June - The Wellington Advertiser

MINDING OUR
CENTRE WELLINGTON
VOLUME 1 ISSUE 6
James
Russell
& Sons
June 2008
PUBLISHED IN COOPERATION WITH THE WELLINGTON ADVERTISER
MILE STONES
Ribbon Cutting Photos by Sherry Clarke
for Minding Our Business
May 1 was the Ribbon Cutting ceremony
for Sante Natural Emporium, located at 102
Metcalfe St, Elora. Congratulations to
Stephanie Toohill and Andrea Botell.
519-846-9977.
May 6 – A new tourism destination guide piece, entitled
‘Recipes to Experience Elora & Fergus” –‘Your complete
guide to Accommodations, Restaurants, Attractions,
Festival and Events and The Arts’ was launched May 6 at
The Drew House. The 52 page promo guide book is aimed
to the upscale market. Designed and produced by Garrett
Klassen, approximately 70 state holders, who contributed
to the cost of the guide, are featured. This beautiful and
informative piece is available at the Elora and Fergus
Information Centres.Visit www.RecipesToExperience.com
May 16, Ribbon Cutting ceremony was
held at D’s Sports Bar and Grill, 120 St
Andrew St. W., Fergus. Big screen TVs and
delicious food made from ‘scratch’ on site.
Best Wishes to Diana Talpas and her
father Traian.
May 27, Ribbon Cutting ceremony for
Fraberts Fresh Food, located in the Fergus
Market Place, 105 Queen St W, Unit 3,
Fergus. Owners Jackie Fraser and Derek
Roberts, specialize in quality local food,
fresh local produce, meats and cheese and
ready
meat
meals.
Visit
www.frabertsfresshfood.com
MINDING OUR
BUSINESS
is mailed to all registered businesses in Centre Wellington.
Not registered as a business with Canada Post? Misplaced your copy?
Pick up a copy of Minding Our Business at:
Centre Wellington Chamber of Commerce, The Wellington Advertiser, Fergus BIA,
Elora BIA, Wellington-Waterloo Futures Development Corporation
PAGE 2 | June 08
New Info
Announcement: Sublime Flowers &
Décor, 215 St Andrew St W Fergus, have
launched their “Eco-Points Rewards Program” and their new Corporate account
plans. For information call 519-843-1560
New Location
Upper Grand Family
Health Team have, moved, to 753 Tower
Street South, (old Shoppers Drug Mart)
Fergus. The health professionals work
closely with the Family Heath Organization family physicians in Fergus, Elora and
Arthur to expand primary health care.
This is NOT a walk-in-clinic. For information visit www.uppergrandfht.org
New Owner and Name Change: International Pump Technology has a new name
and new owner. John Ortt, former
owner retired earlier this year. Scott
Braid is the new owner of Interpump
Supply Ltd., 580 Gartshore St, Fergus.
Welcome Scott! Happy Retirement
John!
New Name
: Elora Computer Service has
changed their business name to Planet
CPU. The business is located at16 Mill St.
East, Elora. 519-846-0850.
If your business or organization is
marking a MILESTONE
please forward your information to
[email protected]
about
THIS
ISSUE
MINDING OUR
BUSINESS
Minding Our Business is a business magazine
focusing on items of interest to commercial,
retail, industrial and service businesses in
Centre Wellington.
2
James Russell
& Sons
The closing of
James Russell
& Sons marks the
end of an era.
A family owned
business that has
graced the core
of downtown
Fergus, will close the
doors this month.
Thank you James
Russell & Sons for
120 years.
Openings | Awards | Moves
4
5
ELORA BIA
The Village
6
SMALL BUSINESS
RESEARCH BOARD
The Cost of Fuel
7
THE WATER COOLER
“The Agony & The Ecstasy”
general policy
contact
FERGUS BIA
True Value of BIA Dollars
8
Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of
typographical error, that portion of the advertising space
occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable
allowance for the signatures, will not be charged for, but the
balance of the advertisements will be paid for at the
applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error
advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or
services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell,
and may be withdrawn at any time. Persons wishing
information regarding circulation, rates and additional service
are invited to contact our office for further details. The
publisher accepts responsibility for claims and honors
agreements made by himself or by regular staff on his behalf.
No responsibility is accepted for actions by person(s) not in
the employ of the paper, or otherwise over whom the
Publisher has no control. All Advertising accepted is done so in
good faith. The Publisher maintains the right to approve or
reject advertising and articles submitted for publication.
