Aylmer Express Business Focus 2022

Chasing vision

lost its wheels, but gained space

Greta talks about being her own boss, and replacing the food truck with a shipping container kitchen

Story & photographs by Renée Hueston

agriculture

When a taco truck business, situated on a lot just west of Aylmer in Malahide was posted for sale in the late spring of 2020, Greta Friesen knew it had to be hers.

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Now the eponymous owner of Greta’s Taco Wagon, she’s enjoying every minute of it. The business was for sale, along with a soft-serve ice cream stand operated on the same property.

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“I heard people talking about how it was for sale. And I didn’t say a thing. I just said to myself, ‘Okay, I’m going home, I need to talk to my husband. There’s an opportunity.”

She said everything about it was perfect, “I have always, always wanted this.”

Then Greta and husband John discussed it and the next day, “We made a deal. And I started right away, training for two weeks.”

Entrepreneurship was ever-present in Greta’s life, but she got to a point where

Chasing a vision

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she thought it passed her by.

“I come from a place of business. My dad had a store for 30 years when I grew up. You see things from parents and then you want to do it the same. All my siblings have business – my brother has a big store, my other brother has a hardware store and my sister, she does also cooking like me. “ She always wanted the same, but “I thought that train went by. We never could afford it or we couldn’t do it. I thought, oh well.

“But now opportunity came and just happened that we could do it.”

Room to work

A year later they bought the ice cream business.

At that point everything was running smoothly a far as demand and customers were concerned, but they were pressed for space, with little room to cook, store food, and maneuver around each other in the 16-foot food truck. As well, they needed to made some upgrades, but questioned whether it was worth putting money into the old food truck.

During their second winter, Greta and John decided to invest once more, this time in expanding the operation. “We said if we have to do something,

then we might as well start from fresh. We would buy a container, build it out and then throw the other one away.”

They sold the food truck, replacing it with a black 40-foot-long shipping container. In behind, and connected by a deck, is a smaller, 25-foot container where they now store many of the ingredients and supplies.

They did much of the work themselves, but there were some challenges with building out the containers. There were some installation issues (especially with the heavy, commercial range hood), a few expensive contractors, and supplier delays experienced by many in recent years, but “we got through it.”

The new setup includes a porch off the front, with a roof and some eating space, so

dining in the rain is possible. As well, large picnic tables with umbrellas ran along the front of the business for customers who wanted to “dine in.”

Even with all the extra space, Greta noted that they still had to make two supply runs each week, as they could only store enough food and supplies for a couple days at a time.

She laughed, as John was a truck driver, and on his days off he was now her truck driver, running around to all the suppliers to restock the kitchen.

Menu expands with location

The extra room afforded Greta and her staff room to work around each other comfortably, but also with more room to cook, she could expand the menu, and bring

Greta’s Taco Wagon Team is a well-oiled machine, often serving between 100 and 150 orders a day, and some days have reached over 200, not including breakfast. Running on a pick-up or outdoor dining model, Greta noted that the weather was one of the biggest influences on daily traffic.

Greta Friesen, of Greta’s Taco Wagon, bought the business in the summer of 2020. Last winter she and husband John decided to overhaul the business, replacing the 16-foot food truck and informal parking lot seating with a 40-foot shipping container kitchen and covered porch and seating area.

I come from a place of business. My dad had a store for 30 years when I grew up. You see things from parents and then you want to do it the same.

the ice cream into the same building.

“Before we had only traditional ground beef tacos. Now we have three more different pork tacos – al pastor, barbacoa and smoke.”

The taco stand offers the hand-held favourites, as well as tortas, tortilla soup, fries, nachos and burritos. They also started offering breakfast on Saturday mornings. On the sweet end of the container, Greta’s Swirls, offers ice cream, churros and pies.

Greta said she liked the soup the most, but that everything is really good. “The other day I said to my husband, I cannot even really pick out which one I would let go from the menu. I like everything that I have here.”

The concept of “Taco Tuesdays” rings true, as Greta says that Tuesday is one of their busier days each week, along with Friday and Saturday.

They are often busy and have served over 200 orders in a day. But she doesn’t stress about it because she has a great team working there.

The staff, of around seven, all have special capabilities: cooking, running the till, operating the fryer, assembling tacos, serving ice cream, cleaning. And they all work well together. “There are good friends together. It’s just very nice.”

The biggest test was when Greta and John went to a cottage for

a week this summer. “They did not even call once.”

She was so pleased, “The taco wagon was running itself. I heard after that one day they were crazy busy and just handled it. Having a team like that, that’s amazing.”

Her own boss

Learning which tasks she wanted to continue doing herself and when to get help was one of the new things she was learning to balance as her own boss. “Before I would clean my ice cream machine myself, I would make the pie myself. I would do all that.” And now she could rely on her staff to do many of those tasks, allowing Greta to focus on the things she enjoyed the most, the cooking of specialty meats or soups.

“There’s a cleaner coming every day now, she does all the dishes, wipes down all the ovens. Oh, that’s nice to have. That’s

the stuff that if it all falls on your shoulders, it makes so hard to want to come to work excited each day when you do so many other things too. It’s important to be happy about work every day.”

The work was worth it, “We finally got the dream. I thought what I always wanted would never happen, but now it has.”

There was a newfound freedom to ownership. “I always worked for somebody else for so many years. I work very hard and now I can work for myself. That is the greatest reward.”

She’s spending her time doing what she enjoys. “I’m always here and even though I don’t have to be. It’s where I want to be.”

Greta and John have four children – two girls and two boys –and seven grandchildren. Her one daughter was worried, “She says our kids will have no grandma now, it’s way too busy.”

But Greta said family always comes first. “When they come

Maggie Neufeld prepares a taco with all the fixings. During growing season, many of the vegetables are locally sourced, and Greta says the food is “as local as we can make it – the peppers are from the field, the eggs are farm fresh.”

visit, I sit with them and eat with them or snack with them. I always make the time when they’re here.”

She said it’s been a delight to run the Taco Wagon and have them come visit.

After two years of investment, Greta is pleased with the business and her team, but said she’s always thinking over ways to improve, and mulling over options for the winter months – a side effect of owning her own business.

She said John helps to remind her to take some time away, “he said we need the wintertime to relax. ‘You’re so busy you need to have a little rest.’” She laughed saying that might be true.

Greta’s Taco Wagon is open seasonally typically from late spring to early fall, and operates for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday, with breakfast available on Saturdays. The ice cream shop is open from 11-9 on those days.

Susie Fehr prepared a soft-serve ice cream cone, which she said was, “an interesting skill to learn. My first time doing it wasn’t this nice. Making the swirls even requires practise.” She really enjoyed working in that part of the business, “You should see the kids’ eyes when they see the sprinkles – their eyes pop open!” Seen enjoying a perfectly-swirled cone is Kaiya Pheap, with help from father David, who had driven from St. Thomas for a treat.

Trudy Bergen and Ester Fehr display taco salads that were on their way out to a hungry customer.

Wheeling and dealing at Goodwill’s Used Cars

by Rob Perry

of The Aylmer Express

Red Hooghiem and Al Hooghiem said they remain in business as the owners of Goodwill’s Used Cars because they love the “wheeling and dealing.”

The business was started in 1974 by their parents George and Corrie, after George had worked for another car dealer in town for 17 years as a service manager. (George, though retired, continues to drop in at Goodwill’s every business day.)

Their parents bought East End Arrow, a garage and gas station, but on opening day, George had forgotten to order a fuel delivery for the gas bumps.

Somehow, they said, George talked Ultramar into taking payment after the fuel was sold, not before, an unheard-of practice.

Red said the station should have been open seven days a week, but George and Corrie would only open for six. His father told them he sold as much fuel in six days as others did in seven.

In addition to servicing cars and selling fuel, the business after four or five years started offering a few used cars for sale as well.

Their father was a natural bargainer, they said. “Dad will still go to the store and offer $1,500 for a $2,000 couch.”

Both Al and Red worked at the station in their youth, pumping gas and changing tires.

Al went into the business full-time in 1978, while Red, after graduating from high school in 1978, worked installing dairy equipment for a few years. When he married in 1983, he came back to the family business.

The brothers would take over running the busi-

ness in 2003 when they moved across Talbot Street East to their current site, where the Aylmer Dairy used to be, between East and Elk streets.

They’d worked at first as mechanics, pumping gas as well, while George would go to auctions to pick up used cars to sell.

“That is enjoyable, as long as you don’t have to do it all day, every day,” Red said about the auctions.

“It’s a long day.”

About 10 years ago, Al noted, they quit having to travel for auctions, as all sales moved online, which was a great relief.

