brand to meet their needs.

Chief Executive Officer Ken Baker says that the company has also been hard at work on various initiatives to facilitate additional growth. First, Bailey has been expanding its work truck products, a keen area of focus in 2025 and 2026. The company has also solidified its sales structure with more technical support capabilities. While it has always had strong teams for engineering and technical support, it now has a formidable applications team in place for the customer-facing sales teams.

Finally, the company has undertaken a number of in-house green initiatives, such as moving to lower-VOC paints and testing paperless operations in its Knoxville location. Since the release of the company’s first-ever sustainability report, research supports the claim that Bailey has succeeded in reducing its emissions beyond industry standard benchmarks. This will serve as a strong foundation for future company projects in the sustainability realm, Baker tells us.

Indeed, thanks to the foundation laid over the past year by the business, “We have a lot of momentum to build on,” Henderson says.

When it comes to operations within the current industry landscape, the company remains cautiously optimistic. After a strong showing by Bailey in January, tariffs on North American businesses have caused a considerable market slow-down. The overall market is working to adjust, with sectors like agriculture, construction, and forestry struggling in their own ways.

Amidst such disruptions, Bailey International is continuing to find success by diversifying—concentrating on opportunity capture and better technology additions for customers, which has helped it stay ahead. “We want the world to know that Bailey offers everything from hydraulic cylinders and pumps to joysticks, arm rests, and electronic controls,” says Henderson. As a result, Bailey is projecting modest growth for 2026. Ever greater numbers of clients are becoming believers in a business that provides for them at every step of their projects. The company refers to this as being a ‘fingertip-to-tooltip’ company, and this approach has had a significant impact.

Going into the remainder of 2025 and beyond, Bailey International will be working hard to continue unifying its brand on the execution, sales-as-a-service, and engineering sides, while emphasizing cross-selling as much as possible, providing hydraulics and electro-hydraulics customers with the other items they need, like joysticks, controls, and sensors, for example.

Product expansion means an ongoing expansion of training and sales in the work truck market as well. Historically, much of the business has been related to off-road operations like forestry, construction, or agricultural equipment, so Bailey has a good chance of making an impact on that market, offering customers the technical solutions and products needed.

Along with general training for the sales and support teams on the technological side, the company is also investing heavily in strategies to increase its visibility and traffic through AI overviews and generative engine optimization initiatives. Henderson says that Bailey aims to be at the forefront of this burgeoning field, making the company easier to interact with and more accessible.

Baker is proud of the company’s efforts in AI, both customer-facing and internal, which is something he is passionate about and directly involved in. There have been setbacks, which is to be expected in a field as new as this; however, further exploration into generative AI has met with success in areas like lead and content generation, customer-facing activities, and even in testing and proofing for operational elements.

Another major milestone that the company will be hitting very soon is breaking ground on a new electronics facility in Victoria, British Columbia. This will allow the company’s electronics teams to come together under one roof and will further accelerate innovation in its custom control solutions. Henderson is excited because the move will give the engineers, designers, and production teams more space and the tools they need to propel new ideas forward in the electronics division. After a groundbreaking ceremony earlier this year, the facility is expected to open within the next 15 months.

Bailey International is also celebrating another historic occasion: 50 years in business. While Brianna Henderson has been with the company for about two years, one of the biggest lessons learned from her perspective as a marketer is the importance of sales, marketing, and customer experience unification and harmonization. This is something that the company is very excited about, and it has recently brought on a new Vice President of Sales, Scott Andrews, to align key performance indicators and to push toward the seamless hand-off process that every marketing and sales team dreams about.

Having been at Bailey International for 17 years and counting, Ken Baker believes that the leading hallmark of this company is its emphasis on excellence in customer service. The team is always honest about what it can and cannot do for a client and offers tremendous flexibility in terms of stocking and supply as well as engineering services, technical support, and marketing support. “A lot of companies in today’s market focus on enhancing their internal operations,” Baker says; Bailey International, on the other hand, aims to optimize its customers’ operations first, a belief that has supported 50 years of operations for this dynamic company.

The post 50 Years of Customer-First Operations<p class="company">Bailey International</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

“We offer the most comprehensive array of cryogenic services for the manufacturing industry under one roof in all of North America,” says Assistant General Manager Ryan M. Taylor. This is a bold statement, but the truth is, no other supplier even comes close to Nitrofreeze.

Some solely do cryogenic treatment, cryogenic deflashing, or cryogenic deburring. Others handle just deflashing and deburring, and some focus only on cryogenic treatment, thermal cycling, or shrink fitting. By providing all these services and more, such as thermal cycling, helium processing, dry ice blasting, other cryogenic part-enhancement processes, and equipment rentals, Nitrofreeze Cryogenic Solutions truly functions as a one-stop shop.

“That’s how we set ourselves apart,” Taylor says, although he notes that the company also performs process development work and qualification runs for some customers, including performance and operational qualification.

