About us | The Pin People

Making high quality custom lapel pins since the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary

ABOUT THE PIN PEOPLE

OUR STORY

Our Story

The Pin People trace their beginnings back to founder Laurie Artiss, a sports editor, entrepreneur, and curling enthusiast.

Frustrated by the shortage of decent lapel pins available for curling clubs and bonspiels, Laurie decided to take matters into his own hands and before long had sourced out a facility that could produce high quality inexpensive pins, and The Pin People was born.

Since 1976 The Pin People have specialized in pin making. The vision of Laurie Artiss soared to Olympic heights in 1988 when he was able to convince the Canadian Olympic Association to let his team of dedicated artists design and produce the pins for the 1988 Winter Olympic Games.

Since then, The Pin People have provided official pins for the Olympic Games (including the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver) PanAmerican Games, and Canada Games, Invictus Games and also custom lapel pins for sports teams, curling clubs and events, businesses, Lions Clubs, cities and towns, and even weddings! Along the way they’ve made countless friends and created pins worn on lapels around the world.

Meet the Team

Administration, Designers and Marketing

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Jennifer

Graphic Desginer

Main Duties: graphic/pin designer
Favourite Event: Olympic Games
Activities: Loves playing board games and cards
Fun Fact: mother of twins
Favourite Food or Drink: shellfish & caramel apple martini

Frances

Graphic Designer

Main Duties: Graphic/Pin Designer
Favourite Event: Arctic Winter Games
Activities: Reading and gourmet food
Fun Fact: Harry Potter buff
Favourite Food or Drink: chocolate ice cream & tea

Jan

Administration

Main Duties: accounting & quoting
Favourite Event: when people pay on time
Activities: cooking and travelling
Fun Fact: Olympic Gold Medalist | Nagano 1998 – Curling
Favourite Food or Drink: Indian food & beer and clam

Kelly

Vice President & Senior Graphic Designer

Main Duties: watching the bottom line
Favourite Event: staff party
Activities: cooking & making lists
Fun Fact: loves fun facts
Favourite Food or Drink: Greek salad & diet soda

Barry

Vice President and General Sales Manager

Main Duties: sales
Favourite Event: Lions conventions
Activities: watching sports in his man-cave
Fun Fact: cat magnet
Favourite Food & Drink: hamburgers & Caesars

OUR HISTORY

The Man Who Started It All

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Laurie Artiss

Laurie Artiss’ name has been associated with curling in Saskatchewan since his arrival from Manitoba in 1965. Having first served as a sports writer with the Winnipeg Tribune and athletic director in Dauphin and Virden, Manitoba, Laurie then came to Regina as a sports writer with the Regina Leader-Post and a freelancer on a weekly television sports show.

Laurie began a curling supply business in 1970 and this close contact with the curling community led to him organizing the bid committee to get the 1973 Air Canada Silver Broom to Regina. The fantastic success of this event, with Laurie as general chairman, had a tremendous impact on curling in Saskatchewan. Not resting on his laurels, Artiss next served as the general chair for the 1986 Macdonald’s Brier in Regina in 1976 and the 1979 curling extravaganza celebrating seventy-five years of curling in Saskatchewan. He followed this up by serving as general chair for the 1983 Air Canada Silver Broom in its return engagement to Regina.

Artiss moved into the international curling scene in the mid-seventies serving as the Canadian delegate to the International Curling Federation (I.C.F.) in 1975. He was the I.C.F. chairman from 1982 to 1984, and from 1981 to 1984 acted as chairman of the Public Relations and Television Committee of the I.C.F.

The 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic provided a unique opportunity for Laurie and his company when they were selected as the official pin supplier for the Games. Interestingly, curling was a demonstration sport at this event.

Many honours have come Laurie Artiss’ way. The Saskatchewan Sales and Marketing Club selected him as “Man of the Year” in 1973 for his promotion successes with the Silver Broom of that year, and he captured two “Scotty” Harper Awards (1974 and 1984) from the Saskatchewan Curling Association. The Saskatchewan Curling Association named him the winner of the “Scotty Richardson” Memorial Award in 1979 and he was one of the inaugural inductees into the Regina Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2004, he received the Ray Kingsmith Award from the Canadian Curling Association for his volunteer efforts within the curling community.