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Manitoulin Wind & Wave opened in the spring of 1998 and the business has developed a considerable reputation for its excellent service to customers since that time. There really is no shop like it in the region.
Bruce Laidley and his wife, Carmen, developed the business concept on the basis of Bruce's extensive background in paddlesports.
Bruce began canoeing and kayaking while in elementary school in Port Credit, Ontario. His school was adjacent to the newly formed Mississauga Canoe Club and incorporated canoeing and kayaking into its activity program. The Mississauga Canoe Club was, and still is, an extremely successful and competitive olympic sprint canoe and kayak club.
Bruce's love for the sport of competitive paddling was established at this early age and he joined the canoe club in 1961 at the age of 10. He spent the next 15 years immersed in competitive paddling as an athlete and eventually as an athlete/coach. He spent one of those years in Nova Scotia as a coach and competitor for the newly formed Cheema Canoe Club. He accumulated more than 100 medals and trophies during his competitive years (including 17 Provincial Championships and 9 Canadian Championships). He coached many others to Provincial and Canadian Championships and helped develop athletes for international competition including Pan Am Games, World Championships and the Olympics.
He retired from competitive paddling in 1976 and attended university in 1977, as a mature student, to prepare for a teaching career. He went to Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario to study Physical and Health Education. It was there, that he added the experiences of camping, hiking and canoe/kayak tripping to his paddling background. He then attended the University of Western Ontario to complete his Education degree and began his teaching career in 1982. He has participated in, and led, countless groups of students and adults on wilderness canoeing experiences since becoming a teacher. His paddling expertise was acknowledged in 1984 when he was asked to take on the role of canoe/kayak convenor for the Pan Am Games bid committee for the city of London, Ontario.
Bruce and Carmen met on Manitoulin Island in the summer of 1989 while they were each visiting their parents who lived there. They were married in 1990 and moved to Manitoulin in 1991. Their son, Jon, was born in 1992. The location of Manitoulin Wind & Wave is at the site of their original home in Kagawong.
Bruce has now retired from teaching. He recalls how the idea for a canoe and kayak shop came about in the first place.
"We were holding one of our annual yard sales in Kagawong and it just happened that we had a canoe for sale. It sold early in the morning but the buyer asked if he could pick it up later in the afternoon. Many people stopped and inquired about the canoe. We could have sold it to 5 or 6 different people that day. We had been considering opening some kind of business on the Island and it immediately became clear what the business should be."
Manitoulin Wind & Wave opened its doors the following spring.
Bruce's oldest son, Brian (from a previous marriage), was living in Niagara Falls at this time and he was looking for a change in career. He came up to the Island to help his dad run the new business and loved the concept and the experience. He decided to stay on and he has been the primary reason for the remarkable growth and success of Manitoulin Wind & Wave.
Bruce acknowledges Brian's contributions:
"First of all, he is a very skilled and experienced paddler. He enjoys paddling with customers and spends as much time as he can in his own kayaks. He enjoys his 18' sea kayak for touring and has a blast in his surf kayak when the waves are crashing in on one of Manitoulin's beaches. Most of his paddling, however, is done in the fringe seasons when we are not as busy. Yes....Brian is certainly a great paddler but his greatest strengths include his knowledge about paddlesports and his people skills. He loves matching people to canoes and kayaks. He is intimately familiar with every boat that we handle and he will spend as much time as the customer requires to help that customer get into the right kayak or canoe for his or her needs. He provides a level of friendly service that is second to none. The shop has received an incredible number of 'Thank You' letters over the years and the common theme is appreciation for Brian's advice, his recommendations and his time. Brian has shaped this business and people come up to me regularly to let me know what a great guy he is and how much fun they had dealing with him."
Carmen's and Bruce's son, Jon, also works at the shop during the summer break. He, too, has become a fine canoe and kayak paddler. In fact, Jon has developed an interest in mastering his dad's olympic C-1 racing canoe. It's a very unstable and difficult canoe to paddle and he is improving with each session. When not developing his C-1 skills, he uses his personal kayak for intense workouts as well as recreational paddling. Jon's ability to assist Brian in all areas of customer service has served the business well.
Customers, calling the shop these days, will probably be speaking to Brian or Jon. Brian, and his partner Nora, now live in Bruce's and Carmen's former home adjacent to the shop and, even when the store is closed during the off-season, Brian is available to provide customers with whatever they may be looking for.
Manitoulin Wind & Wave offers the largest seasonal inventory of kayaks and canoes in the Sudbury-Algoma-Manitoulin region. A visitor to the shop in the spring and early summer will see more than 190 boats in stock and on display. In addition to the incredible selection, customers are able to test paddle their boats before buying. The upper Kagawong River is only steps from the shop and provides calm conditions for novice paddlers and seasoned experts to test their choice. All of the paddling gear and safety equipment necessary to be on the water is available in the shop and they can even provide the roof top carrying system for your vehicle.
Manitoulin Wind & Wave is a paddlesports specialty shop. They provide top quality products from major manufacturers at prices that the "big city" competition can't match.
They have earned a reputation for expertise and friendly customer service and, as a result, have a customer base that extends much further than the shoreline of Manitoulin Island.
The business incorporated as of April 01, 2009. The official business name is:
2202225 Ontario Limited O/A Manitoulin Wind & Wave. Bruce, Carmen and Brian are the directors.
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