Meet Mike and Mattea! Mike has lived in the River City for 30 years, but Mattea is a newbie. These two are ambitious and logical while they run Canadian Wholesale Imports!
Where are you from and how long have you lived in Kamloops?
Mike has lived in Kamloops for over 30 years and is from Fort Saint John. Mattea moved to Kamloops from Chilliwack in 2018.
Who is your favourite person to spend time with and why?
Well, each other. Working as a team in life and business has its advantages.
What is your favourite local store in Kamloops and why?
We love going to East Stuff Grocery, we like to eat a lot of Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Korean inspired dishes so we have a hard time finding a lot of ingredients elsewhere, and the staff there are so helpful and friendly.
Describe yourself in one word.
Mike is ambitious and Mattea is logical.
If you could go anywhere in the world right at this moment where would you go and why?
Somewhere lush and tropical, Mike wants to fish and we both want to suntan.
What is your favourite activity in Kamloops?
Hiking and Fishing.
What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you?
The statute of limitations is not up for this information yet!
What is the most inspiring thing that has happened to you?
Our inspiration has been ongoing. We had the opportunity to work for successful people in the past, and that has motivated us to build our own meaning of success and dream bigger.
Tell us your favourite childhood memory.
Hard to pick only one, but we both enjoyed the time we spent riding horses when we were growing up. Mattea was in Equestrian Vaulting as a teenager, and Mike showed horses and dogs when he was a kid.
Where do you volunteer or give back to in the community?
We volunteer at the BC Wildlife Park, where we have been able to work with many different types of animals and sometimes we pick up brush that has been donated by the Kamloops community for feed. We have also had the pleasure of being an international host family for the program at TRU. We have had 2 groups of students now, for a one month period, doing a cultural exchange. It has been a blast showing the students new things... Like SNOW and learning new cultural things, especially FOOD IDEAS, from other places in the world.
If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?
Clean up all the pollution on our planet.
Where would you sneak away to in Kamloops to spend some time alone?
Usually down along the river somewhere.
Where would you like to see positive change in Kamloops and why?
More roundabouts and overpasses to improve traffic flow.
What do you think makes Kamloops great?
It has an abundance of outdoor activities and a wonderful community of diverse cultures.
What are 3 things on your bucket list?
1. We want to expand our brand so that it is recognizable across Canada, and then beyond!
2. We plan to build a Spa business one day before we retire!
3. We have a growing list of things we want to find outdoors; types of rock and minerals, types of mushroom species, types of fish we want to catch, or animals we want to see!
Tell us something that not everyone may know about you.
We have 3 urban hens (Princesses) named Hayley, Elsa, and Leah! They have great personalities, and they are very easy to care for, and they are helping reduce our eco-footprint three chicken eggs at a time.
How do people connect with you, personally, through social media?
You can find us on Facebook and Instagram at Canadian Wholesale Imports @canadianwholesaleimports.
What is the name of your business/organization?
Canadian Wholesale Imports.
Why did you get into/start this business?
At the end of 2017.
What is the goal of your business?
Our goal is to import quality customized products to suit all our customers' needs.
What has been your biggest struggle either at work or in life?
Working with suppliers internationally can be difficult when it comes to banking. Online banking is very easy in the domestic world, but internationally it is quite slow and there is a lot more risk with less security of where it goes.
What do you always find yourself saying?
Mike always says "We will figure it out."
Tell us your best piece of life advice.
Be resilient!
If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?
Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Why do you think it is important to shop locally?
It supports the people in our community and they are what makes Kamloops so great!
What has been your proudest accomplishment?
Mike's proudest accomplishment is his children.
Give someone you think that deserves it a shout out and explain why!
Dina from Oxygen Yoga & Fitness for creating a space we can unwind from the stress of growing a new business.
My choice for the KamloopsBCNow In Focus spotlight is:
Jon Franklin Owner of Kamloops Powder Coatings.
Some general comments I would like to share are:
We are always looking for new products to grow and expand our business, and we look forward to meeting many more clients in the Kamloops community. Since we have a broad range of products we work with, we know we can help everyone in some way. Your vision is our mission.
We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kamloops.
In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition of the people, businesses, and organizations that help make our city great!
