1Issue 58 - October 12, 2006 The Source

A window into the world of Roots Issue 58 October 12, 2006

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TRIUMPH OFTRIUMPH OFTRIUMPH OFTRIUMPH OFTRIUMPH OFFINE DESIGNFINE DESIGNFINE DESIGNFINE DESIGNFINE DESIGNRoots wins two major awards for its head office

Standing for good design: Roots Co-Founder Don Green in the lobby withDonna Wood (left), and Alan Dalquen, (far right), of Bullock Associates whoworked closely with Don on designing the Head Office.

Issue 58 - October 12, 2006 2 The Source

SPECIAL DELIVERYA selection of recent letters from the world of Roots

I N S I D EI N S I D EI N S I D EI N S I D EI N S I D EI S S U E 58I S S U E 58I S S U E 58I S S U E 58I S S U E 58

PublishersMichael Budman, Don Green

EditorRobert Sarner

Editorial AssistantPaulomi Patel

The Source is published every two weeksby Roots Canada Ltd. We welcome lettersfrom readers for publication. Pleaseaddress all correspondence to TheSource, Letters to the Editor, RootsCanada, 1400 Castlefield Ave., Toronto,Ontario, M6B 4CR or by email torsarner@roots.com Letters may be editedfor length and clarity.

Each issue of The Source is alsoavailable, in an abridged version, on theRoots website at www.roots.com

DepartmentsFRESH INK

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

GUESS WHO JUST DROPPED IN

SPREADING THE WORD

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

MOMENTS THAT MATTER

GREEN TIPS

HEALTH TIPS

STAYING POWER

The Source wants to hear from you.Please send your letters to RobertSarner at rsarner@roots.com. Lettersmay be edited for length and clarity.

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In keeping with our fortnightlypublishing schedule, the nextissue of The Source will bepublished on Thursday, Oct. 26.

ISSUE 59 OF THE SOURCE

In each issue of The Source, wepublish a creative photo on the top ofthis page. We invite readers whotake pictures to submit images theyfeel would be appropriate for thisfeature. Please send submissions tophotogallery@roots.com

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUTI am writing to express my grati-tude to several Roots employees.One in particular went aboveand beyond to help me find theperfect gift for my wife on ouranniversary.

My wife recently found aleather bag on your website thatshe immediately put on her wishlist. However, when I returned tothe site a few days later, the bagwas sold out. I called Roots Di-rect, and they told me thewebsite accurately reflected theinventory, and that my next besthope was to find a store that stillhad the bag in stock. I tried thestores in Toronto, then those inthe US, then the other stores inOntario, and finally I calledother cities in Canada.

Though most of the people Ispoke with were friendly, it wasnot until I spoke to SamaraSnyder at the West Edmontonstore that I was treated far betterthan I ever expected. After lis-tening to my tale, Samara askedme to email her my informationand the description of the leatherbag. She then took it upon her-self to find the bag, and ulti-mately located it at a newly-opened store in Toronto. She putme in contact with the storemanager, Ashleigh Medd whowas also excellent, describingthe bag to me, getting all my

information, and explaining ex-actly how the process of shippingthe bag to me would proceed.

Therefore, I wanted to letyou know what excellent repre-sentatives you have in Ashleighand Samara. Their exemplaryservice and willingness to gobeyond their normal duties mademe a very happy customer, and Icannot commend them anyhigher. Roots is truly lucky tohave these two as employees.Marc BaniakSilver Spring, MD, USA

NO, WE DIDN’T PAY FOR THISJust read Issue 57 of The Sourceand I found it extremely in-formative. With each new issue,I become more and more im-pressed with The Source - bothits content and the manner inwhich it’s presented. Very pro-fessional.

Thanks to The Source, I lookforward to reading about life asit evolves in the world of Roots.The Source adds substance to allof the work that we, at HeadOffice, perform on a daily basis.It gives me a sense of accom-plishment when I read the arti-cles and see the photos of ourRoots culture in action. Keep upthe great work!Walter BrunetFinancial AnalystHead Office, Toronto

RAVE REVIEW FOR BAGSJust wanted to express my ap-preciation to the designers of thegreat new Roots shopping bags.I like their style and the waythey’re made with thick recycledpaper, sturdy handles and thesupport in the bottom.

In the past, we have hadsome issues with the strength ofcertain bags but we have it rightthis time. The best part about thebags are the Green and HealthTips printed on the bottom.What a smart idea! We just needto package the bags with lessplastic and then we are golden.

My gratitude and congrats goout to everyone involved in thisexcellent initiative.Terri SmithManager, Spring Garden storeHalifax, NS

TRIUMPH OF FINE DESIGNRoots wins two interior designawards for its head office

LAYING THE GROUNDWORKRoots takes part in US Olympicworkshop ahead of 2008 BeijingGames

BY POPULAR DEMANDNew ‘Roots 73’ store in Kanataopens in record time

THE GIANT CNE SALEStaff opportunities still availablefor annual event

BLUE AND WHITE WITH STYLEMaple Leaf hockey apparel instores now

HATS OFF FOR NEW INITIATIVELeading cap maker createsexclusive products for Roots

GUILTY PLEASURESBarbra Streisand picks Roots fornew concert tour

DOING THE RIGHT THINGWindsor employee collects 133pounds of food to help the hungryin Ontario

FOR A GOOD CAUSEStaff plays basketball to raisefunds to fight breast cancer

AMERICAN TEAM FAVOURS CA-NADIAN STYLERoots clothes Team USA at theUniversiade this winter

3Issue 58 - October 12, 2006 The Source

Roots wins two major awards for its Head Office

Continued on next page

Despite itsvital role inthe daily life

of Roots, rela-tively few employ-ees in Canada andthe United Stateshave ever set footin the Head Officein Toronto. Thesame is true formost customers,suppliers andfriends of Rootsfor whom 1400Castlefield Av-enue is just anaddress in To-ronto.