MILESTONES
JAMES RUSSELL & SONS
THE CHAMBER PAGES
10
11
Drug Cost vs Wellness
12
Seasonal Help
Chamber Events
13
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
In Achievement, Carly O’Brien
On the Web, Nardo Kuitert
Jefferson Elora Corporation
15
CONTACT LISTING
BUSINESS DIRECTORY
MINDING OUR
BUSINESS
Box 252, Fergus, Ontario
N1M 2W8
519-843-5410 telephone
519-843-7607 facsimile
June 08 | PAGE 3
Fergus BIA
TRUE VALUE
The True Value Of BIA Dollars
By Julia Tyndale-Biscoe
You may not have considered what a
wonderful economic tool BIA dollars
are for our community before. They
keep our hard earned dollars in our
hands rather than those in other towns.
The community as a whole benefits from
this “thinking local first” philosophy.
Julia Tyndale-Biscoe
In addition, BIA dollars offer tremendous
choice to the bearer.
With
approximately 180 businesses within the
Fergus BIA area, one can pretty much do,
or find, whatever is wanted.
Realtors may be interested in purchasing
BIA dollars for their clients. They benefit
the newcomer to our town by
acquainting them with all Fergus has to
offer and it strengthens our downtown
business relationships.
BIA dollars make excellent employee
appreciation gifts, retirement gifts or
graduation gifts. We all have people on
our lists that are a challenge to buy for
– but with BIA dollars, the only challenge
will be the bearer trying to decide what
he wants to do with his money most!
When BIA dollars are purchased, they
come nicely presented in a gift card with
a directory of all the downtown
businesses and where they are located.
They are available for sale at The BIA
office by calling 519 787-1384 or by emailing [email protected]. They are
accepted, as cash would be, by
downtown businesses.
PAGE 4 | June 08
BIA NEWS: The BIA hired Garrett
Klassen of Crunch Communications, Inc.
to redesign our website. We are
delighted to be launching this new site
on June 24th with a special evening all
BIA members are encouraged to attend.
This innovative new site will offer
members
valuable
promotional
opportunities. A prospective client can
click on a business and a link will take
them directly to the businesses own
page. The business owner has complete
control over what information they
decide to put there and when to make
changes to it. At the website launching,
Garrett Klassen will be on-site to
provide BIA members with an
educational overview.
Garrett will
ensure that I have the training necessary
to help our businesses get the most
from the site. Members will be given
details via e-mail of the launch.
THE VILLAGE
In May 1979 I opened the Desert Rose
Cafe in the beautiful village of Elora. And
even though Elora has grown
inordinately, its heart will always remain
a village. Over the years though, some
issues have remained a constant.
Parking, truck traffic, on/again, off/again
problems with the Victoria St. walking
bridge and inconsistent store hours.
When I opened in 1979 all shops that
were primarily tourist related were
centralized on Mill St. West. The Elora
BIA was created in 1992 to co-ordinate
efforts of the business community.
The Central Business District (CBD) has
continued to expand despite major
street construction, losing the walking
bridge, down-turns in the economy,
SARS and rising gas prices. As an initial
step to consolidate the CBD in 2007, the
BIA executive decided to ask the
Council to expand the BIA boundaries.
Elora BIA
streets. We are working on a "customer
preferred parking" map. We are also
strongly encouraging business owners
and their staff to park in municipal lots
and leave the more convenient places
for customers during peak shopping
hours. Customers will not stop and
shop if they cannot find an easy place to
park.
There are many buildings in downtown
Elora with absolutely no tenant parking.
If we do not resolve this issue a.s.a.p. it
will be out of control once the Dalby
House has been converted into a
medical complex. This will be an added
burden to an already very tight parking
situation so that even the elderly and ill
will not have easy access to their
physicians.
Resa Lent
Resa Lent
Elora BIA Chairperson
It has been a very complicated and long
process but finally the initial
presentation to Council by the Clerk
has been done. We are aware that the
initial draft of the report has a number
of businesses missing but the document
will go ahead as presented and all
businesses within the designated area
will automatically be included when it is
passed. It has been an enormous
amount of work and we thank Marion
Morris and Wes Snarr for their diligence
in doing so.
The other single most important issue
for us is parking. Along with the benefits
of growth goes the added increase of
parked cars on already over-crowded
Join
the Food Bank
in delivering our service.
we require donations year round!
Interested in helping organize a Fund Raising
or a Food Drive?
Please call the Food Bank 519-787-1401
The Food Bank accepts fresh produce!
Contact the Food Bank for details.
170 St. Andrew St. E. Fergus | N1M 2W8
519-787-1401 email: [email protected]
www.cwfoodbank.org
June 08 | PAGE 5
SMALL BUSINESS
RESEARCH
BOARD
Are you a student
with a great idea
for a summer
business but
need some funding?