Strong core values
The respected Cryogenic Institute of New England, Inc. stands in the City of Worcester, Massachusetts. Operating under the brand name Nitrofreeze Cryogenic Solutions, it’s referred to by many simply as Nitrofreeze. Certified to both ISO 9001:2015 and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) standards, Nitrofreeze is the kind of company that clients of all kinds trust completely to get the job done quickly and professionally.

With the well-defined mission, “Serving, enabling, and empowering others is our greatest opportunity to make a difference!” Nitrofreeze’s strength comes from sturdy values such as integrity, exceeding customer expectations, and being a respected part of the Worcester community.

Internally, these values extend to the whole team, with the company creating a culture that welcomes opportunities for advancement, supports respect, dignity, and diversity, and operates with the utmost respect for safety and the environment. This spirit exemplifies Nitrofreeze’s commitment to provide customers with a competitive advantage through the use of cryogenic technologies while adhering to core values of integrity and strict workmanship standards.

Quality and service
The company’s story began around 2001, when Robin Rhodes purchased a Connecticut company called Nitrofreeze, which specialized in cryogenic treatment. As the new owner and president, Rhodes soon moved the business to Massachusetts.

Realizing cryogenic treatment alone wasn’t enough to expand the business, he set up additional services to enable growth and brought in deflashing machines from California. To ease the handling and delivery of the nitrogen tanks, Rhodes moved the company from an upper-level old mill space to a ground-level location.

“Rhodes started deflashing as a service, and realized there was growth there,” Taylor explains. “And that side of the business has been our main driver for nearly 20 years.”

Taylor himself, who had been with Nitrofreeze Cryogenic Solutions from 2007 to 2014, brought his extensive background in sales, marketing, and business development back to the company about three and a half years ago. He realized during his first tenure that although the company had a website, it wasn’t actively marketing its deflashing and deburring capabilities. It wasn’t long before these services were being extensively advertised, setting off “astronomical growth.”

In 2010, the company purchased its own 5,000-square-foot building and, prompted by the growing demand, went from one deflashing machine to four in a matter of just a few years.

Today, Nitrofreeze provides cryogenic services and equipment to clients in numerous industries. Key sectors in recent years have been medical and automotive, as well-known car manufacturers are opening or expanding plants across the United States.

The bulk of Nitrofreeze’s work deals in small, intricate parts, ranging from parts like Teflon and silicone gaskets—half the size of a pinky nail—to surgical caddies at the larger end. Used in operating rooms, these medical-grade caddies are usually made of polypropylene and hold surgical instruments. “We run one at a time, and they’re flawless when they come out,” Taylor tells us.

On the automotive side, Nitrofreeze recently did some work on molded parts used inside Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi headlight enclosures. “If you’ve got something that’s a [quantity of a] million or less, that’s the sweet spot for us,” says Taylor, although the company has processed upwards of 10 million parts per year depending on the part’s respective geometry.

Saving time and money
Removing unnecessary bits known as burrs from parts by hand is expensive, tedious, and slow. Taylor has been in factories where employees at conference-sized tables were using microscopes to perform deburring. And of course, parts can’t be deburred by hand anywhere near as quickly as they can using Nitrofreeze’s services, to say nothing of the risk of contracting carpal tunnel syndrome over time.

“[Our advantage] is multifaceted,” says Taylor. “The first aspect is time, and time is money. Instead of paying employees, we can run hundreds or even more than a thousand parts per hour, and turn parts around in two business days.” Usually, lead times are between two and five business days, with same-day and next-day services available at an additional cost.

“Most of what we do is thousands of parts at a time,” Taylor says, as he describes the risks of deburring by hand. “If you take off too much material, you’ve got a scrap part. But our process is largely non-abrasive. We’re not freezing the part all the way through; because the flash and the burrs are so much thinner, that’s what freezes. And when they start ‘tumbling,’ that’s what removes some of it, and then blasting does 80 percent of the work.”

Deflashing is for molded parts made from silicone, urethane, rubber, or plastic. For proper function, extraneous material must be removed. These parts are chilled with gaseous nitrogen, tumbled, and blasted with fine polycarbonate media that’s almost sand-like. Once this is done, the parts are cleaned and dried. If a customer requests additional cleaning, this can be done in an isopropyl bath or a wash. The same process applies to deburring.

“Predominantly, we are working with four forms of material,” Taylor explains. “We are doing plastics, rubbers, some aluminum, and some forms of stainless steel.”

As Assistant General Manager, he is optimistic about the future of Nitrofreeze. This year, the company is on track to see eight to ten percent growth, and one of his goals is to enhance Nitrofreeze’s partnerships with manufacturers of the equipment the company is currently using and selling to customers.