Thanks to tworecent designawards, it’s farmore than just anaddress. In sepa-rate award cer-emonies earlierthis month, both the Associa-tion of Registered Interior De-signers of Ontario (ARIDO)and the American Society ofInterior Designers (ASID) paidtribute to the Roots headquar-ters, honouring it as an exem-plary work environment. Suchrecognition was especiallygratifying for Roots Co-Founder Don Green whoshepherded the project to frui-tion, overseeing the planningand design decisions from thebeginning.

The Roots world headquar-ters is a model of how a wellthought out head office canmotivate employees, greatlyenhance their day-to-day pro-fessional reality, and maketheir work more pleasurable,more efficient and more pro-ductive. Today, nearly twoyears after moving into 1400Castlefield, it’s hard to imag-ine Roots without suchpremises. They have becomeessential to the smooth running

of the business and are an in-trinsic part of the company’sculture.

The Head Office is the huband nerve centre of Roots. It’swhere you mostfeel the pulseand passionthat drive thecompany for-ward. Virtuallyanything andeverything con-nected to thecompany isultimately dis-cussed, debatedand resolved atthe Head Of-fice. Every as-pect of thebusiness —short of theactual manufac-turing, distribu-tion and retail sales of prod-ucts — takes place at 1400Castlefield. It’s home to thefollowing departments:

Clothes design (womenswear,menswear, babies, accesso-ries); finance; general adminis-tration; advertising/marketing;communication; graphic de-

sign; visual/mer-chandising;business-to-business/whole-sale; human re-sources;outsourcing;website and e-commerce; re-tail operations;outlet opera-tions; resourceprotection; li-censee opera-tions; RootsHome Design;informationtechnology; andmaintenance. Italso houses the

offices of Don and fellow Co-Founder Michael Budman.

Three years ago, the currentreality was a mere dream in

Don’s head. Atthe time, thecompany’s ad-ministrative,design and sup-port staff werescattered infour separatebuildings, eachwith their ownculture and lit-tle interactionbetween them.With the leaseson some of thebuildings set toexpire, Don andMichael de-cided to con-solidate thefour operationsinto a large,new unifiedspace. Eventu-ally, they chosea rundown in-dustrial build-

ing a five-minute drive southof the Roots leather factory asthe company’s future home.Don assumed responsibility forthe project which involvedtransforming a 1938 window-less former factory into a mod-ern, light-filled, employee-friendly environment true tothe values and aesthetics ofRoots.

“Given the size and scopeof the project and seeing theinitial condition of the build-ing, it required a far-reachingvision of how the space couldbe transformed,” says Don.“But in many ways, my ap-proach was no different thanany other design project I’vebeen involved in before,whether it be a piece of Rootsouterwear, planning a store orpackaging. It’s all about thedetails. Details and aestheticshave always been of the ut-most importance to Michael

The reception area at 1400 Castlefield sets the tone for what awaits people at the Roots headquarters

A view of The Hub from above

TRIUMPHOF FINE DESIGN

Issue 58 - October 12, 2006 4 The Source

Continued from previous page

and I, and certainly for thisproject they were paramount,especially when you considerhow much time all of us at theRoots home office spend inthis environment.”

From the outset, Don knewthat for the new headquartersto be successful, they had to bespacious, bright, open and fea-ture the right materials andoffice furniture. To that end, hespent countless hours research-ing various options, visitingother company headquartersand prospective suppliers inCanada and the United Statesand personally interviewingseveral design companies.

In June 2004, Don engagedthe services of the Toronto-based Bullock Associates tohelp work on refining plans forthe form and functionality ofthe new space. As soon as hebrought the firm’s Doug Bul-lock, Alan Dalquen andDonna Wood on board, heknew he was on the right track.Alan, who is Design Directorat Bullock, worked closelywith Don on the design, whileDonna, who is Studio Director,and her team managed theproject, making sure that what-ever Don and Alan came upwould work.

It was a tall order — con-verting 60,000 square feet ofraw space spread over twofloors into a creative, cohesive,uncluttered working environ-ment in a cost-efficient man-ner. The objective was to cre-ate a space that captured theaesthetic and Zen-like philoso-phy of Roots; clean, contem-porary and bright. It had tofacilitate and streamlineworkflow, improve designprocesses, and generate a con-ducive, positive vibe. At thesame time, the large volume ofclothing samples and prototypedesigns needed to be organ-ized, accommodated and madeaccessible.

Don and Alan deliberatelyavoided a conventional officedesign. “I’ve never related tooffices that seem more de-signed for robots than people,”says Don. “I dislike cubicle

systems, poor lighting, con-fined spaces and no interrela-tionships between people.”

Through the clever use ofvarious design techniques andspecial features, the raw facil-ity was radically transformed.Skylights and an atrium wereinstalled to allow natural lightto filter throughout the space;Systems furniture was chosenwith semi-transparent meshpanels, to allow light penetra-tion throughout the space andencourage accessibility andinteraction between employ-ees; The white colour palettewas used as an essential back-drop to the many clothing sam-ples and design prototypes sothey would bring colour andtexture to the space.