The Wellington-Waterloo CFDC
has set aside funds for
young entrepreneurs that have good
business ideas. We are delighted to
provide the following services to
our community:
• Business advice, consulting,
information and referrals
• Help with business plans
• Entrepreneurial training
• Information on relevant
federal and provincial programs and
services
• Small business startup loans
If you or someone you know is
looking for a little guidance, support
or just a second opinion give us a
call or drop in to visit.
519 846-9839.
www.wwcfdc.com
PAGE 6 | June 08
THE COST OF FUEL
Contact:Jennifer Cumbee
Small Business Research Board
Phone: (847) 495-6786
E-Mail: [email protected]
The Small Business Research Board
(SBRB) reported today that businesses
are raising prices in response to increased fuel costs. Fuel costs and economic conditions were the greatest
concern of small business owners and
managers in Canada during the first
quarter of 2008.
Of the respondents to the quarterly poll,
completed in conjunction with Integrated Business Analysis (IBA) based
here, 64% said they have raised prices in
response to the increase in fuel costs.
For those businesses adjusting to an increase in fuel prices, 53% have reduced
other business costs and 45% have reduced business travel.
Economic conditions were cited as the
single most significant issue during the
first quarter, with 28% of the participants
indicating that it was their most problematic concern. Taxes were the second
most significant issue with 11% of the responses.
Finding quality employees ranked third
in the concerns owners and managers
have regarding the greatest impacts on
their businesses. Cost of materials and
energy/fuel cost concerns finished fifth
among the poll.
The current Canadian Small Business
Confidence Index (SBCI) for the first
quarter of 2008 is 37.33. The SBRB originally established a Canadian SBCI in the
second quarter of 2007. The initial index
of 44 denotes opinions and projections
about business confidence. The strength
of the economy, revenues and hiring
looking forward 12 months are the
three key ingredients to determining the
SBCI and providing the basis for these
quarterly and annual comparisons.
The universe of participants is developed from among small businesses
across Canada. The SBRB study is a voluntary survey conducted via direct telephone contact.
"While the Canadian SBCI is at 37.33, it
is slightly higher than the 36.67 registered in the previous quarter," said
Gregg M. Steinberg, President of IBA. "It
is clear that the impact of increased fuel
costs, coupled with economic conditions, continue to have a major impact
on the outlook for small- and mediumsize businesses throughout Canada."
Based on the responses, 72% of business
owners and managers in Canada expect
no change to or a worse economy in the
next 12 months. Only 28% believe the
outlook for the general economy will be
better.
The Small Business Research Board ascertains and reports the opinions of
small business owners and managers on
a wide variety of topics related to their
own businesses as well as national and
international issues that may impact
their operations. The SBRB conducts
these studies for the benefit of small
business owners and managers. The
SBRB also provides opportunities for
third parties to gain real time insight into
the attitudes of small businesses nationwide through the independently conducted research.
The SBRB, based in Buffalo Grove, Ill., has
conducted similar quarterly studies in
the U.S. since 2004. The latest information about the Small Business Research
Board
can
be
found
at
www.ipasbrb.com.
Integrated Business Analysis, Inc. (IBA),
along with affiliate companies, is the
largest privately-held provider of management consulting services to smalland medium-size businesses in North
America. The more than 1,800 professionals in North America offer a wide
range of proven and innovative methodologies to help businesses grow and
prosper regardless of the economic
cycle. IBA either provides directly, or
through its affiliated companies, a comprehensive array of business advisory
services, tax and estate planning services
or merger, acquisition and other financial advisory services in Canada and the
United States.
THE WATER COOLER
Often people “talk shop” at the water cooler. If you would like to voice your insight
or raise a question for debate, or comment on survey results we invite you to use
THE WATER COOLER c/o MINDING OUR BUSINESS
[email protected]
THE YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A NEW BUSINESS
“THE AGONY & THE ECSTASY”
Having reached my first anniversary I took a moment to reflect on the past year. What
events stood out the most? What mistakes had I made? What had I learned? The
agony associated with starting any new business always includes the long drawn out
planning, financing, and inevitable praying. And so it begins ... find a place, renovate,
survive the construction nightmare, fine tune your ideas, buy stuff, plan stuff and so on.
Then one sunny day in the spring there is silence, the tradesmen have gone and it’s
finished. Your own piece of heaven, your life long dream has become a reality. Time to
open those doors and let the outside world fall in to your creation ah! Ecstasy!
I had taken a leap of faith. To be part of the Fergus downtown core because I still
believed that somewhere out there people still wanted homemade fresh food and
individual service but I knew along with all my neighboring businesses I was up against
the chains and big box establishments.
