THUNDER BAY — Three young entrepreneurs from Thunder Bay have teamed up on a project to help local businesses in challenging times, while at the same time supporting needy families through the COVID-19 Community Relief Fund.
Thomas Veneruz, Mitchell Pynn and Marco Lombardo – all born and raised in Thunder Bay – are the co-founders of Dad's Big Sack.
They're marketing the products of 17 small-business operators online, and setting aside 10 per cent of their profits for the COVID-19 fund.
Initially, the trio has assembled three unique gift bags, each with an assortment of items suitable as a Father's Day gift.
Veneruz says they came up with the idea after seeing the plight of small businesses struggling because of restrictions imposed by the pandemic.
"We were figuring out a way for businesses in Thunder Bay to actually push their products without having to have storefronts open or to have pickup/delivery. People are going off Amazon, and we wanted to change the narrative and shift that toward local," he said.
"You hear a lot about small businesses being hurt. So that's one of the drivers. And we also wanted to give back to the community."
Veneruz said there were some challenges organizing the project at the outset but he and his partners are pleased with the outcome.
"The vendors were really responsive. The way that we laid it out, everyone really took to the idea and wanted to be part of it, which was really great," he said.
He was also impressed with the way all the participants were prepared to collaborate.
"We sent them shots for individually marketing their own products with the bag, but they just wanted to go with the whole package to sort of give back and market the other people's products as well."
Veneruz said the sense of community is apparent in the way small business owners support each other on social media,
"I didn't know this before doing a project like this. They re-post each other's stuff, commenting on each other's brands. It's kind of cool to see," he said.
The bags themselves were designed by a local artist, but were printed and manufactured overseas, requiring the use of a supply chain that Veneruz described as "pretty hectic."
They contain selections of items suitable for "the barbeque dad, the morning dad or the camping dad," he said.
The online marketing of Dad's Big Sack is already underway.
Veneruz expects to see sales increase exponentially around the beginning of June.
He hopes it will create a brand and name recognition in Thunder Bay that allows his group to put similar offerings together for other gift-giving occasions such as Christmas, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day.
He said he and his co-founders have received no government funding for their project.
