december 7, 2006

1Issue 62 - December 7, 2006 The Source

A window into the world of Roots Issue 62 December 7, 2006

DELIVERING Far from the spotlight,the Distribution Centre plays a

vital role at Roots, ensuring thatproducts get where they’re

supposed to every day

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THE GOODS

Bob Baker, Director of the Distribution Centre, leads the way with strong supportfrom his two co-managers, Kathy Schweir, (left), and Maxine Correia, (right).

Issue 62 - December 7, 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 62I S S U E 62I S S U E 62I S S U E 62I S S U E 62

DepartmentsFRESH INK

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

GUESS WHO JUST DROPPED IN

SPREADING THE WORD

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

MOMENTS THAT MATTER

GREEN TIPS

HEALTH TIPS

STAYING POWER

ANOTHER ROOTS HITRoots leather masters Karl andHenry Kowalewski deserve anaward. Yet again they’ve comeup big with another hit made atthe Roots leather factory. Theirlatest score is the New Emilyleather jacket that I purchasedseveral days ago.

The minute I put it on, Iloved its feel, fit and styling, tosay nothing of the fine details,such as the yellow stitchingalong the seams which reflectsthe crisp gold hardware on thezippered pockets, cuffs and fullfront. I have received compli-ments on it almost every timeI’ve worn it, which has beenjust about every day since Ibought it.

The versatility of Emily,worn with jeans, tailored pants,shirts, sweaters and skirts, is adefinite winner in the Rootsleather collection for women.Dress it up or down as you like,and walk out the door lookinglike a fashion ad for Roots.Need I say more?

Well, I could go on andon…Oh, zip it up or down, andhave fun with zipped or un-zipped cuffs, depending on theevent, fashion feel or mood.

Toques off to you guys onanother great Roots design.

In keeping with our fortnightlypublishing schedule, the nextissue of The Source will appearon Thursday, Dec 21.

ISSUE 63 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 [email protected]

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

The Source wants to hear from you.Please send your letters to RobertSarner at [email protected]. Lettersmay be edited for length and clarity.

Setting the record straightDEPARTMENT OF CLARIFICATION

Can’t wait for spring!Janie BaleAccount Manager, RootsBusiness-to-Business Dept.Toronto

ZIPPER HITS THE SPOTI just wanted to take a minuteto thank you for creating a falljacket for infants that makessense. I recently purchased afleece jacket, size 6-12 months,that has a zipper on the hood.The zipper is such a great idea.

For example, when we getin the car I just have to unzipthe hood and my son is happy. Idon’t have to worry aboutwhich way to position it. Keepup the good work.Shira Avidar-CohenRichmond Hill, Ontario

ICING ON THE CAKEA big thank you to Roots forcreating truly special gift bagsfor the Toronto InternationalFilm Festival dinner for thefilm Bobby. All the dinner

PublishersMICHAEL BUDMAN, DON GREEN

EditorROBERT SARNER

Editorial AssistantPAULOMI PATEL

InternsCHARLENE CHAE, JOHANNA DAHL

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 [email protected] 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

DELIVERING THE GOODSWith the onset of the holidayshopping period, the DistributionCentre is busier than ever

WHEN BHL SPEAKS,PEOPLE LISTENRoots supports Toronto lectureby noted French intellectual

SHINING ON THE SLOPES OFWHISTLERRoots takes part in annual filmfestival in BC ski resort

THE SOLUTION IS YOU…AND US, TOORoots supports new book by famedenvironmentalist Laurie David

MARIO’S THE MANRoots employee uses music toteach “underserved” youth valu-able life lessons

HOLIDAY SPIRIT AT ITS BESTStore teams show their real col-ours by helping their local com-munities

MOVING UPNew promotion expands Shyrose’srole in Outlet Department

GET CONNECTEDNew innovation on roots.comlinks you with the store of yourchoice

In Issue 61 of The Source,Ken Seeback, mentioned inthe Staying Power section, is aKeyholder in the Roots store inOakville, Ontario.

guests, including Demi Moore,Ashton Kutcher, Sharon Stoneand Christian Slater, werethrilled to receive the gorgeous,custom made, chocolate brownRoots weekender bags, filledwith upscale goodies. Yourcommitment to quality andexcellence, even under brutaltime constraints, is unbeatableand appreciated.

Thank you for providing theicing on the cake to a tremen-dous evening. We couldn’thave asked for more accommo-dating partners in crime. Weare looking forward to our nextadventure!Laura Sosin/Dinah QuattrinEntertainment Director/PublisherToro magazine, Toronto

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THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT COMES ALIVEDELIVERING THE GOODSWith the onset of the holiday shopping period, Roots stores are busier than ever.

Which means so is the Distribution Centre, the vital link between the manufacturingand the retail and wholesale sides of Roots

You can design the bestproduct in the world; youcan manufacture it beau-

tifully; you can give it a fair,attractive price; you can createan engaging ad campaignaround it; you can inform andexcite your staff about it; Andyet... without one other ele-ment, all the above is meaning-less.

If a product does not reachits customers, it’s worth noth-ing. Not only must it reach itsdestination, it better get therein a timely manner. Otherwise,you won’t be in business verylong.

Such is the responsibilityriding on the shoulders of BobBaker and his team at theRoots Distribution Centreevery business day of the year.Especially this month when thestores require a constant re-plenishment of products due tothe huge surge in sales fromholiday shopping.

