Nothing says Canada like a Roots sweatshirt with the iconic beaver logo printed on the front. The two young American lads who started this company found their inspiration in their summer visits to Camp Tamakwa in Algonquin Park. Their first product was not, however, a sweatshirt, but rather those wildly cool “negative heel shoes” that we all wore in the ’70s.  In 1973, Michael Budman and Don Green partnered with the Boa Shoe Company to create and produce the famous footwear, thereby attaching Canadians to their “Roots” so to speak. The boys fell in love and married Canadian girls, moved to Toronto, and their company grew to where it is today. Their clothing lines have been put on Olympic athletes, international superstars, and just plain everyday folk. It is kind of funny that it took a couple of young American Boys to fall in love with Canada, and then sell it to the world.  Thanks Don and Michael – you are honourary Canadians (and I spelled honourary with a u).