MANUFACTURING become a manufacturing “ Goliath .” Even so , those at the top of the rising company won ’ t forget where it all began .
“ We need to make sure that we don ’ t become too big in the way we treat our customers ,” said Dave “ Opie ” Thomas , plant manager and director of U . S . operations at G . I . Sportz . “ We ’ ve brought the player aspect , the business aspect and the niche business aspect back to the market .
“ We took it out of the corporate hands who run everything by numbers and don ’ t really understand that the majority of our
customers are very ‘ mom-and-pop shop .’ The customers don ’ t always know how to market and or how to run their business properly . We have to help them do that . We basically become business partners with our customers and help them with whatever issue comes up .”
The golden goose G . I . Sportz set itself up from a profitability and sales perspective to be a viable acquisition for a private equity firm . Earlier this year , a Toronto-based firm called Fulcrum Capital Partners purchased majority share of G . I . Sportz , which
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