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“We had no heat, just this little heater,” says 25,000-square-foot facility which they an understanding of what’s going on here
Jenny, explaining how they worked out a opened in 2010. The award-winning design- it’s nice to share that with somebody.”
deal with their landlords in the neighbour- build structure is more than double the size
ing unit to use their fax machine for 25 cents of their previous office on Bathurst Street in “Trust is a huge thing in any partnership,”
a fax. Waterloo which they had rented for about says Jim, adding that it can be difficult
21 years. sometimes having that level of trust with
“There was no internet back then to let peo- non-family partners. “I’ve seen other busi-
ple know that Knapp existed,” she says. “You always hear it takes five years to make nesses and some of the trouble that can oc-
any money in business, but I think it proba- cur when partners have different priorities
For the first four years it was just the two of bly took us a bit longer. You hit a point where and that can be very problematic.”
them, working 80 hours a week trying to get you have to keep growing a little more and
their business off the ground. a little more,” says Jim, adding the couple The couple also share the same philosophy
never let thoughts of quitting or failure en- when it comes creating a strong company
“Our parents had pleaded with us not to ter their minds despite the ups ad down. “If culture.
quit both our jobs,” says Jenny. you’re going to persevere or succeed, your
head can’t go into that space.” “We really try to foster a team environment
“I think everyone was questioning our san- here and I think that transcends to what our
ity,” jokes Jim. “Your family starts out with As their business grew, so did their family. customers see,” says Jenny, adding they are
concern, while I think outsiders just start out Their two daughters, Amanda, 27, and Lau- surrounded by a dedicated group of em-
with skepticism.” ren, 22, have been with them every step of ployees whose goal is to create a positive
the way. customer experience.
However, that first year they won a local
business award for doubling their sales pro- Jenny jokes how she had stop by the office Besides providing a gym, employee barbe-
jections. on her way home from the hospital with cues, yoga classes and running regular con-
their firstborn. tests, the company also turns to their em-
“That gave us a little bit more creditability to ployees for suggestions when it comes to
what we were doing,” says Jenny. “We had a big quote to look after that day,” giving back to the community.
she says, adding she also remembers taking
They had perseverance and determination one of her children with her on more than “We try to have our employees come up
and used a very strategic approach to build- one business meeting. with really good causes that are meaning-
ing their list of clients. ful to them,” she says, adding the company
“When you’re self-employed there is no helps many charities, including the Cam-
“We knew we could get what our clients such thing as maternity leave,” says Jim. bridge Self-Help Food Bank and Christmas-
needed but we thought if they found out related causes.
our ages and saw our bare bones existence, “We joke with Amanda and tell her ‘You
they may not have confidence in us,” says were literally born into the business’,” says “I think it’s important to give back,” says
Jenny, adding they targeted companies that Jenny. Jenny.
were outside the province. “We looked at
what were the farthest points in Canada Family has always been a big part of the The Knapps also think it’s vital to give their
that we can get people to buy from us and Knapps professional journey. daughters the opportunity to grow and ex-
not worry about them stopping by our office plore their own interests. Both Lauren, and
for a visit.” When they first started out family members, Amanda’s husband, Graham Taylor, work at
That first year their top clients were from including their own parents, were there to Knapp Fasteners. However, Amanda has a
Quebec and British Columbia. help by packing orders or counting invento- career elsewhere in human resources.
ry. And after many years later, Jim’s brother
“We started out knowledge rich, for a lack of David and Jenny’s cousin, Ron Fixter, con- “We don’t want to put pressure on them to
better term,” says Jim. “And everything else tinue to play big roles in the company’s ship- have to make a commitment to the future
poor.” ping/receiving department . of the company at this point,” says Jenny.
“We’re both here and have a lot more we
However, Jenny says the couple was not Jim says that support in the early years was can give to the company.”
‘poor’ in terms of enthusiasm as their client vital since the couple were working so many Jim agrees.
list grew. hours.
“We’re aggressively pursuing new growth,”
Today, Knapp Fasteners carries 60,000 prod- “We could pound pavement all day and had he says. “My plan is to be here a long time
ucts and has an international clientele in no one else to follow up packaging and ship- and I don’t know if I’ll ever let this place go.”
14 countries. From small machine shops ping,” he says.
to Fortune 500 companies, they supply to
a variety of markets, including manufactur- Besides family, the couple also credit their PHOTO: Jim and Jenny Knapp, left, continue to have
ing, electrical, construction, distribution and strong partnership as a key to the company’s big plans for Knapp Fasteners Incorporated. Working
aerospace. continued success. alongside them is their daughter Lauren and son-in-law
Graham Taylor.
And as their list of clients grew, so did the
number of their employees. They hired “We both have the common goal of want-
their first employee about four and half ing to succeed,” says Jenny. “Business is so
years after the business began and today much like a roller-coaster ride. You have
employ approximately 30 people in their your highs and lows and we both have such
www.cambridgechamber.com 25
Spring 2019