They made the big move to their current site in the former dairy in 2003. They’d purchased the property two or three years earlier and used it for the company’s body shop. They had 95 cars, starting in the late 1990s, crowded onto their original property before the switch. “We couldn’t move.”

The key to their success, Al said, was “Good service, good cars,” and standing behind the products they sold, as well as ensuring that every customer got value for money in their purchases.

They had Toronto customers who kept coming back just to talk to the salesmen, they liked them so much, they said. A company from Ottawa continued to buy white Ford trucks from them.

The old rule, that customers would only drive a half hour to buy a used vehicle, had gone by the wayside, especially during the last two years of the pandemic. They had many regular customers who kept coming back.

Holding onto cars

By late 2019, Goodwill’s would have as many as 250 cars for sale on their lot, but that number had

fallen due to challenges in stocking used car inventory. Semiconductors, vital in making new automobiles, had been in short supply since the start of the pandemic.

As a result, so used vehicles cost more due to the high demand, and were harder to come by, since the owners were holding onto their vehicles while they waited for new models.

“The bottom fell out in March of 2020, and April and May were quite slow months,” Al recalled, but after that, business began to pick up again as buyers, realizing they might face a long wait list to receive a new vehicle, chose to go the used route instead.

They worked hard to keep their inventory up and, despite shortages, still had about 150 used cars on their lot at any given time.

They kept their 22 employees working through the pandemic as well, since car dealers and servicing were considered essential businesses.

The federal government helped with COVID-related funding, he added.

Even when the business itself was closed to the public, salesmen could still work remotely from home, Red noted. And Goodwill’s offered free delivery to customers at their homes.

“We did fine during COVID financially,” Al said, but they recognized not every business was as fortunate. They did struggle with a decision about whether to put a new electronic sign at the front of the Goodwill’s lot, but, after waiting “quite a while,” decided to do so.

Now, the new-car business was getting a little better as vehicles began to be delivered from factories, but a shortage still existed for both them and

used cars.

They had six or seven retirees who they’d send out as drivers to pick up vehicles to bring back to the business, covering a big part of Ontario.

They recently saw a bit of a downturn in sales after interest rates increased but believed that wouldn’t last.

Trusted team

They also gave credit to employees, especially long-term ones, for the success of Goodwill’s.

“They know how everything works here. They understand how we work too,” they said about the veterans.

“You get along with them so well,” and that made being the owners easier, Al said.

“We have a lot of fun with the staff,” Red added.

Al and Red noted the company also believed in being part of the community and supported several Christian charities and schools.

They’ve both been involved in fundraising for the building of the Corner Cupboard, the food bank, East Elgin Community Complex, donated to the Aylmer Performing Arts Council and many other local charities, causes and sports teams.

They’ve also backed Sanctuary Homes in St. Thomas and were part of a new church program in that city providing social services and meal opportunities.

“They’re guys who love day trips,” Al said. Prices for vehicles and parts were more expensive now, but the same was true for just about everything else.

Al said the business started to return to something resembling normal by June of 2020. Sales rose back to pre-pandemic levels, even with 100 fewer cars in inventory.

“It’s possible 250 was more than we ever needed,”

Al admitted.

Red added their philosophy was to keep the lot as stocked as possible, and customers reacted by driving further to make a purchase because they had a selection to choose from.

And they’re notorious for the humorous entries they and their employees put together for local parades.

The brothers paid tribute the patience of their wives, Randee (Al) and Sylvia (Red), “because it’s an around-the-clock business. The phone never stops ringing.”

As for the future, they’re pretty happy with the business as it is.

Recently, they’ve sold a few electric vehicles. Al said the most recent was a Nissan Leaf, which had 185 kilometres of range. Finding a used electric car suitable for long trips was still a challenge, but newer models had ranges of up to 500 kilometres.

Goodwill’s Used Car employees Jesse Hooghiem, left, Luis Velasquez, Carlos Peters, Al Hooghiem, Pete Giesbrecht, Chris Levasseur, Martin Campbell, Jeff Dekraker, Ron Miller, Dwayne Dixon, Jerry Van Raalte, Wojtek Skrzypczak, Jaclyn Kitchenham, Tom Robinson, Red Hooghiem, Carmon Carter, Corny Wiebe and Stephanie Van Troost posed in front of a new mural decorating the side of the business on Talbot Street West in Aylmer. Al Hooghiem said he’d been thinking about such a mural for 15 years, and finally found an artist to do the job. “We like to have fun here,” and customers who came in seemed to like it. (AE/photo digitally altered)

“The

ness that long might not have been with them, but they managed to beat them, he said. “We’re pretty blessed that way.”

Dennis is from a rural background, growing up on a 50-acre farm outside Windsor. His niece’s children, he noted, would become the sixth generation of their family living on that farm. Lana is originally from Montreal.

He spent 16 years on the road as a watch and jewellery salesman before they decided to take a crack at running their own store.

Lana didn’t have a background in jewellery like he did, but learned on the fly, and he credited the displays and merchandising inside the store entirely to her talents.

He didn’t know what to expect, breaking into a new community, but he’d dealt with all kinds of jewellery people during his time on the road. He came in with access to a buying group that let him pass on savings from discounts to their customers, and let them know he had access to any kind of product they might want.

Community immersion

They’d been looking at two or three towns they were considering setting up shop in, “and Aylmer just fit for whatever reason. I don’t regret it in the least.”

Outside the store, when they started in Aylmer, they had no friends, but quickly immersed themselves in the community.

Dennis joined the Masonic Lodge and Shrine Club in Aylmer, and also served on boards for the Business Improvement Area, Aylmer—Malahide Museum and Archives and the Aylmer Area Community Foundation.

“We’ve been honoured to be part of this community,” he said, and he liked to think they’d been generous in giving back to it.

He hadn’t been surprised to see someone coming in just about every day, seeking donations of prizes or sponsorships for charitable events or sports teams. “A lot of towns work that way.”

Dennis said he’d always believed a “mom and pop” shop was better when it came to offering personalized service than a big box like a Walmart, and that was especially important when selecting jewellery.

With a chain, a customer would be dealing with a part-timer with limited training.

“You come to us, you’re talking to the owner, someone’s who’s going to be fo-

cused on the diamonds.”

He really enjoyed the engagement ring business, and was honoured that customers would come to him to make a purchase for such a special moment in their lives.

He thanked every customer who did so, and said the personal touch meant that, at times, “We’ve been invited to weddings.”

The store did much of its own designs for rings. “Custom work is a big part of our business,” drawing patrons from as far away as Windsor and Mississauga.

Often, customers would come in with their mother’s rings, and ask that the jewels be placed in a new, more modern setting. That wasn’t just for wedding rings, but for all sorts of old jewellery.

The process used to take three weeks, but could now take up to four to six, he said. “We used to have 10 casting houses we could deal with. Now it’s only a couple.”

The buying group the store belonged to had the best of the crop when it came to casters, but they were always busy as a result. Engagement and wedding rings brought much less pressure than, say, wedding cakes, since they were usually prepared long before the actual ceremony.

Most couples who came in didn’t even have a date set yet, though usually they were within a year of their wedding. He liked to have at last two months to get rings ready, to ensure they fit before the actual ceremony.

A different approach

Buying at a small store meant that customers didn’t get the high-pressure sales tactics they might at a chain store.

Employees at franchises worked on commission, and that meant closing sales. Dennis said he’d had couples come in telling him how different the approach was at O’Neil’s.

An old marketing saying back when he was a salesman on the road was that couples would visit five stores before de-

ciding on an engagement ring. When their store opened, he’d take time to educate customers, not just try to sell them.

“Kids today are a lot more savvy. They’ve gone online and done their homework before setting foot in a jewellery store.”

Ten years ago, when the Internet was hitting full stride, people were buying diamonds online, “but they didn’t necessarily get what they thought they were.”

Now, they came into a store knowing what they wanted, but seeking the trust and expertise of working with an owner.

The single biggest change he’d seen in recent years was the growth in diamonds created in a laboratory, rather than in nature.

The lab stones were identical to natural ones, and could be labelled a diamond, he said.

The same applied to other coloured stones, such as rubies and emeralds.

The market had gone in the last four years from 100% natural stones to 80% lab-formed for engagement rings, because of the lower cost points.

Lab versions cost 50–60% of what natural diamonds did, he said.

In the past, he’d usually dealt with a man who was buying an engagement ring, and now, couples were more involved, and women were less fussy about where their diamonds came from.

A woman then often wanted a one-carat diamond, and quality and cut determined the price. Today, young couples wanted a house, and had their minds on other things.

Pandemic changes

“It’s changed everybody’s way of doing business,” Dennis said about the Covid pandemic that arrived in 2020.

