Trail Blazer is a Dartmouth-based manufacturer of hatchets, knives, saws, tree loppers and extension poles. Their products meet any challenge, from the needs of the outdoor enthusiast to odd jobs around the home and cottage.
Blazing an International Trail
Trail Blazer is headquartered in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and is also warehoused in the U.S. The company markets its products in Canada, the U.S. and more than 30 other countries around the world. Trail Blazer has set many industry standards for quality and performance since beginning operations in a small facility in 1987. Their business began in a strip mall where Shawn’s father, Curtis Levangie, developed and manufactured a unique take-down bucksaw. The saw as well as other related products were strongly endorsed by leading outdoor enthusiasts and soon the company was establishing a presence in the glossy catalogue pages of specialty dealers such as L.L. Bean, Lee Valley, and Mountain Equipment Co-op.
Shawn Levangie, Vice-President of Trail Blazer, attributes a lot of the company’s success to Trade Canada Atlantic trade missions. He’s a veteran of several TCA trade missions that have taken him to Atlanta, New York, Boston and Chicago. On his most recent trade mission to the Windy City, Shawn landed a contract with Ace Hardware Corp., a 5,100-outlet chain. The American buying group was extremely impressed with Trail Blazer’s quality line of high-end outdoor and garden products. Within six months, their distinctive ware was displayed on Ace shelves in 24 states.
Business Result Achieved: Opportunity
Trade missions are offering many exciting opportunities for Trail Blazer. As a result of the contract the company landed with Ace Hardware, Shawn is looking forward to hiring additional production workers for Trail Blazer’s new 60,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. It’s expected that Ace Hardware will be the company’s largest customer by mid-2006, and there are many exciting opportunities for growth in overseas markets as well.