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WINNER BY FAITH
Profile of: Canard Tates CEO of Michael Edwards, Urban Classic Wear
Bringing the New York State of Mind to Pittsburgh
Monday, July 30, 2007  By Bonita Lee Penn, The Soul Pitt
Dr. Dennis Kimbro, a black millionaire entrepreneur, stated there is a common thread running through each successful entrepreneur, he further broke it down into four common chords*:
1) They dreamed big dreams, they had a dream, a passion, something they desperately wanted to accomplish in life.
2) They are inner directed vs. outer directed. Meaning they opt to take the lonely road. Differentiation is the key.
3) They dedicated themselves to life long learning. One of the qualities these entrepreneurs had in common, they always seek out new information. In other words, they re very particular whom they allow in their circle.
4) And last but not least, these men and women flat out refuse to fail. Failure was never a viable option for them.
One local Pittsburgh region entrepreneur has these four qualities, Canard Tates.
Canard is the gentleman and creative mind behind the Michael Edwards, Inc., Urban Classic Wear clothing line. With each success story, there s always a story behind it, and all of Canard s secrets to his successful business drive are kept in an old tennis shoe box, to think that is where it all began.
It was the Christmas of his ninth grade year in school, and Canard received from his parents (David and Doris) a Sasson Watch, a Sonny Crockett Miami Vice Jacket and a pair of Air Jordan's. These three items influenced his style and took his personal image to a heightened level. He grew from the regular student in the halls to the winner of the Best Dressed Award through out his high school years. This small gesture made such an impact on his life that to this day those Air Jordan's are kept away in their original box as a reminder of where it all began. Let's also gives props to his namesake and Uncle, Canard Grisby, who was a stylist dresser. His Uncle sensed the potential in his nephew and began to pass on his clothes onto him.
Canard is no longer the high school student strolling the halls of higher education in his Miami Vice jacket; he is now the CEO of Michael Edwards, Urban Classic Wear clothing line. I asked Canard what influenced his decision to leave a well paying, stable job at Federal Express and jump feet first in to unstable field of clothing design. "Well, I didn't want to look back on my life and have those should ve been, could've been regrets. I took a leap of faith seven years ago by resigning from my job and establishing my first business a silk screening company in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. This was the start of my journey and the first of my trials and tribulations in the business world." Canard said.
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