Alicia Woods appointed general manager at Marcotte Mining

Alicia Woods, general manager of Marcotte Mining. — Photo courtesy Alicia Woods

The night before he was to assume his new position as general manager of Marcotte Mining—an underground mining equipment company his father and brothers founded in the 1970s—Paul Marcotte, who was just a couple of months shy of his 37th birthday, was killed in a tragic snowmobiling accident. That was in 1992.

Paul’s daughter, Alicia, was just 13 years old at the time. When Marcotte Mining was sold to the Timberland Group a few years later, Alicia, who had grown up around the business and always assumed she would work there one day, figured her connection to the company was over. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

Not only did Alicia, now Alicia Woods, wind up working for Marcotte from 2000 to 2008, but in October 2015 she was appointed general manager of the company. What could make the moment sweeter? She was on the cusp of turning 37—exactly the same age her father was when he was appointed to that role.

“It’s a very personal decision to come back after eight years,” Woods said. “I want to lead the company in the direction my father and grandfather were leading it. I feel as if it’s my turn to pick up where my father left off.”

For Woods, that means helping Marcotte regain its position in the industry as an innovator. Her top priority is to review the company’s existing product line, some of which hasn’t been updated since the 1980s, and then refocus on research and development, diversification and after-market service. Although it’s a tough time to be involved in any mining-related business right now due to low commodity prices, Woods is undaunted.

“We’re looking at it as an opportunity to regroup and be ready for when the market does pick up again,” she said.

Woods is no stranger to innovation. Last year, she appeared on the popular Canadian TV show Dragon’s Den, seeking investment in a new product she had developed called Covergalls, a line of coveralls designed specifically for women. Like all great innovations, Covergalls was inspired by necessity.

Prior to her first foray underground approximately 15 years ago, Woods went shopping for coveralls and other safety equipment, but she didn’t find anything designed specifically for women. Not only were the coveralls big and bulky, which posed a safety hazard, but when it came time to use the restroom, well, let’s just say things got a little awkward.

“During my first trip underground," said Woods, "I asked one of the miners if there was a bathroom I could use. He just laughed and pointed to the end of the drift.”

For the next 10 years, whenever she was underground, Woods made sure not to drink anything before or during her trip. Then in 2012 she went underground in a potash mine in Saskatchewan. It was dry and dusty, and she consumed three bottles of water during the trip. When it was time to go topside, she discovered the elevator was down for maintenance and she would be stuck underground for the next three hours. Eventually she was forced to use the facilities.

“It was disgusting,” she said, recalling the event. “The port-a-potty was filthy, and I had to take everything off. After that, I vowed I’d never wear coveralls again.”

Other women in mining laugh when Woods tells the story, because they’ve been there before. Rather than resign herself to such embarrassing and uncomfortable situations, though, Woods went to work designing a product that would ensure it never happened again. The result was Covergalls, a line of coveralls designed to fit and provide unique functionality for women, including a rear opening to “improve the toilet use experience,” as the company’s website puts it.

“After showing the prototype to a few women," Woods said, "their first question was, where can I get mine?”

Realizing she had stumbled upon an untapped market, Woods put her prototype into production. After securing financing from three partners on Dragon’s Den, she has since gone out on her own, and the response has been tremendous.

“Covergalls are worn by women in aviation, mining, oil and gas, forestry and landscaping," Woods said. "We’ve also expanded our product line to include shirts, pants and gloves, and we’re currently working on a camouflage version for hunters.”

While Woods enjoys developing Covergalls on her own time, the opportunity to fill her father’s shoes is still priority number one. “Growing up, I watched my father and I always aspired to be like him,” she said. “When he passed away, I thought that option was gone. I never thought I’d have the opportunity. But the fact it happened now, at this age, I take it as a sign it was meant to be.”

Drilling down

NameAlicia WoodsCompanyMarcotte MiningMust readsThe Dragon’s Den Guide to Assessing Your Business Concept. Woods used the book to help prepare for her appearance on the show. “Everybody has ideas,” she said, “but can you actually make a business out of those ideas?” That’s the question this book helped her answer.Greatest career momentThe first fleet order she ever received when she was working for capital sales at Marcotte, a multi-million dollar deal to Goldcorp for their Red Lake mine.Quotable“You have two choices: you can either build someone else’s dream or you can build your own.” Woods saw the saying on a cardboard sign a man was holding while panhandling in a Toronto subway station.