“No one saw it coming,” and then, on March 17 the store, not considered an essential service, had to shut down.

They were closed for about six weeks during the first lockdown, and when they

could open, they faced restrictions.

Another time, they were shut down again, but were allowed to provide curbside service. However, “You can’t take a tray of diamonds out to somebody’s car.” Fortunately, though, they could have jewellery delivered to people’s houses.

A regular customer might call and say he wanted something for his spouse for their wedding anniversary.

“We know our customers pretty well. We know what they’re looking for.”

They’d pick a gift, wrap it and deliver to the door, on the understanding that if the recipient didn’t like it, it could be exchanged for something else.

“We’ve always had that sort of system with old customers,” he said. “This is a very trusted business. How you keep and grow a business is customer service.”

However, because a pandemic was such a foreign experience to everyone, no one really understood what was going on at first.

They were lucky in that, after over 20 years in business at the time, they had no debt and, being “old school,” had set aside savings for a rainy day. If they’d had to pay off some big expenses, the store would have been in big trouble, as some other businesses experienced, he said.

They did reduce the hours they were open for walk-in trade, but they’d also always offered consultations by appointment, especially for customers who worked through the day or were travelling some distance.

Two long-time part-timers had retired in 2019, and Dennis and Lana had thought they wouldn’t need additional staff early in early 2020, so they put off hiring replacements. They were grateful not to have to lay anyone off. “We dodged that bullet.”

While couples couldn’t be sure when they might be able to have a wedding during the pandemic, they still got engaged and needed rings, he said. Others, stuck at home, decided to treat themselves if they couldn’t travel.

“And the ‘shop local’ became huge,” he said. He believed every small town experienced the same resurgence in doing business locally.

As a result, the kind of personal service a hometown store could offer was coming back into fashion for shoppers, something he expected to continue.

Keith Hunt effortlessly hands

Story & photographs by Renée Hueston

Established in a recession, Keith Hunt Construction is a business that has been built to weather economic storms and, 30 years on, is thriving. In the year of the business’ 30th anniversary, the ownership changed to Adam Wilson, who took the helm from founder Keith Hunt.

They sat down for an interview with the Express about how the transition has been going, and to reflect on three decades in the building and trades industry.

Keith started the business in 1992, “It was kind of necessity,” he said. He had been working for a developer that got into financial trouble. “The writing was on the wall. I had to get out of there and find something else to do. “

He said, “It was a bit of a struggle at the beginning,” but he had observed the troubles of the developer, who was so dependent on new builds, and realized that diversification would be the best path forward.

He focused on hiring good, flexible workers who could do a variety of projects.

“We do additions, renovations, new houses, commercial work, porches, decks, you name it,” Keith said. “That’s been our formula over the years to keep us busy.” He continued, “A lot of people ask us what we do in the off season. But we don’t have an off season. We’re busy year-round and all our guys are busy. That’s the secret – to keep the guys busy year-round or else they’re not going to stick around for long.”

They try to schedule the projects so that exterior work is done for winter, “that’s ideal, but it doesn’t always work out. Sometimes we’re in the elements.”

But, Keith noted, that was the case less often in recent years. “Our winters are so unpredictable anymore. There are times where cold weather just hasn’t been a factor.”

As for the pandemic, they have remained busy, but noted increases in nearly all their supplies, as well as long wait period for certain things, such as windows and garage doors. In addition to the long order process, they also noticed fewer options and styles being offered for things like doors or bathroom hardware.

Keith was very proud of all the projects they’ve done over the years, noting the diverse range of styles and complexity.

He said repeat customers were great to have, but it wasn’t common since most would only have one or two big home projects. He shook his head and laughed as he recalled four or five projects at Dave and Judy Mennill’s—additions and renovations, the likes— “after the last one Judy was sad to say there was nothing more for us to renovate.”

Building a solid foundation

Just like a home needs a solid foundation, so too does a business. Keith said that skilled, knowledgeable staff and trusted suppliers provided that base.

Keith said, “We have a really good team of guys. We started out way back with Mike Garrett, my brother-in-law, who is a very gifted carpenter and he trained all of the guys we have now.

“It’s not just the carpentry skills, but it’s also safety, how you get along with the clients and how you speak to the other contractors who are on the job. Everybody gets treated with respect.

“You hammer that into the guys and now we have the next generation and they’re doing the same thing. They’re training another generation of young guys to learn how to do things properly.”

Adam said, the team works well together, and also noted that “we consistently get comments from clients saying that our guys are really good to work with on the site.”

“We started a program actually almost 20 years ago now, when we recognized that none of us are getting any younger. We need to bring some new blood into it.

“The high school co-op program has been just golden for us. We get some kids from the high school, they get a chance to see what we’re doing, we get a chance to see how they work.

“Over the years we’ve hired at least six that have stayed on with us, have done their apprenticeship. We have a couple of guys going on 18 years now and it started with the high school co-op. Yeah. They were the young guys and now they’re the senior guys. “And now the next generation’s coming through.”

Keith noted that they were different from many other construction companies – they had low employee turnover. “We’ve actually had people call us other contractors and say, ‘How do you keep your people?” He laughed, “Well, we treat them well. Again, it’s not seasonal, it’s all year for us and it’s a career.

It’s not just the carpentry skills, but it’s also safety, how you get along with the clients and how you speak to the other contractors who are on the job. Everybody gets treated with respect.

Their team is a group of senior employees and apprentices, as well as subcontractors and apprentices.

Keith said that a lot of great workers over the years had started as student in the co-op program at East Elgin Secondary School.

“We focus on work life balance. Everybody needs a life, and everybody needs an evening and a weekend off.”

The work is divided between the job sites (nine carpenters) and the planning stages (three in the office). The company’s base on Beech Street in Aylmer has offices, as well as a meeting space, and a workshop in the back.

It’s there that project managers like Adam and Keith, along with projects coordinators, look after planning and scheduling so that work on job sites for the next day and week runs smoothly.

After a career in custom home construction and renovation, Keith wasn’t ready to walk away and Adam was looking to step into leadership. They worked towards a handover in ownership, which took place on this spring, Keith Hunt Construction’s 30th anniversary.

Adam Wilson, left, started working as student at Keith Hunt’s custom home construction and renovation business in the late 1990s. In the spring of 2022, Adam became the owner of Keith Hunt Construction, taking on management tasks, while Keith continues working for the business that he loves (though with fewer responsibilities and more time to spend with family and on canoe and camping trips). They’re shown in the meeting room of their Beech Street building in Aylmer, which also has office space and a workshop.

Adam said there have been some tools and technology changes, including power tools moving to battery controls and fasteners are becoming stronger.

And more significantly, air nailers are now ubiquitous in the trade. “You don’t swing a hammer all that much anymore.”

The biggest change over the years has been mounting bureaucracy, he cited building code updates, and the mounting needs for more qualifications and accreditation.

Keith said, “I remember back 30 years ago, I used to sketch out my own drawings, submit them for building permits, and that was all that was required.

But now it’s not just drawings, but also engineered trust plans, septic systems must be designed, lot grading plans, and on and on.”

Adam chimed in, noting, “today’s standard is so rigid and exacting to what you have to build. And then you see these old structures that you opened up that had none of those standards – they are the furthest thing from exacting. And yet here they are 125 years later still standing.”

And while the work can be challenging, they meet each new regulation or requirement with ease. But noted that each engineer’s report, or system plan was an extra cost that went directly to the customer’s bottom line. It’s one of those invisible costs in homebuilding that people can forgot goes into the total.

Keeping it going

Adam started as a student and remembers working with Keith and the team for the past 25 years. “The earliest I remember is the teacher strike in’97. I was 13 or 14 and came to work for a couple weeks while we were out of school.” And then he was there, “all through summers and between school and then after university I came back and worked for different stints.”

After his younger terms with the Keith Hunt Construction, Adam returned in 2011 as a project manager.

About five years ago, Keith started talking about stepping back from running the business.

“I read an article in one of the trade magazines about contractors who decide to retire, and they just close the door, and they get nothing out of it.

“It’s a lot of work—30 years—to build up a business and just turn around and say, ‘Okay, we’re all done.’ And you lock the door and turn off the lights and way you go.” He didn’t much like that idea, “So I thought, let’s take a look and see if we can’t keep things going.”

He talked about keeping the business going and Adam was receptive to the idea. “It’s to everybody’s benefit to keep it going.”

They worked on the transition over the past few years, and made the ownership change official this year, coinciding with the business’ 30th anniversary.

Keith said the process went very well. He’s staying on at the business but with a bit more flexibility. “Semi-Retirement.”

This summer, he took a twoweek trip to British Columbia, and spent time canoeing in Algonquin Park. “Stuff that I really couldn’t do before. This has been great to be able to do that.”

