Duffy Simon thought his uncle was yanking his chain. "I was taking business marketing in college and an uncle of mine said there was a need for embroidery in the area," Duffy recalls. "I chuckled because at that point only my grandma did embroidery. But it turns out he was being serious. We went to Toronto to look at the machines and when I saw how high-tech they were, I said, 'Yeah, this is cool. We can do this.' With my sports background, it just flowed into doing work with hockey teams and all sports teams in the area."And so in 2006, Planet Stitch, which is located on the Aamjiwnaang First Nation Reserve, was born. "Planet Stitch is a marketing company," Duffy says. "We basically do a company’s logo or we do sports uniforms. We have all the machinery, so we do all the embroidery and the printing as well as stickers and signage." Duffy grew up dreaming of becoming a professional hockey player and even played a bit in the low minors in the southern United States. "I grew up playing mostly hockey, but I played lacrosse and soccer, too," Duffy says. "I played sports every single day. I was in a car accident in Florida and had to come home to do rehab. When I came home, my mom signed me up for college and I figured, why not? This job is perfect for me because I am so passionate about sports and I try to run my business like a sports team. You can’t win a championship with one superstar; you need to have a team effort to be successful."
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Planet Stitch was operating with a staff of 12. During the height of the pandemic, they had to reduce their staff numbers but as things have opened up they are once again growing their team. "Because of COVID we only did about 25 percent of our normal business for a year and a half," says the 42-year-old Duffy. "The biggest challenge we faced — and I would say it will continue to be a challenge for another year or so — is getting inventory. Before if someone came in looking for 300 hats, I could literally have them ready for the next day simply by working a few hours late at night. Now, I had a new company in town that I really want to do business with come in and say they needed 300 hats and I had to say we couldn’t do it. We are searching for inventory daily and there is nothing available. It is very frustrating."
Duffy takes pride in Planet Stitch being 100 percent native-operated. He stresses that he and the other employees have great relationships with the customers, too. "When we are doing a young child’s hockey sweater or hockey bag, we want it to look like NHL quality," Duffy says. "We know when a kid puts on his sweater or carries his bag, it makes his day."
Fleck Law is a personal injury litigation firm that represents clients involved in serious and catastrophic personal injuries, wrongful deaths, motor vehicle accidents, slip and falls, and insurance claims. The firm was establishe...
Born and raised in Sarnia, Matt Dochstader went to Mohawk College, in Hamilton, to study broadcasting. After graduating, he landed a job with a visual effects company in Toronto. "I did a lot of commercial work for national brands like Dove, Home Hardware, KIA, and Telus. Visual effects is the last"
When Gayle Tidball opened The Glass & Pillar Spa in 2006 she wanted to create a business where people came to enjoy themselves. I love this industry for the transformation it offers a person. Making people feel good and seeing them relax in this space is so important to me, Tidball shares.
John Duff Limited is a unique shop that has been a vibrant hub for many employees and customers over the last 53 years. Referred to as a Custom Metal Fab shop, they work with materials including steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper and brass. The company, named after its founder, John A. Duff, i
It's funny the things friends will talk about while gathered together enjoying a few beers on a Friday night. Things like, hey, why don't we start our own craft beer brewery? In a roundabout way, that is exactly what the owners of Petrolias Black Gold Brewery did. Actually, it was our brew
Growing up, Emm Gryner dreamed about being a singer, but she didn't have a natural singing voice. I took vocal lessons and worked really hard. I went from being a small town girl from Camlachie to performing on major stages around the world with a rock legend. Gryner has recorded over twenty
When Bill Lamarche was the sporting goods and seasonal manager at a large retailer in London, he began dreaming about opening his own business. “At first I thought about opening a sporting goods store, but then I realized the hard...
In 1989, David and Olga Williams purchased interest in a small company named Advanced Building Materials and in 1991, they purchased the remaining shares. We were originally located on Tecumseh Street in Sarnia. Three moves later, we are at our current location at 591 Gladwish Drive. We needed mo