2023 Recipient: Dandylion Introducing Dandylion, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2023! Who: Carolyn Chen Where: Toronto, ON Instagram / Website Carolyn Chen started her dog-care brand Dandylion, when she struggled to find a solution that worked to help her puppy Mocha with his regularly itchy skin. Shefound many conventional grooming products on the market were laden with harsh, drying, and irritating ingredients that exacerbated her puppy’s problem. Carolyn was shocked by the lack of ingredient transparency in the pet grooming industry, a stark contrast to the rigorous standards we expect in the human beauty world. Determined to make a difference in the industry, Dandylion products are meticulously formulated in collaboration with vet dermatologists and human skin care chemists, offering superior dog grooming products that put the dogs' health first and can be trusted by all pet parents. How will you use the $10,000 CAD for your business? The $10,000 would have two instrumental purposes for Dandylion. The first half would go towards research and development for new products with innovative application design, something that’s never been done before on dog-care products. The second half of the fund would go towards our community content initiatives, which have helped garner a ton of awareness and sales for the brand thus far. What is your big goal for the future of the business? One of our most significant long-term goals, spanning the next three to five years, is to expand our presence into mass retail. Our vision is to make better dog care products accessible to all dog parents. By broadening our distribution channels to encompass mass retail, we aim to reach a more extensive and diverse audience of dog owners. This strategic move will not only allow us to bring our innovative and health-focused products to a wider market but also enhance the well-being of countless dogs across the Canada & US. Dandylion was recently accepted into retailers Indigo and Chewy as a new brand for 2024! Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2023 recipients here .

Zing Zing Who: Jannine Rane Where: Toronto, ON Instagram Website How would you use the $10,000 CAD fund for your business? See All Winners

Doing It His Way With Rae Mendoza of ICYT They say that pressure produces diamonds and this definitely shows through with Rae Mendoza and I'll Call You Tomorrow, his clothing brand and artist collective based out of Edmonton, AB that has been working hard to put their city on the map amongst the heavy hitters of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. We got the opportunity to chat with Rae about the growth of his collective, how it opened up new doors with his agency Tomorrow Works and tips he has for creatives looking to get noticed. Read some excerpts from the conversation below! Rae on Building Things His Way Being housed and running everything from our home city of Edmonton, Alberta is really freeing for us. It lets us build our community how we want to do it and not as a reflection of something else. We just love this challenge of building new infrastructure and new opportunities for people that resonate with our platform where they don't typically exist. It also just lets us be a bigger fish in a small pond. Rae on Working With Friends I was very fortunate from the start to just always be around just super talented people, whether it was photography, design, music, now tattooing and illustration. Once I started working with them though, I really quickly realized where now as a business owner working with my best friends, it's up to me to set those boundaries of like, "in this space we're professionals working together and I'm holding you accountable for deliverables, and we have a specific function we need to do, and then we can go back to being friends outside of that space." In terms of finding the right people, a lot of it comes down to that gut feeling of knowing that we see things eye to eye, whether it's like good product, good design, taste levels, community, or you just knowing that this person's honestly just a good person. Rae on Finding New Opportunities Tomorrow Works as an agency has this living portfolio that is always constantly putting out new work in the form of I'll Call You Tomorrow. The bulk of our business just comes from people seeing our brand and then knowing that they can do something similar for their brand and their business. It's such a small circle these days of who is interconnected, putting your work out there and just showing that what you can do and how you deliver it at a very high level is the most important thing. Most of those things will kind of just sort themselves out and come to you. Then as a consultant and on the agency side, it comes down to you being ready for those looks as they come. Rae on Passing The Torch We started noticing it happening now as me and my team, we're getting a little bit older, where young kids will come up to our events and our parties and they'll be like, "I'm 22 or 21 and the first pop up or cool art party that I ever went to was one of your events and now I'm starting my own t-shirt line or I want to do certain things in the streetwear and arts community because of that event" and seeing that grow outside of us is some true 'pass the torch' legacy type shit. That's the stuff that keeps me up at night that I love. Make sure to follow I'll Call You Tomorrow and Tomorrow Works on IG for news on all of their upcoming events, projects and clothing releases and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with entrepreneurs coming soon.

