Alicia Woods' appearance on the Season 9 premiere of Dragons’ Den on Oct. 15 exceeded her wildest expectations.
Woods, the founder of Covergalls, a Sudbury-based company that produces coveralls tailored specifically for women, received a raucous response from the dragons.
Only new dragon Vikram Vij, a celebrity chef and entrepreneur, did not make an offer because Woods' business differed too much from his area of expertise.
She ended up making a deal with three dragons — Arlene Dickinson, Michael Wekerle and Jim Treliving — for $75,000 and 30 per cent of her company. Treliving later dropped out.
“To be able to bring three of them together was way beyond what I expected,” Woods said. “It was a lot of fun.”
Woods first thought about making coveralls for women about 15 years ago, when she first started going underground as part of her job with a mining supply company.
“When I had to go underground I had to get clothes, and of course there was nothing for women at that time,” she said. “I bought the smallest of everything.”
While the coveralls were not ideal, the idea to make a better version stayed at the back of her mind for many more years.
In 2011, she was underground in a potash mine, and due to the heat and dust, had a few bottles of water.
Just around the time nature called, Woods thought she was in the clear as she entered the cage to exit the mine.
But it turned out the cage was going down, instead of up.
Woods had to use the nearest portable toilet, while wearing coveralls that were clearly not intended for women.
To do her business, she had to remove the entire coverall inside.
“It was just an awful experience,” she said.
To ensure other women wouldn't have to go through the same experience in the future, Woods finally put her idea for a female-friendly coverall to market.
In 2013, she started Covergalls with special female-fitted coveralls that included special “trap doors” for using the washroom.
“You don't have to take the coverall off if you need to use the washroom,” Woods said.
For Woods, Covergalls is one way to encourage women to enter non-traditional roles, such as the trades, or industries like mining and forestry, by making workplaces more welcoming.
“There are a lot of opportunities and I think sometimes females overlook those non-traditional roles,” she said.
The day her Dragons’ Den episode aired, Woods established a scholarship fund for female high school students who plan to study non-traditional fields in college or university.
As with Covergalls, the scholarship won't be limited to mining, and will include any sector in which women are a significant minority.
The company is now testing a male coverall, called the Coverguy, and is looking to expand to other industries, such as forestry, farming, and oil and gas.
Before the Dragons’ Den taping in April, Woods started discussions with glove manufacturer Mechanix Wear to design and manufacture an industrial glove together. The glove they designed is now available.
As for her agreement with the dragons, Woods said the legal details are still being worked out, but she has finalized deals with Wekerle, an investment banker who has strong connections to the mining industry, and Dickinson, who will help Covergalls with her mining clout, and leverage her contacts in the oil and gas sector to help grow the company.