Adam said that things have been going well, but there was a noticeable change when he stepped into ownership. “You feel the responsibility of, not just the day-to-day work and to the clients, but also to the employees and their families.

Looking to the future, Adam

said, his plans are “to make it more efficient on the front end so that the guys on the site can just keep doing what they’re doing. That’s our strength as a company. That’s what our bread and butter is, those guys building things. That’s what people hire us to do.”

Keith reflected on the past 30

years, musing on what a legacy, saying it’s partly being able to drive around the region and see all the houses they built or renovated, or public buildings. But, perhaps more importantly, “The other thing I would consider our legacy is we’ve got a whole new generation of carpenters that are hopefully going to stay in

this area.

“There’s a whole team here with Adam that is here for future generations.” Adam took those words to heart. “If you can hire people and keep them in the community and give them a good life, then that pays dividends to feed forward cycle.”

Street

he’d been working there since 2011, when he started as a high school co-op student. He said he liked the variety of the work, with lots of different skills used to address all the finishing needs in residential construction, but that he liked trim work the most.

Cole Gardner feeds a board through a planer in the workshop at Keith Hunt Construction’s Beech

building. Cole said

Keith Hunt Construction team members work on a residential new build on the cliff top in Port Stanley in mid-September. Workers fanned out across the property on the warm and sunny day, finishing off sections of framing and the roof, while shingles were being applied to other sections.

Local leaders remark on Elgin’s

ELGIN-MIDDLESEX-LONDON Karen Vecchio, MP

We must attract labourers into our communities and assist connecting employees with opportunities to join the workforce.

TOWN OF AYLMER Mary French, Mayor

Entrepreneurs and businesses and in Elgin-MiddlesexLondon continue to respond to challenges and obstacles with innovative and effective solutions. As we emerge from the pandemic and continue to focus on pandemic recovery, businesses in our community are facing the challenges of labour shortages, supply change disruptions and inflation.

Businesses in our region can attest that the major challenge faced by employers continues to be the lack of available workforce. I have met with business owners and local agencies who have indicated the struggle to find labour in their respected industries and the thousands of vacant positions in our region.

Not only has workforce shortages created barriers for businesses, but supply chain disruptions continue to impact businesses and their ability to provide goods and services to customers. Limited access to goods and products has resulted in challenges for many businesses as the economy continues to adjust to our postpandemic economy.

The economy must be a main priority for the federal government as we move into the final quarter of the year.

Canadian businesses continue to suffer with the cost of inflation and the federal government must ensure Canadian companies remain competitive on the international market.

This fall, our municipalities will be welcoming new leadership following the October 24, 2022, municipal elections. I look forward to working with all municipalities and stakeholders in Elgin-Middlesex-London to ensure we are working collaboratively to create prosperity for families and businesses.

The year 2022 has been productive and successful in Aylmer. Much of this success has to do with local businesses that have demonstrated resiliency and perseverance in

economically uncertain and challenging times. Despite nation-wide challenges such as rising inflation and continuing supply chain disruptions, I am pleased to see new businesses continue to open their doors and the renewed hustle and bustle of our main street. Aylmer is truly a special community. By supporting locally owned businesses, you are helping to strengthen the economic fabric of where we choose to live, work and play! Council and staff continue to note significant interest in new residential, commercial, and industrial development in town.

This is a sign that the economic and lifestyle advantages of

locating in Aylmer are being realized within the development community. We look forward to enabling responsible, strategic growth in Town and enjoying the related positive impacts for local merchants and industry.

Council has prioritized planning for strategic long-term growth in the Town, with key infrastructure projects underway including the replacement of the water storage standpipe, lagoon optimization/ potential expansion and the development of the Aylmer Industrial Manufacturing (AIM) Park. Please continue to shop local and support the great businesses we have in Aylmer!

Our mission for 2022 has been to look ahead; keep our eyes and plans focused forward. It’s been a year of hard work and perseverance for many of our members to begin recovering from the past two years.

A big thank you to those who continue to shop locally and support our downtown merchants. Many of our members have adapted and developed their business to be visible online, offer curbside pick-up, after hours shopping and even delivery. If you are considering shopping elsewhere or online, we hope you will reach out to our local small business community and see what they have to offer or if they are perhaps able to deliver if you are not able to get out of the house. Our downtown merchants are known for going above and beyond for customers to ensure you have what you need. Our Summer COOL BIA dollar program returned this

summer and it was another success with dollars selling out in over a week. Watch the newspaper and social media for the launch of our winter COOL BIA dollars! We have also been grateful to have our Spring Shop Hop and plans for our Winter Shop Hop where customers can experience all the amazing shops Aylmer has to offer in the evening. We are excited to see what 2023 will bring! Thank you to everyone who contributed to a successful year and continue to support our local business community. By keeping your business in town, you are supporting local families, businesses, and our local economy.

TOWNSHIP OF MALAHIDE David Mennill, Mayor

of supplies which leads to increased costs because of low supply and high demand.

• We are working toward getting back to normal business practices but there is a lack of personal to fill all the vacancies. Everywhere I look, I see “help wanted” signs. As the Boomer generation retires the problem becomes greater. I believe that immigration and job training will gradually balance the shortage of employees in years ahead.

2022 will be a year to remember for business in Malahide.

The challenges have been many!

• Covid has caused a lack

• Malahide’s biggest industry is agriculture. Input costs such as fuel and fertilizer and spray have doubled from precovid years. Fortunately, the

commodity prices have gone up as well, to compensate for the added expense. My hope for 2023 is for Covid to become a distant memory and for business to get back to normal practice where management and employees can both prosper.

This is my last message for an AE special edition, as I am retiring form municipal politics after 26 years. I want to thank council and the community for their support and I want to wish the incoming mayor, Dominique Giguère and the new council, the best of luck managing Malahide Township in the years to come.

MAINSTREET AYLMER Kevin Cross, Chairperson

ELGIN-MIDDLESEX-LONDON Rob Flack, MPP

that the lifeblood of our economy requires a healthy and growing business sector.

In fact, our government was reelected on a plan that supports businesses – a plan to rebuild Ontario’s economy, a plan to keep costs down, and a plan that keeps our province open. In the upcoming year I will focus on these promises by supporting our local entrepreneurs and their employees.

AYLMER & AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Jamie Chapman, President

Prior to my recent election as MPP for Elgin-MiddlesexLondon, I was the President and CEO of Masterfeeds Inc., a national agribusiness serving livestock and poultry producers. I fully understand

Since our government was elected in 2018,we have passed eight bills to streamline how businesses access government.

We are committed to cutting red tape.

The Ontario government also funds 47 Small Business

Enterprise Centres across the province, one of which is located within our riding in St. Thomas. The SBEC provides vital support for small businesses across the riding. For growing businesses, the Ontario government funds 17 Regional Innovation Centres (locally in London) that help entrepreneurs clear growth and scaling hurdles to reach international markets, especially in the tech industry.

Ontario is open for business, and so is Elgin-MiddlesexLondon. I encourage everyone to reach out to these support networks that are provided by the Ontario government.

The Aylmer and Area Chamber of Commerce has had a successful year to date. In recent months, we have welcomed new members including Inclusive Communities Consulting

MUNICIPALITY OF BAYHAM Ed Ketchabaw, Mayor

residents. Through their generosity and charitable donations, local businesses contribute to the social fabric of our community, and through tax contributions help support the local municipal services expected by a modern society. In turn, our community and its residents provide a reliable workforce, a local marketplace for goods and services, and a positive environment in which to develop commercial opportunities.

In Bayham, we are very proud of our businesses, and very grateful that they have chosen our community from which to operate. Local business is integral to our community. Local entrepreneurial spirit drives our economy and provides employment for our

This past year Bayham was privileged to welcome new business opportunities including Rico’s, Beach Patties, expansions at ETBO, and Legend Rubber, and the emergence of many contractors and trades to support housing construction are but a few of the newer busi-

nesses. For the year ahead it seems obvious that supply chain issues, a willing workforce, and interest rate hikes will probably dominate business-owner concerns and activity. These external shocks to local business, though often beyond the reach of local remedy, can be softened by the willingness of local consumers to be there for our local businesses, to support them so that they in turn will be there to support our local community.

“Opportunity is Yours” in Bayham! Let’s all work together to help our local business thrive and thereby improve the quality of life for all our residents.