Then comes the question of your mental stability, the sleepless nights and the
realizations that it is sink or swim time. Am I crazy can I do this? Will anyone come?
But come they do and they are friendly and happy and supportive. Then disaster
strikes. Half of the street is consumed or damaged by fire. But spring turns to summer
and even though half the downtown core is missing there are good times, ecstasy.
Summer drifts into fall and suddenly into the worst winter in thirty years!! All those
cold winter days staring out the front window looking at a deserted main street
glancing over at the butcher knives that began to look more like a way out than a
kitchen tool. Agony.
THE
WATER
COOLER
sponsored by:
After several months of riding the emotional roller coaster I came to the conclusion
that whatever mistakes I had made I learned from them and that looking back would
not help my business evolve into what I know it can become. Many times I have
questioned why I chose a downtown location rather than running up the hill to play
along side the big stores. The reality is each time a customer leaves happy, each time
they return and bring a friend, each time they say how much they enjoy the experience,
it renews my faith in what I am doing. Will downtown Fergus survive? It’s anyone’s
guess. But I would encourage everyone to hold on to what makes it special. The
uniqueness of its stores and the best service in town.
The NOOK Cafe
Janice Broadbent
The Drinking Water People
509 Dickson Drive, Box 69
Fergus, Ontario
N1M 2W7
TEL: (519) 843-4469
FAX: (519) 843-4987
June 08 | PAGE 7
THE END OF AN ERA - JAMES RUSSELL AND SONS
BY DAVID MEYER
JAMES RUSSELL
AND SONS
CLOSE THE
DOORS AFTER
YEARS OF
RETAILING
When Doug Russell retires from his downtown stone store
clothing business at the end of June, it will mark the end of a
family retailing era in the Scottish town.
And during that time, the family has seen a large number of
trends in business, and nowhere was that more evident than
in the changing product line of the store itself.
Doug Russell is a fourth generation merchant in Fergus, and
the third to run James Russell and Sons. “My greatgrandfather was … a saddler,” Russell said. His grandfather,
also named James, started the store in 1888. His uncle, James
(Monro) became a partner after World War I. Then Russell’s
father, formally named Alexander Norman, but known to
most people as Sandy, came into the business in 1933.
Russell’s started as a general store, carrying everything from
groceries and fabric by the yard to kerosene. Much of the
goods came in and went out in bulk. By the 1920s it was still
offering the same types of goods, but in more quantities.Then
people started buying “ready made” goods.
“It got to a point we carried china, draperies, floor coverings,
PAGE 8 | june 08
wall paper, paint, table linens and bedding, and bath towels,” he
said. At one point, Russells offered toys..
Russell said the store’s owners had to be flexible. “It always
evolved into something different. It always depended on who
was there [running it.] My grandfather wholesaled; my dad
cut that out.
“There were always other stores,” in competition, too, many
of them right in downtown Fergus, Russell said.
He remember the store once carried expensive fur coats.
Russell himself moved into the family business full time in
1972-73.
He said over the years he saw that retailers have to adopt to
changing trends, and that is even more true today than it was
then. “Now, they are more significant than they were then.”
He said that in today’s retailing world, people tend to follow
brands more closely than they once did “so individual
businesses have to concentrate on quality brands.
As for the clothing business, he noted “Most young people
tend to follow the trends and the fads. Then, they go on to
more classic items. Some will buy a brand for a lifetime.”
But even over those lifetimes of loyalty, Doug Russell has
noted changes in Fergus’ retailing district. The move in the
1990s to have another retail district at the south end of town
appears to have caused major changes in the town’s
downtown core.
Russell said, “You’ve gone from having a main street that was
once considered totally retail – now it’s more of a mix of
service and retail.” That includes such things as hairdressers
and barbers, and financial services offices instead of just
merchandising.
“It’s changing times; changing times and politicians go against
the main street. Politicians are always willing to jump in and
create more commercial space so they can make more tax
dollars and they do it at the expense of commercial space
that is already existing.”
He said, for example, when the south end of Fergus was
developed, it changed traffic patterns. And when you do stuff
like that … ”
“You take a look at the south end. There’s no more grocery
stores downtown. Canadian Tire moved there, there’s no
hardware store downtown. There used to be three drug
stores downtown:” he said, noting that now there is only one
small independent left after Shoppers moved to the south
end.
“Zellers came to town; the $5 to $1 store disappeared.”
But, Russell said, just because things have now changed and
the focus shifted from the downtown does not mean that is
permanent.
“I think there’s a revolution, where things go full circle,” he
said, explaining that people change their shopping habits, and
also train their kids to shop. These days, they head to malls
and big box stores, Russell said, predicting that after a while,
they might tire of that and start heading downtown again.
