Keep on working, leave lasting imprint

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/07/2012 (5015 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While many early baby boomers might be thinking about retirement, Ken Hodgson could be a poster child for active living.

Hodgson, 60, is busy preparing to open Instant Imprints — a franchise that offers custom T-shirts, business apparel, school and team uniforms, signs, banners and promotional products — at 1121 St. Mary’s Rd.

Hodgson’s wife, Brenda Barnes, 52, who works at Hunter Physiotherapy & Massage in St.Boniface, will help him run the business. If all goes according to plan, it will open July 16.

After recently retiring from a 26-year career with Canada Post — many of them spent as a letter carrier in Winnipeg’s West End and St. Vital — the Windsor Park resident has no intension of putting his feet up.   

“My wife is younger than me, so the last thing I want to do is to get up in the morning, make her breakfast, shoot her off to work and watch TV all day,” Hodgson said. “This is a challenge and it’s exciting.”

He hopes the enterprise will help him stayed connected to the community in a different way than when he was delivering letters and packages.

“With some of the sports uniforms the kids are wearing these days, I think some of them must have been made when I was at school,” he joked.

“We want to get involved with community centres and schools by providing uniforms for teams and helping them with fundraisers. In other words, helping people live a more visible, good-looking life.”

And while the entrepreneur acknowledges there is a lot of hard work and networking ahead, he’s not exactly a stranger to area residents and business owners.

“A lot of the business owners I delivered mail to have been supportive and told me to drop off my business card,” he said.

“As a carrier, I was paid to work an eight-hour shift, but I would sometimes be out for nine or 10 hours because I love speaking with people and being part of the community.”

Hodgson said he isn’t working because he needs the money — it’s the thought of slowing down that motivates him to keep punching the clock.

“My house is paid off and I have a good pension. A few years ago I got a second job at Home Depot because I was getting bored. The day you stop moving is the day you end up in a home, I think.”

Iain Scott, who opened Winnipeg’s first Instant Imprints franchise near Polo Park in February, said his business is growing in popularity.

“We have seen terrific growth in all areas of our business considering our brand name is new to the region.

The Linden Woods resident noted a “huge amount of respect” for Hodgson’s entrepreneurial ambitions.

“It is wonderful to see the excitement and ambition he has. Ken has a great understanding of the market and its potential.”

For more information, call 253-5444 or visit store4002.instantimprints.ca.

simon.fuller@canstarnews.com