Hardy Buoys fish plant reels in reality show backing
Port Hardy fish plant to get business aid from CBC's Big Decision expert
By Jeff Bell, Times Colonist April 3, 2012
Hardy Buoys Smoked Fish will be enjoying its own version of salmon enhancement, thanks to the promise of funds or at least expertise via the CBC show The Big Decision.
Hardy Buoys owners Carol and Bruce Dirom learned the results of the business-oriented reality show when it aired Monday night. They shared the experience with a big viewing party in the lunchroom of their Port Hardy plant, attended by many of the 58 employees and their families (up to 80 workers are on-staff at peak times) and other supporters.
Hardy Buoys, producer of a range of products made from salmon and other fish, made a local connection in 2008 when Sidney's Pacific Seafoods merged with the company and relocated upIsland.
Around Port Hardy on Monday, three restaurants had their own Hardy Buoys parties, and the Diroms were out "making the rounds" after their TVwatching event. Hardy Buoys was one of two companies being considered Monday by the CBC program for an infusion of investment capital and valuable expertise. The other was Tashodi, a Torontobased producer of environmental body products that also earned a favourable response from the show.
Carol Dirom said whatever the outcome, the reaction of Port Hardy's approximately 4,000 residents to the company's situation meant a great deal.
"The town is so excited about this, the whole north Island. The best thing to come out of this is the community spirit.
"People just jumped on board with us and it's been great."
Her company's time in the spotlight also brought attention to wider business realities, she said.
"Hardy Buoys isn't the only business on the north Island that struggles, and you need to keep your dollars here. We don't necessarily make our living off the local dollars, our stuff gets exported out, but our employees live here, and if we don't keep our dollars in this community those other businesses are no longer around.
"We need this town to stay alive and to keep that community spirit alive."
The Big Decision, featuring entrepreneurial experts Arlene Dickinson and Jim Treliving, looks at two Canadian businesses in each 60-minute episode, assessing whether or not a muchneeded investment is coming their way. Dickinson, described by Carol as "a marketing maven," was the expert paired with the Hardy Buoys.
"The goal of being on the show is at the end of it have either Jim or Arlene say 'Yes, we would like to be involved at some level, we believe in your company and we see potential."
Carol said the show ended with Dickinson saying that she definitely thinks Hardy Buoys is "the real deal."
"She's got lots of confidence that we have what it takes."
Just what sort of support will be coming their way has yet to be determined.
"All I know is that Bruce and I will be going to Toronto later on this month, and at that point Arlene is going to be letting us know what her thoughts are on how she may want to get involved. It's still part of the process."
Hardy Buoys has been in business since 1994. Carol, now 40, said she and 42-year-old Bruce were just twenty-somethings when they started, and have done their best to withstand the highs and lows along the way.
It was not always to easy make the right decisions, in part because they had an early growth spurt.
"The demand for our products grew very quickly, and Bruce and I don't have a formal business background," Carol said. "But I think really, all in all, I'm very proud of what we accomplished and what we've done on our own up to this point.
"But we are now finding that we're at a point in business where it's bigger than Bruce and I. We can't do it alone anymore."
The money and/or expertise that will come to them as a result of The Big Decision is important, but Carol said she also hopes people who watched the show get a sense of how much she and Bruce care about "our crew."
"It's not all about the money. At the end of the day we need to be profitable, we are running a business, but we're not in it to just make a profit and not care about everything else."
Carol said the global economic downturn has been gnawing away at the company since 2008, and that the tightened lending practices of banks - however understandable - posed real difficulties at a time when they were trying to expand their markets beyond B.C. and Alberta.
"It takes a very long time to chase those leads. Smoked salmon is a luxury item, it's not something that people buy every day. - We knew that in order to continue to grow the business we had to start looking at markets - outside of Canada in general."
You can watch The Big Decision featuring the Hardy Buoys at:
http://www.cbc.ca/thebigdecision/blog/tune-into-the-season-finale-of-the-big-decision-on-monday-april-2nd.html
Hardy Buoys has a great Facebook page with lots of pictures, comments and links, (including a CHEK TV News piece) at:
http://www.facebook.com/HardyBuoys
The Hardy Buoy Twitter page is at: https://twitter.com/#!/HardyBuoys. If you want to see some great Twitter chatter check out the hashtag #HardyBuoys.
Hardy Buoys Website: http://www.hardybuoys.com
