There is a large world map at Coppley’s office in the heart of Hamilton. More than a hundred tiny pins dot the map, seemingly placed at random. However, a closer look shows how each pin is in fact marking a different country. Stretching all the way from Asia to the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North America, these pins mark the countries of origin of Coppley’s staff. It is a powerful visualization of how skills and talents from all over the world work together at Coppley.

A Hamilton employer for more than 100 years, today Coppley has more than 250 staff in Hamilton. Coppley produces beautiful custom tailored clothing for men, taking pride in meticulous workmanship and working mostly with immigrants who have arrived from all over the world. Indeed, more than 80 per cent of the staff was born outside of Canada, and while fabrics come from Italy and from mills in Scotland and Chile, it is all put together right here in Hamilton.

“Sewing is a lost talent in our region,” says Julie Dubber, finance and HR manager at Coppley. “The reality is one cannot go to college to learn to sew and there is very limited opportunity to learn industrial sewing. Sewing has now become a skill that is largely offshore. If we did not have new Canadians bringing in their skills from other countries, it would have been harder for us to grow.”

By tapping into immigrant skills, Coppley is able to recruit from a ready pool of talent as the organization expands. This helps Coppley allocate more resources to upgrading the skills of staff, who already know how to sew.

“We are thrilled to have access to the skills immigrants bring to Canada,” says Dubber. “To seek out talents, we go beyond the usual recruitment strategies. We connect with organizations such as the Immigrants Working Centre, YMCA and the YWCA. We also have our own network out there and make use of word-of-mouth to recruit new staff. An employee referral program helps spread the word to different community centres and places of worship.”

Recently, these innovative recruitment strategies have helped Coppley reach out to Syrian newcomers in Hamilton, many of whom were tailors back in their country. With staff from all over the world, Coppley has access to people speaking many different languages. Interpreters play a big part of the recruitment and integration process.

“Over the years, we have learned about the different languages that our employees speak,” says Dubber. “We work together with some of them who are comfortable acting as interpreters for us. When we have a new staff and we know that they speak a particular language, we will request one of our experienced employees to act as interpreter.”

By pairing new hires with experienced staff who speak their language, Coppley is able to quickly train new staff and deliver information on health and safety training. To promote awareness and respect for different people and cultures, Coppley organizes summer barbecues. Employees arrange potluck lunches to celebrate holidays and special occasions.

“Our potlucks show the diversity in our organization. It is amazing how we have food from all parts of the world; we have potstickers, various kinds of rice, different curries, and food from all corners of the world. It is a great way to bring people together,” says Dubber.

Today, the world map at Coppley is a constant reminder of how the organization is a melting pot of skills and staff from different countries and cultures. Through innovative recruitment strategies, Coppley has truly embraced diversity.