He said the old Fergus Market was a treasure, but allowing
Sunday shopping “killed it. It was good for downtown;
downtown was good for it.”
He has noted though, that the grocery store at the south end
of town, Zehr’s, has started to sell much more than just
groceries. It is getting into such things as furniture and some
types of clothing and hardware. In fact, it seems to be selling
goods as variable as the Russell’s stores did over the
generations.
“Stuff people needed.”
June 08 | PAGE 9
the
chamber
OF COMMERCE
DRUG COST
VS WELLNESS
BY BARNEY TRACEY
Canadians continue to spend vast sums
on prescription drugs, and a report
recently released by ESI Canada delved
into some of the factors affecting this
aspect of healthcare spending. ESI
Canada is one of the companies that
supplies drug cards to the public through
various insurers and plan providers. First
is the increase in what are called highcost claimants – those spending more
than $5,000 a year on prescriptions.
While they represented only one per
cent of claimants in 2006, they
accounted for 19.4 per cent of the
expenses. 2007 figures showed an
increase to one and a half per cent of
claimants who accounted for almost a
quarter of the “drug spend”.
MINDING OUR
BUSINESS
Sherry
Clarke
DISPLAY
AD SALES
519.843.5410
[email protected]
905 Gartshore St., Fergus
PAGE 10 | June 08
Between 2006 and 2007 the ingredient
cost of the average prescription
increased by $1.73 to almost $50 while
the average dispensing fee allowable
increased to $8.38.
Utilization continues to increase as the
number of prescriptions per person
rises, having risen 30 per cent since the
start of this decade. This is due to the
aging population as well as spillover from
the
marketing
done
by
the
pharmaceutical companies in the US.
Interestingly a recent study by two York
University professors showed that USbased drug companies spend twice as
much on marketing and promotions as
they did on research and development
(does that really shock you?).
Six possible ways to reduce the costs of
a company-paid drug plan outlined in the
report include the coordination of
benefits, whereby if an employee and
his/her spouse both have plans, then this
process
ensures
the
spouse’s
prescriptions are paid for by their plan.
This also has been called “positive
enrollment”.
Another
premium
reduction strategy is to have the plan
members pay something toward the
cost of the prescription – a co-pay or
co-insurance factor. Each of these can
reduce costs by ten per cent or more.
Capping the dispensing fee paid by the
plan can also reduce costs and make the
employees smart shoppers, particularly
when it comes to filling prescriptions for
maintenance drugs.
A more altruistic way to reduce the cost
of drug plans is to foster good health in
the employee population. Wellness
programs that help employees quit
smoking, or lose weight will both reduce
expenses on the drug plan, and also
reduce absenteeism caused by illnesses
related to these health impairment
factors. Absenteeism costs Canadian
businesses $12 billion annually, so figure
out your share of that and see what a
wellness program could do for you.
CARLY
O’BRIEN
cobrien@
theachievement
centre.com
GROWING YOUR HARVEST
What are you doing to grow intelligently?
Growing your business~ intelligently is
our tag line. Business success, as well as
personal success is often associated with
growth. Doing that intelligently means
leveraging available resources, including
people, to accomplish your goals. Let’s
suppose your goal was to be known as
having the tallest people in your industry.
There are two ways to accomplish this,
both start with hiring only tall people for
new positions while either;
1. Replacing current staff with taller
counterparts or
2. Implementing a growth program to
NARDO
KUITERT
nardo@
ucwebs.com.
CHOOSING YOUR DOMAIN NAME
Where does a website start? With a
domain name. Choose your domain
name carefully, as a lot of your online
success will depend on it.
Here are some things to consider:
1. The name – What name do you want
for your website? YourCompanyName?
YourMainProductName? You can choose
these with or without hyphens, so YourCompany-Name is also possible. Your
decision may be based on the answer to
questions like: will people guess a certain
domain name (based on your company’s
name, for instance), do you rely heavily on
search engine traffic (so you may want a
keyword-rich domain name), and more.
2. The extension – the most common
domain name extensions are .com and .ca,
but there are others as well, like .net, .org
IN ACHIEVEMENT
help all current staff.
On average it costs 2-3 times a person’s
yearly compensation package to truly
replace them, therefore, it is likely more
economical to implement the growth
program.
Obviously, using physical height as a
formal hiring metric is ridiculous, however
selecting for and encouraging growth of
knowledge, attitude, skill and habits
(KASH) is intelligent.
What do you imagine the result to be if
each person within an organization knew
the intended direction, magnitude of
growth and the details about their
expected contribution to organizational
success? Further imagine the results if
their professional growth clearly aligned
with the organization’s growth and their
family directly benefitted from this
development of KASH. During each
seminar, presentation, training and results
interpretation meeting we complete,
participants articulate how their personal
life will benefit.