Most customers - evenmany staff - take for grantedhow products appear magicallyin stores. Most people givelittle thought to how the mer-chandise gets to each locationwith such regularity. Not BobBaker. He thinks about it all

the time.The Distribution Centre,

(better known at Roots as theDC), may be far from the lime-light but it plays an indispensa-ble role in the life of Roots. AsDirector of the DistributionCentre, Bob is a critical link inthe Roots supply chain. He’sresponsible for receiving a diz-zying amount of new productsand then shipping them to all150 Roots stores in Canada,the United States and Asia.

The two-way flow is con-stant, five (sometimes six)days a week, 52 weeks a year.It’s a tall order that entails dis-patching nearly 8 million unitsof merchandise a year, 80% to

Roots stores, the rest to whole-sale clients. Fortunately forRoots, Bob is at the helm ofthe DC.

Located in Toronto about a4-minute drive north of theRoots Head Office, the facilityalso serves as the company’sretail and wholesale ware-house. In addition, it’s respon-sible for sending supplies tostores including shoppingbags, stationery, gift cards,visual material and otheritems.

It is almost two years sinceRoots moved the DC to its cur-rent location on Tycos Avenue.Previously, it was situated nextto the leather factory in a

smaller building. The new fa-cility has 110,000 square feetof space, nearly half of whichhas a ceiling height of 24 feet,providing considerably morestorage capacity than the oldDC on Caledonia Road. Thenew facilities also have ahighly efficient system for theput-away and retrieval of prod-ucts along with a computer-controlled system for the dailyreplenishment of stores basedon an automatic analysis ofsales and allocation of prod-ucts.

Working with a team of 50people, (not including themany temporary employeeshired for busy periods like thecurrent holiday season), Bob isa master of logistics and or-ganization, staying on top ofcountless details at any givenmoment. He has no choice asupwards of 25 shipments,(ranging from huge tractortrailers to small vans) are com-ing in packed with Roots prod-ucts every day. Add to that the1,200 to 2,500 cartons of mer-chandise the DC is sending outthe door every day via carrierssuch as Purolator, FedEx andGreen Light.


Continued from previous page

“We consider ourselves tobe in the service business,”says Bob, who joined Roots in1997. “Among our ‘customers’are Merchandise Admin, RetailOperations, Wholesale, Visualand Sourcing departments atRoots. They all have differentneeds. Our job is to ensure thatthese needs, which sometimeschange, are satisfied. Whetherit means getting merchandiseto our stores faster, improvingaccuracy, special packaging orcomplying with shipping in-structions for our wholesaleclients, we are always lookingat ways to improve what we dofor the Roots team.”

The DC is indisputablycritical to the success of Roots.“Bob is actually running a verylarge business,” says Roots Co-Founder Don Green. “He has ahuge responsibility dealingwith all of our products, in-cluding everything that’s im-ported and exported. Michael[Budman] and I rely on Boband his team to make sure thatall of our company stores, out-

let locations, franchisees andwholesale clients are servedexpeditiously. We know thatBob and his staff go out oftheir way to try to satisfy eve-rybody. They run a very effi-cient operation and are a pleas-ure to work with.”

At the DC, Bob maintainsan excellent sense of teamspirit. A modest man, he is fastto pay tribute to his staff, start-ing with his two deputiesMaxine Correia and KathySchweir. Both started workingat Roots in 2000 and todayeach has the title of Manager intheir respective areas of theDC. “These two women are amajor factor in the success ofthe DC,” says Bob. “Maxinemanages the distribution andwarehousing functions for ourretail stores while Kathy looksafter our wholesale operationsand transportation. Togetherthey are a winning combinationand contribute so much to theDC and Roots. And the threeof us are fortunate to be sup-ported by a highly competentsquad of coordinators, teamleaders, material handlers, or-

der fillers and drivers.”Open from 7 a.m. and

rarely closed before 6:30 p.m.,the DC is a hive of non-stopactivity. To help move productsaround the large facility, thestaff have at their disposal 20manual pallet trucks, four bat-tery-operated power lift trucksand two powered hydraulicpallet trucks. There’s also1,000 feet of free rolling con-veyor belt, and 500 feet ofpower conveyor to take awaycartons of merchandise forshipping. Up to 16 peoplework on the conveyor belt atany one time. On the building’ssouthern side, there are six ma-jor receiving and dispatchingdocks with electric ramps thattrucks use to load or unload.

When shipments arrive atthe DC (whether from theRoots leather goods factory, ordomestic and overseas suppli-ers), each must be first un-loaded and inspected. Staffverify that each shipment in-cludes the correct number ofcartons (as indicated on thepacking slip), that each producthas its appropriate bar code

and price tag, and that nothingwas damaged in the shipping.In addition to the quantity ofproducts, it’s also necessary toensure that the vendor sent therequested size and colourbreakdown.

Sometimes, the DC must alsodeal with time-sensitive, priorityshipments. For example, as part ofthe Wholesale Department sale ofcustom-designed leather productsfor the U2 concert tour, the DCmust ensure that products arrive ateach venue exactly one or twodays before each concert.

Despite the pressure anddemands of his job, Bob re-mains remarkably calmthroughout the day. He seemsto take it all in stride. He takesgreat pride in his work, espe-cially the fast turnaround ofproducts.

