About Us

The Canvas Company was founded in 2008 by Becky Pattinson and Mike McWilliams, two lifelong sailing enthusiasts with decades of marine industry experience between them.

Becky grew up on Interlochen’s Green Lake, waterskiing and sailing Northern Michigan as well as the west coast of Florida. A University of Michigan graduate, she is a professional licensed engineer with 20+ years experience, in addition to spending many summers as diving instructor, crew, galley maid, or deckhand.

Mike was active in sailboat racing for 35 years around Texas and later Hawaii and Florida. After graduating from the University of Texas, he spent 14 years pursuing a banking career before embarking on several long-distance ocean crossings and eventually moving to Hawaii to learn sail making at Shore Sails. In 2000, after a stop at the Key West sail loft, he became service manager at North Sails in Fort Lauderdale, specializing in superyachts and servicing the active winter regatta circuit.

Meanwhile, Becky had moved on from her career in engineering and begun working for Geslin Sails in Key West. In 2003, Becky and Mike both found themselves working at Key West Race Week, and history was made! The two went back to Fort Lauderdale and Becky started up Florida Canvas inside the North Sails loft.

By 2008, Green Lake was calling Becky home, and she and Mike moved to Interlochen to found The Canvas Company. Today they employ a burgeoning team of seven, working out of a brand new 6,700-square-foot facility.