Thoughts on Innovation:

"Innovation is the source of a country's "structural dynamism" and is the root of just about everything good, like growth, employment and prosperity". - Edmund S. Phelps, Economics professor and Nobel laureate

Entrepreneurial innovation was described by Joseph Schumpeter as "perennial gale of creative destruction, forcing existing companies to adapt or just fail"

Aketon Solo Product Shots

Happy Thanksgiving!

From everyone at GMA

GMA Attends the Soldier Equipment Expo

GMA launched Aketon Solo at the Soldier Equipment and Technology Expo in Fayetteville, NC November 17th and 18th.

Take a look at our booth and Aketon Solo

Aketon Solo Updates

GMA Officially Launches Aketon Solo Today! Visit our website for more information and to place your Pre-Order.

Glenn and Nicole in Alliance Newsletter

Glenn and Nicole pictured in the October edition of the Canadian Force's Alliance newsletter on their "ExecuTrek" at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa. Check out the entire newsletter for more info. on the Canadian Force's reservists http://www.cflc.forces.gc.ca/new-sp/all/doc/2009-10-eng.pdf.

More GMA Stories...

"We used to put Nicole in an empty material box, fill it with pizza bags and put it on the vibrating sewing machine table to get her to go to sleep at work" - Rita Thiessen

GMA Stories...

"I was one of the 1st people working on the winter fronts just off of Kennedy Road in brampton. I was one of the first sewers. My other daughter Dolorous was polishing the product as it went out the door. One day we were supposed to have a company BBQ and all I see is Lillian (Glenn's mother) patting this pig ,giggling and running around. I couldn't believe she was playing with dinner!" - Rita Thiessen (Glenn's mother in law)

GMA is awarded Army's 2009 Top Michigan Small Business Contractor!
See the links here:
http://www.edascc.com/
www.facebook.com

Opening of Canadian War Museum Camouflage Exhibit June 4, 2009

It is with great pleasure that I inform you that GMA is a Supporting Sponsor of the Canadian War Museum’s upcoming Camouflage exhibit. I am very excited that GMA has partnered with such a prestigious partner as the War Museum, sponsoring this exhibit is a great opportunity to get the GMA name out there. The exhibit will be seen by thousands of people as it runs from June until the end of the year, all of which will see the GMA logo proudly displayed as they enter.

Camouflage will offer Museum visitors a fascinating look at the various aspects of camouflage, from its early roots in achieving the most basic levels of Warfield deception to its impact on popular culture. Camouflage was immensely popular and a critical success at its premier showing in the United Kingdom’s Imperial War Museum in London last summer. Camouflage will be showing at the Canadian War Museum for six months, from June 2009 to January 2010.

MP Claude Bachand and Guelph Conservative Candidate Gloria Kovach visit GMA, Summer 2009

The Early Days....

“In the early days when we all wore many hats Glenn , Phil, and I were working to win business from Bombardier. We secured a proto type order from Bombardier for a tarpaulin for the 2 1/2 ton truck. Money was tight, so even the $1600.00 dollars that was on our receivables list and due in 30 days looked appealing to chase down. Then we could eat the next week. When Glenn and I sat down and discussed it,we concluded that we should let it age as much as possible and we could use this to negotiate better terms on future requirements. So it sat for a few months and we did not chase them for the overdue receivable. Subsequently they gave us another order , which we fabricated and Bombardier required the parts themselves so they could ship completed trucks to the government and get them on their own receivables list.

We also knew that Bombardier had been given a large advance from the Government to kick start the whole project . I think it was $350 million .

Glenn had built a good relationship with the buyer whose name was Luc Goyette, and we did not want to disturb that over money issues. So I played the bad guy and had to put Bombardier on credit hold because the first invoice was long overdue, and I wanted to know if this was going to happen on future large releases.What could they do for us because I was not allowing the shipment to be sent.

Glenn re-negotiated the terms with Mr. Goyette to give them 2% Net 10 days and everyone was happy and we were on the map.

One of our early business lessons on how to use "The Good Guy Bad Guy" approach.” – Al Richard

“One of the things Maurice ("M" from "GMA") and I go back to is when the Company 1st started and Glenn was designing the pizza bags he used our microwave oven in our house in Brampton to test the different liners, proving how small he started out and just used his own initiative." - Lillian Verkindt

GMA Stories.....

"I remember when I had been working for GMA Cover Corp. for only a couple of years or so, I was asked by the company owner if I would like to gain more product and industry knowledge by attending the AUSA show in Washington D.C. It was autumn in 1994 (and a very different world then) and I was assisting the Sales and Marketing efforts at that time in trying to grow GMA's name and reputation.

On the first morning of the show, I had the unique opportunity of meeting both of the highest ranking Generals in the armies of the Peoples Republic of China, and Russia (then known as the Commonwealth of Independent States). Both groups had come through within an hour of each other. Each delegation brought their own interpreters along to translate their questions into English. Both Generals asked basic but intelligent questions about GMA's products. We answered these questions to the best of our abilities, and they seemed politely pleased with our responses.

After they left, I was thinking that it was amazing how dramatically the world had changed (in a good way) up to that point. Having grown up and lived through "The Cold War", it was unthinkable that even twenty years earlier that two military Generals from two of the world's super powers would be permitted to openly view all of the defense hardware that the United States armed forces would use around the world. Though GMA Cover Corp.'s contribution to that show was modest at that time, it would have been interesting to have known what thoughts would have been going through the two General's minds as they walked away from our booth." – Steve Garland

Website

GMA's website is under construction as we are getting ready to unveil our new identity. www.gmacover.com. Products can still be seen online as well as our new generation Aketon line brochures.