CANADA POST - COMMERCIAL ACCOUNT RESEARCH NOTES
Account: Tailwind Traders (TWT)
Account number: CP-BA-0492817
Segment: Commercial - Mid-market manufacturing and dealer supply
Account executive: (you)
Sales manager: Lynne Robbins
Notes compiled: 2026-01-14
Classification: Internal - account team use only

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1. CUSTOMER PROFILE
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Tailwind Traders is a privately held outdoor-equipment manufacturer
supplying a national network of independent specialty retailers and
dealers. Founded 1998. Head office in Mississauga, Ontario.
Approximately 640 employees.

Distribution network (5 sites):
  Mississauga, ON  - primary hub, ~34% of parcel volume
  Laval, QC        - ~22%
  Calgary, AB      - ~18%
  Richmond, BC     - ~16%
  Moncton, NB      - ~10%

TWT shifted from pallet-only distribution to a mixed model in 2023,
adding direct-to-business parcel fulfilment for smaller reorders.
That change is the source of most of the parcel growth we are seeing.

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2. CURRENT CANADA POST RELATIONSHIP
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Agreement:        Commercial Parcel Agreement
Effective:        2024-04-01
Expires:          2027-03-31
Pricing review:   Annually each March
Current tier:     Volume Band 3 (240,000-320,000 parcels/year)
FY2025 volume:    304,090 parcels
FY2025 spend:     approximately $1.48M CAD
Services in use:  Expedited Parcel, Xpresspost, Flat Rate Box,
                  Return Services (partial - ON and QC only)
Not in use:       Delivery Guarantee, Advanced Tracking API,
                  Managed Account Reporting, Peak Season Planning

TWT is at the top of Volume Band 3. FY2025 volume of 304,090 puts
them 15,910 parcels below the Band 4 threshold (320,000). At current
growth they will cross it during Q2 FY2026.

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3. KEY CONTACTS
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Miriam Graham - VP Supply Chain
  Economic buyer. Signs at renewal. Cares about total landed cost
  and board-level reporting. Has asked twice for "one number I can
  take to the executive committee." Not yet met in person.

Nestor Wilke - Director, Distribution Operations
  Our champion. Day-to-day sponsor since 2024. Advocates internally
  but says he "cannot defend Calgary numbers" in his ops review.

Lidia Holloway - Procurement Manager
  Gatekeeper. Runs the March pricing review. Has requested a
  competitive benchmark for the last two cycles.

Isaiah Langer - Branch Manager, Calgary
  Detractor. Escalated three times in FY2025 about missed delivery
  windows. Has authority to route Calgary volume elsewhere and has
  already moved an estimated 30% of Western parcels to Northline
  Courier on a trial basis.

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4. INTERACTION HISTORY (last 12 months)
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2025-03-11  Annual pricing review. Held rates flat. Lidia asked
            for a competitor comparison; not provided.
2025-05-22  Quarterly service review with Nestor. Green across the
            board. Nestor raised Calgary informally, no action taken.
2025-07-29  ESCALATION. Nestor and Isaiah joined. July on-time
            delivery fell to 91.3% nationally and 86.7% in Calgary
            during the summer volume surge. Returns rate rose to
            7.2%. No root cause was provided to the customer.
2025-08-14  Follow-up call. Committed to a written service review.
            Not delivered.
2025-10-02  Nestor email: asked whether Canada Post offers
            "reporting we can actually use in a board pack."
2025-11-19  Isaiah confirmed a Northline trial for Western volume.
2025-12-08  Peak season check-in. Dec on-time 92.7%, below the 95%
            internal target for the second consecutive peak.
2026-01-09  Lidia email: March review will require a formal
            written proposal and a benchmark against alternatives.

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5. WHAT THE DATA SHOWS (FY2025)
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Growth:      Volume up 93% Jan to Dec (18,400 -> 35,480/month).
Unit cost:   Average cost per shipment fell $5.40 -> $4.94.
Reliability: On-time delivery averaged 94.5%, below TWT's stated
             95% supplier requirement. Two clear failures: July
             (91.3%) and December (92.7%).
Calgary:     Lowest on-time of any site every month of the year,
             ranging 86.7% to 92.1%. Highest returns rate and
             lowest satisfaction. This single site accounts for most
             of the national shortfall.
Satisfaction:Recovered to 4.6/5 in October, then fell to 4.2 in
             December.

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6. OPPORTUNITY SIGNALS
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- Volume Band 4 crossing in Q2 FY2026 creates a natural reason to
  reopen pricing before the March review rather than after it.
- Nestor has asked for reporting; Managed Account Reporting is an
  existing Canada Post service TWT does not currently buy.
- Return Services are live in ON and QC only. Extending to AB, BC,
  and NB is a straightforward expansion tied to a real pain point.
- Peak Season Planning addresses the Nov-Dec pattern directly and
  has two years of evidence behind it.

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7. RISKS AND UNKNOWNS (validate before proposing)
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- Northline trial scope, pricing, and end date are unconfirmed. The
  30% Western volume estimate came from Isaiah verbally, not data.
- Calgary root cause is not established. Could be linespace at the
  Calgary depot, TWT induction timing, or address quality. Do not
  assert a cause in customer-facing material.
- No confirmed budget for added services. Miriam has not been asked.
- TWT's 95% supplier requirement is referenced in Nestor's emails but
  we have never seen the contract clause. Treat as reported, not
  verified.
- FY2026 volume forecast is our extrapolation, not TWT guidance.
