Interview for the Gift & Tableware Magazine.

On the occasion of Gift & Tableware's 25th anniversary, I would first wish the publication all continued success. However, I've been in the giftware business less than five years and can only comment on our present and future as opposed to the past.

I came into this market following 10 years' general management consulting experience with Coopers & Lybrand in Canada and Arthur D. Little Inc. in the USA. A giftware supplier was the last role I expected to fill. However, when I left my posting in Saudi Arabia in 1993, I decided to acquire a business of my own - one that was currently profitable with room for growth, one that dealt with a wide range of products that could be sold all over North America, and one that would provide me with the opportunity to indulge my personal love of travel and world-wide business interaction.

Through a broker I met the then-owner of Axicon World Imports, a man who was a highly-motivated professional and agreed to work with me for the first three years of my acquisition. By the time I took on my role as new owner/president of Axicon, I had changed my mind about Canadian giftware industry. I loved it.

I have been pleased to discover other small business owners, with similar ideas and aims, who have become my friends. And, there's a welcome freedom from aggressive competition. Yes, we all must survive, but there's such a highly-fragmented, varied marketplace that no one company perceives another as a ruthless competitor.

A large part of this camaraderie comes from the common bond generated by the Canadian Gift & Tableware Association, a group of focused individuals who work together for a common goal. I was honoured to be placed on the CGTA's current Board of Directors where I thoroughly enjoy the stimulation and education of working side-by-side with many of the industry's leading members. My staff and I were also surprised and pleased when one of our lines received CGTA's Product-of-the-Year Award at the Fall 1999 show.

Our Association is a wonderful organization, allowing its members to control many aspects of the industry. It's gift shows and publications provide essential information, professional guidance and cost-effective services (such as shipping and information-sharing through the CIS). Its seminars, special programs, research and government liaison teams, unite more than 1000 members into a single, effective unit.

In our Y2K future, I perceive some consolidation and concentration of market share because of industry globalization. However, I also see real growth in small, entrepreneurial enterprises with continued low-barrier entries into the industry. (It's a "fun marketplace" where a dedicated enthusiast can actually start a business from home.)

From a more solemn viewpoint, I also see increasingly shorter product lifecycles as consumerism changes. Dealing in many point-of-purchase programs directed to tourist/resort areas and small communities. I'm personally very aware of a fickle public that needs continual change. The last generation saw six-month time span before a European trend was felt in North America. Today, computer sophistication gives us this information in 24 hours.

I also think, in terms of transition to high tech business methods (i.e. the Internet and e-commerce) we're a bit slow at the starting gate. It was inevitable. Our industry is a personal, hands-on marketplace where customers are friends and the verbal commitment is still respected. A bit naive? Perhaps. A fault? Not really. Not yet.

For now, I want to take this opportunity to thank my CGTA colleagues for the welcome extended to me and to offer my welcome, in turn, to future associates. Together we're taking giant steps towards a solid and successful position in the global village.

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