NEWS
Changing times
Terrace Standard Wednesday, March 5, 2014
www.terracestandard.com A5
Plenty going on within the local business community
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T’S BEEN a busy time in the past months for the local business community. A number of businesses have changed hands thanks to consolidations, expansions and people deciding to move on. The number of changes isn’t that surprising to Terrace and District Chamber of Commerce executive director Carol Fielding. She believes it’s all connected to the improving economic conditions in the city and area. “A lot of people here now have been holding the flag through a decade or so of low economic activity. And now there’s an opportunity to sell,” said Fielding last week. It also means the people who are buying – and a number of those are from outside Terrace – see an opportunity for growth within the area, she continued. “They’re not just coming here to buy something and hold it,” Fielding said. “They’re here because of what’s going on.” Below are some examples of what has been occurring.
A&W After a quarter century of operating A&W in Terrace, Campbell Stewart is selling the restaurant here and a sister restaurant in Kitimat to a group of people who own existing A&W outlets elsewhere. “It’s really with mixed feelings,” said Stewart. “This is home and we love it here. We have a place at the lake and I just love that spot.” Trained as a school teacher, Stewart taught English for about 10 years before setting up shop in the Skeena Mall more than 25 years ago. He then shifted the business by opening at the current location on Keith Ave./ Highway 16. It became a bit of a family affair when Stewart began mentoring daughter Anne in the restaurant business. As that mentoring process continued, other family members began moving to the central Okanagan. “So now Anne is running a pub in Lake Country,” said Campbell. He and wife Nicola Barton, a physician who had a practice here for years, have now bought a house in the Kelowna area. “It’s really where all our
family now is,” said Stewart.
Bear Country Inn The Bear Country Inn, owned by Jacquie Munson the last 17 years, changed hands on February 1. Prior to the Munson purchase, it was part of the Slumberlodge chain. The motel’s new manager, Minsoo Jung, said he and the new owner, Many Hong, worked together in Estevan, Saskatchewan where Hong owned a gas station and small motel. “This is much bigger,” Jung said of operating the 54-room Bear Country Inn and restaurant located on Lakelse Ave. “It’s a growing city and he knows about these LNG (liquefied natural gas) projects. Basically we got information from the realtor. We see more opportunity here,” Jung said of Hong’s decision to move here. “It’s going great, why would we want to change,” he said of the operation. “If we need upgrades it will be later. Right now it’s learning time for us.” Both Jung and Hong are originally from Korea, and Jung said adding Asian food to the restaurant’s menu could be an upgrade at a future time.
STAFF PHOTOS
From the left at top, Shane deJong, Brent deJong and Kevin Kennedy in front of the Terrace Totem Ford dealership. To the left, Kate and Brutus McCarron inside Kalum Tire Services.
Kalum Tire Services After 54 years of being run by members of the Pylot family (Blair Pylot took the business over from his father 27 years ago), the parts and service outlet at 4808 Hwy 16 W was purchased late last year by Brutus and Kate McCarron. “It’s a good life change,” said Brutus who also has had the experience of being a Kitsumkalum band council member for six years. The McCarrons have lived at Kitsumkalum for the last 15 years. “We’re looking to the future as far as Terrace is concerned, it’s growing and the economy is doing well, and we have made some good decisions in the past which has led us up to this,” said Brutus. Previously Brutus, who is a mechanic, operated a shop at his home, and has also worked for Hawkair and the City of Terrace. Kate does much of the office work while Brutus works in the shop with the
other mechanics. They also have a parts store as part of their operation. “We can fix anything but a broken heart and a crack of dawn,” said Brutus. The McCarrons have six children aged 14 and under.
Totem Auto Group With Totem Ford acquiring first the Ford dealership in Prince Rupert and then the one in Kitimat, it was only a matter of time before another expansion took place.
And that turned out to be the combined Mazda and Subaru dealership in Thornhill late last year. “We sat in this room for a couple of days with accountants and talked things through,” said Kevin Kennedy, the chief executive officer of the Totem Auto Group, during a conversation in the large lunch and board room at the Totem Ford dealership. When the arrangements were done, the Mazda and Subaru dealership was sold by brothers Mark and Brent deJong with Brent coming
to Totem Ford as its new car sales director. Mark is remaining to run the dealership. And Kenzie Brown, the group’s new overall general manager hired last spring, is now a partner with the Totem Auto Group’s partners at the Mazda and Subaru dealership. One of those partners, Shane deJong is now the dealer principal. “By spring, with Mazda and Subaru, we’ll have 175 employees,” said Kennedy. Combine the dealerships with Norm’s Auto Finishing, also owned by the Totem Auto Group, and the result is a business that’s one of the largest of its kind in the central interior and the north. Although there had been plans to physically separate the Mazda and Subaru dealerships, those are on hold for now, said Kennedy as combined operations are economically more efficient. The purchase of the Subaru and Mazda dealership also represents a reunion of sorts for the deJong family. Shane deJong, a partner in the auto group, is a cousin to Mark and Brent deJong. Shane’s father, Jake deJong, was one of the founding partners of Terrace Totem Ford and Leo deJong, father to Mark and Brent, was in sales at Terrace Totem Ford before taking on the Thornhill dealership. The other founding part-
ners of Terrace Totem Ford were Bill deJong, Dick Shinde, the father of Mitch Shinde, who is one of the auto group’s partners today, and Chen Bergen. Brian Kennedy, father to Kevin Kennedy, became a partner later on.
Wilkinson Business Machines Bob Wilkinson signed off from more than 30 years of selling business machines of one kind or another when he sold Northwest Business Machines to a Fort St. Johnheadquartered chain called Ideal Office Solutions. He first opened up in Terrace as Wilkinson Business Machines in 1971, eventually selling to IKON in 1991. After a nine-year stay in Victoria, Wilkinson returned to open Northwest Cartridge Exchange in the same premises as his other business, Lazelle Mini Storage. That was followed by a new name, Wilkinson Business Machines, and move to the back of the Tillicum Twin Theatre building. “This has been long planned, five years,” said Wilkinson of the sale to Ideal Office Solutions. “Some people may think I’m leaving, but not yet,” said Wilkinson who is keeping his mini storage business.