When it comes to the Rootsleather factory, somethingmade in the morning can besent to the DC the same dayand before the end of the after-noon can already be en route toa store. On Fridays, productsare sent from the factory to theDC and a special courier picksthem up in the afternoon fordelivery to six main Rootsstores in Toronto to guaranteethey’re in stock for weekendcustomers.

“To ensure that the DCworks the way it’s supposed to,you have to make sure that allthe bases are covered,” saysBob, 57, who grew up in Guy-ana and moved to Canada in1988. “My philosophy has al-ways been you do what’s nec-essary to get the job done.”

Much to the benefit of Roots,the person running the DC is aman who translates his philosophyinto action, every day. - R.S.

Every day, up to 25 shipments of Roots products arrive at the DC and up to 2,500 cartons go out the door


Laurie David is nothing ifnot tenacious, and weshould all be grateful for

it. If ever the world is going toget its environmental act to-gether before it’s too late, itwill be in no small part thanksto people like her.

In recent years, Laurie hasbeen one of the leading eco-logical activists in the UnitedStates, focusing especially onthe increasingly dire matter ofglobal warming. To help drawattention to these importantissues, she has just published abook entitled The Solution isYou! that Roots is now sellingin many of its stores in supportof her work.

Laurie is active on many

fronts. This year, she won ac-claim for being the producer ofthe hit documentary on climatechange, An Inconvenient Truth,which becameone of the mosttalked aboutnon-fiction filmin decades.Among herother initiatives,Laurie worked withRoots in creatingthe popular line ofStop Global Warm-ing bracelets lastyear to help raisesignificant fundsfor the cause.

Her latest project,The Solution is You!,

is a handy pocket guide to curbingclimate change. It’s loaded withconvincing facts and figures on thegrowing menace of global warm-ing and features practical tips onhow people can reduce their owneveryday emissions.

Reading her book, you quicklyrealize that each person has a role

to play in curbing ourcollective appetite when itcomes to greenhouse gasemissions. “It’s not aboutany one person doingeverything,” says Laurie.“It’s about all of us doingsomething and thenmaybe a little more.” Asthe book title says, thesolution is you! And thatincludes us, too.

THE SOLUTION IS YOU… AND US, TOORoots supports new book by environmental activist Laurie David

WHEN BHL SPEAKS, PEOPLE LISTENRoots takes part in Toronto lecture by noted French intellectual

Last week, prominentParis-based philosopherand author Bernard-

Herni Levy traveled to To-ronto as the guest speaker inthe latest installment of the2006-2007 Grano Lecture Se-ries. The acclaimed series fea-tures leading thinkers fromaround the world who expoundon topical issues. For each ses-sion, the audience is limited to130 people, many of themheavyweights from the fieldsof business, the arts, entertain-ment and politics.

Levy, (better known inFrance by his initials BHL), isan old friend of Roots. Thefriendship began in 1983 whenhe appeared on the cover ofParis Passion, a city magazinepublished by Roots Co-Found-ers Michael Budman and Don

Green and Roots Director ofCommunication and PublicAffairs Robert Sarner. Thecover story focused on theFrench intelligentsia and BHLfit the bill perfectly. Outspo-ken, controversial, highly ar-ticulate, the author of manybestselling books, a widelypublished journalist, a progres-sive social activist, and hand-some no less, he is a true su-perstar in Europe.

As such, his appearanceat the Grano event wasmuch anticipated and at-tracted considerable presscoverage. Roots providedguests with leather-boundjournals, made at theleather goods factory inToronto. Inscribed on theinside cover page, theycontained the following

inscription: “In appreciation ofBernard-Henri Levy, a masterof well-chosen words andoriginal ideas, spoken and writ-ten.”

BHL showed his prowess withwords and ideas when he dis-cussed the future of Europe in aspellbinding 45-minute speech(without notes) and then in hisanswers to questions from the au-dience. Although his assessment ofthe current state of affairs in Eu-rope was rather bleak, he said thatultimately France and the rest ofthe continent would see betterdays.

Minutes before his speech,to help celebrate the occasion,Michael, his wife Diane Bald,and Robert presented BHL witha custom-made Roots UltimateGym Bag in tribe leather thatsported his well-known initials.

FRESH INKA selection of coverageof Roots in the media

Here aresome re-centsightings ofRoots inthe pagesof newspa-pers and

magazines:• The National Post, Dec. 1: Spotlighton Roots Small Banff bag, Small Cafebag, Rossi and Curling Sweater, andRoots-New Era limited editionLetterman hat.• Canadian Living magazine, Jan.issue: Spotlight on the Roots cottonblanket, red fleece pillows and wom-en’s grey wool sweater with faux-furhooded trim featured in a “Home forthe Holidays” story.• Glow magazine, Dec. issue: Spot-light on the Roots zerum leatherMelinda Bag featured in the “HolidayGift Guide” section.• Flare magazine, Dec. issue: Spot-light on the Roots women’s whiteacrylic/wool vest featured prominentlyin a fashion spread.• Wish magazine, Dec. issue: Spot-light on the Roots leather Saddle Bagfeatured in a fashion spread.• CKCO-TV, (Kitchener, ON); CBE-TV(Windsor, ON); CHWI-TV (Windsor,ON), Dec. 4: Mentioned launch ofRoots designed city-branded clothingfor Windsor, Ontario.• Wish magazine, (Winter 06/07):Spotlighting women’s plaid hoodiejacket with faux-sheepskin lining.• La Presse newspaper, (Montreal),Nov. 25: Spotlight on the Rootsleather Editor’s Bag and Roots leathergloves.• Toronto Star, Nov. 25: Article enti-tled “The Bamboo Bonanza” high-lights the Roots bamboo cuttingboard, cutlery, round dish and olivetray available at Roots Rosedalestore. Michael Budman is quoted.• LouLou magazine, (Montreal), Nov.issue: Spotlight on the Roots SpiritMan featured in the “un homme etson parfum” section.• Canadian Jewish News, Nov. 2:Mentions Roots Spirit Man promotedby Adam Van Koeverden.• Fashion Magazine, Nov. issue:Also features the Roots Village Bag inthe ‘Fashion Shop’ section.• Style Magazine, Nov. issue: Fea-tures a Roots bag in green leather.