Organizational leaders with vision, create
the infrastructure for the people within
their organizations to grow based on
envisioned organizational outcomes. It is
true, growth requires investments of time,
energy and resources, just as seeds
require water, nutrients and sunlight.
Regular harvests of ideas and profits from
healthy, sustainable collectives dwarf any
initial investments. As with so many of the
most rewarding experiences in life, like
children, education and reevaluating, there
is never a ‘good’ time, however those who
simply put it on the calendar tend to get
it done and reap the rewards. What
growth will you be harvesting in the Fall
2008? Now is the time to plant.
ON THE WEB
and .biz. So you can choose
YourCompanyName.com
or
WackyProductFeature.ca. A .com domain
name is very easy to register, but for a .ca
domain name you will also have to
register with the CIRA (Canadian
Internet Registration Authority). There is
a Canadian presence requirement for .ca
domain names; .com can be registered by
anyone. It is often recommended to
register several domain extensions, in
order to eliminate online competition and
protect your brand.
3. Availability – Think you got a great
domain name in mind? Then you better
hope that nobody else thought of it first!
Today there are over 153 million
registered domain names. Recently the
one-millionth .ca domain name was
registered. Not that all of these have
turned into websites (yet), by the way.
Some domain name brokers have bought
domain names in bulk and hope to resell
these at a profit. So, if you really, really
want to own a domain name that already
has been registered, you can always try to
contact the current owners and see if
they are willing to sell. Beware, though:
prices will be steep. And your changes of
success are slim to none if this domain
name is actively used for a website, of
course.
4. Where to buy – Prices are all over the
board. And then I am not talking about
those brokers I mentioned before, but
online domain name registrars and
resellers. You can buy domain names
anywhere from free (with a hosting
contract) to $50 a year. I personally
always buy my .com domain names under
$10 a year and .ca domain names under
$20. Where to buy may depend on price
as well as features offered, like domain
name or email forwarding. Transferring a
domain
name
is
usually
very
straightforward: the extra year you buy
with the new registrar will just be added
to your current registration term.
5. Privacy – Another feature that some
registrars offer, for free or at a fee, is
anonymity. If you do not want people to
know that you own a certain domain
name, then you can add whois-protection
to your registration. This means that a
generic intermediary will show as the site
owner, and emails sent to this generic
intermediary’s email address are then
forwarded to you.
June 08 | PAGE 11
Coming Events
Chamber
Calendar
10TH ANNUAL
CWCC GOLF
TOURNAMENT Wednesday, June 11th at
Ariss Valley Golf and
Country Club.
Tickets $125.00 per person. Your ticket
includes your Mulligan coupon package,
boxed lunch, buffet dinner, and a couple
of other surprises. You could win a car
providing you get a Hole In One on the
assigned hole!
The car is being
sponsored by Howes and Reeves this
year.There will be a silent auction as well
where you can bid on various items.
There will be pre-registration this year.
You won’t want to miss this exciting day!
Sponsorships and Team Registration
forms are now available on our website
at http://www.cwchamber.ca/golf_day.
shtml. You can also contact Gary Beck at
[email protected] or 519938-8332
OR
Dan
Allen
at
[email protected] or 519-8432630 for Sponsorships. Chamber staff
would be happy to register your team!
CWCC CHARITY BBQ AND SUMMER
WRAP UP - Thursday, June 26th between
5 and 7 pm – bring your family down to
Bissell Park in Elora and join in on the
fun! There will be entertainment and fun
for the kids. Plus M&M Meat Shops
franchisee Aileen Hawkins will be hosting
a charity BBQ with proceeds going to
Centre Wellington Food Bank. For a
minimum donation of $2.50 you will get
a hot dog or hamburger and a peach
drink. It’s a great way to meet some new
people, have dinner outdoors and
support a very worthy charity!
BUSINESS LUNCHEON WITH PERRIN
BEATTY - Friday, June 27th at the Royal
Canadian Legion, Fergus. 11:30-2:00 PM
Hot buffet luncheon by the Ladies of the
Legion. Tickets $30 for Members and
$35 for Future Members. Challenges for
Canada’s Economy will be the theme of
Perrin’s presentation. In conjunction with
175th Anniversary Home Coming
weekend, Perrin will be touring the Small
Town Giant exhibit at the Museum and
the Township Heritage Committee will
have a plaque unveiling. For more details
on Homecoming weekend, check
www.fergus175.ca
PAGE 12 | June 08
SEASONAL HELP
HIRE SEASONAL HELP, NOT
SEASONAL HASSLES.
