THUNDER BAY BUSINESS AUGUST 2012
Publisher’s Note Scott Sumner
Toronto is a world-class city and one we should be proud of as Canadians. It was fun to spend some time looking around the city and attending the Toronto Honda Indycar race. Seeing the race this year very
Toronto Is The Place To Visit! “ Toronto is one of my favourite races and achieving the last three wins in our series in a row is great. We just need to keep doing what we are doing. The team is just clicking well together. We are all really good friends. It is important to enjoy it as well,” said Ryan Hunter Ray. “ To win three races in a row has been a dream of mine ever since I was little, to be able to be competing in the Indy car series. I am appreciative of every lap I get in this series because I love it. We need to enjoy it. We
2800 seats and opens this September. I think the Lakehead University Thunder wolves hockey team will enjoy playing there.
close up and personal was fun. American driver Ryan Hunter Ray won for Andretti Autosport in a close event. The magnitude and grandeur of this race with full stands of people, especially on Sunday afternoon just before the start, is something to experience.
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have to take hold of it and get it done. You are only as good as your car so you have to work as a team. It is difficult to put everything together to win.” Rob Ford, Mayor of Toronto, talked about how the race was great for tourism in Toronto. The Izod Indycar series for the 26th year in Toronto brings in millions of dollars. “ I am a businessman as you know and there are 189 cranes in the sky right now in Toronto. We have more cranes than 10 major cities in the US and we are turning this city around. At city hall it is business, business, business and we are creating jobs for people. I am very proud of what we have done and will continue to do.” As a long time Toronto Maple Leafs fan it was fun to visit the old Maple Leaf Gardens that is now a Loblaw’s grocery store and one of the most elaborate outlets I have ever seen. It is really fancy and situated right where centre ice was previously. Higher up will be the new Ryerson University hockey rink, which will hold
As Mayor Rob Ford said at a media conference at the race there are cranes everywhere in Toronto and most are building high-rise condominiums, which seem to be the popular living choice. Detached houses in Toronto will start at $800,000 and go into the millions easily, so condos are a more affordable alternative. It was fun to visit the recently opened Trump Tower in
Toronto, which is a 5 star hotel, and also features condominiums that start at $2.3 million and up. We have great air service to Toronto and it is a city that offers so many activities and interesting sites. You should plan a trip there to check it out!
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THUNDER BAY BUSINESS AUGUST 2012
Successful Thunder Bay Business Turns 50: Smith’s RV Centre n’t betting on my side and wouldn’t lend me much money. We had found most of the Dorion people came to Thunder Bay anyway to make their purchases so we would compete with each location. It was hard to run duplicate staff and transfer stock between locations so we closed
BY SCOTT A. SUMNER
Thunder Bay BUSINESS When you drive down Balmoral Street near the Harbour Expressway you will easily notice the large lot with many RV’s, boats, ATV’s or snowmobiles. Smith’s RV Centre has become a fixture in Thunder Bay operating from it’s 20,000 square foot building however it definitely wasn’t like this in the firm’s beginnings in 1962. “ We started in the back porch as a little grocery store in Dorion, also selling propane,” said Doris Smith, founder along with her husband Alex of Smith’s RV Centre. “ We started selling propane because the only place we could get propane for ourselves was in Thunder Bay. Rather than bringing in one tank at a time we would bring in 5 or 6 and people knew we had extra propane and would borrow it. It got to a point where it was easier to get them to pay for it than write down their names and figure out if they paid yet.” This was the start of Smith’s RV Centre. At that time Alex Smith worked at the Red Rock mill. “ I like to buy things by the case and we had people in Dorion who liked to buy from us. We did have other places then where people could buy gro-
ceries but they wanted to buy from us. At that time I was building boat and utility trailers as a hobby and it just progressed from there. Next we would buy boat trailers and resell them, and then power saws and it just grew. My son, Scott Smith, was 2 years old then. Sherry, our daughter was a little older and Sandy was the oldest son. Scott was good on the tricycle then.” smiled Alex Smith who was 29 years old when he started in business. Alex and Doris Smith started off with a house they had built with the wood off the lot. They first put on a porch, then a garage and added on many times. Alex
was famous for his “ lean toos” then. The family next got into gasoline, live bait, boats, trailers, snowmobiles, guns, ammunition, hunting and fishing licenses. As Scott and Sherry Smith grew up they started in the business. Scott started working at 10 or 11 years old. He had a few other jobs before full time work at Smith’s RV including at the Terrace Bay mill working for a contractor as an insulator. “ In 1976 we opened a location at 777 Memorial Ave as a satellite store, which made money but I was retiring and it was more work. The store in Dorion was open 7 days a weeks 7am to 9 pm. The liquor
down Dorion and worked from our current location.” Scott Smith worked long hours for many years in the business and today is not
Mission Statement Our Mission We are a family owned business that provides outdoor recreational products and services to our customers. Our Vision We are committed to providing enjoyment for our customers, providing fulfillment for our employees, and strengthening our community through our involvement with local charities and organizations. Our Values 1) Integrity 2) Excellence 3) Success 4) Teamwork
In the early days Alex Smith sold knifes! The new and old Smith’s RV locations. store was open to 10pm and the gas until midnight. We had no vacations,” said Alex Smith. In 1981 Scott Smith, at the age of 21, came in and bought the business from his parents while Alex and Doris got in their RV and began to travel North America. “ If he sold the business to anyone else I wouldn’t have had a place to live,”smiles Scott Smith. In 1990 Scott opened a sales outlet on Arthur Street in front of Hood Logging for 1 1/2 years and then went to Copper Crescent in a rented building until they bought the current building in 1994 when Wheelies Rollers Rink shut down. Scott’s sister Sherry moved back to Thunder Bay in July 1995 from Texas to work in the business again. “ We went from 6000 to 20,000 square feet with the new location. It was tough at first with lots of expenses. The bank was-