The businesses in our municipality are very important to the economy of Central Elgin as well as offering great

& Life Skills, Aylmer Performing Arts Council and Kinsmen Club of Aylmer. Although 2022 started off with more of a connection gap, the Chamber is working to reconnect people safely in person. We also continue to lean on our virtual programs and integrations. With the shift to go more virtual, we have raised our profile and connection with our members through social media, e-newsletters, online meetings and correspondence. This has allowed us to create new relationships and assist our members with promoting their goods and services to a wider reach. We continue to utilize our resources with the

Ontario Chamber of Commerce and participate in their weekly Town Hall calls to advocate for small businesses. We look towards 2023 with optimism and hope for a safe, healthy and prosperous year.

We plan to host Business After

Five events in the new year. Our Chamber is here to support our local business community and have worked hard in a role of facilitators, mediators, advocators, promoters and more. Thank you to the members who continue to support the Aylmer & Area Chamber of Commerce.

We are proud of our business community and all that we have to offer.

attractions to the visitors. Many of our businesses are geared to tourism and the county’s CIP program has greatly assisted several of our businesses both agricultural and tourist oriented.

It is vital that we work with our businesses as they try to recover from the pandemic closures and get back to a new normal. We have few large businesses but support and encourage them. Paid parking in the whole village of Port Stanley has been an area of contention

Kim Bencich of BReezy’s Boutique in Aylmer did just that, opening a main street womenswear clothing store in July 2020 and, over two years later her vision is doing just fine. She muses, “It was maybe not the wrong time to open a business or the right time, but it has been an interesting time.” Kim decided to get into clothing retail over two years ago, after retiring. “I managed gas stations and Coffee Time franchise for 30 years. And then I needed something to do, and my husband said, ‘Do what you always wanted to do.’”

And, “I’ve always wanted to have a clothing boutique, but 30 years ago I was raising children and it was

risky.”

With newfound time, and an available storefront in Aylmer (nearby to grandparents), she figured the timing was right to jump in with both feet. She laughed, “And now I’m spending my retirement working.”

BReezy’s offers women’s clothing, purses, jewellery, and accessories, much of it sourced from Canadian brands, which were popular. “It’s good when you have Canadian companies that you can deal with,” as she noted they were reliable and responsive to order placement and fulfillment.

Kim sat down for an interview with the Express upon her return to work after a few weeks off at the end of summer for a daughter’s wedding

in Bulgaria. The store was closed while she was away, a side effect to being an owner and full-time shopkeeper (though sister Marnie helps on occasion – “When I can con her into doing a Saturday for me”).

But being able to make trips like that, on her own schedule was also part of the freedom of owning her own business.

Kim reflected, “It’s a different kind of work, working for yourself. There’s something to be said for that.

“I love coming to work now. I love my customers.”

And helping each of those customers to find just the right piece of clothing or accessory was what she enjoyed the most, and the interactions with store patrons.

“It’s funny, after two years, you say ‘customers’, but they don’t feel like just customers. They feel like your friends when they walk through the door now.”

It’s a different kind of work, working for yourself. There’s something to be said for that.

Kim Bencich, owner of BReezy’s Boutique in Aylmer, displays some of the cozy fall merchandise that is now available in store, such as this “shacket” (shirt jacket). Inventory is updated regularly, and she aims to have all inventory sold each season, so it stays fresh for shoppers each year.

Personal service

Patrons of the store sometimes knew exactly what they wanted, and other times looked to Kim for advice or guidance, whether it be for a purchase for themselves or a gift.

“One thing about a small town and getting to know your customers is that you get to know whether they want your opinion or not.

“I would rather tell somebody that we can do better or suggest a different color versus them buying something and then getting home and not being happy. I don’t want my clothes sitting in their closet never to be worn. I’d rather them wait for the perfect thing.”

Kim did like a challenge though, the thrill of the hunt. “I love being able to try to find the perfect thing for somebody or the perfect piece if they’re after something. I love searching.” She gave an example, “One lady, she’s very petite. When I was able to find her a pair of jeans, she was ecstatic, and she gave me a big hug.”

Her commitment to current trends and excellent service was the perfect recipe to attract repeat customers and have those wander into the store on referral. “I have a group of ladies that come out from Toronto every season and there’s four of them and they always make the trip to come and visit and shop.”

She said the greatest reward was “making somebody happy, of course.”

In turn, a happy customer brings joy to Kim, “The best is when I see somebody walking by and they have something that I know that they purchased here. I kind of do a little happy dance.”

Wide range of seasonal styles

For inventory management Kim said each season, “I clear it out. I want fresh, I want new. I don’t want

it sitting in the store for five years and I honestly just don’t have the room for it. “

She noted that Covid shutdowns, especially right after the holidays last year, made it challenging to clear out stock.

She got creative and did online videos showing others at home what was available in the store, so then customers could place an order and pick up the items to take home. She said that was popular, though was glad to have everyone back in the store – it’s important to see and try on clothes to “see the design and feel the fabric.”

Longer, cozy but chic Stockport jackets were popular and keeping them in stock was a challenge. Too, Carreli Jeans, from Montreal were a hot seller.

For fall and into winter, she said trends were leaning towards bright colours—blues, purple and pinks—as well as for jeans to be boot cut or wider styles.

One thing that surprised her was the demand for pull-up jeans, recalling a story from when she first opened the store:

“Carreli Jeans sent me four different colors in the pull-up jeans, and I sent them all back because I thought that they were maternity pants, and wondered, who wanted those? And then sure enough, soon as I sent them back, I had customers coming in saying, ‘Oh, I heard you have pull-up jeans.’ So, I get on the phone and said get those back here.

“In the summertime, the white pull-up jeans were my number one best seller. I honestly could not keep those in the store.”

She laughed, “And then I tried a pair on, and they were actually great.”

That caused her to reflect on the advantage to shopping in person, “You know, honestly, everything looks different when it’s on a body. You look at something

and you think, ‘Oh, I would never wear that.’ Then you put it on, and it completely changes.”

She noted it was getting a little harder to ensure inventory for coming seasons and planning was important. “If you don’t pre-book a year ahead for the season, I may not get anything. I can’t just go online and find it as easy.”

Some producers also only made enough for a first shipment, so restocks weren’t always an option, whereas it had previously been quite simple to call up a supplier and order a few more pieces of a popular item. With that in mind, Kim warned any wavering shoppers, “If you see something or if there’s a sweater that you love, you should grab it.”

While she said summer was her busiest season, Kim said she was looking forward to this holiday season— hopefully with no public health restrictions—to see what a more normal year was like.

Everything looks different when it’s on a body. You look at something and you think, ‘Oh, I would never wear that.’ Then you put it on, and it completely changes.”

Photos

Manager Brent Blackman

FOCUS 2022

IN THIS SECTION:

This fall will mark the 40th year of a thrift store being run by Mennonite Community Services in Aylmer.

Aylmer Thrift Store Manager Dave Guenther and MCS Executive Director Eddy Rempel recently sat down for an interview with the Express to discuss the store and its role in the East Elgin community.

The store opened in November of 1982, Eddy said only a few short months after

the concept of it was first discussed in June of that year. In the months in between, a committee raised the required funds and prepare for a grand opening.

Different churches worked together, with some members making public pledges, which then inspired others to donate. And then cucumber farmers said that once they had filled a contract, if workers wanted to donate time to pick excess crop, then the farmers would donate the cucumbers. And with enough fundraising, they were able to secure a loan from Mennonite Central Committee to purchase the building.

Dave said he was really inspired by that story of how the store was started. “The great thing about it is the connection of multiple different Mennonite churches coming together and understanding that there’s mutual benefit to working together.”

Since then, they’ve been a local hub, collecting donated merchandise and selling it at low cost. A portion of the funds go to MCC Ontario, but the largest share goes to MCS. Eddy said, “The

majority of it supports local programming that we do.”

Some of those programs included community services, the low German radio station, settlement services and adult education.

The store at 300 Talbot Street West in Aylmer is open Monday through Saturday, with donations being accepted only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. They had previously accepted donations every day, but staggered donation days was a procedure that started in the pandemic that Dave expected would continue, at least in the short term. It helped to keep things moving and as orderly as possible in sorting. He remarked, “We’re just constantly receiving. It’s a constant bombardment of more and more things coming in and we don’t get to the end to do all the sorting through.”

Aylmer Thrift Store had six employees, while the rest of the help came from a large roster of community volunteers, with around 80 on the active volunteer list right now. The roster of volunteers helps to receive, classify, sort, quality check, prepare and stock the items in the store.

He said the goal is for the staff the be

CONTINUED ON PAGE C6

Aylmer Thrift Store volunteer Recruiter Beth Ann Connors and Edie Vindasius are shown as Edie stocks clothing. She started volunteering in June and said, “I enjoy putting clothes out and the ladies that I’ve met. They made me feel very welcome when I came.”

Story and photos by Renée Hueston

“All the funds are for the community”

To see how grateful recipients are for being able to come in and get what they need to build a comfortable life is amazing.

