WearWell Garments Limited All About 'We'll Get It Done Attitude'

NOTE: Communications Nova Scotia will be releasing feature stories over the next few weeks, highlighting the newest charter members of the Nova Scotia "Come to life" initiative. Nova Scotia "Come to life" is a public-private sector initiative that markets Nova Scotia as an excellent place in which to live, work, invest, play and visit. The following feature story was written by Marie Weeren.

The production facility is humming at clothing manufacturer WearWell Garments Limited in Stellarton, Pictou Co.

On one side of the 23,000-square-foot factory a new automatic cutter is following a computerized pattern of a rugby shirt. Close by, an automated overhead moving system carries garments from one employee to another, each completing a single task. Not far away, sewers are deftly working at a variety of machines that tack, serge and buttonhole. Another area is equipped with embroidery machines and colourful spools of thread as well as an inspection station where finished products are checked.

WearWell has five apparel lines: career, service, safety, active and uniform. Having an in-house designer means the company can also offer customized pieces. The factory, which produces 1,200 to 1,500 garments a day, is the centre of WearWell's operations. But what gives WearWell its heart is the dependability and dedication of its 100 or so employees and their commitment to customer service.

"They're as dedicated to the company as we are," says WearWell president Stirling MacLean. "We have really good employees here. I think that's a big thing. When we need them to do a little extra, it never seems to be a problem. They know it's for the good of the company, and they'll get it done. It's that kind of 'we'll-get-it-done attitude' that makes it good."

The same attitude applies to WearWell's approach to customer service.

"We want the customer to be happy. When they get their product, they've got to be able to put it on and feel good in the clothing," says MacLean. "Customer quality issues have to be addressed and quickly. You want to make sure that the customers are completely satisfied."

Bob Dockrill is very satisfied. He is facilities supervisor for the Guelph distribution centre of the TDL Group Corp., the parent company of Tim Hortons. Dockrill supervises the uniform program for distribution centres, outfitting upwards of 600 employees.

WearWell supplies Dockrill with a range of products including shirts, sweaters, freezer pants and drivers' jackets. He says the company's willingness to develop an online inventory-management system -- a tool now used by other WearWell clients -- was a key selling feature.

The system allows Dockrill to track uniform expenditures down to how much money is spent on an individual employee.

"What it did was it enabled us to create a cost-control factor that was never there before," he says.

Dockrill also appreciates WearWell's customer service and can-do attitude.

"Anything that I've ever asked them to do they've been able to do. There's been no 'Gee, Bob, you know what, I don't think we can do that.' Regardless of what it is we've asked them to do, they've always come through and it's on a very personal level."

MacLean says WearWell wants customers to feel like family. Stirling and his father, Fraser MacLean, now chairman of the board, bought the company in 1978. Stirling's first role was as a salesperson on the road. He built the business in Ontario, which now accounts for 65 per cent of the company's sales, followed by Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. WearWell, which also has a presence in the United States, wants to expand into Western Canada and has had interest from the United Kingdom.

In addition to serving clients directly -- customers include Sobeys, Michelin and Emera -- WearWell provides products to distribution companies such as Cintas, a large North American business which provides, among other things, uniform rentals. Today, WearWell's sales run from $8 million to $12 million a year, and the company keeps growing.

A sign of that growth is a planned 17,000-square-foot plant expansion. The new space, scheduled to be running this month, will house a distribution centre, embroidery area and more.

"It will allow us to handle more capacity, more volume of product," MacLean says. The company will install a new bar-coding system as another check to ensure customers are sent correct orders.

The company is also finding solutions to the challenge the skilled-worker shortage in the clothing manufacturing industry. Earlier this year, WearWell took part in the provincial government's One Journey Work and Learn Program, which provides participants with skills required to gain employment in industry. Working together with the Department of Education, Nova Scotia Community College, Department of Community Services, Futureworx and others, WearWell offered on-site skills training and has hired six program participants for full-time employment.

"It means to us that we found six good employees who will come to work, who are still learning their trade," says WearWell's vice president - finance Rick Feehan. "They're getting there. It may take a while, but because of the effort and the stamina they have, we're sticking with them."

WearWell and its employees reach out to the community in various ways. Staff frequently fundraise for IWK Health Centre and contribute to the local Pictou County Christmas Fund. WearWell matches funds employees raise. MacLean gives time to a local hockey organization and has been active in school fundraising.

MacLean appreciates his community and Nova Scotia's lifestyle. He enjoys outdoor activities, including fishing on St. Mary's River in Guysborough County. He says the province is "a great place to raise a family," and notes the presence of fine schools and universities.

"There's anything and everything here in Nova Scotia for young people to do."

When asked about his vision for WearWell, MacLean says, "I think we're getting there now. The growth of the company has been phenomenal over the years.

"We just want to keep doing the same things, doing it right. You usually don't get second chances in this business, so when you're approaching your customers and growing your business, you want to do it right the first time."