“On the service side, the three drivers are deflashing and deburring, which I group together; dry ice blasting, which is an opportunity; and then cryogenic treatment,” he says. “I’d like to see us do more deflashing and deburring, that being the main driver, but also see the other two lines pick up. It would be nice to get more machine cutting tool customers and a more regular cryogenic treatment line. We continue to push the deflashing, deburring, and dry ice side of the business—I think that’s the opportunity to grow for us.”

The post Turning Parts Into Perfection<p class="company">Nitrofreeze Cryogenic Solutions</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Two sides to the business
Alltrista’s Director of Sales, Andrew Piersall, says that the business caters to two distinct market segments.

The first market segment is the medical sector, where Alltrista focuses on medical devices and packaging products, with a product assortment relating to drug delivery, wound closure, diagnostics, oral dose packaging (including certified child-resistant caps), and vision care. Unlike its consumer packaging side, all the products on the medical side are custom-specific and thus unique to each customer.

The other market segment served by Alltrista is the consumer packaging side, to which the company offers both packaging and closure solutions for markets including food & beverage and health & beauty. This side of the business has a relatively broad product portfolio, including a multitude of stock offerings such as bottles, bottle caps, lip balm, dosage cups, and other associated products. Within consumer packaging, Alltrista’s custom capabilities make up a large part of the business, providing unique solutions to each customer’s request.

Piersall says that commercially, Alltrista’s customers (especially medical customers) tend to focus on risk management and speed-to-market in their dealings, mainly via effective project execution. Therefore, suppliers like Alltrista that can provide this value to customers help them be successful.

Sustainability initiatives are also a large focus of the company. Alltrista partners with customers aiming to meet the environmental commitments of highly regulated fields to provide sustainable solutions. Generally speaking in this regard—and across all segments—the company is home to high cavitation molds with short cycle times, lightweighted plastic bottles and caps, and a small manufacturing cell footprint.

It’s not easy for any business to make a mark on the plastics industry, but Piersall says that a distinguishing aspect of Alltrista is its ability to be both customer-focused and agile. These qualities allow the company to provide end-to-end solutions to customers quickly, meeting customers wherever they may be in the lifecycle of a product. “We have demonstrated willingness to invest in our customers,” he says. Alltrista’s mindset is that its customers’ successes are its own successes.

Going for gold
The company continues to make an impression, and in 2024, Alltrista was highlighted in the PMMI report, Innovation in Can/Bottle Beverage Packaging, which explores the latest developments in beverage packaging as exhibited at 2024’s PackExpo. Alltrista was proud to be featured in the report’s materials section, spotlighting the AllCap™ 1881 beverage closure, a lightweight water bottle cap that enhances productivity, is customizable, and delivers cost savings without compromising on quality. The company utilizes the latest energy-saving infrastructure support systems with variable frequency drives on all its electric motors, resulting in a significant reduction in energy consumption per cap produced.

Christopher Weikart, Senior Vice President of Innovation at Jadex, says that one of the things that brings him the most company satisfaction is Alltrista’s approach to sustainability. In fact, the company recently earned a gold medal from EcoVadis, an independent ESG global platform that evaluates businesses based on sustainability objectives, covering areas like environmental stewardship, labor and human rights, and sustainability in the procurement of materials. Weikart says that the gold medal is evidence of Alltrista’s category-leading commitment to ecological responsibility and is a point of pride internally, placing the company in the top five percent of companies surveyed in the 12 months leading up to the award.

For Alltrista, crafting and refining sustainable practices happen daily. A tangible example of sustainability in its business practices is the light-weighting of several of its manufactured products, meaning a reduction in the amount of material in a product without compromising quality (as seen in the company’s award-winning beverage cap). This is typically the result of unique product design attributes, something the company has become adept at achieving.

Spearheading these practices internally has led to many benefits, including reducing the company’s Scope 1 & 2 emissions, product weight savings, and the identification of new materials, such as post-consumer recycled resins (PCR), for use in future projects.

The year ahead
Vice President of Operations, Jeff Hall, says that Alltrista’s focus moving into 2026 will be on both strengthening its operational excellence and investing in its people. The company will be expanding its automation capabilities and upgrading its equipment to improve precision, consistency, and efficiency across molding lines.

“Our goal is to build highly adaptable operations that combine high-precision automated manufacturing with the highest quality products,” Hall says, “which will position the company to meet the ever-evolving needs of customers as well as sustainability standards for years to come.”

Hall says that from a manufacturing standpoint, one consistent challenge across all market segments is establishing a skilled and trained workforce. Moving into the new year and the foreseeable future, Alltrista will be placing a strong emphasis on workforce development, as new talent will need to be trained on molding, process monitoring, and quality systems.

Pace-setting product launch
Weikart explains that one of the company’s biggest customers is in the healthcare industry, so there will be a particular product launch next year (among several others) that will aim to benefit these customers and others like them. This product will be an improved version of a medical device that Alltrista has manufactured for a long time, involving the incorporation of an antimicrobial compound into a polymer resin before molding the mixture into a finished wound care device.