Aylmer Ultrasound thriving at thirty

by Renée Hueston

With years of ultrasound technology experience, a passion for the job, a caring mentor and a strong team, Allie Aquilina, new owner of Aylmer Ultrasound, feels ready to keep the business moving forward and growing.

Aylmer Ultrasound celebrated its 30th anniversary in April. Previous owner Laurie Annaert handed over the reins to Allie in February, and continues to work at the business she lead for three decades.

“I’ve been a sonographer for 11 years. I’ve been with Aylmer Ultrasound for a year,” Allie said in a recent interview with the Express.

She said, “I always knew I wanted to be in the healthcare field. I remember in high school I went and did a rotation in the X-ray department,” and it caught her interest.

“I started out in the X-ray program and switched into sonography, and I’ve loved it ever since day one. I just, I kind of knew this is what I wanted to do.”

Of the decision to become a business owner, she said, “I’ve known Laurie personally for many years and I knew this was something I wanted to do. I previously worked at London X-Ray Associates, and I was the head coordinator of the ultrasound department.”

She asked herself, “Where can I go from here? What are my next steps to strengthen myself?

“I heard through the grapevine that Laurie was looking to slow down and sell. So I reached out to her and, here we are,” she gestured to the office around her.

Allie said of the past year, “It’s been really smooth,” it was seamless and comforting, “Because Laurie’s staying on with me. She’s mentoring me through the whole

process. She works for me one day a week and then she’s there when I have questions as well, if needed.

“It’s been a very good transition and I’m very thankful.”

Allie said, the best part of the job was the interaction with patients, “Especially for our OB patients, we’re always excited to see them come through the doors and provide them with good healthy information in their pregnancy.”

She did say that a common assumption about the field was, “a lot of people assume ultrasound is just pregnancy but it’s much more than that. If you see your doctor and they need some information, they often recommend ultrasound first, before CTs or MRIs. So we really are the frontline in diagnostic imaging.”

Aylmer Ultrasound offers a wide range of services. “We do anything from abdominal and pelvic work to musculoskeletal ultrasound as well as obstetrics. We do the carotid ultrasounds and some vascular ultrasounds here, as well as what’s called small parts (thyroids, lumps and bumps).”

Patients arrived at Aylmer Ultrasound only with a referral from a physician’s office, midwife or nurse practitioner. “It’s all referral based. We are a private clinic, but it’s an independent health facility through the Ministry of Health.” The billing at the clinic is almost entirely done through OHIP, with a few uninsured customers paying out of pocket.

Once they perform the ultrasound, the image is sent to a radiologist (Dr. Walter Romano at STEGH), who then reviews the ultrasound, formulates the report, and sends it to the referring medical professional.

The clinic has two ultrasound rooms and machines, and Allie hopes to expand to a

The clinic sees on average 40 patients a day, and annually

7,600

third, “as the community needs it.”

Right now, they see about 40 patients a day, annually 7,600.

Allie said she recalled there used to be lulls around holidays, but since the pandemic, it’s been consistently busy, but “We try to keep our wait time as fast as possible. We like to keep it under two weeks for our patients, if possible.”

She said the team there was also excellent. “The staff is great. I’m very lucky to have been able to step into that. Everyone works well together.”

Allie reflected, “I feel like my greatest reward is being able to serve the community and provide care that’s much needed.”

She said it was comforting for a patient to be assured about their experience they should arrive and feel that “I know I’m going to get in quickly, I’m going to be treated well, have the patient care that I deserve and my doctor’s going to get results quickly so I can figure out what’s going on.”

Only Aylmer will need additional development land over next 30 years

by Rob Perry of The

Aylmer Express

No Elgin County municipalities except Aylmer will need additional land designated for commercial, industrial and residential growth over the next 20 years, consultants told county councillors in a meeting earlier this year, in late June.

Consultants Hemson and Stantech had prepared a “population, housing and employment forecasts and associated land needs analysis” as part of the county’s review and updating of its official plan, which governs new development.

Stefan Krzeczunowicz of Hemson said that the consultants had tackled 30 years of growth needs (beyond the required 25), in case any shortages might appear in the 2040s that would need to be addressed.

Such forecasts involved uncertainties, he continued, which was why they would need to be adjusted from time to time. Getting the next 10 years right for the plan was most important now.

“Surge of growth”

“There’s been a surge of housing growth since about the time of the 2016 (Canada) census,” he said, and that wasn’t unique to Elgin County.

“Millennials” were purchasing their first homes, he said, while “baby boomers” were buying retirement homes. “We expect this phenomenon to continue,” and to spill over to an extent to the east and west ends of Elgin, especially in Aylmer, but not at the same rate as being seen now in Central Elgin and Southwold.

The COVID-19 pandemic seemed partly responsible, creating a migration of city dwellers into smaller communities and rural areas, especially since evolving technology allowed them to work from home.

He wasn’t sure if that was a temporary or permanent trend, but the forecasts didn’t expect any large surge in additional remote workers.

On the commercial and industrial side, Mr. Krzeczunowicz continued, Elgin was primed for significant growth. Having more residents here would generate new jobs, and the county had some good areas designated for commercial and industrial development– the new Amazon warehouse and distribution centre in Southwold on the site of the former Ford plant being a good example.

Population growth trends were complex in the Elgin census area, which included St. Thomas, he stated. Between the mid-1980s and mid-2000s, St. Thomas’s population had grown and Elgin’s had declined.

Then the recession hit in 2008-09, and growth slowed, but in recent years, had resumed at levels not seen since the mid1980s.

Building permits

St. Thomas by far was issuing the most building permits for new homes, and to a lesser extent Central Elgin, which in recent years has had about 45% of all new housing starts in the county.

From 2021 to 2026, the study expected

population growth in Elgin to outstrip St. Thomas, but after that the city would have the edge, expected to see its steepest increase since the early 1990s.

The forecasts suggested the rate of new housing growth would be faster than population growth in Elgin County in the next 30 years. With young families moving here, the overwhelming demand would continue to be for single-family homes, but with new planning policies in place to encourage “intensification,” the stock of apartments and rowhouses would also go up.

The county’s inventory of 668.2 hectares of vacant land available for residential growth should be sufficient for most Elgin municipalities out to 2051, with the one exception being Aylmer.

Aylmer’s needs

The town would need an additional 21 hectares on top of what it already had, which would be enough for 600 new homes.

Aylmer “is the county’s largest settlement area and has unique characteristics as a regional service centre that makes it a particularly attractive location for housing growth and intensification,” the study found. “Aylmer runs out of residential land shortly after 2041.

“It’s a very long-term issue.”

Most residential growth in the county, Mr. Krzeczunowicz noted, would take place in “Tier 1” settlement areas like Aylmer, which had full municipal water and sanitary sewage systems.

of vacant land designated for industrial and commercial use, and by 2051 would need to use 170 hectares of that.

Population growth

Turning to population projections, the study expected Aylmer would increase to 10,760 residents from 7,920 now, Bayham to 8,300 from 7,300, Malahide to 12,800 from 9,570, Central Elgin to 18,330 from 14,090, Southwold to 6,040 from 4,980, Dutton Dunwich to 5,100 from 4,260 and West Elgin to 5,560 from 5,170.

The study also included a long list of recommendations to help achieve goals such as growth, intensification of resident uses, increased variety in housing types and growth of commercial and industrial businesses.

Bayham Mayor Ed Ketchabaw, rural initiatives and planning, observed, “There was a lot of material there to digest.”

The county’s inventory of 668.2 hectares of vacant land available for residential growth should be sufficient for most Elgin municipalities out to 2051, with the one exception being Aylmer.

Aylmer was expected to have 1,180 additional homes in 2051, Malahide 1,270, Bayham 690, Central Elgin 2,450, Southwold 770, Dutton Dunwich 480 and West Elgin 380.

Employment growth

Mr. Krzeczunowicz, turning to employment, said the area was just starting to recover from the losses sustained during the 2008-09 recession.

The London areas was returning to pre-pandemic employment levels much quicker that the rest of Ontario, he noted. He forecasted “robust growth” in new jobs over the next 30 years, with some inevitable ups and downs. Many of the new jobs would be in the retail and service industry, created by a growing population, followed by agriculture and also tourism, he expected. However, the majority of new employment should come in business and industrial parks.

The study anticipated Aylmer would have 19.8% of the new jobs in the county; Southwold 29.2% partly due to the new Amazon warehouse; Central Eglin 16.6%; Malahide 12.8%; Bayham 8%; Dutton Dunwich 5.2% and West Elgin 8.4%.