Guide to new ads appearingthis week and next

SPREADING THE WORD

• Mon., Dec. 4 - Toronto subway:Posters featuring “Gifts for her,gifts for him.”• Thurs., Dec. 7 - Toronto Star(Toronto): 1/2-page ad featuring“Holiday Gifts from Roots.”• Sat., Dec. 9 - National Post(Toronto): Full-page ad featuring“Holiday gifts from Roots.”• Sat., Dec. 9 - Globe and Mail:(National): 1/2-page ad featuring“Holiday gifts from Roots.”• Sat., Dec. 16 - National Post(Toronto): Full-page ad featuring“Roots for the holiday.”


For the third consecutiveyear, Roots was one ofthe sponsors of the pres-

tigious Whistler Film Festival,which wrapped up last week-end. The annual four-day extrava-ganza of movie screenings, indus-try sessions and parties held onand off the slopes of British Co-lumbia’s famous ski resort is aneagerly awaited event attractingmany celebrities from the enter-tainment world.

As part of the program,Roots sponsored a celebrity skievent and prizes for the awardssegment of the fest. Jurors ofthis award, including directorNorman Jewison and actorLisa Ray, received a RootsAspen Bag made in tribeleather. Roots also presented aMilano Bag and a Venetian bagmade from tribe leather to

award winners AndrewWalker, (Best Actor for themovie Steel Toes), andCatherine De Lean, (BestActress for the movie The Se-cret Life of Happy People).

Roots, together with Ameri-can Express, co-hosted a VIPparty at theRoots store inWhistler.During thefestival, resi-dents of Brit-ish Columbiacould wintickets to thefestival byparticipatingin an onlinecontest onroots.com.

In addi-tion, Ameri-

SHINING ON THE SLOPES OF WHISTLERRoots takes part in annual film festival in BC ski resort

can Express cardholders canenter contests online and atRoots stores in BC until mid-December to win passes fornext year’s Whistler Film Festi-val.

The project was coordinatedby James Connell, Director ofE-commerce, Digital Marketingand New Media; Lyn Frankel,Corporate Sponsorship andSales Manager in WesternCanada; Raymond Perkins,Director of Public Relations;Anisha Gliddon, Public Rela-tions Coordinator; Sonia-Michelle De Souza, MarketingCoordinator; and Kim CourtHampton, Executive Assistantto Co-Founder of RootsMichael Budman.

At the same time, the RootsVisual team of Vancouver and thestore in Whistler store staff headedby JM Odgen went the distance inmaking sure that Whistler shinedduring the festival.

Last year’s cinematicsuperheroes, the

Fantastic Four are setto hit movie screensagain. To help heraldtheir return, the pro-ducers of the sequelhave turned to Roots.

Roots will supplymen’s zipped hoodiesto be used as promo-tional giveaways forthe media by the makers of

FOR THE FANTASTIC FOURRoots supplies giveaway items for upcoming movie

Fantastic Fourand the SilverSurfer, the fol-low-up to thehighly success-ful FantasticFour releasedin 2005. Madein Canada fromcotton-polyes-ter fleece fab-ric with meshfabric details,

some 75 hoodies were shipped

last week to Vancouver , wherethe film is currently being shot.

The project wascoordinated by LosAngeles-based Rootssalesperson WendyGoodman, alongwith Senior ProductCoordinator in TheBusiness-to-BusinessDepartment at theRoots Head OfficeMary Jane Saliba.

Scheduled for

release next June, FantasticFour and the Silver Surfer

stars Ioan Gruffudd,Jessica Alba andChris Evans in leadroles. The film contin-ues the harrowing sagaof scientist ReedRichards and his teamwho combat the returnof their enemy Dr.Doom who was exter-minated in the first edi-tion of the film.

The Whistler Team: Jusin Krongold, Nadine Crowe,Neve Petersen, Ainsley Mackney and Kate Dale

Film director Norman Jewison, flanked by two beautiful Lyn’s

As theRootsoutletstorescontinuetheir phe-nomenalgrowth,the per-son for-merly incharge oftheir mer-

chandising has just seen herresponsibilities grow. Twoweeks ago, Shyrose Kassamwas officially appointed Ex-ecutive Director, Outlets. Inher new capacity, Shyrosehas overall responsibility forthe outlet business includingapparel design, visual, mar-keting and store operations.

