Chefs Johanna Gottlieb and Kate Plummer sit down with the Redwood Classics team to talk about the launch of their impact report. They cover what it means to be sustainable, what a circular economy is and why women led businesses are important.

The Redwood Classics team is Kathy Cheng, Ashley Chan, PJ Tang and Jasmin Bollman from Misfit Marketing Consultancy and Katie Motta from Shift Circular join them to talk about their work.

Full Report

Kathy Cheng, WS & Co

Kathy Cheng is the President of WS & Co., one of Canada’s leading full-service apparel manufacturers. She is also the founder of WS & Co.’s in-stock apparel line, Redwood Classics Apparel, which provides promotional and retail distributors with trending garments that are handcrafted in North America.

2020 has been a milestone year. Kathy was named on Inc. Magazine’s 100 Female Founders List for 2020 and was awarded the CAMSC Special Recognition Award for her philanthropic work and inclusive local procurement during COVID19. She was also recognized for her significant contributions in Supplier Diversity, receiving the WBE President’s Award, and the LGBTQ+ Ambassador of the Year Award.

Kathy was honored with the WBE Accelerator Award in 2017, was a recipient of MBE Magazine’s “MBEs Who Rock” Awards in 2016 and honored by CAMSC as the 2015 Supplier of the Year. In 2016, Advertising Specialty Institute® (ASI) presented Kathy with the prestigious Counselor Supplier Woman of Distinction Award for her positive mark in the industry through her business acumen and leadership abilities. In 2014, Kathy was also one of three Canadians inducted into The EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ program, a North American competition and executive leadership program. In 2013, she won a position on the Women’s Executive Network’s list of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada.

As a diverse certified supplier of CAMSC (Canadian Aboriginal Minority Supplier Council), WBE Canada (Women’s Business Enterprises Canada) and WE Connect International, Kathy is on the Board of Directors for CAMSC, served on the WBE Canada Supplier Advisory Council Member, and is an Ambassador for CGLCC (Canadian Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce).

Ashley Chan

Redwood Classics Apparel, Administrative & Sustainability Specialist Ashley Chan is the Administrative & Sustainability Specialist at Redwood Classics Apparel. Having earned a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Ashley brings the fundamentals of knowledge across all business disciplines to support the growth of the company. Adopting a sustainable and diverse lens, she contributes to Redwood Classics’ focus on People, Planet, & Prosperity. Ashley is committed to crafting a pathway to foster meaningful interactions and nurture deep relationships with communities of diverse voices and perspectives, both professionally and personally.

Paojia (PJ) Tang

Redwood Classics Apparel, Marketing & Design Coordinator Paojia (PJ) Tang is the Marketing & Design Coordinator at Redwood Classics Apparel. Having earned a Bachelor’s degree in Design with honours from the prestigious York/Sheridan Program in Design (YSDN), PJ applies her creative and strategic thinking disciplines to the Redwood Classics Apparel brand. Converging the use of technology with elements of social science, psychology, culture and business, PJ’s passion and hands-on experience with various textile projects enables her to be a strong visual communicator for Redwood Classics Apparel.

Jasmin Bollman

Jasmin Bollman is a writer, marketer, and speaker from Canada by way of Germany. She specializes in communications, content creation, and marketing strategy. Storytelling is at the heart of her work, which she does through her company Misfit Marketing Consultancy. Her writing has appeared on TechSoup, Yellow Co., and Futurpreneur, and she has spoken on stages in Los Angeles and San Francisco. https://www.jasminbollman.com/

Katie Motta

Katie Motta/Founder/Shift Circular

Katie has spent half her career focused on sustainability solutions consulting, and the other half developing partnerships, programs and strategies to enhance innovation and economic empowerment through inclusive supply chains.

Katie founded Shift Circular to solve at the intersections of sustainability and economic inclusion. Her work in the circular space has ranged from plastic collection and upcycling strategies for social enterprises to resource recovery from waste analysis and process design. It is informed by over a decade of non-profit experience advising large corporations across all sectors on the business case and practical implementation strategies for supplier diversity.

Katie holds a Graduate Diploma in Social Innovation from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University.

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