The county currently had 265 hectares

West Elgin Mayor Duncan McPhail said he had noticed that official plans seemed to lack language that would encourage residential growth in communities that already had surplus water, sewage and school capacities, rather than building new homes and then having to upgrade or install such services and build new schools.

He didn’t believe municipalities received enough support to allow for the easy development of lands, he continued, and that some of what was designated as future residential land wasn’t really desirable for that purpose, such as when property backed onto a sewage treatment plant.

West Elgin was about to conduct its own official plan update, he noted, and he would drive the planning consultants involved around his municipality to point out such potential conflicts.

“Doing the same old thing and expecting a different result isn’t going to work,” he stated.

Mr. Krzeczunowicz said municipal official plans were where communities could take control over how growth looked on the ground.

The county didn’t really have that kind of control in its official plan, he said. “This is just an exercise in steering growth to the right communities.”

Aylmer Ultrasound’s all-female team gather in front of their office in the Aylmer medical centre. They are, front row, from left: Monique Wortelboer, Shelley Derrig, Heather Lyle; back row: Angel Hiebert, owner Allie Aquilina, former owner Laurie Annaert and Kristen Deon; absent:  Gloria Kostyk, Sharon Pepper-May and Joanne Bobier.

While they perform a lot of pregnancy scans, they also offer ultrasound services or much more than that

by the

Rob Perry of The Aylmer Express

Starting a major building project just before a pandemic starts is not something Chris Streib would recommend.

He and his partner Jake Zacharias own 424 Talbot St.

W. in Aylmer, part of a condominium complex known as the Aylmer Medical Centre, and now have added another.

The 424 building formerly housed Talbot Trail Physiotherapy and still is home to East Elgin Family Health Team and other, smaller offices.

Earlier this year, Talbot Trail finally moved into a new home at 426 Talbot St. W., what was now the southernmost building in the medical centre, more than two years after construction began and after the cost of construction escalated by 30% due to material and labour shortages.

Mr. Streib and Mr. Zacharias first acquired what was then the entire medical centre property from the Town of Aylmer about 10 years ago, with two buildings at the front.

One had a pharmacy and a chiropractor, and the other doctors’ offices and Talbot Trail. The physiotherapy business had already been there for almost 10 years, so when the town decided to sell the medical centre, the purchase made sense, since Talbot Trail was the largest tenant in the building, Chris said.

A new 12,000 square-foot building then went up behind the other two, with the address of 424 Talbot St. W., which housed Talbot Trail, a dental practice, a nurse-practitioner and, downstairs, spaces for other service providers and agencies.

At the time they’d acquired the centre, the East Elgin Family Health Team was just being formed, and deciding on where it should be situated.

Mr. Streib said they took on the project of renovating space in the 424 building to provide a home for the team, which at the time was made up of four physicians.

Talbot Trail moved temporarily to the basement of 424,

while renovations were under way on the ground floor. After the family health team moved in, remaining space on the ground floor was then renovated and Talbot Trail moved back upstairs.

The Family Health Team is the biggest tenant in 424, with a blood-testing lab downstairs along with Southwestern Public Health, a nurse-practitioner, and a diabetes education clinic.

The two buildings at the front, nearest Talbot Street West, are now condominiums owned by the tenants, including in the larger one Aylmer Family Dental, which had grown to encompass five of the six available units there.

After the newest 6,000 square-foot building at 426 was finally completed earlier this year, Talbot Trail moved over to occupy half of that. Plans for 426 were hatched over the course of 2019, and actual work started with scraping off top soil in early February and March of 2020.

Then the pandemic hit, and nothing happened for a long time due to public health emergency orders and business shutdowns.

Work finally got rolling again in the late spring of 2021. Meanwhile, Talbot Trail moved out of 424 in July and went instead to the Imperial Hall at East Elgin Community Complex, to better deal with public health mandates.

A planned four-month stay there dragged on into eight, though “The arena space actually worked out really well.”

Not many vacant 2,000 square-foot spaces were available to rent in Aylmer otherwise, he added, and the Complex in turn had no customers for its hall.

Talbot Trail was happy, though, to move into their new space in the 426 building in late spring of this year.

Talbot Trail now had 10 private treatment rooms, Chris said, and another handful of open beds.

The workspace was designed to allow staff to flow through it as smoothly as possible.

At the Complex, staff members who kept track of their steps sometimes would record as many at 10,000 in a morning.

Chris said they had potential new tenants interested in the other half of the space at 426, and they were open to anything along health care lines, such as optometry, audiology and similar businesses.

Getting the space ready for a new tenant wouldn’t be difficult, he believed. All the services were already roughed in, so minimal electrical and plumbing work should be needed to prepare it for occupancy.

Past experience renovating a dozen physiotherapy clinic spaces for Talbot Trail over the last 20 years had really helped, but the experience was still daunting.

The price of lumber, for example, almost tripled from the time they started to build and when they were done.

They didn’t have much trouble finding subcontractors, which he credited to using local trades.

The original target was to have Talbot Trail into 426 by September of 2020, but the move didn’t happen until April of 2022.

As a result of such complications, the cost of 426 was 30% higher than originally expected.

They were also looking for a standalone operation to occupy Talbot Trail’s former space in 424, whether that mean additional space if needed by the Family Health Team or tenants now in the lower part of the building.

As for tackling another new building or renovating an existing one, “Never say never,” but Chris was content with the spaces he had now.

He said 426 filled in the medical centre property nicely.

“Aylmer, for the size of it, has a lot of services in it now to complement the Family Health Team,” he added. The centre was particularly useful for seniors, in that all services were on the ground floor in three of the buildings, and the basement in 424 was served by an elevator.

Top picture, a new 6,000 square-foot building, left, was completed at 426 Talbot Street West earlier this year, part of the Aylmer Medical Centre. It sits next to 424 Talbot West, a 12,000 square-foot building that’s almost 10 years

old. Half of the new building is occupied by Talbot Trail Physiotherapy, while the other half waits for a new tenant. Bottom picture, the front of the new building. (AE/Rob Perry)

After 50 years, Don and Nancy Caverly retire and sell their Springwater Packers

by Rob Perry of The Aylmer Express

Don and Nancy

Caverly

worked hard to build their Springwater Packers business over the last 50 years before deciding to retire recently, but they’d rather give credit to everyone else, ranging from their staff and suppliers to their customers, and the Aylmer community as a whole.

The story of their success, Don said in an interview, was reflected in a “Small Town, Big Heart” sign promoting the town that many of his customers put their own messages on (see picture).

“That’s exactly the story of Aylmer that people will help, and don’t need to be asked a lot of times. It’s been a privilege.”

He told people he had won the lottery in life for so many reasons, he said, including a good wife, doing work he enjoyed, great customers, great staff, great suppliers and great service providers.

With all that, he concluded, “It’s easy.”

Local roots

They both were originally from the area. Don was born and raised in Malahide, and attended McGregor Public School, Davenport Public School and East Elgin Secondary School, then went straight into the meatpacking business. He had grown up in the industry through his parents’ business on Caverly Road.

Nancy was originally from Brownsville and grew up on a tobacco farm where her brother still resides.

She went to Brownsville Public School and then Glendale Secondary School in Tillsonburg, and London Teachers’ College, returning to Tillsonburg to teach.

Don said Nancy was teach-

ing at the time they met, set up on a blind date by her sister Marg White.

He’d planned to take Nancy to Elmhurst Inn in Ingersoll, but the winter was terribly cold, and his car was out of antifreeze. His car got stuck in Nancy’s driveway, but he managed to dig it out, so she thought “he must be alright.”

They had trouble finding a garage in Tillsonburg that could help them out. Finally, despite being close to closing time, a mechanic agreed to have a look.

When they finally got to Elmhurst, they were late for their reservation, and had to plead to be let in, Don said. but they made it, and that must have been a good omen.

They later married on Aug. 28, 1982, the same day a killer frost hit the area.

“I always joke that Don got married when Hell froze over,” Nancy chuckled.

“I think we’re pretty content,” Don added. Building team & business from the ground up Nancy, after their marriage, quit teaching to help out at Springwater Packers, which Don had started 10 years earlier.

“I’m fond of saying there was nothing there but a bentover corn field” when he began, he said.

“He built that plant,” Nancy agreed.

Don believed that, when he first started, he might have had three employees (business records for the early years were destroyed in a house fire in 1992) and climbed to as high as 10.

Many meat cutters had trained with Springwater Packers over the years, he noted,

including local resident Troy Spicer, who now runs a course for butchers through Fanshawe College.

When asked the key to the success of Springwater Packers, Don said putting in effort and a willingness to try learning and building skills was important.

If someone could become good and capable at their job, then everything seemed to work out.

“I think the thing is, if you’re not good at it, and you won’t try to be good at it, it seems to be hard, then it’s frustrating, then it’s tiring, and you go home and wonder why you’re doing it.”