“This new role will bringsynergy to the relationshipbetween Head Office and thefield,” says Shyrose, whojoined Roots 10 years ago.“The communication and un-derstanding of each other’sneeds is paramount and Ihope to be able to improveupon the good base that wehave now. I’m excited aboutspending time out in the field,working in the stores to try tofully understand the issues onthe frontlines.”

Shyrose’s latest promotioncomes nearly two years aftershe was appointed Director ofMerchandising for Outlets. Inthat role, Shyrose made asignificant contribution to thebusiness, helping to greatlyexpand the outlet side ofRoots, generating sales thatsurpassed annual targets.

MOVING UPShyrose’s role in OutletDepartment expands


While most retailers bringout their traditionalChristmas trees every

holiday season, Roots outletstores have their own speciallydesigned, custom-made treesthis year. And they’re derivedfrom one of the things thatRoots is best known for -sweatshirts.

Senior Visual MerchantPeter Paquette initiated theidea of a tree made of sweatsto form a festive image for theannual sweatshirt promotion atRoots outlet stores.

“It is visually eye-catchingto see sweats in this three-dimensional form rather than tosee pictures of them laid flat orfolded,” says Peter whowrapped some 70 sweatshirtson a wooden frame to makethe initial tree. Senior Art Direc-tor Ilich Mejia then photo-graphed the creation before itwas printed on foam coreboards that formed the finalproduct.

“I enjoy the creative proc-ess involved in campaigns likethis,” says Peter, who workedclosely with Shyrose Kassam,Executive Director of Outlets,during the design process ofthe sweat-tree. “It’s great towork with a good team and thesuccess of the final outcomemakes the entire process ex-tremely rewarding.”

The foam board sweat-trees that hit stores last monthcome in two sizes: three feetand five feet. They are part ofthe holiday campaign at Rootsand will be featured in storesthroughout the festive season.

With the latest monthly sales figures now in,the Roots store in Sunridge Mall in

Calgary, Alberta has captured the position of‘Store of the Month’ in its category while theSarnia Outlet store in Sarnia, Ontario headedthe pack in its sector. The Sunridge Mall storecame in at 165 percent over its sales budget

GREAT MOMENTS IN RETAILSpotlighting the top-performing stores in November

topping all the company stores. For its part, theSarnia outlet topped all the Roots outlet and‘Roots 73’ locations, finishing the month 120percent over budget.

Congratulations to Store Manager JoAnnModler of the Sunridge Mall store and ManagerDeb MacDonald of the Sarnia outlet store, alongwith their respective teams for their performance.

From left to right: Britany Luimes, Keyholder CraigLawson, Janice Modler, Store Manager JoAnnModler, Monica Chetty. Absent: Dragana Tusun

Back row (left to right): David Morden, Shay-LynElgie, Mark Daley. Front row (left to right): CarlyLund, Store Manager Deb MacDonald, Lauren Brush

Last weekend, as part of itsyoga-related activities andlongtime commitment to

health and wellness, Rootslaunched the just-publishedContact: The Yoga of Relation-ship at the Roots Rosedale storein Toronto.Co-authorTaraGruberpartici-pated inthe after-noonevent atthe store,signingcopies ofthe book and answering ques-tions from the public and media.

Contact yoga was created byyogi Ken Scott, known asNateshvar (Tesh, for short),about 18 years ago. At theevent, Tesh demonstrated differ-ent yoga moves along with Taraand Diane Bald, Creative Di-rector of Roots Home.

Published by RandomHouse, the 160-page Contact

presents an alternative inter-pretation of yoga created todeepen people’s relationshipswith those close to them. Itexplores that mysterious anddynamic edge where two peo-ple connect: physically, emo-

tionally, andspiritually.(The bookalso has morethan 100 pho-tographs byaward-win-ning photog-rapher andfilmmakerNormanSeeff whose

images capture candid por-traits of renowned yoga teach-ers).

According to Tesh, contactyoga allows those practicing itto feed off each other’s ener-gies, a process that rejuvenatesand refreshes their relation-ship.• Contact: The Yoga of Relationship,available at Roots Rosedale. Retailprice: $35

MAKING CONTACTRoots Rosedale hosts event for launch ofnew book on original form of yoga

STAYING POWER

This month, many Rootsemployees markedmajor anniversaries of

their time at the company.By ‘major’, we meanbenchmark achievementsas in 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and30 years spent at Roots.We invite anyone celebrat-ing such an anniversary atRoots to send the relevantinformation to The Source.

Congratulations to thefollowing employees fortheir huge contribution andenduring loyalty to Roots:(listed alphabettically)• Roanne Camagay, RetailOperations Coordinator, HeadOffice, Toronto, 5 years• Donna Lee, Sales Associ-ate, Sherway Gardens, To-ronto, 5 years• Jane Shiraishi, Sales Asso-ciate, Roots Central, Toronto,5 years• Pamela Sletten, Sales As-sociate, Chinook Centre,Calgary, AB, 5 years• Janet Vanderhor, Keyh-older, Whistler, BC, 5 years• Alicia Wade, Sales Associ-ate, Roots Yorkdale, Toronto,5 years

Saluting those who gothe distance

Sunridge Mall, Calgary

Sarnia, Ontario

A TREE WITHROOTS ABOVEGROUNDVisual team createsinnovative props tocelebrate season


As part of our continuing series of team pictures of all the stores in the Roots retail family, thisissue of The Source is shining the spotlight on the store in Place d’Orleans, Ottawa.Back row (left to right): Valerie Gauthier, Allison Fortier, Heather Windling, Christa

Hollmann, Laura Ashley Kostiuk, Nick Walker, Ben Brooks. Front Row (left to right): SherryHotte and Renee Leduc.