Summer is a time when many companies
anticipate an increase in business. You
may find your current staff becoming
overwhelmed. Employing extra help is
about more than finding bodies to fill
positions.
Finding great employees is never easy.
But the consequences of hiring any
other kind are much harder.
• Only hire people you would keep. If
you wouldn't hire them before a
seasonal rush, don't hire them now!
Customers will forgive slow service, but
not crappy service, this will push them
to your competitors.
employee get off on the right foot.
Explain expected goals and the
philosophy of your business. In addition,
let your seasonal staff know what you
expect of them in terms of performance.
Do not inadvertently encourage an
attitude of, "Its just a seasonal gig." If
they consider this job to be unimportant
their work ethic will reflect that. Make
seasonal employees' work experience a
positive one and they will not only want
to stay they will want to come back.
Hiring seasonal help does not need to
hard, just remember to keep your sights
and standards high. When you do look
at your books, you will be thankful you
did.
• Putting the message in the right place
is critical. Use words that will attract
serious workers not someone who just
wants to make a buck. Never rely only
on the newspaper want ads. Be creative,
place colorful, eye-catching posters in
places where potential employees you
want would go. Try posting at your high
schools, churches, even try asking your
favorite customers, sometimes they
make the best employees!
• Employee referrals are another great
way to get new workers. Think about
your best employees; do they know
someone who is looking for seasonal
work? Reward employees who bring
you a good hire with immediate cash
bonus or paid time off. New hires that
are referred by your current employees
are often your new best employee.
• Recruit wherever you are, and make
the most of every resource you may
have. Offer your business card to
people who give you great service, place
a recruiting message on the back of the
card.
• Train better than you think you have
to. Give a new employee a brief
orientation to your business and the
their job. It does not have to be fancy,
but vitally important to helping the new
PLEASE NOTE: THERE IS NO
NETWORKING BREAKFAST
FOR JUNE.
For more information on
or to reserve your spot at
any of the Chamber of
Commerce events contact
the Chamber staff.
Phone 519-843-5140 or
emqail:
[email protected]
JEFFERSON ELORA
CORPORATION
DAVE RUSHTON
JEFFERSON ELORA CORPORATION
CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF
PRODUCTION IN ELORA.
Over 10 years ago a seventy five acre site
in Elora was selected for an auto parts
plant.This Elora location was intended for
feeding parts to Honda in Alliston,
Ontario. As this land did not have the
proper zoning or servicing, an agreement
from the Village of Elora to provide
services including - a water tower - and a
Ministerial order from the Province
authorizing an official plan and zoning
change, set the stage for the locating this
plant.
These10 years have proved to Honda, and
later Toyota, that they could handle the
tough manufacturing processes that
required stamping and robotic welding.
Production started in April 1998 with 52
people in a plant that was 94,000 square
feet in size. Growth continued as part of
the Honda supply chain and after four
years of production and two years of
development, they also began producing
one small piece for Toyota. Supplying both
of these companies has provided growth
to the company which now occupies
322,000 square feet with over 400
employees. The latest addition of 57,000
is just being finished and commissioning of
the new 1500 ton press is taking place this
month.
Making auto parts requires high quality
standards and they have an ISO 1400
qualification. They rely heavily on their
staff to develop innovative solutions to
manufacturing problems because the
automakers give them the hard-to-make
pieces. They operate a very clean and safe
environment that has a strong and active
Joint Health and Safety Committee. Their
philosophy is Safety First and then
Employee Morale, Quality Production,
Low Costs and just-in-time Delivery. The
teams meet daily to review issues that
require solutions and ensure that
problems don’t linger. They carry an eight
hour inventory of finished goods so when
productions issues arise they have a very
short turnaround time to solve them.
Quality control testing has machine and
human review and destructive testing of
1 in 60 parts, as many of the products
produced can protect the life of the
occupants of the vehicle. Employees have
to consider, “would I want this in my
vehicle?” for each part they inspect.
Although this quality and testing can lead
to scrap, they recycle all of their
production waste to meet their
environmental standards.
The lean manufacturing process is not
unique but the management philosophy
and team style is. The management team
is regularly on the floor helping with
production and they all wear the same
white uniform.
economic
DEVELOPMENT
The supply chain is controlled by the
automakers and all parts and raw
materials come through that system.
Services are sourced locally to help with
our local economy and create a supply of
trade’s people that can keep the plant
operating. Hiring is also done locally using
temporary agencies. If an employee
works well and there are long term
opportunities the next step is a contract
position and then they can be hired on a
permanent employees. Many of the staff
are from the area including the Plant
Manager, Earl Browning, who has been
there eight years. They promote from
within and with their continued growth
advancement is often available for those
that choose that route.
