****UPDATE FEB 18 - THIS EVENT WILL BE POSTPONED. A NEW DATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED ASAP
We are excited to welcome you into 2019 with our first Chamber Dinner of the year. This dinner features local entrepreneur, Jay Matte of Locomotive Clothing & Supply, telling the story of how he grew his business from concept to multi-business platform ready to move into their first retail space, the trials and tribulations of how he got there, and how he overcame them. Jay is an inspiring business leader and is sure to impress you with his humor and wit.
Locomotive Clothing & Supply
In 2003, after recently moving from Ottawa, Ontario, Jay founded Locomotive in Vancouver, BC. The idea was born after meeting LA?s streetwear legend, Rick Klotz of Freshjive.
Jay’s first creations started in an East Vancouver back alley with a spray-paint can, with the inspiration of Freshjive’s raw street style vibes by creating hand-cut vellum stencils spray-painted onto vintage cowboy and tuxedo shirts and many other one-of-a-kind pieces for both ladies and men. The business continued as a side hustle for 10 years with only 5 retailers and an Etsy eCom page.
After working 6 years in the film industry, Jay realized that even high pay would not make him happy and he could no longer fight his true calling to take Locomotive full-time with his wife, Aaron. In 2013, they moved to Mission, BC with their 2-year-old son, Felix, and made the transition for both of them to commit to Locomotive Full-Time.
After only 4 years, Locomotive Clothing & Supply has seen over 400% growth by serving its eCom customers worldwide and supporting the 65 retailers that carry the brand, in turn allowing them to hire 3 employees, professional Photographers, a marketing team, Bloggers and Social Media Influencers.
BIO
Jason Matte is the Founder and Owner of Pressland Printing, a full-service commercial screen-printing service; and is also the Founder and Owner of Locomotive Clothing & Supply, a casual lifestyle apparel brand servicing customers worldwide via eCom and also serves over 60 retailers across Canada who carry the brand.
In addition to Pressland Printing?s operations servicing clients across Canada and the retail and wholesale day-to-day of Locomotive Clothing & Supply, Jay and his wife Aaron also take part in Canadian Wholesale Shows and up to a dozen Artisan Craft Fairs annually across Canada.
Jay is currently the newest member on the Board Of Directors of the Mission Chamber Of Commerce and is also a Mentor and longtime supporter to many within the Craft Fair community.
Jay is the host of The Maker Club, a brand new Podcast series that interviews individuals within the world of Makers, Artisans and Crafters, along with the movers and shakers in the community they work with.
SPOTLIGHT SPEAKER:
Community Futures North Fraser helps small businesses and entrepreneurs in our community. Whether you are thinking about starting a business, wanting to expand, or trying to make a change to regular operations, Community Futures North Fraser can assist.