STARTING LINEUPIntroducing the people who make it happen at Roots stores

Eco-consciousness is away of life at Roots. Assuch, it should come as

little surprise that even forshipping products ordered onits website, Roots is trying tomake a difference.

In its latest initiative, Rootsis partnering withZerofootprint, a Toronto-basedenvironmental organization, in aninnovative new project to monitorits carbon dioxide (CO2) emis-sions. CO2 is one of the maingases contributing to global warm-ing-related climate change.

In moving billions of prod-ucts every year, the shippingindustry worldwide burns fos-sil fuels, thereby generatingmore than 600 million tons ofCO2 annually. During the cur-rent holiday season, Roots willoffset CO2 emissions associ-ated with the shipping of pur-chases made on-line.

Zerofootprint will deter-mine how much CO2 is emit-ted with each shipment of

SHIPPING MADE ECO-FRIENDLIERRoots funds reforestation through new project linked to website

THE HOT LISTA fast look at what’s flying off theshelves at Roots stores

1. Men’s Cooper Kanga Hoody2. Men’s Cooper Full Zip Hoody3. Men’s Cooper Crewneck4. Men’s Cooper Zip Polo5. Men’s Laurier Pop-over Hoody6. Men’s Basic Cooper Pant7. Women’s Basic Kanga Hoody8. Women’s Basic Full Zip Hoody9. Women’s Basic VarsitySweatpant10. Women’s Mantra Pant11. Women’s Roots VarsitySweatpant12. Women’s Sueded FleeceVelvet Pant13. Women’s Varsity Sweatpant14. Women’s Canada Track Pant15. Boy’s Cooper Sweatpant16. Baby’s Igloo Hoody17. Baby’s Open BottomSweatpant18. Roots Yoga Headband19. Roots Bottled Water 355 ml20. Venetian Village PrinceLeather Bag

Roots retail stores are not theonly ones experiencing a

huge upsurge in traffic due toholiday shopping. In recent days,the Roots website has also beenattracting more on-line custom-ers as Christmas and NewYear’s Day approaches.

Here is some useful informationto help facilitate shopping at roots.com during the holiday season:• Call-centre phone number: 1-800-208-0521. It’s open Mondayto Friday 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. EST.• You can order on-line and re-turn your purchase in-store.• You can only redeem gift cardsin retail stores, not on-line yet.• You can track an order usingour on-line service by logginginto your account if you havecreated one or by using yourorder number.• If you haven’t received an orderconfirmation by email, please checkyour spam or bulk email folder.• Delivery cut-off to receive itemsby Dec 24: Orders in Canadamust be placed at the latest byDecember 19, 3pm EST. (In theToronto area, until Dec 20). Or-ders in the United States mustbe placed at the latest by De-cember 21, 3pm EST.

JUST THE FACTSHow to make shopping atroots.com easier in theholiday period

Roots products, offset it andsignify this with a Zerofoot-print seal on every (on-linepurchase) delivery. Roots willthen neutralize theseemissions by fundingZerofootprint’s reforestationprojects to absorb CO2 fromthe atmosphere equal to the

amount of CO2 produced witheach delivery.

The funds will be used toinitiate forestation projectsaddressing climatic change inBritish Columbia.


At first glance,Mario Murraymay seem a little

intimidating with hisneck tattoos and confi-dent manner. But this isa young man with a bigheart who cares abouthis community. Whenhe’s not busy helpingcustomers at RootsCentral in Toronto’sEaton Centre, Marioorganizes concerts forlocal artists to sharetheir talents throughpositive music. In hismost recent show lastmonth at the DegrassiHouse, people listenedto an eclectic mix of spokenword, rap, R&B, reggae, pop,soul and folk music.

“I put the show on to show-case Toronto’s real risingstars,” says Mario, 25, whosestage name is The Voyce. “Thefocus was on the artists andtheir relationship with thecommunity, and through it Igot to see who was reallyabout the community and whowas all about themselves.”

Being a community manhimself, Mario spends hisTuesdays volunteering as astaff leader at Beatz to DaStreetz, a Toronto-based non-profit arts program. There, hehelps “underserved youth”develop their creative talentsthrough urban music to pro-mote positive social change.According toMario, these youthmight live in shel-ters or be in badsituations with drugdealers or gangs,and they can’t seemto get out of such anegative reality.

“There are manykids out there in theworld who are ontheir last hope,”says Mario. “Noone believes in orcares about themanymore, so theywon’t really rise to

MARIO’S THE MANRoots employee uses music to teach “underserved” youth valuable life lessons

Since 2004, Roots em-ployee Anne Theriaulthas participated in the

annual ‘Walk For Life’ to helpin the battle against AIDS.This year, she also gainedsupport and participation fromher co-workers at the Rootsstore in the Halifax ShoppingCentre. Clad in Roots T-shirtsmade for the InternationalAIDS Conference held in To-ronto in August, Anne’scollegues joined her in the 4km march through downtownHalifax.

