Wilson International Learns from Past Games

Publish Date: January 2010

It took months to find out his company had won a contract to produce souvenir clothing for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It took less than a day for the news to travel through the Richmond factory. "It was so good to walk through the building after we got the news," said Tony Wilson, president of Wilson International Products Ltd. "Our employees were definitely part of the process. They knew we were bidding for the contract, and they were very proud when we got it — the whole atmosphere around here is extremely positive."

The company, which designs, prints and embroiders clothing, has been in business since 1976, when Wilson began importing sporting goods from Taiwan as a sideline while working as a high school teacher. In 1982, he took a temporary leave from teaching to see if he could increase the business, and he never returned to the classroom. Today, his factory employs 35 full-time workers, and his wife, two daughters and a son-in-law all work for the company.

As soon as Vancouver announced it would make a bid for the 2010 Games, Wilson decided to get involved. "We did everything we could to keep on top of things," he said. "We were very anxious to bid on a contract — so many of our retail outlets wanted merchandise."

The company submitted the paperwork and made a presentation to produce T-shirts and fleece tops; then waited. It took four months to learn Wilson International had beaten its competitors for the business. "I don't know how many other companies were bidding, but I think it was close to 50 from across Canada," Wilson said. "T-shirts and fleece tops will be the biggest sellers, along with lapel pins. It's going to be huge."

To prepare for his bid, Wilson examined previous Olympic Games, particularly the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, to see how similar clothing companies had managed the work. "It gave me a really good idea of what to expect," he said.

To handle the anticipated increase in orders as the 2010 Games get closer, Wilson has lined up smaller local companies to step in when his own factory reaches its limit. He has already signed on two embroidery companies and a screen-printing firm and has plans to add more subcontractors as they're needed. "We can handle everything in our factory right now, but we will rapidly run out of space as things get busier," Wilson said. "If it goes the same way here as Salt Lake City, we hope we can bring on more and more people as we need them. The business will jump at an incredible rate."

He said the factory will have to add at least 12 more employees and may work around the clock to keep retail outlets supplied with colourful Winter Games gear. "For people in our business, this is the biggest license there is — there is really nothing compared to the Olympics."

And after the Winter Games are over, Wilson hopes his winning contract will continue to bring opportunities for his business. "We will be working with new sponsors and new retailers and if we give them three years of good service, we hope we will be able to continue these great new business relationships."

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