GV Snowshoes has 40 regular employees with up to 60 people during the high season. They're the 3rd largest snowshoe manufacturer in the world. The business has an international reputation for quality and product diversity and continues to grow.

In 1982, Mr. Vincent bought the defunct brand name GV Snowshoes along with a warehouse full of unfinished wood snowshoe frames from Antoine Gros-Louis, who'd been a very large snowshoe manufacturer. Mr. Vincent began resurrecting the brand name by varnishing, lacing and selling the snowshoes from home. Sales took off after he revived the distribution network. Today, GV Snowshoes does 3-4 million dollars a year in business, mainly with the US and Europe.

Four years after resurrecting GV Snowshoes, they were manufacturing and selling an average of 45,000 pairs of wood snowshoes annually. Their sales dropped in the US with the advent of aluminum snowshoes so they produced their own aluminum brand.

Aluminum shoe sales doubled annually. The company now owns three buildings for manufacturing and warehousing. Europe tends to buy a lower quality snowshoe so they have less sales and less competitors. The US is the majority of their business and they have about 20 competitors. The brand, quality and price keep them in the game.

Their market research involves traveling to the various locations, walking into a store and asking questions. Stephen says people tend to think market research is complicated but it can be that simple.

GV Snowshoes aims to be number one in the world.

Stephen Vincent says to start small and grow carefully. Save when the going is good. It'll carry you through the slow times. Know your client needs. Learn from other peoples' mistakes. It's cheaper.