“When I saw the crowd ofpeople taking part in theevent, I had the wonderfulknowledge that I wasn’t justwalking for something that Ibelieved in,” says Anne, 24,who is a full-time Keyholderat Roots. “I was walking forsomething that Roots alsocared for deeply. And there isno better support that a per-son could ask for than havingthe company you work forstand behind something youcare about strongly.”

Anne first participated inthe ‘Walk for Life’ organizedby the Aids Coalition of NovaScotia (ACNS) when she wasacting in a local AIDS-relatedplay. Having been inspired bythe thousands of people tak-ing part in the Walk For Lifeincluding many who werefighting the disease, she be-came an active supporter ofthe event.

The ACNS, established inthe 1980s, has conductedmany fundraising walkathons.Money raised from the eventshelps to offset medical costsnot covered by the NovaScotia medical system forpersons with HIV/AIDS.

WALKINGFOR A CAUSEStaff at Halifax ShoppingCentre store cometogether to fight AIDS

their fullest potential. Throughthe music, we bring out howthey really feel first and thenteach them valuable life les-sons.” These include teachinghumility and discipline, andincreasing self-esteem, build-ing life skills and opening op-portunities for education andfinding jobs.

Long before he was in-volved with Beatz to DaStreetz, Mario himself was atroubled kid growing up in thesmall Caribbean island ofSaint Lucia. When he waseight years old, his mothermoved to Canada to work andprepare a comfortable life forhim and his siblings, leavingthem to fend for themselves.

“I know what it’s like tosurvive on five dollars a week,

to have nothing toeat and not to knowhow long you’regoing to be livingwhere you are,”says Mario of hischildhood in St.Lucia and Canada.“I moved fromhouse to house be-cause no one wantsto deal with a trou-bled kid. I did what-ever I wanted, camehome whenever Iwanted, and didn’tlisten to anyone.”

Memories of hispast led Mario tohelp others through

Beatz to Da Streetz. “Thesethings made me who I am to-day,” he says. “My upbringinghelped me to understand theirsituations better and since itdidn’t get the best of me, be-cause of God and those whowere around to strengthen me,I wanted to be that same per-son for others.”

Now in his second year ofinvolvement with the program,Mario says it has taught him afew things as well. “I’velearned that everyone canchange and become better peo-ple,” says Mario. “There’s noreason not to give someone achance, even if they’vescrewed up before. Those arecalled mistakes.”

Beatz to Da Streetz runs a15-week series of workshopsfor 15 youth led by industry

professionals andrun out of Centen-nial College.Through these ses-sions, youth learnabout urban musicand culture, and hiphop literacy. At theend of the program,they promote, pro-duce and performtheir own music in alive concert.• To get involved withthe Beatz to Da Streetzprogram, visit theirwebsite at: http://www.b2ds.ca.

Mario Murray and Ilana Korn,both of Roots Central, at Degrassi

House after Mario’s show

Beatz to Da Streetz: Giving hope to troubled youth


GREEN TIP #28Easy ways to help theenvironment

HEALTH TIP #25Easy ways to help youstay healthy

It can be a heavy load tohave “Legend” as your sur-name. But in the case of

singer/musician John Legend,he’s most deserving of it. Only27, he may still too young tobe called a living legend butthat’s the direction in which heseems to be heading.

Legend was born JohnStephens in Springfield, Ohiowhere he began singing gospeland playing the piano at thetender age of five. He got his“Legend” stage name fromfriends who said his music

sounded like an old-schoollegendary artist. The namestuck; he believes it gives himsomething to live up to.

Legend left Ohio at age 16to attend the University ofPennsylvania and to gain alarger audience. Barely 20years old, he was hired to playpiano on Lauryn Hill’s Every-thing Is Everything in 1998.He also found success on thenightclub circuits in New York,Philadelphia and Washington be-fore becoming a mainstream artist.

It was Legend’s roommateat university who introducedhim to up and coming hip-hopartist and producer KanyeWest. The two have workedclosely since. Legend sangmany of the hooks on West’sGrammy Award-winning al-bum The College Dropout andWest also produced Legend’sfirst major label recording GetLifted, an incredible debut thatcaptured three Grammy

MUSICAL ROOTSThis month, we spotlight R&B singer/songwriter John Legend

1. Roots Woman, Jimmy Cliff2. Hotel California, The Eagles3. Showtime, Nelly Furtado4. Beautiful Day, U25. Save Room, John Legend6. Gimme Some Loving, SpencerDavis Group7. She Moves In Mysterious Ways, U28. Arc Of The Diver, Steve Winwood9. Where Are We Going, Marvin Gaye10. Sunday Morning, K-os- Compiled by Davin Bujalski

THE TOP 10THE TOP 10THE TOP 10THE TOP 10THE TOP 10A guide to the currentsounds of Roots

Awards in 2006.Legend recently released

his sophomore album OnceAgain. The first single, “SaveRoom,” can be heard on RootsRadio. – Davin BujalskiTo learn more about the musicalroots of John Legend:Online: johnlegend.comMusic: Get Lifted, 2004, Sony Music;Once Again, 2006, Sony Music; Live AtSOB’s, 2002; Solo Sessions Vol. 1: LiveAt The Knitting Factory, 2003

Less salt,more years:Salt can pre-serve food,as sailorsknew whenthey pre-pared their

provisions for long oceanvoyages. It doesn’t preserveour health, though.