Ball Talk With Albert Nguyen of Double Dribble After decades of creative work for many of Canada's coolest brands and designers, it's inevitable that the urge to one day do your own thing will eventually kick in. But how do you do it right and when is the right time? For Montreal based designer and artist Albert Nguyen who has worked on clients like Raised By Wolves, Nike, SSENSE, 88Rising, The Bay and many others, that urge set in via his love for street culture and basketball and you know we had to jump in for the story! Albert is no stranger to Pier Five - check out his first interview here - and it was great to catch up with him to learn about his new brand and first full independent venture, Double Dribble. Check out the conversation below. Photo Credits: Photo + Direction: @jgandshi ( @time_of_the_sun x @commedesbatards ) Hair and Makeup: @axelkamali @belovedbiaziza Models: @goldeneisha @ismabrass_n54 Hey Albert - great to have you back! You've worked on so many cool projects in the past. What drove you to start your own as Double Dribble? For a long time I just really loved being the ideas guy and the designer for clients that I really respected and admired. A lot of creatives that I know will work freelance and their own thing at the same time but to be honest, having my own thing never really occurred to me or didn't make sense. I love clothing and design but I never wanted my own namesake label. Double Dribble was first conceived through a t-shirt I worked on for The Letterbet for the 2019/2020 NBA Season but never really built out after that. This year I just started thinking about doing my own thing more and I liked the vibe of that t-shirt and how it didn't take itself too seriously. For me to start something on my own, it couldn't be too serious, in a way, or I wouldn't enjoy it. So, what exactly is Double Dribble now? A clothing brand? Something more? It's definitely a clothing brand first but I do want to do more with it soon. The clothing is just an entry point but I really want Double Dribble to become this basketball led community initiative with pickup runs in Montreal - and maybe other cities afterwards - as well as fundraisers, programming for women and children through basketball and I'm also working on a book! Very cool! How do you feel the basketball scene in Montreal is right now? There's definitely room to improve! I see a much bigger basketball scene in Toronto or Vancouver. Soccer is like what basketball is in those cities here in Montreal but a lot of people out here play. Not a lot of parks have basketball hoops here so that's one barrier. Canada is becoming such a big basketball country now so I want Montreal to be a part of that. So starting with clothing, what is the design inspiration behind the products? Although I don't personally skateboard, I'm really inspired by skateboard culture and how it has become so engrained into pop culture so, naturally, that had an influence on this. I wanted this to feel like a skate brand for basketball and keep things fun and lighthearted. Most of the graphics are inspired by old sport logos from the 90's and early 2000's. I kept it rather simple for the initial launch and I plan on bringing in more graphics and different pieces down the line. I don't want to be that brand that only makes a few of their pieces and nobody can get it. I want everyone to purchase Double dribble and be excited to rock it. How often do you plan on releasing new products? So instead of regular drops or following a fashion calendar, I'm going to follow the basketball calendar. I launched when the NBA season started, I'll have a drop for All-Star Weekend in February, a drop for playoffs, the finals, etc. I think it's a fun and unique way to do things and really keeps the focus on basketball. My biggest thing for releases though is I want the brand to be accessible. I don't want to be a cool guy brand. I don't want to be that brand that only makes a few of their pieces and nobody can get it. I want everyone to purchase Double dribble and be excited to rock it. Are you still playing basketball these days? I'm not - and it kills me. I had a bad injury not too long ago that stopped me from playing which is so hard for me. Basketball was everything for me from the moment I can remember. I played so much, it was engrained in my fashion choices, it led to the people I became best friends with and it inspired so much of my work. Now I hope to at least be able to use Double Dribble to create an avenue for others to play and meet through the sport. That's too bad! You make a good point about basketball being such a strong channel to bring people together. That's so true! Absolutely! Sports in general are so great for that. Basketball especially from all industries. It connected fashion to sports through Jordan and Nike, it connected with skateboarding, it connected with music. It's also influencing how I build my team and work with people. I treat it like putting together a starting five. I think about what I'm good at and where I'm lacking and then bring in my guards, my shooters, my centers etc who can help me create something killer and operate like a well oiled machine. That's a great analogy. We're excited to see what you and your "team" accomplish soon! What would you say is the long term goal for Double Dribble? I just want it to bring more basketball into the community here and continue to build greater communities all over the world one day. That might be through clothing, charity work, books, or other stuff. I'm still early to this and figuring it out but I love basketball and would be happy to see Double Dribble share that love with more people I love. Follow Double Dribble on Instagram for updates on their new drops and some of the best basketball content and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with creatives like Albert coming soon!

