Newmarket-based business International Safety is a finalist in the second annual Ontario Made awards.
After being nominated in December and a round of consumer voting, the safety supplier has been named a finalist in the retailer spotlight category, which recognizes a retailer who highlights the importance of making things in Ontario.
"I just feel very proud and honoured that we're obviously being recognized for that," said Austin Ertl, who works in customer service and social media at International Safety. "I'm really happy to see the customers and our supporters [who] got us to where we're at with this. So it's been incredible."
International Safety sells a wide variety of products, including eye and hearing protection, high-visibility clothing, first aid supplies, traffic safety, respiratory and breathing protection, boots, gloves, flashlights and area lights and other more specialized categories like alcohol and drug screening devices, ambulance and firetruck organization, and welding equipment.
A large number of those items are made in Ontario. Another customer service representative, Sabrina Arangio, said this process and customer requests have opened her eyes to just how many local products International Safety carries.
She said especially in the past couple of years, she has seen an increasing number of customers saying, "I want to make sure it comes from here."
There was a bigger demand for made-in-Canada products during the pandemic, when there were often supply chain issues. During that time, International Safety also transitioned from having in-store shopping to being entirely online, creating a new website in the process.
"We're obviously a safety store but we also look at ourselves as like a tech company," Ertl said.
The website was also Ontario made and features custom-built software to best support customers needs. Part of that includes a section dedicated to Ontario-made products, so people can search directly for these products.
Shopping Ontario-made items at International Safety means not only supporting a local business but in turn supporting the other Ontario-based manufacturers who make the products they carry.
Ertl gave the example of one of their manufacturers, Dentec Safety Specialists Inc., which is located just down the street on Harry Walker Parkway. He said it's where they get their first aid kits.
"We like to support other companies because they also support us," he said.
International Safety is one of three finalists in the retailer spotlight category, along with Sauve's Country Market in Woodslee and The Scented Market in Guelph.
Other award categories are the consumer awareness award, the manufacturer spotlight award, and merchandising expert award.
The winners will be selected by a panel of judges and will be announced in a virtual awards ceremony Feb. 22 from 1 to 3 p.m. You can register to attend the free event online.
