The staff at Seaward Kayaks prides themselves on answering the phone when a customer calls so it's no surprise that they answered the bell when called upon by the hit entrepreneurship show Dragon's Den.
Following in the recent footsteps of Cowichan inventor Sam Koffski and his sawhorse bracket, and Brad Kornelson and his bamboo toilet paper, general manager Doug Godkin and the folks at the Chemainus-based kayak manufacturing company hope to hit the big time, despite having run a successful business for more than 25 years.
Godkin first applied to be on the show last January at an audition in Nanaimo. One month later he learned the company made the cut. Two months after that they were on a sound stage filming their piece.
The time has come. The Seaward episode will air on CBC on Jan. 29 at 8 p.m. and will feature a product new to their line. The results of the show are a tightly guarded secret. Though he wanted to share the details of the April 2013 taping, company spokesman Nick Horscroft could only say, "It was a fantastic experience for the owners of Seaward Kayaks." Owner Steven Ree and his wife Jacquie have built a reputation for building the finest sea kayaks in the world and is the choice for industry leading outfitters and kayak training programs, Horscroft said.