Slow & Steady with Josh Heares of Porter James Sports Once you get going, it can be hard to slow down but we can't forget the tales of our childhood. You can't rush success. Slow and steady wins the race. Such is true for Josh Heares, founder of New Zealand based clothing brand Porter James Sports, who has spent the last two-and-a-half years carefully crafting his label. With a clear path ahead and a mind that has never been more focused, Josh is on his way to becoming one of the most stand-out menswear street brands in our opinion and we got the chance to chat with him about his journey from advertising to fashion, how he plays the fashion game with an analytical mindset and where he hopes to take the brand in the future. Read the full interview below! Hi Josh, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. For those who aren't familiar, can you tell us a little about yourself and how your brand, Porter James Sports, came to be? Thanks guys! I started Porter James out of my living room in Auckland, NZ about 2.5 years ago, in December 2020. Before that, I spent my career in the advertising and design space so I was new to fashion taking on this project. Today, I would say PJS is the convergence of menswear and streetwear and the values we champion are 'simplicity' and 'timeless design'. We try to be accessible but from day one, I was really keen on ensuring that we didn't look like a 'part-time' fashion brand. I have a high bar for the brands I wear as a consumer and PJS had to match that. With no prior experience in fashion, what was the motivation to pivot from your career in advertising? In my mid-twenties, I got a promotion at my advertising agency and was really excited. At the time, I thought this was my dream job, blending business and creativity together but one day realized that I didn't see a long-term path for this and felt like something was missing for me and wanted to create a change. A mentor told me about this idea of envisioning my dream day instead of my dream job and that changed everything for me. I started thinking about the things I value most like making my own schedule, being able to be creative and work with other passionate people instead of large corporations, and then being able to work from wherever I wanted. Fashion checked a lot of those boxes so I started spending a lot of time looking into how to make that possible. So from there, how did you get started? I threw myself in the deep end. I got an agent out in Guangzhou, China and flew out there to meet him to speak about product development. Luckily he was from New Zealand and spoke perfect English which was a huge help. From there, I just asked a lot of questions. I brushed up on all of the product development information, figured out how much money I would need to start everything. On the other hand, having worked in advertising for so long with brands like Mercedes-Benz, I knew what world-class delivery looked like and had a benchmark for what I wanted to try and hit with my own brand. The reality of leaving your job and starting a brand is that money can get tough. How did you manage there? Absolutely! I knew that I was going to need income from other sources so I started a consulting side-hustle, which allowed me to sustain enough revenue once I left the agency job. I still do it now and it's a great extra job, allowing me to use my past experiences and help others develop their brand plans. I know the brand is strong and will continue growing but it obviously takes time so I didn't want to put all of my eggs in one basket from the beginning. You seem like you're very patient, which doesn't always come so easily to entrepreneurs. I think it's important to look at things like a sliding scale, not a light switch. Success won't come overnight. I heard this great quote that "people overestimate what they can do in a year but underestimate what they can do in ten years". Where you are now, consider it a stepping stone that's planting seeds to where you want to go. I know that if I'm intentional and become comfortable putting in the work, it might take two or three years to start seeing some real return but in ten years I'll be very happy about the work that I put in. Do you have a long term or ten year plan for the brand? I just want to continue to grow the brand bigger, while staying in my lane. I've never been clearer than I am now on what our products look like and what our 'brand filter' is, meaning how I think we should look and what we should be putting out. We're focusing on DTC growth now which I'm really starting to figure out and I think that I'm on the right path which is the most important thing to me. The DTC landscape is ever-changing. What are the most important thing to be thinking about these days when running an online business? This isn't new but the only way to really grow a huge business is by acquiring more customers, so that's where all of my focus is. You need to understand why someone might not buy from you and mitigate all of those barriers. For me, as a brand from New Zealand, it's improving shipping so that new customers can take a chance on the brand. I've worked to ensure I can offer fast-free shipping because I know my quality is good, and that if I can get my products into the hands of the "fashion-guy" of a friend group, they'll influence their ten friends and that's how everything will grow. So I just need to ensure the person landing on my page has no reason not to checkout. Besides the quality being top notch, what's your strategy for the product design and collection building? As you connect with new producers and learn new things around the product, I think it's easy to get overwhelmed. The truth is, you can build a multimillion dollar brand around just five or six styles ( a great shirt, a great pair of trousers, a great hat, etc). I've watched so many brands scale massively by perfecting certain styles and that's what I'm trying to do. That helps me ensure the quality, fit, and look are perfect. Taking inspiration from other trends and brands is ok but apply what works for you and make sure to stay in your lane. I'm also trying to remind myself to slow down and constantly iterate as opposed to pumping out a lot of product quickly. I'm constantly thinking about how I can make the product better, from the stitching to the materials, to the decoration. I'd say taking it slow is what is going to help us win. Love that! Slow and steady wins the race. Make sure to check out Porter James Sports for their newest drop on Monday, July 17th and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with creative entrepreneurs!

