10/24/2025
Look what's happening downtown!
After everything that’s happened, I had a choice: walk away… or double down on the place I love.
💙I Choose the Soo!💙
I first made that choice back in 1995 when I came here for college. I made it again when I returned to serve this community. And now, I’m making it once more, this time as a small-business owner in the heart of downtown Sault Ste. Marie.
I’m proud to announce that Soo Apparel & Promotional Products is now open downtown! Our mission is simple: to celebrate the Soo, strengthen local business, and keep the momentum going.
We’re launching with a message that’s deeply personal: “I Choose the Soo.” It’s more than a slogan — it’s a belief that this city belongs to all of us. That community matters more than politics. That when we work together, we can build something amazing.
In the days following everything that happened, I was overwhelmed by the support from this community. Business owners, residents, and even people I hadn’t yet met who reached out with encouragement and kindness. With less than 24 hours’ notice, downtown business owners, residents, students, and friends packed the room to stand beside me. Those moments reaffirmed what I already knew in my heart: I love this town, and I love a place that rallies behind its own.
That support helped make my decision clear — to stay here, to invest here, and to build something lasting right here in the Soo. Coming from downstate, I’ve seen both worlds, and I truly believe I can be a great ambassador for this community — because there’s nothing like life above the bridge.
Starting this week, we’ll be introducing a line of locally themed apparel and merchandise that celebrates that spirit. To ensure the Blue & Gold Downtown Crew’s work continues, I’m starting the Blue & Gold Beautification Fund — and committing a portion of every sale to support it.
My hope is to work with the Downtown Sault Cooperative — a group whose leaders have truly grabbed the reins of downtown and inspired so many of us to keep moving forward. I’m proud to stand beside them and do my part to help keep that momentum growing.
None of this would be possible without my wife, Carianne, and our three daughters, Kaitlyn, Lauren, and Molly — their love, patience, and support mean everything. They’re still downstate until our youngest graduates high school, but my hope is that I’m building something here that will become a foundation for our family when they join me — and that they, too, will experience the life, the pride, and the people that make this place so special.
💙 Because I’m not just choosing the Soo — I’m investing in it.
👉 Follow along this week as we launch new designs, new partnerships, and a new chapter. The first lineup of “I Choose the Soo” products will be available next week when ShopSooApparel.com
goes live!