We in Northern Ontario understand what it means to paddle out onto an empty lake, catch our limit of bass and trout, and listen to nothing but the breeze through the reeds and the loons calling at sunset. In the summer, it’s called Saturday.
“I came back to help out for the summer,” Dickson said. “Then, my Uncle Jim offered to sell me his share of the business.” Most of the clients — about 89 per cent — are from the United States. Europeans account for about seven per cent and Canadians only four per cent. Most of those are from Norm Jewison’s neighbourhood in Toronto — the late Canadian film director was one of Canoe Canada’s first clients, Dickson said.
Canoe Canada also relies on client loyalty — and it has that in spades. Dickson said that about 87 per cent of their clientele comes from repeat business. Some families have come up to Atikokan for decades and now bring their grandkids. Even though Bud hasn’t officially been part of the company for several years, he was still recognized on the floor during a recent tradeshow.
Dickson attributes Canoe Canada’s success to one other important difference: guided tours. Families from “the big city” aren’t used to building outdoor fires, never mind keeping a lookout for bears. Guides provide that extra peace of mind and help families and other tour groups get the most from their adventure.
“It cost me $978,000 to keep in business,” Dickson said. “But thankfully I was able to keep my staff on. We took the time to... update our facilities.”“Last year was our best year ever, and this year... we’re ahead of where we were last year.”