Zechariah Thomas, 21, founded Swift Hockey, an NHL-certified hockey stick firm based in Oshawa, Ontario. The company produces affordable sticks for those who cannot purchase them from other companies.
According to CBC Canada, Thomas spent his childhood playing hockey. He began playing at the age of ten and competed in the Ontario Junior Hockey League in his late teens. As a result, he understood how the expense of a hockey stick concerned parents who couldn’t afford to acquire or replace one for their children.
While his parents could provide him with a hockey stick, others were less fortunate due to the exorbitant expense of the sticks. When his sticks broke, he would often help out by giving them to teammates.
This influenced him to start Swift Hockey in order to make hockey more accessible and cheap to individuals, particularly those in Black neighborhoods. He launched Swift Hockey with $100,000 gained from an e-commerce business he started when he was 18.
Thomas was initially hesitant to announce his involvement with the company owing to prejudice in the hockey industry. He was unsure how people would react to a young Black man playing a significant role in a white-dominated sector.
“It’s difficult to start a business,” Thomas told CBC Canada. “Especially a hockey-related business—at this scale—being a black entrepreneur selling to people who may not accept black people in the sport yet,” Thomas went on to say.
Nonetheless, his modest crew, which includes several current and former athletes, has been with him since he founded the company in 2022. The ex-players, as well as others who double as business partners, were aware of Thomas’ qualms about publicizing Swift’s status as a black-owned corporation.
Despite his initial reservations, Thomas was forced to emerge as the guy behind the brand after appearing on a program of Dragons’ Den in September 2023 to pitch his idea.
“It was really hard, honestly,” Thomas remarked. “This was a business I never wanted to put my face on; I was really scared that I wouldn’t be a business—II wouldn’t be able to sell hockey sticks if people knew it was a black-owned company in the hockey industry.”
On the other hand, hockey players, particularly black hockey players who adored the brand, inundated him with love and support following his episode.
This finally led to a deal with fellow Jamaican Wes Hall. However, Thomas stated that money is not his primary interest in his firm.
“In our business, it’s not all about the money. “It’s not about making a million dollars,” Thomas explained. “I really want to change the industry as it was something I was also affected by growing up.”
Thomas’ company currently has a contract with Team Jamaica that was signed in the summer of 2023; he provides the Jamaican national team with hockey sticks and apparel.