Outworking The Competition With Eric Chong of R&D As the city prepares for a big reopening, we got the chance to sit down with Eric Chong, winner of Master Chef Canada, co-host of Wok The World and owner of one of our favourite restaurants in Toronto, R&D. Eric's success started very young and he has quickly been making his ascent as one of the top chefs in Canada. While doors have been open and closed over the last two years, Eric has stayed very busy and had lots to talk about. From building a strong team, sharing some cooking secrets, giving his honest opinion on the restaurant industry and his craziest tales from the TV world, this conversation was full of gems. Read and listen below! A Family Affair "When we hire people, it's really about how they work with the team than their resume. We really build a family oriented staff. A resume is great but you really have to click with the team because we see each other more than we see our family and friends." "The only way to earn their respect, is to outwork them. I've been blessed but I've put in the work. Don't ever get complacent. Don't ever get comfortable because you'll only get to the top by pushing." All About Consistency "The hardest thing about a restaurant is consistency. If I were to cook you a dish and a cook who was just hired yesterday cooked you a dish, you shouldn't be able to tell the difference and that's a very difficult job to achieve. I have twelve scales in the restaurant...so that everything in the restaurant is exactly the same." Tips to enhance your wok game... Understand that the end result will be different at home and at the restaurant. An open flame is a must! Electric doesn't get hot enough. Make sure you get that wok smoke! Never burn your food by keeping things constantly moving. If you don't have high enough heat, you can use a cast iron. Eric's 5 Must Haves In The Kitchen MSG - Adds depth of Umami (one of the key flavour profiles). Eggs - Used in nearly everything! Rice Soup noodles - "I've been eating a ton of these. I'll make a big batch of stock and get fancy with my noodles!" Pasta - "My bolognese slaps [laughs]" Do people ever just pin you as the "Master Chef guy" and not look at all the other stuff that you're doing? There was a period in my career where I was a bit frustrated but it's what started me. It's good to have an identity. Like, I'm sure Daniel Radcliffe doesn't just want to be Harry Potter but it's better to be known for something than nothing at all. (Listen Above) "It's always a challenge to find new things to teach them [the staff]. What's beneficial at R&D is anyone who is in the back of house management role doesn't just learn how to cook...they actually learn how to manage a restaurant." What's the craziest thing that has ever happened to you on TV? (Listen Below) If you want to be a successful restauranteur, your job doesn't end when you clock out. If you're looking for a 9 to 5 job, this ain't it. If you're looking for a job where you have a good work-life balance, this ain't it. If you actually love cooking and love this industry, prove it! There's no excuse not to know how to make any dish at this point, but how to make it your own is the real challenge. Make sure to follow Eric on Instagram for news, tips and tricks to help step your kitchen game up, as well as R&D if you're ever in Toronto and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more out there.

2023 Recipient: Guests On Earth Introducing Guests On Earth, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2023! Who: Jackie Prince Where: Toronto, ON Instagram / Website Guests on Earth is counter-worthy home care that feels like self-care, and cares for the planet. The brand launched their first products in 2022, an All-Purpose Cleaner, Foaming Hand Soap and Waffle Cleaning Cloths with the vision to build and lead in a new category of Home and Planetary Wellness. In only a year and half, Guests On Earth has won numerous awards, generated thousands of new customers and is selling in over 20 retailers across Ontario. Guests On Earth was also recently certified a B Corporation, meaning it meets the highest standards of social and environmental impact and is dedicated to creating a positive effect on the world beyond financial gain. How will you use the $10,000 CAD for your business? The funding would go towards the production and marketing of our new product launch in Q1 of 2024. We have some really incredible ideas on how to effectively bring our new launch to life and the funds would enable us to enhance our production capabilities. With this launch, we hope to cover more touchpoints in our customers’ homes allowing them to live their best “clean” life. What is your big goal for the future of the business? Our big goal is to develop a robust hospitality strategy for the brand. We want to get our products into vacation rentals, yoga studios, and restaurants. These are spaces where customers can become aware of the brand while trying our product. It would be a new channel for us and will take time to learn and build. We are currently testing the market with sampling but hospitality could be an incredible catalyst for mass sustainable expansion in the years to come. Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2023 recipients here .

