Business View Magazine | April 2021

79 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE APRIL 2021 BSL WOOD PRODUCTS (BOI S BSL INC . ) Ash, and Yellow Birch. Further selections include finish, grade, and color, resulting in several thousand unique versions of the base products. While such variety may seem advantageous, giving customers too many options can make it hard for customers to pick. As Martin Emery, VP Sales & Marketing at BSL, explains, “We have probably five or six thousand SKUs when you take into account all the wood species, grades, widths, colors, and finishes,” he says. “So, while in a store we only put 36 samples that do not express the depth of our collection, limiting the options appeals to the customer who can get a feel for exactly what they need and want for their décor.” This approach is not merely a coincidence but blends with BSL’s overall strategy to offer sensory-appealing products, rather than an endless menu of options that customers find challenging to navigate. But things have not always been so forward-thinking, and the company has not always manufactured hardwood flooring. BSL was founded in 1995 by Gino Ouellet. Initially a softwood lumber processing outfit, the company branched into hardwood flooring in 2000. In 2018, private equity firm BDG and Partners Financial Corporation purchased the business, seeing great potential in its products and brand, According to Emery, “BDG specializes in breathing new life into businesses that have potential but need extra cash and human capital investments to get to the next level.” The acquisition has brought substantial change to the company, at a branding level and deeper still at a corporate culture level. Eyeing significant growth over the next decade, BSL is hard at work creating a cohesive and conducive work environment for its employees, a central pillar in its growth strategy. “We are growing fast and currently have around a hundred and forty