After claiming victory at Barrie’s biggest business pitching competition, a business owner is moving forward with plans to manufacture personal protective equipment designed for women’s bodies.
“People don’t realize how dangerous it is to be on the shop floor with loose-fitting protective equipment,” says Dianne Finnigan. “Most types of PPE are supposed to be one-size-fits all. That really means one-size-fits-most-men-sort-of — and women, not really at all.”
Last week, her idea earned Finnigan the $10,000 grand prize at the sixth annual Grand Pitch event. Hosted by Georgian College’s Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre at the Five Points Theatre, the competition saw recent graduates of the Further Faster accelerator program deliver pitches to a panel of expert judges.
This isn’t the first time Finnigan has attempted to correct issues faced by women in the workplace. Her battle began in 2020 when her daughter, a masonry student, complained that her ostensibly unisex workwear was uncomfortable.
“You can’t just expect women, especially women with bigger chests, to walk around in men’s overalls. It’s either going to be too tight up top or way too loose in the legs. Having all that extra material to deal with is just not safe.”
Sensing an opportunity, Finnigan launched her own business, the Dirty Seahorse. While it also sells practical hats, hoodies and shirts for women working in the skilled trades, its zenith overalls have been the company’s best-selling product. “You hear a lot about the need to get women into the trades and not enough about giving them the tools to succeed in these male-dominated industries. Keeping them safe and comfortable would be a good start.”
Since launching her business, Finnigan says she’s taken quite a few similar accelerator programs at academic institutions across southern Ontario. She rates the Further Faster course as among the best. “I would recommend it to entrepreneurs as it teaches a lot of practical things for running an effective business.”
