I enjoy reminding people that in Canada you do not have to be in a
big city to achieve big things.
A perfect example is Kiln Art located in the small community of Chester,
Nova Scotia. The owners Sharon McNamara and husband Paul Palango moved
to Chester from Guelph, Ontario four years ago Sharon, an accomplished
stained glass artist convinced husband Paul, a non-fiction and investigative
journalist well known for his articles in the Hamilton Spectator and
his books on the RCMP, to direct his talents toward the Kiln. Together
they began producing creatively designed beautiful stained glass tableware.
World class fused glass pieces sold through their retail outlets in
Chester and Ottawa. They invited the world to order direct from them
when they developed their attractive and eye catching website. Surprisingly
the website has not worked for them because customers prefer to see
and hold the items. No problem, if you do not see something you like,
they will produce something especially for you. Their policy is working.
Customers to their Ottawa store come from all over the world and they
are spreading the story of this unique glassware for them.
From the small community of Chester they are placing themselves squarely
on the world’s stage. Their success has not gone un-noticed. Sharon
was nominated and received the RBC Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Her business philosophy is straightforward "Pay attention to your
intuition and don't be afraid to take a chance".
Her advice to anyone wishing to achieve is equally straightforward "Dick,
in this world of mass production it has become more important than ever
to strive to do the best job you can and to have a standard of service
to your customers". To that I say "Amen"
It is comforting to see small companies in small communities succeeding
while holding onto their high standards and principles.
As I said earlier. In Canada you don’t have to come from a big
city to do achieve things. These two Canadian Achievers Sharon McNamara
and Paul Palango are living proof.
Learn more about them at www.canadianachievers.com
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