Randy Bencke and Pat Gemmill started Pics Canada in Kaslo in January 2008. Originally they wanted to ‘greenify’ everyone’s morning fix by designing an environmentally friendly alternative to the takeout coffee cup. Their Picture Mug travel cups and bottles are designed so that photos, artwork or even fabric can be placed in a display area and changed whenever the consumer wants thus totally customizing the mug to their preference. The mugs are made of high quality stainless steel and the innovative design keeps the displayed artwork or photos clean and dry.
Both of them used their varied backgrounds and complementary skills have created an international company, with warehousing and distribution through Vancouver, which they manage from Kaslo. As a result of modern communication developments, many aspects of their business are conducted over the Internet.
Randy and Pat have overcome many personal, financial and business challenges during their start-up period and are now able to continue to provide quality products with a high level of customer support. Their company was awarded the Community Futures award for Overcoming Barriers to Business in 2008, and the Small Business BC award for Going Global in 2009.
