MBiz

27 WINTER 2024 Today, about 55 per cent of the company's sales are to the U.S. and it is currently looking to add Texas, Tennessee and North Carolina to its network of deal- ers. Chief financial officer Dave Schellenberg says the strength of the American market and the favourable U.S. dollar have been the main drivers of the com- pany's current expansion south of the border. Despite its sizeable footprint in the U.S., Schellenberg acknowledges Decor faced some chal- lenges in attempting to crack the American market. First and foremost was dealing with the red tape and U.S. Customs requirements, such as country-of-origin labelling, that are part of doing business in that country. "From a self-review standpoint, we weren't quite where we wanted to be in that regard initially," Schellenberg says. "We eventually brought on the internal expertise to make sure we were in full compliance with all the regulations out there. It was a bit of a learning curve but we did quite well with bringing in the expertise to get us there." General manager James Reimer's advice to busi- nesses looking to expand into the U.S. market is to do their homework regarding any tariffs or regulatory hurdles that could impact their ability to enter that market. They should also be aware that those hurdles can vary from one industry to another. "You can kind of go under the radar when you're small, but when you get a bit bigger you have to start dealing with different state taxes and laws." –Dave Schellenberg, chief financial officer SUBMITTED PHOTOS

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