Other highlights include atree-filled outside patio adjoin-ing the large, 2-storey-highcafé-like multi-purpose spacewith its own fireplace, tables,

white leather banquettes and aJamaican-style thatched roofbar. This is the primary infor-mal meeting place for staff tohave lunch, drink coffee andgenerally hang out and is alsoused for a variety of specialevents.

“It was a huge project,”says Alan, “but what made itso much more engaging andsatisfying for me was workingwith Don. His personal in-volvement, commitment andenthusiasm made it far morestimulating than usual. Hisenergy directly translated itselfinto the project. And, we hadfun.”

In February 2005, thebuilding and planning weresufficiently completed to allowsome 150 employees to trans-fer to 1400 Castlefield. It wasa major move in all senses ofthe word. Since then, staff mo-rale and motivation have no-ticeably increased. The newpremises have also allowed forbetter communication and in-teraction between all depart-ments and with Don andMichael.

It’s not just staff who ap-preciate the premises, whichinvariably make a strong im-pression on first-time visitors.With its peaceful, clean, some-what minimalist look, the facil-ity seems to have a soothingeffect on people.

Given its beautiful look andfeel, it’s little surprise that theRoots headquarters won twoseparate North American inte-rior design awards this monthand are up for another at theupcoming Design ExchangeAwards in Toronto. The headoffice has also commanded theattention of the media includ-ing Canadian Interiors maga-zine, which featured it as itscover story last spring.

Of course, for all its im-pressive physical attributes andaward-winning design, whatreally sets the Roots headquar-ters apart is its human compo-nent. That’s what it’s all about.The men and women whomake up the Roots team forwhom the offices were de-signed for in the first place. Itmakes for the perfect combina-tion - a great team and a greatfacility for them. - R.S.

One of several skylights brings natural light to the second floor of the Head Office

How it looked in 2004 as therenovation began

Taking a break for lunch in thecafe-like setting of The Hub

5Issue 58 - October 12, 2006 The Source

LAYING THE GROUNDWORKRoots takes part in US Olympic workshop in Colorado Springs ahead of 2008 Games

The 2008 Olympics maystill seem far off in thefuture but they’re not. At

least not when you’re the offi-cial outfitter of one of the larg-est teams competing in theGames taking place in Beijingin just over a year-and-a-halffrom now. For those, likeRoots, with a key role at theevent, preparations are alreadyunderway.

Earlier this month, Rootsjoined other official sponsors,suppliers and licensees at theU.S. Olympic Team PartnerWorkshop in ColoradoSprings. The three-day eventwas hosted by the United

OLYMPICEXPRESSION

States Olympic Committee(USOC) in preparation for the2008 Olympic and ParalympicGames.

“With the 2008 Olympicson the horizon, the Workshopfocused on utilizing the magni-tude of these Games to sub-stantially increase America’spassion, admiration and loyaltyfor America’s Olympic ath-letes,” says USOC Chief Mar-keting Officer Jim Grice. “Wehope it also helps increase thesupport of Americansfor the companies thatsupport the athletes ontheir journey.”

RepresentingRoots at the Workshopat the US OlympicTraining Complex inColorado was Market-ing CoordinatorSonia-Michelle DeSouza. Her aim wasto get an insight intothe preparations for the Beijinggames and the marketing op-portunities around the UnitedStates 2008 Olympic and

Paralympics teams. “You never realize the full

potential of your role and thevastness of the American Ol-ympic dream until you are ac-tually there speaking with USOlympic officials,” says Sonia.“It’s incredible to see how manypeople it takes to make the en-tire event on the whole and theUS Olympic project in particu-lar, such a great success.”

As part of the event, Sonia-Michelle also met corporate

leaders from some ofthe top companies inthe world associatedwith the Olympics.She participated indiscussions about thenew USOC strategicGame Plan focusingon shared marketingobjectives, best prac-tices and to createnew ideas for spon-sor activation.

The workshop also in-cluded presentations on vari-ous topics including an in-formative session on the Chi-

The official em- blem of Beijing2008, entitled“Chinese Seal-Dancing Beijing,”combines theChinese seal andthe art of calligra-phy with sporting

features, transforming the ele-ments into a human figure runningforward and embracing triumph.The figure resembles the Chinesecharacter “Jing”, which stands for thename of the host city and representsa particularly significant Chinese style.

The artwork embodies fourmessages: Chinese culture; thecolour of red China; Beijing wel-comes friends from all over theworld; and to challenge the ex-treme and achieve perfection andpromote the Olympic motto of“Citius, Altius, Fortius” (Faster,Higher, Stronger).

Due to the great success ofthe ‘Roots 73’ stores,new locations are open-

ing around the country. Nextmonth, two will open inCalgary and in London, On-tario. Two weeks ago, the‘Roots 73’ family continued itsexpansion with an impressivenew store in Kanata, in thewest-end of Ottawa.

Even before it actually

BY POPULAR DEMANDLarge new ‘Roots 73’ store in Kanata, Ontario opens in record time

opened its doors to the public,the Kanata outlet alreadyturned heads. The Roots teamtransformed the 5,000 sq. ft.space into an inviting retailenvironment in less than threedays, one of the fastest open-ings of a store of that size inthe company’s history.

“This is our second year ofopening these fantastic new‘Roots 73’stores and we’ve

now gotten it down to a sci-ence,” says Senior Visual Mer-chant Peter Paquette. “We’vedeveloped a way to efficientlyreceive merchandise reducingthe time spent in sorting andallocating. It’s definitely a lotof hard work but the end resultis one of the most gratifyingparts of my job!”