This device has simplified the customer’s manufacturing operations, improved their product quality, and enhanced product reliability for patients susceptible to surgical site infections. After this launch, the customer is expected to undertake a complete conversion of the product line thanks to this technology.

Honoring its history of longevity, Alltrista drives innovation, from light-weighting caps to advanced medical devices, guided by operational excellence and sustainability. While the company has gone through changes, and has many noteworthy events on the horizon, its ability to adapt and maintain success relies on one constant: its employees. “Ultimately,” says Piersall, “our people are our biggest asset.”

The post 50-Plus Years of Precision: Providing End-to-End Solutions<p class="company">Alltrista Plastics</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Also involved in these efforts are WSWC’s industry-driven Research Program and the advanced WSU Wine Science Center, a convincing symbol of the industry’s focus on the future.

A state government organization that represents all of the state’s licensed wineries and grape farmers, the WSWC was created in 1987 and is funded nearly exclusively by the industry through assessments based on grape ($12/ton) and wine sales (< 2 cents/bottle).

Representing a vibrant industry
“We represent every licensed winery and grape grower in Washington State,” explains Executive Director Kristina Kelley. “We’re not a membership organization; we’re part of the Washington State Department of Agriculture, guided by an appointed board and supported by assessments, not membership dues.”

The 13 members of WSWC’s board represent the industry, its wineries from small to large, and all growers small and large in both the east and west of the state.

“We have a cross-section on our board that represents a snapshot of our industry, focused on marketing communications, knowledge, and viticulture research,” says Kelley. “It’s really about building positive awareness of the Washington State wine industry, generating stronger demand for our wine, and making sure we’re addressing the health of our vineyards.” It also means addressing the needs of oenology (winemaking) and driving the growth of Washington State wine production through marketing and research.

Operating in the second-largest wine-producing state in the U.S., behind only California, the WSWC works closely with many fellow agencies and producers, including those in British Columbia, as it did during the catastrophic freeze of 2024, with Washington selling its grapes to its British Columbia colleagues.

Sustainable WA up and running
Sustainability is another vital component of the Commission’s work, and Sustainable WA, a stringent, scientifically based third-party certification program introduced in 2022, guarantees that Washington vineyards are grown and tended to sustainably, with consideration for the environment and the people who grow each grape. Sustainable WA wines are just now coming into the market, with about a third of the vineyards in Washington certified through the program. Wines can carry the Sustainable WA logo if they are made with at least 75-percent certified grapes.

To simultaneously maintain the health of agricultural and urban watersheds for native salmon, critically important to Washington State, Salmon-Safe, a prominent ecolabel in the United States, now offers dual certification to vineyards.

Kelley further clarifies when speaking on the vineyard certification, “It’s about managing what you’re doing in vineyards, inputs you’re using, and environmentally sound decisions.” Kelley adds, “What we have now is very much geared toward the agricultural portion of it, so protecting watersheds, soil health, and low-input farming techniques, which will help us as we think about the future of our industry.”

A sustainable future for the outstanding wine emerging from Washington’s vineyards also necessitates adapting to climate change to maintain the health of the vineyards and establishing a process to help educate growers on sustainability, undertaken in partnership with the Washington Winegrowers Association.

The human element
Another important aspect of Sustainable WA is the human component—how vineyards are treating their employees and the broader community, says Kelley. Certification of a vineyard includes interviews with its employees to ensure they receive adequate care through sound working conditions, proper training, fair compensation, and safety protocols.

That care and concern also extend to vineyards located beyond the immediate area. “Washington State is very collaborative,” Kelley says. With the bulk of the industry located on the other side of the Cascade Mountains in Eastern Washington, joint efforts are key. “You see this great collaboration between those in Eastern Washington and Western Washington,” she says. “You’ll find winemakers working together to assist with equipment, knowledge, and a helping hand.”

The Commission itself collaborates with other agencies, including Washington State, the Washington Winegrowers Association, the Washington Wine Institute—its policy and advocacy group—Auction of Washington Wines, the Washington Wine Industry Foundation, and several regional associations. Quarterly, the regions come together to decide how to jointly address the most pressing issues in the industry, not just between wineries and vineyards, but also between organizations and various agencies, Kelley says.

“We don’t feel this competitiveness you might see in other wine regions. We identify as Washington winemakers and winegrowers first, and then who’s larger or smaller second. That’s something I find unique, having been in this role for two and a half years and spending the bulk of my career in other wine-producing regions.”

This willingness to help others when needed is indeed something special, she adds.

Wine for a new generation
Looking ahead, along with climate challenges, a downturn in the global wine market is one ongoing concern. Whether due to a generational change, consumer preferences, or economic constraints, people are drinking less, or they’re reaching instead for the plethora of canned, ready-to-drink cocktails and hard seltzers.