Auto parts plants in Wellington County all
use different processes and do not
compete directly but are part of the family
of companies that support Honda and
Toyota. They are encouraged to work
cooperatively as a team.
Most of their production goes to the
plants in Canada but some go to their
parent company Jefferson Industries in
Ohio for inclusion into US built cars and
a smaller portion to meet parts demands
for US vehicles. They are required to do
parts runs for up to 10 years after a
vehicle is out of production. They can
slide molds into their presses to change
production runs fairly simply with the
next one being set up as the current one
is running. They know well in advance for
their production of new parts as they are
currently involved with the 2011 designs
to see what parts they can bid on. They
are also setting up new lines now to meet
production demands for new production
runs at the new Toyota plant in
Woodstock.
June 08 | PAGE 13
Voice over Internet Protocol – Is it for my business?
VoIP services convert your voice into a digital signal which travels over the Internet. VoIP technology can allow you to make any call directly from a computer, a special VoIP phone, or a traditional phone connected to a special
adapter. This adapter can supply the dial tone to an existing telephone system
switch, allowing you to access VoIP technology without altering the way you
have always made calls. This technology interfaces with traditional telephone
connections.
A broadband (high speed Internet) connection is required. This can be through
a cable modem, or high speed services such as DSL. Most offices already have
a broadband connection.
One exciting adaptation for VoIP is the concept of a central reception for multiple office sites. Using the internet connection, calls go to a main number, and
then be transferred to remote offices seamlessly. Internal calls (extension to extension) can also be made via the VoIP connection. Once the equipment and
broadband are paid for, this is a free call – even if the branch offices are on
different continents!
So, what are the pros and cons of VoIP technology?
Some VoIP services offer features and services that are not available with a traditional phone, or that are available but only for an additional fee. You may
also be able to avoid paying for both a broadband connection and a
traditional telephone line. Some further positive and negative points include:
PROS:
• Free local and long distance
calling including international,
after initial capital cost
CONS:
• Higher-end technology required
•
Battery back-up needed to
secure connection
•
More flexibility when it comes
to staffing choices
•
Trained technicians required in
order to maintain and service
•
Centralized office reception
capabilities
•
911 location clarity issues
QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS OR ANY TELECOM MATTER?
Please feel free to contact Record Tel Inc.
at 800-634-6322 519-843-6340 [email protected]
PAGE 14 | June 08
CONTACT LISTING
Ministry of Labour
www.employeradviser.ca
WCB - 1.800.387.0774
Employment Standards 1.800.531.5551
Ontario Government
www.gov.on.ca
Revenue Canada
www.cra-arc.gc.ca
Service Canada
www.servicecanada.gc.ca
Township of Centre Wellington
519.846.9691
www.centrewellington.ca
WCB
1.800.387.0774
www.employeradviser.ca
Waterloo-Wellington M.P.P.
519.787.5247
Ted Arnott
[email protected]
WW Community Futures
519.846.9839
Rick Whittaker
[email protected]
Wellington - Halton Hills M.P.
519.843.7344
1-866-878-5556
Michael Chong
[email protected]
Centre Wellington Economic Development
519.846.0974
Dave Rushton
[email protected]
The Centre Wellington
Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 519.843.5140
E-mail: [email protected]
Minding Our Business
The Wellington Advertiser
Box 252, Fergus, Ontario
N1M 2W8
519-843-5410 telephone
519-843-7607 facsimile
BDC (Business Development Corp)
519.571.6680
Don Cubbidge
[email protected]
Elora BIA
519.846.2563
Ester Farrell [email protected]
Fergus BIA
519-787-1384
Julia Tyndale-Biscoe [email protected]
BUSINESS CARD DIRECTORY
Conducting business in Japan? In Japan business cards are exchanged with great ceremony.
It’s best to invest in quality cards and always keep your business cards in pristine condition.
TH
14VERSARY
I
ANN
8
-200
1994
162 St. Andrew St. E. Fergus, ON M1N 1P8
Customized • Courier Service
• Kitchener
• Elora • Waterloo
• Guelph • Cambridge
• Fergus • Elmira
• Golden Horseshoe & GTA
www.nicksquickdelivery.com
Debbie Kurt
Sales Representative
519-843-5400
Cell: 519-766-6384
Toll Free: 1-866-343-6825
[email protected]
www.debbiekurt.com
June 08 | PAGE 15
Feel the excitement
even before
you get here.
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7445 County Road 21, RR2, Elora, ON
(519) 846-2022
Mon. - Thurs. 9 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Fri. - Sun. 24 hours
Your mini holiday.
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