Accompanying Peter in this70-hour mission were MarkYoders, Store Manager, BlueBonnet Outlet; Colleen We-ber, Store Manager, HeartlandOutlet; Marcel Gingras,Visual Merchant, Montreal;Marie-Anne Laporte, VisualMerchant, Ottawa; and EmilyRumble, Visual Merchant forthe Outlets.

They received vital assist-ance from Susan Van Dalen,Store Manager, South KeysOutlet Ottawa, (who is also the

Manager of the new Outlet inKanata); and from the Rootsteam in South Keys andKanata.

Along with Susan, LisaMurphy and Jeannine Reedare the Co-Assistant Managersof the new store while AnilJhalli is the Keyholder.

This Kanata opening bringsthe number of Roots outletstores in Canada to 23. Thisincludes locations in Sarnia,Ontario and Halifax, NS thatwere recently converted fromcompany stores to Roots 73locations.

From L to R: Anil Jhalli, Susan Van Dalen, Lisa Murphy, Jeannine Read

Sonia-Michelle De Souza

nese culture and behavioralpatterns and a forum givinginsight into the new Olympics2008 logo.

What’s behind the official logofor the next Summer Games

Colorado Springs

Issue 58 - October 12, 2006 6 The Source

Taking attendance of special guests at Roots storesGUESS WHO JUST DROPPED IN

It may be extremely rare thatboth the top performingcompany store and top out-

let location are the same fortwo consecutive months butit’s not unprecedented. Themonthly sales figures are nowin and it’s the same winners asin August. Once again the Cha-teau Frontenac store in QuebecCity grabs the title of the‘Store of the Month’ for com-pany stores in September, as itmade nearly 200 percent over

its sales budget.For its part, the Vaughan

Mills outlet in Toronto cap-tured top honours for ‘Roots73’ locations, finishing themonth 170 percent overbudget.

Congratulations to StoreManagers Nathalie Giroux ofthe Chateau Frontenac storeand Glenys Hepplestone ofthe Vaughan Mills outlet,along with their respectiveteams for their performance.

GREAT MOMENTS IN RETAILOn the frontlines: Spotlighting the top-performing stores in September

Celebrities have long made a point of shopping at Roots. Here arethe latest sightings of prominent figures from the world of enter-

tainment who visited Roots stores recently:· Toronto (100 Bloor Street) – Canadian fashion model turned actressNatasha Henstridge, who has starred in Species and Species II,

shopped at the flagship store, (See picture aboveof her with Roots Co-Founder Michael Budman).

Actor Michael Keaton bought a leather bagand musician Kardinal Offishall bought Rootsapparel at the store.

Jim Caviezel, known for his role as Jesus inMel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ was alsoin the store.· Toronto (Roots Rosedale) – Clad in Roots Yoga gear,model Monika Schnarre was interviewed by ETCanada in the recently opened Roots Yoga Studio abovethe new store.

· Toronto (Pearson International Airport) – Actress and former modelFamke Janssen of Goldeneye, Nip/Tuck and the X-Men film seriesshopped for Roots Yoga apparel at the store.· Vancouver, BC (Robson Kids) – Richard Dean Anderson, theactor of the popular television series MacGyver and, more recently,as Jack O’Neill in Stargate SG-1, shopped at the store.

Additionally, Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated American ac-tor, comedian and producer David Wayne Spade, alumni of Satur-day Night Live, was also in the store with friends.· Calgary, AB (TD Square) –Academy Award-winning Canadian-born actress Anna Helene Paquin shopped at the TD Square store.· Aspen, Colorado – Academy Award-nominated Hollywood actorHarrison Ford visited the store when he was in the ski-city duringthe recent Aspen Filmfest.

Natasha Henstridge with Michael Budman

Michael Keaton Kardinal Offishall Anna Paquin Jim Caviezel

Monika Schnarre

Harrison Ford

Famke Janssen

Richard Dean Anderson

David Spade

Nathalie Giroux and Fanny TremblayGirard of Chateau Frontenac

Karen Simpson, Andriy Tishchenko,Glenys Hepplestone and SabrinaFigueiredo

7Issue 58 - October 12, 2006 The Source

THE NUMBERS

FOR A GOOD CAUSEStaff plays basketball to raise funds to fight breast cancer

In recent weeks, tens ofthousands of people acrossCanada (including several

Roots employees) have takento city streets as part of organ-ized walks and runs againstcancer. Last month, one Rootsstore found its own way tohelp the cause. In Ottawa, the‘Roots 73’ team at South Keysheld a fun-filled event in aparking lot just outside theoutlet location to raise fundsfor the Rethink Weekend toEnd Breast Cancer Founda-tion.

Held in the afternoon, themain attraction was a three-on-

three basketball tournament.The event also included aseparate game for kids in addi-tion to raffles and face paint-ing. Staff also sold hot dogs,hamburgers and other refresh-ments on site.

Weeks before the event,Store Manager Susan VanDalen and Assistant ManagerJoey Kanga went about col-lecting gift certificates fromother retailers like Staples,Chapters, Wal-Mart andBlockbuster to give away asprizes during the tournament.

Sales Associate JonathanGauthier and Keyholder

Elizabeth Mayne, along withthe rest of the staff, partici-pated and helped with the or-ganization to make the event asuccess.

The entire amount col-lected at the event went di-rectly to the Ottawa RegionalCancer Foundation (ORCF), aregistered charity that supportscancer services and world-class cancer research in east-ern Ontario. From there, the(ORCF) will invest in itsbreast cancer research, serv-ices, and treatment programs.