A Conversation With Julie Clark of Province Apothecary Julie Clark is the founder of Province Apothecary, a natural beauty company founded through her experiences crafting natural, organic beauty products out of her kitchen to help her own needs battling eczema and allergies. Julie's goal is to create pure, effective products that benefit even the most sensitive complexions so that you can feel beautiful in your skin. @julie.anne.clark // @provinceapothecary There are so many products/routines out there and skincare can sometimes seem intimidating. What are 5 tips you can give for those starting off in their skincare journey? Less is more. Begin with a simple 3 step routine of a) cleansing, b) toning/hydrating and c) moisturizing/nourishing so as to not get overwhelmed with too many products or steps. Set a time in the morning + evening that makes sense for YOU so you will follow through + be consistent with your new routine. Try not to rush through your routine, rather, make it a loving self-care ritual that you enjoy doing. Talk to an experienced Skin Therapist to learn about your particular skin needs so you get on the right track with products, ingredients & approach right from the start. Try to look for clean, simple ingredients. If you can’t pronounce them, they are probably harsh chemicals that aren’t good for your skin or body as a whole. Trust that healing & caring for skin is a process, not an event. It sometimes takes time to see results, but with a holistic approach, the results are lifelong. What is your skincare routine? Of course, I always use Province Apothecary products in my daily skincare routine. I always begin with cleansing with our Moisturizing Oil Cleanser & Makeup Remover , morning & evening (even if I don’t have makeup on) as it not only removes dirt, oil, makeup & impurities on the skin, it adds moisture and calms my sensitive and dry skin. I follow up my cleanse (both am & pm) with our Invigorating + Balancing Toner to hydrate + soothe my skin, while prepping it for the next step On damp skin from the toner, I massage my oil-based custom serum into my skin using our Natural Face Lift Massage Ritual, which deeply nourishes my skin with ingredients chosen especially for my specific skin concerns. I do this step morning + evening. Next up I do our Sculpting + Toning Facial Cup protocol, that smooths, plumps & evens out my skin tone. Lastly I seal in all this goodness with either our Nourishing + Revitalizing Moisturizer (summertime) or our Protecting + Restoring Face Balm (wintertime). An extra step if my eczema/sensitivity is in full force, I layer on the Healing Eczema Balm as a night treatment. You talk about diet & nutrition playing a part in healthy skin. What are 5 recipes/ingredients you’ve been having lately that can help with skincare? During the cold, dry winter months, making sure I get enough good fats is key to healthy & protected skin. Avocados, olive oil, nuts & seeds are all good sources. Salmon is rich in Vitamin D and healthy omegas which feed skin, hair & nails. Fruits high in Vitamin C such as kiwis, oranges, pineapples help hydrate skin cells and help skin to heal. Sweet potatoes are high in Vitamin A which benefit hair, skin and nails and contain more than 700% of your daily recommended intake. And last but definitely not least, Water. The best thing we can all do for healthy skin is to drink lots of water because the skin, and entire body require it to function properly. We love your blog segment “Women We Admire”. Besides those you’ve featured, who are 5 women you really admire these days? My Business Partner Natalie is constantly inspiring me, I am so lucky to work with her everyday! My mom and 2 sisters are really helping me get through this pandemic, thankful for text groups and video chats. They are always doing fun things and cooking delicious meals. What are 5 skincare/beauty products you can’t live without? Daily glow dry brush to support lymphatic drainage Dual Action Jade Roller to stimulate + smooth Sculpting + Toning Facial Cup set Nourishing oil serums-never enough oils! Healing Eczema Balm! This is how Province Apothecary all began! We hear the term “Natural Beauty” a lot these days. From the view of Province Apothecary, what are 5 important things everyone should know about natural beauty? Natural beauty is a glow that comes from within, but can be supported with the right natural skincare products & practices. Taking care of your Whole Self with proper nutrition, sleep/rest, hydration, exercise, being in nature and connecting with others ALL are important parts of achieving Natural Beauty. Natural Beauty is not forced or manipulated, but rather a loving and patient approach to supporting our bodies & our skin in a way that focuses more on acceptance and trust than trying to change something that was never wrong in the first place. Natural Beauty means being mindful & intentional about what we put on our skin and in our bodies, choosing things that are clean, healthy & good for not only US, but for Planet Earth as well. Natural Beauty means knowing yourself & your skin & trusting that IT knows how to find balance if you give it the right support.