“It’s not just Washington; it’s across our wine industry as we evolve to meet the needs of this generation as they come into wine,” Kelley says. “But we see this as cyclical and something that gives us an opportunity to size our business and make sure we’re producing the best wines in the best regions with the best varietals. It gives us a chance to reevaluate what we’re doing here in Washington.”

Whether it’s addressing agricultural challenges such as pests, climate, or damage from smoke, or making sure marketing and sales are as effective as they can be, working closely with researchers is vital and part of WSWC’s ongoing relationships with Washington State University, UC Davis, and Oregon State University.

That said, upholding and continuing to build Sustainable WA will go a long way to ensuring the health of the wine industry for years to come. “It’s something we really needed to do, not only for our industry, but it’s also becoming more of a client requirement,” Kelley says, noting that this is particularly true in the export markets and with certain trade customers in the United States. “They want to know, ‘what are you doing for sustainability? Do you have a certification process for sustainability?’ Those are the things we’re seeing.”

This sense of camaraderie, collaboration, and commitment to working well with others is also a point of pride for the WSWC, particularly during a time of downturn across the wine industry. “It’s an accomplishment for all of us within our industry that these times have really made us reach out and work more closely with our partners,” Kelley says.

Spreading the word
Additionally, in an effort to ensure that Washington State wines are being recognized, inviting journalists and respected wine critics to participate in tastings has been very effective. The WSWC recently hosted 14 media representatives from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, the UK, Korea, and Japan at a time when concerns are being raised about the export market’s ability to pivot.

“Bringing journalists here to experience Washington State and then working closely with media—whether it be media in academia that covers research, or whether it be lifestyle media—really demonstrates our comprehensive communication plan,” Kelley says.

Education is also important, and something the WSWC has done well, she adds. As the industry and the world at large emerged from COVID, negative effects on retail and the on-premises environment included the loss of significant knowledge about Washington State wine, particularly when restaurants were shut down. Now, bringing back education and teaching about Washington State wine through dedicated team members—whether working with the Institute of Masters of Wine or with a Master of Wine (MW)—is a priority.

“We make sure people know how to sell Washington State wines. We’re a unique growing region; we have 85-plus varieties that are doing well, and 21 different American Viticultural Areas (AVAs),” says Kelley. “A big focus is about making sure people understand how to share that information with consumers.”

Goals for the coming years include building national and international recognition of Washington State wines and ensuring that locally, the WSWC maintains and even increases support for wineries and the growing community.

“How do we ensure that if a restaurant has local produce, seafood, and beef, they’re [also] supporting our local wine industry?” Kelley asks. “We’re working right now to ensure that if you’re in a restaurant and you come into the Pacific Northwest, you’ll see a section listing Washington wines available by the glass.”

At the national level, the WSWC is building awareness, both nationally and internationally. “We have our fingers on the pulse of so much within our industry, and it’s really rewarding,” Kelley says. “It’s rewarding to be able to lead this organization and work with other leaders within our industry to make sure Washington statewide is healthy, thriving, and growing. All this is incredibly important to the work we’re doing here at the Commission.”

The post Making a Splash With the Wonderful Wine of Washington State<p class="company">Washington State Wine Commission</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

The story begins in 1910, when a group of local farmers in Ellsworth, Wisconsin decided to join forces to market their milk more effectively. Together, they founded what was then a butter cooperative, a modest but forward-thinking effort to create stability and opportunity for rural families. By the mid-1960s, shifting markets and growing demand led the cooperative to pivot toward cheesemaking. The decision would define its future. “We stopped making butter and started making cheese,” Pieh explains. “We’ve been doing that now for about 60 years.”

Today, Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery operates three manufacturing facilities across Wisconsin, in Ellsworth, Menomonie, and New London, employing about 350 people altogether. The original Ellsworth plant remains famous for producing the cheese curds that gave the town its nickname, while the Menomonie facility focuses on 40-pound blocks and retail cut cheese. The New London plant, acquired in 2018, produces five-pound loaves of processed cheese for foodservice clients. Each plant represents a different chapter in Ellsworth’s evolution, but all share the same commitment to craftsmanship and quality.

What sets Ellsworth apart isn’t just its products, it’s the people behind them. As a farmer-owned cooperative, Ellsworth’s structure ensures that the success of the business flows directly back to the farms that supply its milk. The company’s 180 patron-farmers are the foundation of everything the business does.

“When a consumer buys a bag of Ellsworth cheese curds, those dollars are literally going back to the farms that are shipping the milk that’s making that cheese,” says Pieh. “And that’s a pretty cool story to tell.”

These farms aren’t the massive industrial dairies that dominate much of the modern industry. Instead, most are family-run operations located within a 100-mile radius of Ellsworth’s plants. Some have just 20 cows, while others have a few thousand, each one representing a unique family story.