DOING THE RIGHT THINGWindsor employee collects 133 pounds of food to help the hungry in Ontario

Roots employee JaniceWaldrum has sent outan appeal to all Roots

staff across Ontario to donateto the Drive Away HungerFood Drive on World FoodDay. Organized by Farm CreditCanada, (FCC), the third an-nual drive began earlier thisweek and continues throughOct. 16.

As part of this initiative, a

team of FCC employees willdrive two tractors with trailers– one from Windsor, the otherfrom Ottawa – to Guelph col-lecting along the way 100,000pounds of food for the hungry.Everything that is collectedwill be given to the OntarioAssociation of Food Banks.

In an effort to play her partin helping reduce rural hungerand create awareness about it,Janice challenged her col-leagues in other Roots stores inthe area to lend a hand. Ac-companied by her teammates,she installed boxes in the Wind-sor Crossing store to collectfood donated by customers.

“Although I called upstores and sent out email ap-peals, it was a team effort tofinally collect all the food,”

says Janice, Assistant Managerat Windsor Crossing.

Between the store in theDevonshire Mall and theWindsor Crossing location, theRoots team had collected some133 pounds of food for dona-tion when the food truckscame to Windsor on the firstmorning of their drive.• For those interested in donatingtowards the food drive, see box forthe tour route and the dates for thestops.

CROWD SCENEStaff opportunities stillavailable for giant sale

Roots is gearing up for itsbig annual blowout salein Toronto next month.

Organized by Marshall Myles,friend of Roots and former long-time executive of the company,the massive three-day sale willbe held at the CNE AutomotiveBuilding starting on Friday, No-vember 10. Each year, the saleattracts thousands of customerseager to take advantage of theirresistible prices.

Last year, due to an unprec-edented number of people, anextra day was added to the saleto meet the demand. As a result,this year’s event will be held forthree days, from 8 am to 5 pm.Manning the various sales areaswill be staff from the Head Of-fice and retail stores.

The Human Resources De-partment is still accepting appli-cations from retail employeesinterested in working on the firstday of the sale (Nov. 10) from11.30 am to 9.00 pm. They cancontact Laura Clark in the HRDept. at lclark@roots.com.

Susan Van Dalen and Joey Kanga do the right thing

Participants watch a shot in thecharity 3-on-3 tournament

When it comes to the coloursof its products, Roots is averitable rainbow. For exam-ple, if you were to gowww.roots.com and checkout every product availableand list every colour possibil-ity offered, you’d find 484different shades, coveringvirtually the entire spectrumof colours. For blue, there are77 variations, from MapleLeaf blue to Tipper blue. Forgreen, there are 56 shadesfrom spearmint to aloe green.

Multi-colour Roots

Issue 58 - October 12, 2006 8 The Source

BLUE AND WHITE WITH STYLE

With the new NHL sea-son now just under-way, you don’t have to

actually play for the TorontoMaple Leafs to wear their col-ours in style. Fans of the game,or at least support-ers of the Leafs,searching for whatto wear on or offthe ice need lookno further.

Rising to theoccasion, Rootshas come up withan impressive To-ronto Maple Leafs(TML) collection.Senior Designer ofSpecial ProjectsDavid Young cre-ated the line withAssociate DesignerJoanne Josephwith assistancefrom KarenBryan-Kirkham,Technician of Spe-cial Projects andLing Chow, Prod-uct Manager, Spe-cial Projects.

Made inCanada, the latestTML line is in-spired by the sim-plicity and classicfeel of retro Leafuniforms. It’s com-prised of a varietyof tops, outerwear and acces-sories for men, women, kidsand babies. Most T-shirts aremade from 100% cotton jersey,while the sweatshirts and jack-ets are made from a mix of

Saluting those who go the distanceSTAYING POWER

ON THE MOVENew appointments andpromotions at Roots

Maple Leaf hockey apparel in stores now

Our fortnightlyspotlight on newpositions at Roots

80% cotton and 20% polyes-ter.

Additionally, the SpecialProjects team developed a cus-tom-made acrylic argylesweater knit used for panel

details on the LeafClub Jacket.

Other detailsinclude feltappliqués, heattransfer prints anddirect embroidery.Though David de-signed the T-shirtgraphics and spe-cial fonts, the Ma-ple Leaf insignia ismade up of corpo-rate logos approvedby the NHL.

Available onlyin Ontario, thefirst delivery is instores nowthroughout theprovince. The sec-ond delivery willhit stores in No-vember. Keepchecking TheSource for an up-date on the secondTML line.· Mens styles:Available in sizesXS-XXL, retailprice range: $34for T-shirts to $148for the Leafs club

jacket.· Women’s styles: Available insizes XS-XL, retail price: $34for T-shirts to $128 for the icehockey lightweight trackerjacket.