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Store information about your preferences, allowing us to customize our Website according to your individual interests. Speed up your searches. Recognize you when you return to our Website. The technologies we use for this automatic data collection may include: Cookies (or browser cookies). A cookie is a small file placed on the hard drive of your computer. You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your browser. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our Website. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you direct your browser to our Website. Flash Cookies. Certain features of our Website may use local stored objects (or Flash cookies) to collect and store information about your preferences and navigation to, from, and on our Website. Flash cookies are not managed by the same browser settings that are used for browser cookies. For information about managing your privacy and security settings for Flash cookies, see Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information. Web Beacons. Pages of our Website and our e-mails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit the Company, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of certain website content and verifying system and server integrity). HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any personal information: To present our Website and its contents to you. To provide you with information, products, or services that you request from us. To fulfill the purposes for which you provided the information or that were described when it was collected, or any other purpose for which you provide it. To provide you with notices about your subscription, including expiration and renewal notices. To carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts with you, including for billing and collection or to comply with legal requirements. To notify you about changes to our Website or any products or services we offer or provide though it. To improve our Website, products or services, marketing, or customer relationships and experiences. To allow you to participate in interactive features, social media, or similar features on our Website. To measure or understand the effectiveness of the advertising we serve to you and others, and to deliver relevant advertising to you. In any other way we may describe when you provide the information. For any other purpose with your consent. We may also use your information to contact you about our own and third-parties’ goods and services that may be of interest to you, as permitted by law. If you do not want us to use your information in this way, please use the unsubscribe mechanism at the bottom of our e-mails. For more information, see Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information. DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION We may disclose aggregated information about our users, and information that does not identify any individual, without restriction. We may disclose personal information that we collect or you provide as described in this privacy policy: To our subsidiaries, affiliates and business partners To third parties to market their products or services to you if you have not opted out of these disclosures. For more information, see Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information. To contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business (such as analytics and search engine providers that assist us with Website improvement and optimization) and who are contractually obligated to keep personal information confidential, use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them, and to process the personal information with the same standards set out in this policy. For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information. With your consent. We may also disclose your personal information: To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request, in accordance with applicable law. To enforce or apply our terms of use and other agreements, including for billing and collection purposes. If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Company, our customers, or others. TRANSFERRING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION We may transfer personal information that we collect or that you provide as described in this policy to contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business (such as analytics and search engine providers that assist us with Website improvement and optimization) and who are contractually obligated to keep personal information confidential, use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them, and to process the personal information with the same standards set out in this policy. We currently process and store you personal information in Canada. In the future, however, we, or third parties to whom your personal information has been provided in accordance with this policy, may process, store, and transfer your personal information in and to a foreign country, with different privacy laws that may or may not be as comprehensive as Canadian law. In these circumstances, the governments, courts, law enforcement, or regulatory agencies of that country may be able to obtain access to your personal information through the laws of the foreign country. Whenever we engage a service provider, we require that its privacy and security standards adhere to this policy and applicable Canadian privacy legislation. You are welcome to contact us to obtain further information about Company policies regarding service providers outside of Canada. See Contact Information and Challenging Compliance. By submitting your personal information or engaging with the Website, you consent to this transfer, storage, or processing. CHOICES ABOUT HOW WE USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION We strive to provide you with choices regarding the personal information you provide to us. We have created mechanisms to provide you with the following control over your information: Tracking Technologies and Advertising. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. To learn how you can manage your Flash cookie settings, visit the Flash player settings page on Adobe’s website. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this Website may not be accessible or may not function properly. For more information about tracking technologies, see Information We Collect Through Cookies and Other Automatic Data Collection Technologies. Third-Party Advertising. If you do not want us to share your personal information with unaffiliated or non-agent third parties for promotional purposes, you can opt-out by using the unsubscribe mechanism in our emails or at the bottom of this page. Promotional Offers from the Company. If you have opted in to receive certain emails from us but no longer wish to have your email address used by the Company to promote our own or third parties’ products or services, you can opt-out by using the unsubscribe mechanism in our emails or at the bottom of this page. If we have sent you a promotional email, you may unsubscribe by clicking the unsubscribe link we have included in the email. This opt-out does not apply to information provided to the Company as part of a product purchase, warranty registration, product service experience, or other transactions. Targeted Advertising. If you do not want us to use information that we collect or that you provide to us to deliver advertisements according to our advertisers’ target-audience preferences, you can opt out by using the unsubscribe mechanism in our emails or at the bottom of this page. DATA SECURITY The security of your personal information is very important to us. We use physical, electronic, and administrative measures designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. We make the effort to train our employees and make them aware of the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of personal information. Our employees are required to maintain confidentiality and may not use the information for any unauthorized purpose. Only our employees with a business need to know, or whose duties reasonably so require, are granted access to your personal information. The safety and security of your information also depends on you. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password for access to certain parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone. Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the Internet is not completely secure. Although we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to our Website. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Website. DATA RETENTION Except as otherwise permitted or required by applicable law or regulation, we will retain your personal information indefinitely, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Under some circumstances we may anonymize your personal information so that it can no longer be associated with you. We reserve the right to use such anonymous and de-identified data for any legitimate business purpose without further notice to you or your consent. ACCESSING AND CORRECTING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION It is important that the personal information we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal information changes. By law you have the right to request access to and to correct the personal information that we hold about you. If you want to review, verify, correct, or withdraw consent to the use of your personal information you may also send us an email at community@pier-five.com to request access to, correct, or delete any personal information that you have provided to us. We may not accommodate a request to change information if we believe the change would violate any law or legal requirement or cause the information to be incorrect. We may request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and your right to access, and to provide you with the personal information that we hold about you or make your requested changes. Applicable law may allow or require us to refuse to provide you with access to some or all of the personal information that we hold about you, or we may have destroyed, erased, or made your personal information anonymous in accordance with our record retention obligations and practices. If we cannot provide you with access to your personal information, we will inform you of the reasons why, subject to any legal or regulatory restrictions. We will provide access to your personal information, subject to exceptions set out in applicable privacy legislation. Examples of such exceptions include: Information protected by solicitor-client privilege. Information that is part of a formal dispute resolution process. Information that is about another individual that would reveal their personal information or confidential commercial information. Information that is prohibitively expensive to provide. If you are concerned about our response or would like to correct the information provided, you may contact our team at community@pier-five.com . WITHDRAWING YOUR CONSENT Where you have provided your consent to the collection, use, and transfer of your personal information, you may have the legal right to withdraw your consent under certain circumstances. To withdraw your consent, if applicable, contact us at community@pier-five.com . Please note that if you withdraw your consent we may not be able to provide you with a particular product or service. We will explain the impact to you at the time to help you with your decision. CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY It is our policy to post any changes we make to our privacy policy on this page with a notice that the privacy policy has been updated on the Website home page. If we make material changes to how we treat our users’ personal information, we will notify you by email to the email address specified in your account and through a notice on the Website home page. We include the date the privacy policy was last revised at the top of the page. You are responsible for ensuring we have an up-to-date, active, and deliverable email address for you, and for periodically visiting our Website and this privacy policy to check for any changes. CONTACT INFORMATION AND CHALLENGING COMPLIANCE We welcome your questions, comments, and requests regarding this privacy policy and our privacy practices. Please contact us at: community@pier-five.com Attention: Pier Five Team We have procedures in place to receive and respond to complaints or inquiries about our handling of personal information, our compliance with this policy, and with applicable privacy laws. To discuss our compliance with this policy please contact community@pier-five.com using the contact information listed above.