active in the day to day operation now living half the year in Florida with his nephew Jason Johnstone performing General Manager duties. Jason, whose mother is Sherry, grew up in Alberta after being born in Thunder Bay. He moved to Texas his last year of high school and became a professional golfer for several years after attending college taking business courses. He played tournaments for two years and then taught golf at a Houston course. Jason has been working at Smith’s RV for 10 years now learning the business from the ground up. “ I was Scott’s retirement package. We switched roles. I started out golfing and Scott was working. Now I am working and Scott is golfing.,” laughs Jason Johnstone. Continued Next Page
THUNDER BAY BUSINESS AUGUST 2012
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Company Profile Where We Started Since the doors opened in the late 50’s, the focus has always been to provide quality products that produce happy, satisfied customers. We’ve grown over the years to be the largest Recreational Dealer in Northwestern Ontario, but our philosophies have never changed. Where We Are Now Now centrally located at 940 Cobalt Crescent in Thunder Bay, Smith’s RV Centre employs over 30 friendly staff members. Our combined large indoor showroom, 4000 square feet of parts and accessories, and a 10,000 square foot shop with factory-trained certified technicians will make sure you get the service you deserve. Our main facility has a fully paved yard showcasing hundreds of products to meet all your needs. What We Do Our year-round family owned dealership works hard to earn your business as well as to actively participate and support local charities and fund-raising groups. Our special annual company project is “Operation Christmas Child”, one of the world’s largest children’s Christmas projects of “Kids-helpingKids”. Operation Christmas Child Every year our staff members volunteer their time to promote and collect Christmas “Shoeboxes” for needy children. To find out more information on this worthwhile project, please call our dealership at (807) 346-9399 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org.
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THUNDER BAY BUSINESS AUGUST 2012
Common Sense and the Courts © 2012 Brian Babcock Common sense is essential to what happens in courts. If not, legal disputes could be solved by computers. Even when the law is crystal clear, the facts seldom are. Understanding this concept will help you avoid taking to disputes to court, if you
Legal Matters can convince others to just use their common sense. If you end up in litigation, understanding this will help guide your decisions as the case unfolds.
The main function of trial judges or juries is to making findings of fact, either resolving competing versions of events, or drawing inferences to fill in incomplete pictures. I blame shows like CSI for the misconception that evidence can always be dissected with scientific accuracy. It is just not so. All science has limits, further compounded by the risk of human error. Witnesses suffer from deficits of all sorts, from inaccuracy to bias to outright lying. Juries exist to reflect the community’s collective common sense, and “does this lawyer have common sense?’ is a more important question for appointment of judges than “who is the smartest lawyer?”
When choosing between competing versions of events, judges look at the internal consistency of the evidence; its consistency with other versions; consistency with objective evidence like pictures or written records, but always, eventually ask themselves “does this make sense?” If there is a dispute about an agreement, the judge asks the question “What does the evidence and my common sense tell me the parties would have said about this if asked just before they signed?” Common sense is also important in determining the cause of personal injuries or other damage, where the chain of events leading up to the harm is not obvious. ”. The absence of scientific evidence does not prevent the finding of negligence. The
Supreme Court of Canada recently repeated that causation should be determined by examining all of the evidence in a “robust common sense fashion The Court then goes on to point out that common sense inferences usually flow without difficulty. A Plaintiff must have some evidence of the amount of a loss. But even if that evidence is incomplete, a judge will apply common sense to allow compensation, because that is fairer than allow the Defendant to get off free. At Weilers, we have applied common sense on behalf of our clients for over 65 years.
SHIFT Collects over 1000 lbs. of Food to Represent their 1000+ Members SHiFT’s 1st Annual Drive Away Hunger Food Drive was a great success! On Tuesday June 19th, 2012 a group of 20 volunteers braved the rain to canvass various neighbourhoods in Thunder Bay collecting non-perishable food items for the Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA). This campaign was a collaborative effort between SHIFT and BDO Canada LLP which led to 1,034 pounds of food collect-
ed for the RFDA in just a couple of hours! SHIFT set a goal of collecting 1000 pounds of food to represent their 1000+ members and is very excited to have surpassed this goal. Chris Logan, senior accountant with BDO Canada LLP is also a member of SHIFT’s Professional and Community Development committee. Chris spear-headed this great project to get more young-minded professionals involved in this great cause.
SHIFT would like to thank BDO Canada LLP for sponsoring this successful food drive and we would also like to thank all of our dedicated volunteers and donors for helping with our “Drive Away Hunger” efforts.
The RFDA is a great local organization that provides food to local and regional food banks and tends to experience slow
donation periods during the summer months. We would like to encourage other members of our community including other businesses and organizations to help those in need across the region by donating to the RFDA this summer and throughout the year. SHIFT is Thunder Bay's home for youngminded professionals who understand that moving their community forward means more than just doing business. It's the big picture, from social and environmental concerns to personal and professional development. Together, we can move forward. SHIFT was created to offer young professionals in Thunder Bay a forum to network to make social connections and business contacts while engaging themselves in the community. For further information join us on Facebook or visit our website at www.shiftnetwork.ca to become a SHIFTer, stay current and get involved with stimulating events and activities!
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