(Vancouver, BC, Canada) – Popular women’s sportswear designer Linda Hipp announces that her company, LIJA, has been recognized as a Progressive Employer of Canada for offering flexibility, supportive leadership and progressive programs for working parents and their families.
The 2009 Progressive Employers List of Canada acknowledges a select and diverse group of companies – including IBM, Kraft Canada and RBC, in addition to LIJA – for leading change in the workplace. Created by Connect Moms, momcafe and Lisa Martin International (founder of the Briefcase Moms Program), the list’s selection criteria were designed and developed by working moms across the country via surveys and an open nomination process, rather than a closed executive judicial committee like many other employer lists.
“As a new mom myself, I understand how important it is for a workplace to offer parents the flexibility they need to be successful in their careers, while still making their families a top priority,” says Hipp. “We’re proud to be among the companies considered at the forefront of this movement, and will continue to search for new ways to help employees find the work-life balance that is right for them.”
LIJA offers its employees a supportive environment complete with a variety of services and benefits, including:
Personal / life balance coaching
Access to emergency childcare
Flex-time, part-time or contract positions
Gradual re-entry after maternity leave
Health benefits
The company’s Fall 2009 collections include golf, tennis and active apparel to inspire healthy, active lifestyles. Arriving this month in stores and online, the latest styles feature the line’s signature feminine silhouettes and chic accents. Inspired by art and literature from the 1920s-1950s, individual pieces are named for famous artists, design aesthetics, shoes and other period themes
LIJA is a staple in finer golf and sport specialty retailers across North America, including world-renowned resorts and clubs like Riviera, Kiawah Island, The Greenbrier and Winged Foot. The company’s clothing is worn by scores of women golf professionals worldwide, including LPGA Tour star Leta Lindley, the 2008 LIJA Tour Style Leaders Grand Prize winner.
For more information, call 888.263.1191 or visit www.lijastyle.com.
About LIJA
LIJA is a market leader in fashion-forward styles featuring feminine and comfortable silhouettes inspired by the fusion of sport, leisure and fashion. The brand’s distinctive excellence is driven by LIJA’s passion, commitment and dedication to creating innovative designs.
Having received significant recognition within and outside the golf industry, LIJA has achieved double digit sales growth every year. Further, LIJA recently began selling into the UK, Ireland, South Africa and United Arab Emirates markets.
Recent recognition for the company includes:
2009 PROFIT 100 Rankings of Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies
2009 The Hackers Paradise Golfer’s Choice Award – Best Ladies Apparel
2008 Executive of the Year – Score Golf Magazine
2008 PROFIT W100 Rankings of Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs
2008 PGA Magazine — Resort Top Seller
2008 PROFIT 100 Rankings of Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies
2007 “Business of the Year” — Richmond Chamber of Commerce
2007 PGA Magazine — Resort Top Seller
2007 PGA Magazine — Private Course Top Seller
2007 Best of Show Honors at PGA Show — Golfing Magazine
2007 PROFIT 100 Rankings of Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies
2006 PROFIT W100 Ranking of Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs
2006 Business in Vancouver “BC’s 50 Fastest-Growing Companies”
2005 Canadian Golf Company of the Year — Score Golf magazine
Individually, Hipp has been named 2008 “Canadian Executive of the Year” by Score Golf, honored as a grant recipient of the Matinee Fashion Foundation Award, which recognizes and funds select Canadian designers, and voted a “40 Under 40” winner by Business in Vancouver.
An avid and highly-skilled golfer, Hipp struggled to find on-course apparel that meshed with her off-course fashion sensibility. Recognizing a market opportunity — and the chance to combine her passions for fashion, golf and business — Hyp Golf was launched in July 1997. The company re-branded as LIJA in late 2004. Chiefly influenced by both European trends and West Coast style, Hipp has garnered a widespread reputation as one of North America’s hottest sportswear designers.
Contact:
Andrea Latta
Buffalo Communications
703.891.3383
alatta@billycaspergolf.com