About Us Pier Five is Canada's leading community platform for creative entrepreneurs and small business owners. Through custom content, bespoke events and funding programs, we've connected thousands of businesses and aspiring founders with the resources and relationships to turn their passions into their career. Pier Five is a platform meant to inspire. Born from a need for connection, Pier Five launched in 2020 as an interview platform during the pandemic, spotlighting creative thought leaders and sharing real-world insights to help the next generation turn creative passions into sustainable careers. Pier Five is a platform built to connect Today, Pier Five connects one of the largest communities of creatives, entrepreneurs, and small business owners in Canada and beyond. By combining insightful content, non-dilutive funding, and unforgettable experiences, we’re helping people build careers on their own terms and proving there’s no single path to success. We are always learning, together. Every conversation we have shapes how Pier Five grows. We’re constantly learning, listening, and exploring new ways to better support our community of creative entrepreneurs. Have a story to share or an idea for an event? Reach out anytime at community@pier-five.com or on social @pier.five . We’d love to connect and explore how we can build something together.

A Conversation With Cereal Artist Cereal Artist has made a name for herself with her impressive sneaker and streetwear inspired sculptures. Coming off of strong collaborations with Footlocker and the mecca of footwear brands, Nike, Cereal Artist is taking the design scene by storm and crafting some of the coolest, functional, pieces for the streets. @cerealartist As someone who has turned DIY into a career, what are 5 do's or don'ts when starting to "do-it-yourself"? Definitely start things off easy depending on your technical skills, whether its a simple silhouette or even just sewing straight lines until they're perfected. Don't copy others. Practice a lot and find different ways to make things work until you develop your own flair. Nobody gets it perfect on the first go so don't stress the errors too much. Don't spend too much money up front. Don't think too far ahead. Focus on your current progress and have fun! We love the sneaker-made bags and hats. What are 5 other garments you'd like to make out of sneakers next? It's not 5 but I've got 4 key categories I'm going to be working on. Clothing pieces Definitely some other accessories Wall art Art decor There's a lot to choose from but can you rank your top 5 creations you've ever made? Mc'Nike Set Jelly Dunk Shoe Bag Shoe Hat NikebyYou With all the creativity going around Instagram these days, who are 5 other DIY artists that you're into? @kevinconcepts @hoopfr3sh @miniswoosh @gunuw228 @danielarsham And last but not least, you've spoken out about the importance of mental health. With such a busy career, what are 5 steps you take to maintaining good mental health? Make sure to take time to rest. A good break is important! More work isn't always better. Don't force yourself to take jobs that don't feel right. Connect and socialize with other likeminded creators. Don't consume too much social media. Don't worry about others. Do things at your own pace.

July Guest Picks: Kicks with Mario LoConte of ThriftCon Guest: Mario LoConte , co-founder of ThriftCon 1. KidSuper x Puma Mirage Mox Forever Blue "Colm (KidSuper) is one of my good homies and one of the most genuine and creative people in fashion right now. I’ve copped at least one pair from all of his drops with Puma, but the Mirage Mox’s have seen the most wear for me. It’s not a shoe that I thought I would have gravitated to as I typically wear more toned down sneakers but this shit goes with everything in my closet [laughs]." 2. Nike SB x Carpet Company "These were one of the coolest SBs to drop this year in my opinion. I’m a sucker for small details and they really went all out on these. There are hidden hits and details everywhere. Every piece of the shoe was calculated and really thought about." 3. Jordan 4 ‘Oreos’ 1999 "These are one of the only pairs of Jordan’s that I own and wear. I pulled them out of the Goodwill bins for $2; no heel drag or anything. I couldn’t believe it. These aren’t the originals but the retro from 1999, so they still have some history to them and the quality of the leather is unmatched." 4. Spike Lee Dunks "This is another pair that I thrifted. I got these at the flea market in Denver so I call them my ‘Spike Fleas’ [laughs, also known as the poor man’s Chicago 1s. These virtually look like 1’s aside from the fat Nike hit on the heel (which I love) and they have that good wear on them, the type of shit people are trying to recreate now for the “weathered look”. 5. Madhappy x Vans "Madhappy just dropped these and they are too clean. The icy waffle sole instead of the typical gum was a crazy swap and the small embroidered details throughout and on the tongue with the hand embroidered feel are fire. I haven’t even gotten a chance to wear them yet and don’t know if I even want to because they look so nice deadstock!" Check out all of our guest picks for July here and stay tuned to Pier Five for more stories and interviews with the coolest people around.