Richmond News: Shoe queen reveals inspiration
Shoe queen reveals inspiration
Shoe queen reveals inspiration
Michelle Hopkins
Richmond News
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Most of us are familiar with Crocs, those plastic shoes with holes in them that many sport at the beach. Well, Richmond has the distinction of being home to its rival, Holeys. The company, which manufactures its popular foam shoes, hats, bags, accessories and more, began as a small cottage industry in 2002 in Anne Rosenberg's Vancouver garage.
By 2004, Joyce Groote, its present president and CEO, took it over and moved into an 85,000 square foot facility in Richmond. The geneticist has taken the company to new heights -- from sales of $60,000 in 2004 to a staggering $18 million in 2008. Groote is also winning accolades from industry leaders all over the world for her leadership and her commitment to philanthropy. Over the last five years, she went from being 91 on Profit Magazine's Top 100 Canadian Women Entrepreneurs list, to 34. The News recently caught up with the busy entrepreneur to find out a little more about this local, Canadian-wide success story.
Where did the idea for Holeys originate?
Holeys was first known as Holey Soles. The company name was formed after our next door neighbour, Anne Rosenberg, came across the shoes and started to work with the manufacturer in Quebec to distribute the original shoes locally back in 2002. I joined the company in early 2004 when Anne needed business help to further grow the company. My role changed quickly as I moved from helping to build a business plan to becoming an Angel Investor. In late 2004, my husband and I bought the company.
Early on, what was your toughest hurdle?
There were a number of hurdles to growing this company. Perhaps the biggest issue at the beginning was related to production and supply. The Quebec manufacturer could not provide adequate supply and prices started to increase quickly. In order to find another source of supply, Holeys turned to China. However, Holeys was the first company to work with China for the manufacturing of foam shoes.
Who was your biggest inspiration?
There is no doubt that some of the local successful entrepreneurs such as Sandra Wilson from Robeez and Chip Wilson (Lululemon Athletica) provided a lot of inspiration as they too, built their companies from the ground up. It also helped getting so many uplifting stories from our customers noting how our products made their lives better.
What do you attribute your phenomenal success to?
Serendipity! To a large extent it was about being in the right place at the right time with the right product. It was also about the entire Holeys team working hard and being flexible enough to constantly change along with the company to keep up with its growth. On a personal level it was about continuous learning.
What accolade are you most proud of?
That's a tough one! My earliest accolade was to have earned the number one position on the seventh annual 2006 Profit Hot 50, which recognizes Canada's Emerging Growth Companies. Being recognized as the fastest growing company in Canada was definitely something that our entire team was proud of. We were also recognized as a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards two years in a row. I think that recognition by two such highly credible sources has been a real source of motivation, not only for me personally, but for our entire team.
Where does your inspiration for new products come from?
Our inspiration comes from a variety of sources. Our employees, design consultants and customers have all contributed, at one time or another, to various innovations or styles that we have developed. Our employees are so knowledgeable about what makes our products special, that they constantly come up with new ideas as to how to meet new needs that we had never thought of before. One thing that really drives our product is the underlying technical aspects of our footwear. For instance, all of our footwear is made from our proprietary compound called SmartCel. SmartCel has many qualities such as being easy to clean, lightweight, durable and colourful as well as providing surfaces that don't allow microbes to cling to. We also incorporate SoleTek, our rubber tread, into our full product line which give them greater slip resistance and durability than any other foam footwear.
What is your current involvement with Soles4Souls? Can you also explain a little about what they do?
Soles4Souls coordinates distribution of footwear to people in need around the world. They take either new or lightly used shoes. We really believe in Soles4Souls and provided them with a donation of 100,000 pairs of shoes. Over the years we have also donated footwear to other great organizations and causes.
© Richmond News 2009
Link to original story on Canada.com
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