Kevin Pieh has made it a point to visit as many of these farms as possible since stepping into the CEO role. “Each patron has a unique story of how they started shipping milk to Ellsworth,” he says. “Some have faced hardships or health challenges; others have inherited the farm through generations. Hearing those stories really shows how important this cooperative is to their livelihoods.”

That deep connection to the people behind the product fuels Ellsworth’s mission and values. The company’s vision, “building stronger families and brighter futures through milk,” serves as a reminder that this is about more than dairy. It’s about sustaining rural life, supporting communities, and creating something lasting together.

After decades of success and growth, Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery is entering a new chapter. The company recently embarked on a full rebranding initiative, its first in over 20 years to modernize its look and strengthen its voice in the marketplace. “We haven’t refreshed our brand in a couple of decades,” Pieh says. “We’ve been through a lot of change as an organization, and it’s time to highlight and elevate the story of who Ellsworth is.”

The rebrand is about much more than a new logo or packaging; it’s about clarity and reconnecting the brand’s identity with its cooperative roots and its people. By centering storytelling in its marketing, Ellsworth aims to make its heritage more tangible to consumers, because the creamery’s narrative isn’t just about great cheese; it’s about community. It’s about families working together, employees with decades of loyalty, and customers who trust the Ellsworth name. The updated branding will focus on those human elements while paving the way for growth into new markets.

To be sure, Ellsworth Cheese is already a household name across Wisconsin and much of the Upper Midwest, but the company’s ambitions stretch farther. “We want to expand our reach into other parts of the country and tell the rest of the U.S. what a cheese curd is and how great it is,” Pieh shares.

While cheese curds remain the company’s signature product, Ellsworth’s lineup has grown impressively broad. From specialty block cheeses and Muenster to American-style cheeses, half-moon deli horns, and flavored varieties, there’s something for every palate, and new innovations are always on the horizon. One of the most exciting developments is a cheese dip cup line, produced at the New London plant and set to launch soon.

“We’re really excited about that,” says Pieh. “It’s going to be an Ellsworth-branded cheese dip, and we’re looking at other snack cheese options like sticks, cubes, and grab-and-go items.” As consumer habits shift toward convenience and snacking, Ellsworth is well-positioned to meet that demand without sacrificing quality or authenticity.

If there’s one thing that truly defines Ellsworth Cheese, it’s the sense of connection it fosters. Whether it’s shared among friends at a ballgame or enjoyed at home during a family gathering, Ellsworth products are made to be experienced together. “I think it’s a great story that when you’re eating Ellsworth cheese, you’re most often not just by yourself,” Pieh says. “You’re either at a state fair, a restaurant with your family, or hosting a party at home. Our products bring people together.”

Indeed, few places in the world celebrate cheese quite like Ellsworth, Wisconsin. The town’s identity is inseparable from its creamery, and the pride runs deep. In 1984, the Governor of Wisconsin officially declared Ellsworth the Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin, a title the cooperative has carried proudly ever since. Each summer, the town hosts the Ellsworth Cheese Curd Festival, drawing more than 20,000 visitors over two days. The event, recently ranked among USA Today’s Top 10 Specialty Food Festivals in the U.S., is a vibrant showcase of local flavor and community spirit.

From cheese curd eating contests to creative culinary booths where every vendor features Ellsworth cheese curds in their dishes, the festival captures the essence of what makes this brand and this town so special. It’s a celebration of tradition, craftsmanship, and joy.

Over the decades, Ellsworth’s cheeses have earned numerous awards at national and international competitions, from the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association to the American Cheese Society and the World Championship Cheese Contest. The company also received the Chairman’s Award from the National Milk Producers Federation, a testament to its consistent commitment to quality.

Behind those awards are the people who make it happen, a team of dedicated employees, some of whom have been with the company for more than 50 years. That longevity speaks volumes about the culture at Ellsworth, and Pieh points to those long-term employees as a cornerstone of the company’s success. “We’re proud to be a cooperative, and we’re proud to have employees who’ve stayed with us for decades,” he says. “It’s that dedication and sense of belonging that makes our products what they are.”

That sense of togetherness runs deep through the entire supply chain, from the farms that supply the milk to the employees who make the cheese to the communities that celebrate it. And Ellsworth’s cooperative model embodies that spirit. Decisions aren’t driven by distant shareholders or private investors; they’re made by and for the people who are part of the process. “It’s not a single owner driving all the decisions,” Pieh explains. “We’re not owned by a private equity company or a group of stockholders disconnected from the company. It’s really a community and a team that makes it work.”

This collaborative energy is guided by a simple but powerful set of core values: teamwork, integrity, innovation, and excellence. Every decision from hiring to investment is weighed against those principles. If it doesn’t align, it doesn’t move forward.

These days, the creamery’s two retail stores, one at the Ellsworth plant and another in Menomonie, welcome nearly half a million visitors each year. Customers stop by not just to buy cheese curds, but to experience a piece of Wisconsin’s dairy heritage firsthand. And as Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery looks ahead, its path forward is guided by both history and heart. The company’s future will continue to be defined by collaboration between farmers, employees, and the broader community. That vision is summed up in Ellsworth’s mission statement: to provide the most value for members’ milk by leveraging a tradition of excellence, so families can flourish.

