The Honourable Mike Currie, Minister of Development and Technology, got a tour of Cardinal Manufacturing's expanded facility in Wellington today. Company President Dennis Arsenault showed Minister Currie and Wilfred Arsenault, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Evangeline-Miscouche, around the 7,500 square foot facility.
Cardinal Manufacturing, a manufacturer of urethane, vinyl and plastic products, started its operation in Summerside in 1994 and moved to a new larger facility late last year. The company is a supplier of shower curtains, aprons and mattress protectors to hotels, restaurants and food processing facilities in Canada and the United States and has experienced considerable growth since its inception.
"When this company started, I was the only one here. Now Cardinal Packaging employs 10 people full time and, if everything goes according to plan, we should have 20 full-time staff by Christmas," said Arsenault.
Cardinal Packaging has received assistance from Prince Edward Island Business Development in promoting and marketing its products. According to Arsenault, this assistance has helped open up new markets for the company.
"We've been attending various trade events and sales shows across Canada and the US," says Arsenault. "These efforts have been extremely worthwhile and Cardinal is forecasting a 140 percent growth in sales this year which is directly attributable to an increase in export sales."
Prince Edward Island Business Development is the lead development agency for the Province of PEI and operates under the Department of Development and Technology. Minister Currie commended Dennis for taking the initiative to promote his company and find new markets for its products.
"PEI Business Development exists to encourage and support sound business opportunities, but it's the entrepreneurial drive and ambition of the companies that make things succeed," said Minister Currie. "Dennis has taken Cardinal Manufacturing from the business plan stage to an established company that is constantly developing new products, seeking new markets and employing more Islanders. That's exactly what my department likes to see, and I congratulate Dennis on his well-deserved success."
The latest product Cardinal Manufacturing is marketing is a plastic apron gown which has built-in sleeves. The apron lasts three months in a typical work environment as opposed to the two to three day life of competitors' aprons. A recent trip to Atlanta, Georgia for the National Safety show saw Cardinal Manufacturing garner a lot of interest in the new apron design from a variety of industries. The company is scheduled to attend a Meat, Poultry & Seafood show in Chicago later this month.