Men’s Centre IceQuarter Zip

Men’s Leafs ClubJacket

Men’s Heritage TeamCardigan

Men’s Ice HockeyTracker

Men’s Face OffHoody

Men’s Playoffs Full Zip Hoody

Women’s Garden’s Trainer Tunic

Women’s HeritageSweatshirt

Women’s TMLBanner Tee

Women’s Ice HockeyTracker

Women’s FanclubHoody

Women’s TMLSupport Hoody

• R. Molly Gunness, Stitcher, Leather Factory, Toronto, 15 years• Teresa Rodrigues, Embroidery Cleaner, Leather Factory, Toronto, 15 years• Beata Romanczuk-Wong, Keyholder, White Oaks Mall, London, ON, 10 years• Jasodra Badrie, Administration, Distribution Centre, Toronto, 5 years• Natalie Dawood, Sales Associate, Scarborough Town Centre, Toronto, 5 years• Penelope Hall, Assistant Manager, Oshawa, ON, 5 years• Chitrawatie Hussain, Picker Packer, Distribution Centre, Toronto, 5 years• Ramrattie Mangar, Administration, Distribution Centre, Toronto, 5 years

OPPORTUNITYKNOCKS

Here is a list of current jobopenings at Roots stores

along with the appropriate con-tact person.

For more information,please refer to the separateemail notices sent out recentlyabout each position:• Store Manager, Pacific Cen-tre, British Columbia (Goldlevel store). E-mail yourresume to the attention of RossShafer at rshafer@roots.comDeadline: Saturday, October 14.• Supervisor, PO Administra-tion, Head Office, Toronto.Email your resume tohr@roots.com quoting File#IP930-SPO. Deadline: Mon-day, October 16.

• LalmaineBaul, promotedto PO Admin,Head Office,Toronto.• Raynold Dela

Cruz, appointed Web De-signer, Head Office, Toronto.• Christine Fielding, ap-pointed Manager, Recruitmentand Training, Head Office,Toronto.• Pomona Singh, appointedAssociate Designer, Baby/Kids & Colourist, Head Of-fice, Toronto.• Samara Snyder, promotedto Regional Director, WesternCanada.• Meaghan Walker, promotedto Assistant Store Manager,North Bay, ON.

This month, many Roots employees marked majoranniversaries of their time at the company. By‘major’, we mean benchmark achievements as in5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years spent at Roots. Weinvite anyone celebrating such an anniversary at

Roots to send the relevant information to TheSource.Congratulations to the following employees fortheir huge contribution and enduring loyalty toRoots: (listed by seniority at Roots)

9Issue 58 - October 12, 2006 The Source

FRESH INKA selection of coverageof Roots in the media

Anew collection of limitededition hats is set to hit stores as part of the first-

ever Roots partnership withthe legendary US-based capmaker New Era. Known as thelargest sports-licensedheadwear company in theworld, New Era’s 85-year-oldhistory is steeped in successfulpartnerships with Major LeagueBaseball, the NBA and NHL.

With this initiative, Rootswill develop a limited editioncollection of hats for sale inselect top stores in Canada andthe US. The hats will be madein the famous ‘59fifty’ NewEra fit in seven original Rootsstyles. A unique shaped, fittedhat with a wide flat peak,59fifty was developed by NewEra. The styles include thepopular Maple Leaf Hockeyhat; the Roots Nordique; theCanadian Shield; the Parlia-ment; the Letterman; the argyleand the Cloud styles. All hatsfeature Roots and New Erastickers and labels.

HATS OFF FOR NEW INITIATIVELeading cap maker creates exclusive products for Roots

All hats purchased comewith a custom-made gift box,which can be also used to storethe exclusive headgear. Onlyavailable with the limited edi-tion, the box adds value to thehat’s collectible status.

The Roots-New Era part-nership was spearheaded byLynne Morris, Senior De-signer of Accessories, whotraveled with David Young,Senior Designer of SpecialProjects, to the New Era fac-tory in Buffalo, NY, to beginthe project.

“Many of our customersalready wear New Era caps,usually with a Major LeagueBaseball logo,” says Lynne.“The new limited edition, com-

missioned by Roots and madeby New Era, is inspired by ourgraphics designed for fall andholiday. I think our customerwill be blown away by the de-sign and quality of these hats.”

Created to suit the currentclothing mix, the hats add atti-tude to the apparel available instores. Additionally, they comewith one-of-a-kind numberedhangtags, giving each piece itsown identity.

Earlier this week, staffmembers from the Roots headoffice in Toronto took part in alunch event where they volun-teered to personally tag andnumber the hats, which will beretailed in the price range of$59 - $69.

In the latest Business-to-Business Department news,celebrated singer Barbra

Streisand chose Roots leatherbags as gifts to help kick offher 2006 North American tourthis month.

Roots shipped 200 smallBanff Bags in brown football

GUILTY PLEASURESBarbra Streisand picks Roots for new concert tour

David Jackson handled theorder timed to mark lastweek’s first concert of thesinger’s much-anticipated tour.This shipment follows the cus-tom orders for Roots bags inrecent months for the tours ofother major names in the mu-sic world including Madonna;Steely Dan; The Who; andCrosby, Stills, Nash andYoung.

With 50 gold, 30 platinumand 13 multi-platinum albumsto her name, Streisand is thebest-selling female artist in themusic industry. She is also anaccomplished film actress.

leather to the WachoviaCenter in Philadelphia, thefirst stop on the tour, forBarbra and the crew. The bagswere made in the Rootsleather factory in Toronto andcome with the “Streisand NorthAmerican Tour 2006” logo em-bossed on a patch.

