Ready to giv ‘er!

We caught up with Kieran Summers, one of our 2011 Best of Business award winners

Kieran Summers is the owner of Giv'Er Shirt Works in Fernie, B.C. — Photo courtesy Kieran Summers

Kootenay Business got to know some of our 2011 Best of Business award winners. Giv'Er Shirt Works in Fernie, B.C., was the Silver winner in the category of Embroidery & Screen Printing for the East Kootenay. We spoke to owner Kieran Summers about himself and his business.

Website: www.givershirts.com

Owner: Kieran Summers

Years in business: 8 

Tell us about your community involvement: We do a lot of donating of our services here and there. Whenever someone comes in for prizes—whether it’s a school or a charitable event or a club—we always donate gift certificates or goods to organizations. We do a lot of printing for most of the people in the community, so oftentimes we give people discounts for their shirt orders.

What are your downtime activities? Skiing and mountain biking

What is your favourite Kootenay getaway? Chivas Beach, which is a secret little spot on the Elk River where my friends and I like to hang out in the summertime

Can you name one of your must-reads? Snowdrift by Lisa McGonigle. It's an Irish girl’s look at ski bumming in the Kootenays. It's hilarious.

What was your first job? Dishwasher at a fish and chips place in my hometown of Picton, Ontario.

What lessons have you learned along the way? Learning from mistakes and building upon what you’ve learned from those mistakes. Also, an important one is what you put into your business is what you get out of it. Basically, hard work is not a crime and the more you put in, the more you get out of it.

Who inspires you? Entrepreneurs. I know how much work goes into starting a business and anyone willing to take on that daunting task is definitely an inspiration to me!

Tell us about a favourite T-shirt you've made: The new apparel line for the Canadian Cowboys (Men's National Alpine Ski Team). We were very fortunate to land the job printing tees and hoodies for these nutty guys!