JIM TRELIVING AND ARLENE DICKINSON ARE BACK
TO HELP MORE CANADIAN SMALL BUSINESSES
SURVIVE HARD TIMES

CBC stars help entrepreneurs across the country in six new episodes of THE BIG DECISION
premiering Tuesday, October 16 at 9 p.m. on CBC-TV

October 9, 2012 – On the heels of its successful debut season, entrepreneurial icons Jim Treliving and Arlene Dickinson return to rescue floundering businesses across Canada in all-new episodes of THE BIG DECISION beginning Tuesday, October 16 at 9 p.m. on CBC-TV.

Faced with a volatile economy, mounting competition and strapped for cash, each one-hour episode features two Canadian businesses desperate for a lifeline. Jim Treliving and Arlene Dickinson could be their last hope. Grueling deadlines, pressure cooker challenges and family clashes come to a head as business owners try to prove that they have what it takes to turn things around. In the end, Jim and Arlene must decide whether they’ll invest in one, both or neither of the companies vying for their cash.
On the Big Decision, the stakes are high. No hand-outs. No charity.

When you're somebody's last hope, it's never just business.

Best-known as the chairman and owner of Boston Pizza, Jim Treliving is one of Canada’s most respected businessmen. The Franchise giant’s billion dollar empire includes investments in real estate, sports and Canadian oil change retailer Mr. Lube. Jim is also a Dragon on Canada’s favourite unscripted program CBC’s DRAGONS’ DEN.

One of Canada’s most-renowned marketing communications entrepreneurs, Arlene Dickinson, is CEO and owner of Venture Communications. She continues to be known as one of the country’s most powerful business leaders. Arlene is also a Dragon on Canada’s favourite unscripted program CBC’s DRAGONS’ DEN.

This Season on THE BIG DECISION:

Tuesday, October 16 at 9 p.m. ET (9:30 NT)

In the season premiere, the maker of one of Canada’s hottest construction materials is on the brink of collapse. Synstone manufactures panels used on schools and office buildings nationwide. But demand is far exceeding supply. With orders piling up and a disorganized factory slowing them down, can Synstone impress Jim enough to land the most important investment of their lives?
Meanwhile, on the shores of the marina town of Belle River, Ontario sits Sauve’s Home Centre. The family-run hardware and home renovation store has been in business for generations but competition from big box retailers is tearing the business and the family apart. If the Sauve family can rise to Jim’s challenges and settle their grievances, he may invest and put Sauve’s back on the right track.

Tuesday, October 23 at 9 p.m. ET (9:30 NT)

Arlene Dickinson travels to St-Laurent, QC to visit a packaging company having difficulty thinking outside the box. For 25 years Pak Tek has emerged as a serious player in the corrugated box and display business. But a transfer of management from father to son has left Pak Tek in dire financial straits and a family at each other’s throats.
Next, Arlene sails down the white water rapids of the Ottawa River to arrive at Esprit in Davidson, QC. Once named the “Top Adventure Travel Companies in the World,” Esprit is anything but smooth sailing. Can the owners steer Esprit in the right direction and prove to Arlene that his business is worth saving.

Tuesday, November 6 at 9 p.m. ET (9:30 NT)

Robots and automation software are the backbone to the Windsor-based Radix’s business. Their technology is the brainchild of co-owner Ross Rawlings, who has seen his innovation used in car manufacturers across North America. But Radix could be stopped in its tracks and forced to put their dreams on idle if they don’t get an investment from Jim Treliving. Dozens of jobs depend on Radix to survive in a region with the worst unemployment rate in the country.
In St. Thomas, ON, a piglet birthing farm is in desperate need of two things: cash and pigs. After a fire in 2007 destroyed her pig farm, Brenda Jackson rebuilt using the best farming technologies. But after remortgaging her home and selling all the possessions she could do without, Brenda is still missing the cash flow to get her farm up and running. Brenda is looking for millions of dollars in investment making this one of the biggest decisions Jim has ever has to face.

Tuesday, November 13 at 9 p.m. ET (9:30 NT)

The reputation of three generations of handcrafted garment makers is on the line at a clothing factory in Scarborough, Ontario. Kathy Cheng started her own made in Canada clothing line, Redwood Classics, to keep her father’s factory running year round. But with competitors outsourcing production and the Canadian economy still in recession, Arlene Dickinson could be Kathy’s one last hope at keeping the family legacy alive.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, another company is in need of Arlene’s sartorial wisdom. Known for the toughest men’s footwear around, Viberg Boots is in trouble. Located on coastal city of Victoria, BC, Viberg has expanded their boots from workwear to fashionable footwear, but demand is so high that the owners can’t keep up.

