Second in a series spotlighting nominees for the London Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Awards. Today: Medium business category.
The third generation of the Collins family, in the form of Curt Collins, now leads this business.
“Collins today is much more than rentals and has many facets to the business,” Curt Collins said.
It offers not only tuxedo and suit rentals and sales, but also dry cleaning and alterations. There is also a uniform division.
Collins Clothiers now maintains seven corporate locations throughout Ontario, as well as a wholesale division that serves 175 retail locations with tuxedo and suit rentals across Canada. All of thsi is headquartered in the Forest City.
The business has experienced an average of 10 per cent business growth every year since 2011, and recently rebranded under the umbrella of Collins Clothiers, expanding in the process from a 7,500-square-foot warehouse to a facility with more than 12,000 square feet.
Collins Clothiers has more than 30 top brands on offer.
As part of its corporate philosophy, “Each staff member is encouraged to walk 30 minutes each day, paid,” Curt Collins said.
The business also supports social enterprises such as Goodwill.
And yearly contests are held to name the corporate store of the year and managers of the year. Winners get a cash reward and a plaque for the store location.
Sciencetech manufactures spectroscopy and solar stimulator equipment for researchers and industrial partners all over the globe. Its devices are used to manipulate light and simulate sunlight in closed lab space.
“Our instruments are used by many renowned universities, Fortune 500 companies and government agencies,” said CEO and president Alex Quaglia.
The London firm’s equipment is used in many different fields, including medical research, biotechnology, photochemistry, material sciences, environmental and academic research, defence, aerospace, photovoltaic testing and green energy production.
Sciencetch recently expanded its facility by 13,000 square feet. Five per cent of the company’s sales come from the international sector, including markets such as India, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Customers include NASA, the European Space Agency and the Korean Space Agency.
“We have been able to increase our annual revenue by 35 per cent in fiscal year 2019 compared to fiscal year 2018,” Quaglia noted. The company’s customized systems are worth as much as half a million dollars.
The firm’s engineering and research and development teams have advanced degrees in engineering and physics. Sciencetech takes apprentices and summer students from schools like Western University and Fanshawe College.
“Sciencetech makes a special effort to be a good employer, a socially responsible institution and a productive part of Canadian society,” Quaglia said.
One of the core values of Selectpath Benefits and Financial is a commitment to the London community.
“We feel very strongly about the economic and social impact we have in the communities in which we live, work and play,” said Jeff Cox, the company’s marketing and communications co-ordinator.
Cox said the company has experienced “fantastic” business, with a projected growth from 2017 to 2018 of 23 per cent. Since 2016, it has acquired such companies as MCKMCL Financial, LBM Consulting Partners, FIRM Consulting and Benefits Direct. In 2015, it won the business integrity award from the Better Business Bureau.
Their specialty is to help resolve the “problems that keep business owners up at night,” Cox said.
The company has a 48-member team that is managed by CEO Gordon R. Hart and chief operating officer Scott Murphy. Selectpath says the goal of company leadership is to make employees feel that they have the support of management. Of paramount importance is maintaining an optimal work-life balance for company workers.
There is also a scholarship program awarded annually to a child or grandchild of a Selectpath employee who is pursuing post-secondary education or training, as well as one-on-one support for employee health goals. Management tries to keep work schedules flexible.
“Commitment to community is a stated core value of the organization,” Cox said. The company supports such groups as LifeSpin, the Alzheimer Society of Canada, SARI, the Ontario Naturalists Board and Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario.
“With few corporate contacts nine years ago, the company has become a strong, service-oriented and meaningful brand that cares about its clients, staff members and community,” said the president of tbk Creative, Andrew Schiestel. “In 2017, tbk Creative’s revenues grew by 34.6 per cent year-over-year.
Schiestel boasts that his company is the “most decorated marketing agency in London” after winning 18 international digital marketing awards.
Some of the company’s clients include 3M Canada, Lerners LLP and the Tricar Group.
Schiestel considers his company an innovator, for example, building its own web accessibility software for a client who asked the company to make its website accessible. The arm of tbk that created the software has now serviced more than 1,000 corporate accounts, including organizations such as GoodLife, Tim Hortons, Staples and Western University.
The company also created an intranet tool called tbkGather.
“We practise a merit-based employment system because we operate in a competitive free marketplace but believe that diversity builds a better world,” Schiestel said. Staff are encouraged to take compensated continuing education.
“We practise the values of transparency and authenticity. We stamp out gossip quickly and the building of silos,” he added. The company also has ongoing relationships with Fanshawe College and Western University. It supports such organizations as Women in Technology, Kids Kicking Cancer and Childreach.
The London Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Awards gala is the main event on the city’s business calendar, billed as the largest event of its kind in Canada, typically drawing more than 1,200 people.
Awards include small, medium and large business of the year, agribusiness, beyond borders, corporate social responsibility, human resources excellence, innovation and environmental leadership.
This year’s event will be held March 20 at the London Convention Centre at 300 York St., with cocktail reception at 5 p.m., dinner program starting at 6 p.m. and gala after-party from 9:30 to 11 p.m.
For tickets and other awards information, visit londonchamber.com.