Harrow Sports expands Falls HQ
To
the uninformed, Harrow Sports might appear to be just another sporting goods retailer.
But selling sports gear to the public is just the tip of a growing iceberg for the company whose Canadian headquarters is in Niagara Falls.
That Canadian office recently moved from a 2,500-square-foot storefront on Montrose Rd. (in the Brockway Centre plaza that faces Thorold Stone Rd.) into a 5,000-square-foot section of the former Newville Candles factory on Kent Ave.
“We have the ability to grow into the space, which is what we needed,” said Jeff Corey, a Niagara Falls native who runs Harrow’s Canadian operations.
Harrow Sports started in Denver, Colo. as a manufacturer of high-end composite sports equipment such as hockey and lacrosse sticks and squash rackets.
The Niagara Falls connection came in 2004, when Corey, an A.N. Myer graduate and former Niagara Falls Canucks player, headed to England to play professional hockey.
Corey had heard of the Harrow brand and helped his team land a stick sponsorship deal with them. That led into Corey becoming a sales rep for the American company. When a serious knee injury ended his hockey career in 2005, he returned to Canada and launched the brand’s presence north of the border.
The Harrow retail store in Niagara Falls opened in 2007, but it was always just a small piece of the pie.
“Retail is less than 5% of our business,” he said.
The big sales for Harrow, which has now expanded into the lucrative sports apparel market, comes from selling directly to amateur, professional and collegiate teams and programs.
The new location gives the company more room for warehousing with the option of adding more space if needed. There are now six people working full time at the Niagara Falls operation with six sales representatives across the country.
WALKER BUYS U.S. FIRM
Niagara company Walker Industries Inc. has purchased the assets of Associated Chemists Inc. of Portland, Ore.
The acquisition was made under Walker’s Burlingtonbased Norjohn division, which manufactures wax and asphalt emulsions for cities and industries in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
“The purchase of ACI is part of our long- term strategic plan to expand and reach new markets throughout North America,” said Norjohn vice-president Archie Reynolds.