It’s a philosophy that ties together every part of the business, from the cows in the fields to the customers enjoying cheese curds across the country. It’s also what makes Ellsworth’s rebranding feel like more than a marketing effort; it’s a reaffirmation of identity.

Pieh believes that as long as the company continues to tell its story authentically and proudly, it will keep building bridges between people, families, and communities. “We’re focused on safety, quality, and supporting the rural community,” he says. “At the end of the day, Ellsworth Cheese brings people together.”

Over 115 years after its founding, Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery remains a living example of what can happen when communities work together toward a shared purpose. From butter to cheese, from local favorite to national brand, the cooperative’s journey mirrors the resilience and innovation of the people who built it. With new products on the horizon, a refreshed brand, and a renewed commitment to storytelling, Ellsworth is poised to share its legacy with a wider audience than ever before. Yet even as it grows, the heart of the company remains the same: family farms, dedicated employees, and a shared love of good cheese.

In a world that’s changing faster than ever, Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery’s story is a reminder that some things like quality, community, and connection never go out of style.

The post How Ellsworth Creamery Turned Community into a Legacy<p class="company">Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Today, Avon Food Company operates with two clear identities: a steward of beloved, multi-generational consumer sauce brands including Christie’s Salad Dressing, Porino’s Pasta Sauce, Medallion Teriyaki Sauce, and Javin Curry Powder; and a respected co-packer known for helping emerging and established brands alike scale with care.

Behind that dual mission is the Anastos family, led by second-generation leadership and proudly women owned. But perhaps most importantly, Avon Food Company’s story is still being written through continual reinvestment in advanced equipment, sustainability-centered processes, collaborative culture, and ahead-of-trend product development. The result is a business that honors where it came from while confidently charting a future all its own.

Many customers still associate Christie’s with its original family founders, and that connection is something Avon Food Company cherishes. The transition began when the Christie’s brand and several sister labels fell into private equity ownership that eventually ended in liquidation. When the business went to auction, Michael Anastos’ father—Stephen Anastos—who had not previously worked in food manufacturing—saw not only an opportunity, but a responsibility to preserve something meaningful.

Vice President Michael Anastos explains, “My dad had a friend in the business who asked him to attend the auction with him. And they were the lucky winner to carry on the Christie’s brand.”

Rebuilding the brand meant more than restarting production; it meant restoring trust. Those early years were spent returning recipes to their original form, rekindling supplier relationships, and regaining shelf placement. That effort worked and the family not only saved the brand but grew it. Now in its second generation of leadership, the company employs more than 25 people and operates four production lines, with both of Michael’s parents still actively involved.

Among the most defining features of Avon Food Company today is its woman-owned leadership. “My mom owns the company,” Anastos shares. “She has owned it since the beginning. She’s the principal owner, and she still supports operations day-to-day.”

In an industry often led by men, Avon Food Company stands out for its inclusive and empowering workplace culture, with mentorship playing a central role in day-to-day operations. This is a place where every individual is encouraged to grow, develop their skills, and advance within the company.

Sales and Marketing Manager, Carson Albright, highlights the significance of this presence: “In a predominantly male industry, it is nice to see and be a part of a business with women at the core.” This leadership identity has shaped a workplace that emphasizes collaboration and empowerment, a culture that’s equally felt on the production floor and in leadership meetings.

That spirit of mentorship extends beyond gender and titles. Longtime employees often describe the company as a place where ideas are welcomed, voices are heard, and innovation is encouraged. It’s a structure that blends small-company closeness with big-company capability, reflecting the same values that define Avon’s relationships with clients and suppliers.

While the heart of Christie’s products remains unchanged, with recipes preserved as they were decades ago, the equipment and processes used to make them have evolved dramatically. Over the past three years, Avon Food Company has invested nearly $3 million in production and facility upgrades. These include electromagnetic fillers, a technology typically only seen in major global manufacturers.

“Electromagnetic filling is the leader in sanitary design,” Anastos explains. “It’s the fastest, cleanest, and most efficient way to fill, but it’s usually something you only see in the Coca-Colas of the world, and we brought it down to a smaller scale.”

Along with electromagnetic filling, the facility hosts piston and pressure overflow filling lines, energy-efficient boilers and compressors, and dual-capability capping systems for both metal and plastic lids. These investments were deliberate, not just for efficiency, but to expand what Avon Food Company can offer and to make operations more sustainable.

Indeed, the company’s commitment to environmental responsibility extends beyond energy-efficient equipment. By focusing on reduced waste and local sourcing partnerships, Avon Food Company minimizes its environmental footprint while maintaining the quality customers expect.