Product Co-ordinator

• Canadian Living, Nov. issue:Spotlight on the Roots GreenCafé Bag.• Fashion, Nov. issue: Spotlighton the Roots Venetian VillageBag and mentions the new RootsRosedale store.• Globe and Mail, Oct. 9: RootsRed Village Venetian Bag fea-tured in the ‘Style Counsel’ sec-tion, mentioning that the Flats arethe biggest sellers in the compa-ny’s history.• Toronto Star, Oct. 1: Articleentitled “Organic Roots” focuseson new ecologically- friendlyRoots Rosedale store and YogaStudio in Toronto. Diane Bald isquoted.• Where Toronto, Oct. issue:Spotlight on the Roots leatherCollegiate Messenger Bag in-cluded in a literary review featureas a great bag to “cart around abestseller” in.• The Chronicle Herald (Halifax,NS), Sept. 27; 24 Hours, Sept.28; and The National Post, Sept.30: Articles mentioning October isbreast cancer month and thatwith every purchase of a Roots ALa Mode Rethink Breast CancerWatch, Cosmoda will donate $10to Rethink Breast Cancer fund.• Georgia Straight (Vancouver,BC), Sept. 14: Roots Editor’sTravel bag and Tribe CollegiateBag featured in the “Handbagsfor men come fashion full circle”article.• City Life magazine, Sept. issue:Spotlight on Roots Spirit perfumefeatured in the “mood, colourand you” section.• The Maple Leaf Forever: ACelebration of Canadian Sym-bols. In just-published coffeetable book, the authors devote afull page to Roots, showcasingour well-known logo.

Setting the record straightIn Issue 57 of The Source, inChanel Sutherland’s article entitled“Montreal Dispatch,” the photo-graph shows Chanel with fellowSales Associate Hilina Hailu (andnot Dana Kalisky as listed in thecaption).

In the same issue, in the “Nowin Session” section of the coverstory “Movement in the RightSpace,” the correct spelling for oneof the forms of yoga taught at theRoots Yoga Studio is Anusara.

• Please address any corrections,relevant updates and revisions torsarner@roots.com

DEPARTMENT OFCLARIFICATION

Roots employees tag/number the New Era line at the Head Office

Barbra Streisand

Banff Bag

Issue 58 - October 12, 2006 10 The Source

GREEN TIP #24Easy ways to help theenvironment

HEALTH TIP #21Easy ways to help youstay healthy

GETTING AHEAD IN THE HIGH ARCTIC SPREADINGTHE WORD• Thurs., Oct. 12 - Now magazine(Toronto): Full-page ad featuringRoots Autumn Sale.• Fri., Oct. 13 – Globe and Mail:One-eighth-page colour ad featuringRoots Rosedale. Grand OpeningFall Fair.• Fri., Oct. 13 – National Post: One-eighth-page colour ad featuringRoots Rosedale. Grand OpeningFall Fair.• Sat., Oct. 14 – Globe and Mail:Half page ad featuring RootsAutumn Sale.• Sat., Oct. 14 – National Post(Toronto section): Full-page adfeaturing Roots Autumn Sale.

Guide to new ads appearingthis week and next

You just never know whereRoots will show up next.The familiar name and

logo are increasingly found inthe some of the most exoticand obscure places in theworld. Not surprising givenhow much people seem to likewearing their Roots whentraveling.

With this issue of TheSource, we are introducing anew feature that spotlights peo-ple and their Roots in distantlocations.

New feature showcases Roots in some unlikely locations

Ian Lapointe lives inDouglas, New Brunswick. Anenvironmental engineer, he isan avid hiker/backpacker andaficionado of all things out-doors. He was recently a mem-ber of an expedition that tra-versed Ellesmere Island. Alsoknown as the “horizontal Ever-est,” Ellesmere Island is thenorthernmost landmass inNorth America, located in theCanadian territory of Nunavut.Ian’s group followed the 80thparallel from west to east

across the ice-covered island.During the trip, Kevin had

60 pounds of gear stowed in hisbackpack along with his be-loved Roots hat. “I purchasedthe Roots hat many years agoin Halifax, Nova Scotia whereI attended university,” saysKevin, 27. “It has become anessential piece of gear I stillbring on any excursion. Al-though it’s wearing thin inspots, it has outlasted some ofmy most rugged clothing.”

The 11-member expeditionhad to overcome the chal-lenges of hiking in the highArctic and its often-inclementweather. But in the end, theyprevailed; all the while Ian hadhis Roots hat with him. “I usu-ally shy away from wearinglabels,” says Ian, “but I respectRoots for incorporating socialresponsibility and ethicalstandards into its businessmodel.”

• Readers are welcome to submitphotos of Roots being worn inan exotic location for publica-tion in The Source. Please sendthem to rsarner@roots.comalong with the relevant details.

AMERICAN TEAM FAVOURS CANADIAN STYLERoots clothes Team USA at the Universiade this winter

In keeping with itslongstanding involvementwith athletes and sports,

Roots is now preparing to outfitTeam USA at the 23rd WorldUniversity Games. As part of itsongoing partnership with theUnited States Olympic Com-mittee (USOC), Roots is theofficial clothier for the US teamparticipating in the UniversityGames in Italy early next year.

Celso Afonseca of the Busi-ness-to-Business Department iscoordinating the order, made upof apparel and accessories in-cluding parkas, pants, full-ziphoodies, workout T-shirts,gloves, caps, toques and travelbags. Made mostly in Canada,the products will be shipped tothe US next month for the 200-member team.

Initiated in 1959, the World

University Games (also knownas the Universiade) are an inter-national multi-sport and cul-tural event. The Games are heldevery two years in differentcountries and constitute themost important internationalevent after the Olympics. Thisis the third consecutiveUniversiade for which theUSOC has ordered the officialTeam USA apparel from Roots.

Eat like a king byday, like a pauperby night: Remem-ber the famoussaying “You arewhat you eat”? It’salso true that youare when you eat.Because of the

human body’s circadian rhythm,the same foods eaten at breakfastor lunch are processed differentlythan when they are eaten at dinner.