Tuesday, November 20 at 9 p.m. ET (9:30 NT)

A chartered seaplane business in Prince Rupert, BC, hopes Jim will invest and buy out its sole competitor, in hopes of taking control of its niche market. Plus, Jim checks in on an Edmonton-based sporting retailer, who has been in over his head since taking over the business five years ago.
Tuesday, November 20 at 9 p.m. ET (9:30 NT)
Providing affordable meals to people living in Vancouver’s lower east side for more than fifty years, Save on Meats is a classic diner and butcher shop in one. Owner Mark Brand bought the restaurant in 2010 when condo developers were eyeing the property but now he’s struggling to make ends meet. Hundreds of people rely on Save on Meats daily for hot meals and if Mark can’t get his finances in order for Arlene, both his employees and an entire community will be at a loss.
A few blocks away, Canada’s biggest flag and banner retailer is also in serious trouble. The Flag Shop has 12 locations across Canada, but with dwindling sales and mounting debt, CEO Susan Braverman is nearly ready to wave her white flag. If she Arlene Dickinson could be the lifeline Susan needs to get her finances under control.

cbc.ca/thebigdecision
facebook.com/thebigdecision
@thebigdecision #BigD

For more information including series synopses, biographies and high-resolution images, please visit the CBC Media Centre at https://mediacentre.cbc.ca.

About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages, plus five languages for international audiences. In 2011, CBC/Radio-Canada celebrated 75 years of serving Canadians and being at the centre of the democratic, social and cultural life of Canada.

For more information, please contact:

Cathleen Saville, Publicist, CBC
Cathleen.Saville@cbc.ca 416.205.7976 (Office)/416.986.9355 (Mobile)

If you come to Victoria B.C You’ll get the boot!

These boots were made for style

Victoria’s venerable Viberg Boots continues transition to fashionable footwear

By Sarah Petrescu, Timescolonist.com March 14, 2011

For several years now, I’ve walked past one of Victoria’s best-kept fashion secrets nearly every day without a second glance.

Perhaps it was the shop’s giant boot doorstop, the cluster of firefighters or construction workers browsing inside, or the tiny storefront display that threw me.
Luckily, a few fashion-forward men tipped me off to Viberg Boot Company (662 Herald St.) and the buzz it is gaining worldwide.

Viberg has spent 80 years mastering the art of indestructible workboots.

More recently, they’ve capitalized on an Asian fashion market obsessed with hand-crafted heritage brands, so much so it has become half their business.
Now they’re riding a wave of trends in heritage, blue-collar styles in North America and Europe.

“The whole Americana thing was taking off in fashion.
We’re probably one of the top bootmakers in the world, and I wanted us to break into that lifestyle market,” Brett Viberg told me at his family’s Chinatown shop and factory, where he works with his dad Glenn, mom Leslie, brother Jason and 16 staff members he calls family.
Viberg, 29, splits his time between working in sales and development for the boot company and as an actor in Vancouver.
One of his recent ventures was to create the Service Boot, a streetwear shoe that honoured the company’s craft, yet penetrated the young fashion market.

“Basically, I wanted to create something that I’d wear.
The styles are slim-fitting in clothes and these go with that,” said Viberg, sporting the boots.
He got the idea for the design by looking to the company’s history, all the way back to some of the first boots his grandfather made for farmers in rural Saskatchewan in the 1930s.

“I pretty much copied the pattern of grandpa’s original leather boot,” he said, picking up one of the oldest boots in the factory.
The ankle boot’s simple pattern is timeless and passable for casual or dress shoes.
Its leather is so stiff and shiny it looks like a brass sculpture, probably weighing as much.
Edwin Viberg might have sold this model for $4.95 in the 1940s.

The current Service Boot retails for $500 to $700, available in a variety of leathers, fabrics and colours, and with decorative perforations.
This fall Viberg collaborated with Four Horsemen men’s boutique in Market Square on a special run of the usually made-to-order boots, these ones made with black buffalo leather.
They’ve also worked with Inventory boutique and magazine in Vancouver.

“It’s not our biggest seller but it goes with everything — except maybe shorts,” Viberg said. “It’s also really versatile.”

Viberg hiking and workboots are also a hit with fashionable outdoorsmen.
They were recently featured in the New York Times style blog, have been approached by Ralph Lauren and Barney’s, and sell out stock at trendy boutiques like Leffot in New York.
The latter sold its entire shipment of hiking boots in one day, at $675 US a pop.

Viberg hopes the current interest in heritage brands is not a trend but a genuine movement to value hand-crafted, locally made items with a rich history — as in Japan.

“It’s amazing in Japan to see how a company is celebrated for its tradition and craft,” he said, citing customers who’ve researched every detail of the shoes they order from the source of the leather to the stitching.
Viberg Boots evolved from utilitarian workwear to the fashion world through its Asian fan base, where platform soles and bright leather are popular, and custom boots retail for around $1,300.

“The first time I went to Japan it opened my eyes to the potential for us and the appreciation of handmade things,” Viberg said, noting the time a bus of Japanese tourists stopped at the shop to give it a blessing.
They’ve also had a few fans come to work for them, like Kyosuke Jumonji, who came to learn the boot-making craft after spotting Viberg Boots in the Japanese fashion magazine Free and Easy.

While the heritage-brand look is in vogue, many North American companies have outsourced manufacturing for financial reasons — which Viberg said can be a killer to local outfits.

“First and foremost, you need to be doing it for the love and passion of the work,” he said.
His priority is keeping the workmanship high and the staff employed, but the company’s future in fashion is “very exciting.”

spetrescu@timescolonist.com

Special Thanks to Sarah Petrescu

Cheryl C Young, REALTOR
Saanich Peninsula Realty
Sidney B.C www.cherylyoung.ca

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