The company now fills everything from 5oz retail bottles to gallon jugs and bulk pails, servicing both grocery shelves and national restaurant chains. In the co-packing segment, Product Specialist Natalie Steeves and the development team assist customers from formulation to scaling to distribution, making Avon Food Company a full-service partner, not simply a producer.

Though many co-packers simply replicate formulas and produce to spec, Avon Food Company takes a more experimental and collaborative approach. “The big driver for us is asking ‘why? Why is something done this way? Could it be done better?’ We ask that every single day,” says Anastos.

This forward-thinking mindset has driven the company to explore preservative-free and clean label formulations while helping partner brands rapidly scale and refine their products. Avon Food Company also experiments with emerging flavor trends and innovative ingredient profiles, all while guiding small-batch creators through the transition to large-scale production, ensuring their handcrafted essence remains intact.

Albright and the team closely track consumer shifts through trade shows, association involvement, distributor conversations, and on-the-ground feedback. As members of the Specialty Food Association, the team has a finger on the pulse of what’s coming, whether that’s plant-based innovations, functional ingredients, or nostalgic comfort flavors making a comeback.

This agility is one advantage of being mid-sized: large enough for industrial production, yet small enough to adapt to change quickly. Avon’s team thrives on this flexibility, often piloting new products or reformulations within weeks rather than months.

The company’s recipe catalog is a unique asset, a living archive of American flavor history. Some formulas trace back nearly 75 years, developed by original Christie’s founder and food scientist Dean Christie. Others were created only months ago in collaboration with rising brands or restaurant groups. Avon Food Company has produced award-winning barbecue sauces, marinades, wing sauces, Bloody Mary mixes, and private-label lines that many consumers know, even if they don’t realize where they’re made. Many partnerships are protected under NDA, but the pride in the work is unmistakable.

“It’s really neat to collaborate with our new co-packers,” Steeves shares. “Some clients start out making as little as a gallon at a time, and we can scale their vision to 2,500 gallons. That’s one of the joys of working at a manufacturing facility.”

That blend of innovation and respect for tradition has earned Avon Food Company a trusted reputation among both up-and-coming food entrepreneurs and long-established household names. From craft startups debuting their first product to national brands expanding into new markets, Avon serves as the quiet force helping them make it happen.

Last year, Avon Food Company earned its first SQF certification, one of the most recognized and comprehensive food safety standards in the world. This year, the company raised the bar again by adding the Quality certification component, a step that only around 12 percent of manufacturers nationwide have taken.

“We wanted to be proactive about quality—not just meet expectations, but exceed them,” says Anastos. “Some people get SQF just to have it; we went after it so we can sleep at night. It’s about integrity and transparency.”

The certification reflects not only Avon’s dedication to safety but also its holistic approach to quality management. Every stage, from ingredient sourcing to final packaging, is governed by strict standards and meticulous oversight, and clients benefit from the assurance that their products are being made in one of the most advanced, compliant facilities in the region.

Behind every bottle and batch are relationships that make the company’s success possible. Avon Food Company works closely with family-owned suppliers like Holden Fruit and Produce, which provides fresh produce and ingredients tailored to the company’s exacting specifications. As Steeves notes, “They have been incredibly supportive and flexible partners. Aside from having high quality ingredients, they are always helping us to refine our process.”

On the equipment side, partners like DTM Packaging have been instrumental in helping Avon design customized machinery for its unique production needs. These collaborations reflect a broader company philosophy that strong partnerships lead to stronger products.

Equally important are the people inside the facility. “It makes me really happy when we have a group of people that love what they do,” says Anastos. “Culture has been number one for us from the beginning.”

That emphasis on culture isn’t lip service. Michael Anastos is known for being out on the floor, working hands-on with team members, solving problems side by side. “He’s amazing with the machines. He works closely with the team to teach our machine operators how everything works,” says Albright.

Steeves continues, “It’s pretty rare to have leadership so involved in the day-to-day.”

Looking ahead, Avon Food Company is focused on scaling with purpose by expanding its range of natural, preservative-free products, strengthening co-packing partnerships, and growing the presence of its beloved Christie’s brand. At the same time, the company remains deeply committed to nurturing its people through collaboration, and to the hands-on leadership that keeps a family-centered culture at the heart of everything it does. That focus on balance between growth and grounding, innovation and integrity, may be what defines Avon’s next chapter most of all.

The company’s evolution is proof that food manufacturing doesn’t have to sacrifice humanity for progress. It’s a business model that values curiosity, transparency, and relationships as much as revenue. In a marketplace where so many legacy brands fade into corporate anonymity, Avon Food Company continues to do what it has always done best: make great food, made by good people.

Through legacy and leadership, Avon Food Company stands as proof that the best future for the food industry is one that honors its past, invests in its people, questions what’s possible, and cares deeply about what it makes.

The post Raising the Bar on Quality<p class="company">Avon Food Company</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.