Research shows that when youeat your daily protein and fat atbreakfast you tend to lose weightand have more energy, while eat-ing the same things at dinnertimeproduces tendencies toward weightgain, increased blood pressure, andheart disease.(Source: Secrets of Longevity, byDr. Maoshing Ni).

Get with theprogram: Withcolder tempera-tures on the hori-zon, it’s time topurchase a pro-grammable ther-mostat for your

home. You should be able to finda decent model for about $100.You can program the thermostat toautomatically turn up or downwhen you leave home in the morn-ing and then have it set to wel-come you back with pleasanttemps later in the day.

As people’s routines tend toshift on the weekends, it’s best toinvest in a seven-day programma-ble thermostat, which lets youprogram custom schedules foreach day.(Source: The National Post)

Ian Lapointe enjoys the view of EllesmereIsland with his “essential” Roots hat

11Issue 58 - October 12, 2006 The Source

Based on the latest sales figures from allRoots stores in Canada and the United States,here are the 20 top-selling products:1. Women’s Wilder-ness Down Vest2. Women’s FrontierTwill Parka3. Men’s BasicCooper Pant4. Men’s Cooper ZipPolo5. Women’s Vintage Graphic T-shirt-Roots6. Women’s Roots Original Sweatpants7. Women’s Northland Fur-Lined Hoody8. Women’s Denyse Yoga Jacket9. Women’s Mantra Pants10. Women’s Basic Kanga Hoody11. Women’s Sueded Fleece Velvet Pants12. Women’s Varsity Sweatpants-Roots13. Women’s Retro Heather T-shirt14. Women’s Leah Raglan Roots T-shirt15. Women’s Basic Varsity Sweatpants16. Baby’s Woodland Mitts17. Baby’s Woodland Toque18. Roots Bottled Water 355 ml19. Roots Eco Bag20. Village Bag Prince Leather Bag

THE HOT LISTWhat’s flying off the shelves at Roots

A guide to just-launched Roots productsNEW & NOTEWORTHY

Designers of the Roots Yogaline have been busy creating

fresh looks to reflect the in-creasing popularity of yoga.The latest items to hit stores arepart of the new men’s line. Cre-ated by Denyse Green and As-sociate Designer of MenswearDylan Anderson, the line con-sists of five basic items: astretch T-shirt, a stretch sleeve-less shirt, a jacket, pant andshort.

Environmentally-conscious,Roots has used a 94% bambooand 6% spandex blended fabricfor the lightweight shirts. Bam-boo is a very renewable, eco-friendly resource since it growsmuch faster than cotton andrequires less pesticides. Com-bined with spandex, the mate-rial is breathable and perfectlystretchy. Both shirts have a slimathletic fit and feature side slitsfor mobility.

The jacket has a zipper ga-rage to protect the chin andmesh inserts for stretch andbreathability. For those who geta little too hot while exercising,don’t sweat! The jacket also

features stitched eyelets underthe arm for venting. Built-inhandwarmers on the cuff can beworn out or tucked away. Greatfor both indoor studio use andfor wearing out on the town,the jacket is highly versatile.

The modern yoga pant fitsslim and features a narrowwaistband with drawstring foradjustability and comfort. Theathletic short fits generouslyand features built-in underwear.Both the yoga pant and shortfeature ergonomic seams formaximum wearing comfort.

The jacket, pant and shortare all made of regular light-weight yoga fabric and featurewicking and secure zipperedpockets. All styles are currentlyavailable at select Roots stores,and come in black. • Stretch Basic Tee, sizes XS-XXL, retail price: $42; StretchBasic Sleeveless Tee, sizes XS-XXL, retail price: $42; AthleticYoga Jacket, sizes XS-XXL,retail price: $98; Athletic YogaPant, sizes XS-XXL, retailprice: $88; Athletic Yoga Short,sizes XS-XXL, retail price: $72.

WITH ARMS WIDE OPENThis season, yoga proves to be a man’s pursuit too

As part of its on-goingcontribution to the fight

against breast cancer,Roots has partnered withthe Rethink Breast CancerFoundation to create aspecial edition of a popu-lar Roots watch. Thelaunch of the RethinkBreast Cancer Watch istimed to commemoratethe October Breast CancerAwareness Month.

The timepiece repre-sents the essence of hopewith its sleek, moderngeometric bracelet shapeand a gentle curve of thesolid stainless steel banglebracelet that moulds wellon the wearer’s wrist togive a sophisticated fit.

Targeting the socially responsible

QUALITY TIME TO MAKE A DIFFERENCESpecial edition watch highlights Breast Cancer Awareness Month

woman with an eye for fashion,the special edition watch is one ofthe best selling designs amongRoots timepieces that now comeswith the Rethink Breast Cancerlogo subtly printed on its lightpink dial.

During October Breast CancerAwareness Month, the Roots À LaMode Watch comes with a bonusgift-with-purchase pink rubberRoots Rethink Breast CancerBracelet. Additionally, on everypurchase, $10 are donated to the

Rethink Breast CancerFoundation.

Coordinated by Mer-chandise Manager andPlanner of Accessories,Rebecca Fernando, thewatch is available in selectRoots stores in Canada.Retail price: $110.

Left: Athletic Yoga JacketAbove: Handwarmers on the cuffRight: Stretch Basic Sleeveless Teeand Athletic Yoga Shorts

Issue 58 - October 12, 2006 12 The Source