Q: When were you established, and what kinds of products and services do you offer?
Ralph Goldfinger: We’re located in Toronto, with about 80 people. My father, Charles Goldfinger, started the company in 1954. Three sons joined in the years after. One has since exited, and now my brother Howie runs Ecorite (asi/51654), a bag supplier, and I run the apparel side at Canada Sportswear (asi/43682). We started as a domestic manufacturer and began importing about 35 years ago. We were initially strictly in retail, like major department stores. When I came in 37 years ago, we very soon thereafter got into the promo industry. We manufacture here and we also import some apparel like outerwear, polo shirts, track suits, leather jackets, down jackets and tote bags. We also do our own decoration in-house. We’ve grown about 5% to 10% each year for the past five years. Few companies do all four: manufacturing, importing, design and decorating.

Q: What did the first few days of the pandemic look like for your company?
RG: It was going fairly steadily, and then COVID hit. Obviously, it was a lot of doom and gloom. In March and April, we experienced a drop. But we knew we had to survive. We want to be part of a business that’s thriving, not taking government handouts. So, we adapted and started selling PPE. We now offer 15 different items, including KN95, three-ply disposable and washable/reusable masks, as well as protective gowns and face guards. We’ve done about 10 million PPE units, both domestic and imported. That’s a significant number. We’ve done quite well over the past five months because we’ve been able to adapt. We were actually in Pivot magazine, a Canadian publication for certified public accountants, about various firms that adapted during this time and have prospered. Each month we doubled, sometimes even tripled, our sales numbers from the same month in 2019.

Disposable three-layer masks (A001400)

We never closed during the shutdowns because we provide products for essential services (like government entities), and that was before the pandemic. It wasn’t like we needed to figure out how to stay open. When Premier Ford released lists of essential services, we were on it each time. My daily job never changed. We took precautions here, and the building is very contained.

Q: What’s your long-term plan to continue selling PPE?
RG: We’ve divided it into Civilian and Medical. Civilian is your everyday mask-wearing, and demand will fall off eventually. It’s more transitory. We’re still doing reusable masks and gaiters, but PPE is maturing in this industry. The lifecycle of a product is usually years; for PPE, it’s months. It’s just a matter of when it will fall off completely. We’ve seen an uptick in cases here in Canada, and there’s no vaccine yet. It probably won’t be available in mass distribution until mid-2021. There’s talk of late 2020, but maybe on a limited basis. People are still going to be reluctant to take it because it was kind of forced through the system with unprecedented timelines. Meanwhile, Medical demand for PPE will continue for the long term. So, we decided to pivot into the medical side because there will be permanent growth there. We’re selling items we never dreamed we’d be doing.

Two-layer washable, reusable mask (A001230) made of polyester jersey with pocket insert for an optional filter. It has adjustable elastic ear flaps and a flexible wire frame over the nose for a secure fit and comes in packs of five.

But this isn’t a market where you come up with a product and just sell it. There’s inherent risk and liability in it. So, we’re incorporating a completely separate company, called Goldstar Universal Health Technologies, to serve this sector. It’ll open officially in the next month. We’re able to bring PPE product to market quite quickly, because the sourcing is an extension of what we already do. We’re experienced in manufacturing and importing. We’re adding value, not just reselling.

Reusable isolation gown (A001750) with a full back, waist tie, knit cuffs and hook-and-loop neck closure.

COVID has caused us to open our eyes to completely new opportunities. We’re developing and building highly technical products and the final testing will be done in the next week. We’re looking at gowns and masks. It’s not an easy market to get into, and I’m not recommending all promo suppliers get into it. But we’re sure PPE is going to be in constant demand for medical settings moving forward, and not just for COVID. Baby boomers are entering their senior years, so they’re more reliant on medical settings as well. We’re seeing demand ramp up.

So, we’re bringing on reps with pharma sales experience. It’s not promo at all, it’s solely medical sales. They’ll be remote; they’ll come in and visit occasionally but won’t be within our four walls. Remote work was frowned upon before, but now, things are changing.

Q: What is the traditional promo recovery looking like?
RG: Regular business is picking back up. Numbers are still down, but they’re gradually moving up. I don’t think we’ll reach pre-COVID numbers before we have a vaccine. So, we’ve seen a decline in core products, but the surge in PPE demand has more than offset the drop.

Utility wear/workwear has done well. Demand for outdoor activities is strong and didn’t really decline. Corporate apparel has been tough. Restaurants, bars and fitness centers have been disproportionately hit by the shutdowns. Some are no longer in business, or they’re on life support. So, they’re not thinking about promo.

The Kenworth 5-in-1 Hi-Vis Coat (L01275) is 100% polyester oxford woven and fully seam-sealed with a waterproof, breathable coating. It also has a detachable snap hood with adjustable drawcord and zipper pocket on the chest with a clear plastic ID holder. Available in four colors.

But we now have PPE customers who were clients before COVID but weren’t buying much. Now they’re buying more traditional promo from us too. We’ve also added some customers we wouldn’t have had otherwise, because of the PPE. It’s been synergistic with the regular business. We’ve seen an increase in sales and now we’re also more top-of-mind because of the PPE. We weren’t out of sight, out of mind during the pandemic.

The Yolo Full-Zip Hoodie (L00785) is made of 60/40 cotton/polyester jersey bonded to a Sherpa fleece lining and has an adjustable drawcord in the hood and double-layer rib knit cuff and hem. Available in three colors.

There’ve been huge shifts in consumption, and it’s going to be an uneven recovery. So, you have to find different avenues for your skillset that you wouldn’t have thought of before. Identify what’s in demand and adapt to it. You can’t say, “I want to be doing this.” Well, that’s not what’s selling right now. It’s literally a 180-degree pivot, not a small change. You won’t be in business if you don’t make adjustments.

The Alameda Pullover Hoodie (L00745) has a hidden phone pocket with hook-and-loop closure under the front kangaroo pocket. It’s made of heathered 60/40 cotton/poly brushed back French terry and comes in four color combinations.