Recent studies show thatincreased salt intake is pro-portional to an increase incancers of the stomach,esophagus, and bladder. Addi-tionally, sodium has long beenimplicated in chronic ailmentssuch as heart disease, highblood pressure, and oste-oporosis. Use other season-ings such as vinegar, garlic,herbs, and spices as tasty sub-stitutes for salt. (Source: Secrets of Longevity, byDr. Maoshing Ni)

Wet paint!Forgetaboutstainingyour

clothes and think more aboutwhat that new paint job is do-ing to your health. Most paintis made from petrochemicals,and its manufacturing processcan create 10 times its ownweight in toxic waste. It alsoreleases volatile organic com-pounds (V.O.C.’s) that threatenpublic health. (V.O.C.’s aresolvents that rapidly evaporate,allowing paint to dry quickly.)They cause photochemical reac-tions in the atmosphere, leadingto ground-level smog that cancause eye and skin irritation, lungand breathing problems, head-aches, nausea, and nervous-sys-tem and kidney damage.

The best alternative? Natu-ral paints. Manufactured usingplant oils, natural paints posefar fewer health risks, arebreathable, and in some casesare 100 percent biodegradable.Remember: Never throw yourpaint away. Check out Earth911’s “Paint Wise” section forre-use programs in your com-munity; earth911.org. (Source: Vanity Fair magazine)Celebrities have long

made a point of shopping at Roots. Here are

the latest sightings of promi-nent figures from the world ofentertainment and sport whovisited Roots stores recently:· Ketchum, Idaho (Sun Val-ley) – Hollywood coupleTom Hanks and RitaWilson visited the store andpurchased Roots extra longsoftee tees.

Retired St. Louis BluesNHL player RickBourbonnais also visited thestore to buy sweatshirts forhis children.· Toronto (Bloor Street) –Eugene Levy, Canadian ac-tor, TV director, producerand writer, visited the Rootsflagship store.· Halifax, NS (Spring Gar-den) – Actor John Hurt,who played the role of Mr.Ollivander in Harry Potterand the Philosopher’s Stone,shopped at the Roots store.

GUESS WHO JUST DROPPED INTaking attendance of special guests at Roots stores

Eugene Levy

Rick Bournbonnais Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson


HOLIDAY SPIRIT AT ITS BESTStore teams show their real colours by helping their local communities

One of the nicer traditions at Rootsduring this time of year is that thestaff at many if not most stores come

together to do something in support ofthose in need in their community. The as-sistance takes many forms and the recipi-ents vary with each initiative but the inten-tion is the same – to try to make the holi-day season sweeter for people whose dailyreality is anything but festive.

As we did last year, The Source willspotlight as many of these initiatives as wecan. In this issue, we are focusing on east-

Sunnyside Mall store: Lesley McIntyre, Ashley Delaney, TequieraBedard, Carmen Jay Grabo and lying across us is Sarah MacMillan

Spring Garden store: Lisa Moorhouse, TerriSmith and Karen O’Hearon

Bayers Lake Outlet: Jen Mackinnon, DrewThomas and Laura Hanna

Mic Mac Mall store: Johanna Ventoso,Sabrina Hoskins, Elizabete Almeida, CarlyChevarie, Amanda Baker, Jessica Carter,Lindsay Harding, Tara Mosher, Holly Nelson

ern Canada. Next issue, we will featurestores in other parts of the country.• Champlain Place, Moncton, NB – StoreManager Erin Cormier and her staff haveset up a box in the back room to collectfood and toys to be donated to Head Start,a local organization that helps families inneed and provides assistance to singlemothers.• Regent Mall, Fredericton, NB – Man-ager Kelly Smart and her staff are organiz-ing Operation Keep the Change. All em-ployees are donating personal loose changeduring the month of December, to be do-nated to the Salvation Army, theFredericton Community Kitchen and theFredericton Food Bank.• Wheeler Park Outlet, Moncton, NB –Manager Mauricio Santos and his staff arecollecting food to be donated to the neigh-bourhood retirement home.• Spring Garden, Halifax, NS – Store

Manager Terri Smith and her staff willprovide board games to be donated throughthe Kool 96.5 radio station for needy 11-12year-old children.• Halifax Shopping Centre, NS – Man-ager Roxann Keeling and her staff haveteamed up with a local gym and the Salva-tion Army to donate age-specific gift cloth-ing for needy children in the community.• Sunnyside Mall, Bedford, NS – Man-ager Tequiera Bedard and her staff arecollecting food items from friends and fam-ily to be donated to the local food bank aweek before Christmas.• Bayers Lake Outlet, Halifax, NS –Manager Drew Thomas and his staff arecollecting non-perishable food items forthe local food bank.• Mic Mac Mall, Dartmouth, NS – Man-ager Johanna Ventoso and her all-girl staffare donating contributions to the local Dia-betes Association.

Fredericton store: Back Row (Left to Right):Kelly Smart, Sarah Lewis, Tina Trethewey.Front Row (Left to Right) - Devin Dunham,Emma Lally, Adam Bowie

Halifax Shopping Centre store: Anne Theriault, HannahJefferey, Roxann Keeling, Anne Gorman, Jack Saraga

december 7, 2006

Documents

world of roots issue

atthe roots leather

johanna dahlthe source

distribution centre

fashion feel

unzipped cuffs

cakea big

fashion ad