Sudbury-based Covergalls signs agreement with Mark's Commercial to carry its workwear for women
Covergalls was a hit with the Dragon’s Den investors in 2014
A company based in Sudbury that produces workwear designed for women has a new agreement with Mark's Commercial to supply inventory.
Alicia Woods, the founder and CEO of Covergalls, says this means their workwear and personal protective equipment (PPE) will be more readily available to businesses and employees across Canada.
"With this partnership, Mark's is committing to having stock on their shelves. So we are actually producing runs for them right now, so that they will have product sitting there," she said.
Mark's Commercial is the company's business-to-business arm and connects suppliers to a network of 15,000 businesses across Canada.
Those businesses can bulk order different items for their employees, including workwear and PPE.
Woods founded Covergalls in 2013 because of her own experience wearing coveralls in the mining industry, which weren't made to accommodate women's bodies.
"A decade ago, there weren't as many women in industrial roles," Woods said.
"That is quickly changing. And I think companies now understand and realize the importance of offering proper fitting PPE to women."
WATCH| Dragon's Den update on Covergalls
In 2014, Woods appeared on CBC's Dragon's Den where she impressed the investors and landed a deal with three of them.
Woods said she has had a productive relationship with Mark's since she appeared on Dragon's Den.
"A couple of years ago, we decided to really work on building the relationship and what that meant was understanding what the market needed, understanding products and skus and production time," she said.
Under the new agreement with Mark's Commercial, Woods said Covergalls will supply the company with some of their most popular products, including coveralls, cargo pants, a flame-resistant hoodie and high visibility workwear.
She said the deal could also lead to other opportunities, including having Covergalls apparel in Mark's retail locations.
Adam Gaiser, vice-president of Mark's Commercial, told CBC News the company is partnering with Covergalls because she was a pioneer for inclusivity in the space of workwear.
"We are incredibly proud to support someone who's been committed to this from the beginning," Gaiser said.
"I mean, just like anything in any business, there are those people who are the early creators, if you will. And the fact that we can support someone like Alicia who started this when no one else was, that means a lot."
With files from Bridget Yard