A meat packer and abattoir business like theirs, he said, depended on the availability of livestock, and a sales barn. Without an auction nearby, the chance of an area having an abattoir went down sharply.

Aylmer at one point had four slaughter plants, he noted, but now only had one other beside Springwater, Johnson’s Meats. The next closest was in Ridgetown.

They’d never had any issue with animal activists, they said with some relief.

Slaughter plants were carefully inspected by the provincial and federal governments to ensure humane treatment of the animals waiting for and during the slaughter process, not that they needed that to do so.

“Nobody wants to abuse

best to ensure the process was as comfortable as possible for the cattle and pigs they slaughtered.

When it came to beef, Don said, he’d always tried to have the highest grade possible, and to keep it cold and clean, give it time to age, and process it as best he could.

“I’m very proud of our pork program.” Springwater had five Ontario pork suppliers, all local, and pigs were easier to get than beef.

Having the animal travel the shortest distance possible to the slaughter plant was important for quality, he noted.

They always processed the best animals, nothing with injuries or ailments, and worked hard to turn out good products, whether bacon, sausages or smoked hams.

them,” he said. It wouldn’t make the resulting meat any better, and if an animal was having a hard time, “believe me, you’re having a hard time.”

They’d always done their

“We worked hard to learn and build those products.”

Humbled

They’d been humbled by the response to news they were retiring and selling their plant,

The couple reflect on five decades of offering the best cuts to even better customers

It was the customers that made that place.

Don and Nancy Caverly, in this undated photo, stood in front of a cooler at their Springwater

Stan Cook, left, Terry Findlay and Brian Thompson laughed as they worked at Springwater Packers. Nancy Caverly noted this was a time before government regulations required hair nets for workers. (AE/contributed)

receiving gifts of flowers, including potted plants and bouquets, and gift certificates.

“I said to Donald, I guess we did a good job,” Nancy added.

Don said from time to time in the past, customers would come in at certain times with treats, a tray of coffee or a box of doughnuts, homemade buns, and even hand-crocheted potholders.

Nancy said they’d gotten a lot of other help along the way.

A Mrs. Hoyer, who with her husband had owned an abattoir on Springfield Road, after it was sold would come over to Springwater Packers and watch employees making sausages there, sometimes bringing with her a Black Forest cake.

When Mr. Hoyer gave up the business, Don said, he had people from the local Saxon German community visit Springwater Packers, asking if he could make certain traditional products.

“‘Yes,’ we said. It’s that simple.”

Nancy recalled brothers who came in with a gift, because Don had processed an order for them on an emergency basis,” back in the day when an emergency slaughter order could still be issued by a veterinarian for an injured animal.

“They appreciated they’d put you on the spot and didn’t like to see an animal suffer. They’re good people. All the farmers

seemed so good.”

“You never had to worry about a bill (being paid),” Don agreed. “All the customers were that way. They customers made us what they did. It was the customers that made that place.”

Memorable meats, memorable meetings

Asked about their favourite products, Don said his had to be the variety of sausages they made, helped by the late Otto Schneider of Sparta.

Nancy said Otto would bring in recipes, and then translate them from the original German.

If they wanted to try something new, Don continued, Otto, whose father had been a master butcher in Germany, would come in three or four times to help perfect it.

Don said something similar applied to their main equipment supplier.

If he had a new machine, he wanted the Caverlys to try, Don would tell him they couldn’t afford it, and he’d insist on dropping it off on a trial run, promising to be back in a week to pick it up.

Of course, Don said, nine or 10 weeks would have passed before he did so, and the Caverlys would have learned to work with the machine and find they did want it after all.

He was a master salesman, Nancy said. The first time they

met him, she thought he must own the equipment business, and his name was, appropriately enough, Bill Butcher. He’d always write in red ink, she added.

Don said he asked Bill why he did so, and he replied, “Do you know anybody who likes to lose money? Nobody does, because if you do, you have to write it in red.”

By using that colour himself, he could always distinguish his own notes.

“I don’t think I ever signed anything with him,” Don added. Everything was done on a handshake.

Nancy remembered that Don told her, as soon as they married, “I could have anything I wanted as long as I paid for it.”

Some of the machinery at the plant had been her “birthday presents,” she laughed.

Turning to her favourite product, she said when she first met Don, he would bring over some meat from time to time, but she wouldn’t eat sausages, even though she was Hungarian, because they upset her stomach.

“Don said, ‘I don’t put bad stuff in my sausage,’ and I never had a problem after that,” and her favourite product had been their German smoked linked sausages.

When he went to make a product, Don said, he didn’t just do so with meat they had

left over. They made something for a customer to take home.

“You just had to get it ready, so it was ready for them when they wanted it.”

When asked to make something new, he added, he would consider some things, but also knew what was beyond him, and he would suggest someone else who could do the job.

“Better to tell them the truth as to blunder in, pretending you can do it, and it turns out unsatisfactory, and then what happens?”

They could do special sausage blends when customers brought in their favourite recipes, Nancy said.

Handing off the hard work, finding peace

Don said they started thinking about selling the business years ago, when he was badly ill with the flu.

“I was lucky,” and recovered, but that was touch-and-go for a time while he was still sick.

Nancy said she’d work at the plant during the day and then go up to the hospital at night to sit with Don.

Arranging actual sale took time. They listed the business for a brief time, but the listing ran out without an offer.

“It is hard work,” Nancy said. “Even if he (Don) says it’s not.”

Attitude made all the differ-

ence, Don said. He had never fired an employee in his life, and all he asked was workers make an effort to be good at their jobs.

Now that they had sold the business to a local buyer, Nancy said, she’d miss the customers and staff she used to see daily.

“We all worked very hard together,” and she knew her customers by name, and would talk about their families when they stopped in.

A lot had changed over the years, Don added. The number of slaughter plants in Ontario had dropped precipitously during that time, and when he had started, every 50 acres locally had been another family farm.

“That’s gone,” though he wasn’t saying that was good or bad, he observed.

The sale of the plant formally closed in May.

For now, Nancy said, their retirement plans revolved around staying healthy, and enjoying their motorboat that’s docked in Port Stanley through each summer.

“And we love our town,” she added.

“This town has been good to us, it’s our home, we’re safe here from bad climate, natural disasters, we’ve been at peace,” Don said. “It’s peace that lets people prosper.”

rest usually

Smoked hams were readied for customers at Springwater Packers. (AE/contributed)

“All the funds are for the community” at Aylmer Thrift Store

CONTINUED FROM PAGE C1

“less hands on and more overseeing and being guides to the volunteers.”

Some of the staff had a broad knowledge of item condition and demand, and their help in setting fair prices was invaluable, as it was one of the most important parts in maintaining positive relationships with both donors and buyers. Donors wanted to ensure that the items they gave were being sold for a fair price but not so expensive that they might regret not selling it themselves, and buyers wanted an affordable purchase, but understood increased cost for higher quality items.

Dave said that the store was the primary source of fundraising and income for MCS.

Those funds came through the sale of clothing and small household items, but also from thoughtful recycling of the items that they couldn’t use. Clothing that doesn’t get sold into the store is sold at a bulk rate at a very discounted price to another charitable organization. Damaged or overly worn clothing is sold to a textile buyer. They try to maximize the value of each item and see that it is meaningfully recycled.

The top selling category in the store was clothing –“the clothing always leads” – but books were also very popular.

Coming out of the pandemic, the new location was

now performing well, though that also means that some people are finding themselves on hard times and needing to access the pricing of thrifted goods.

“We just recently hit our record sales for monthly sales in June. We’ve definitely seen sales increasing since the inflation has been happening.”

As well, he had also noticed the trend in upcycling, with discerning customers able to see the potential in older furniture or clothing that might not suit current tastes. They were able to refresh those items them with paint, or sewing alterations to take on a new life.

Giving back

Dave said the best part of the job was “giving back to the community.” He continued, “We can get some Mennonite families that show up here in the Aylmer community with one or two suitcases and they have nothing else. They’re hoping to get a job in the summer. But they need something to start off with – pots and pans, furniture, clothing.

“They show up at the MCS resource center and have their needs assessed. Then they’re given a voucher to use at the store and they can pick out items for free. And we’re able to get them items and tools so they can make a meal the next day.”

Vouchers were also issued through the Family Cen-

tral, another community group helping those in need.

Dave guessed that this year they will once again topple their previous record for value of merchandise given away through the voucher system.

“To see how grateful recipients are for being able to come in and get what they need to build a comfortable life is amazing.”

Eddy reflected on some observations he’d made in the past couple years.

“The store creates an atmosphere where community can be built and maintained.” He said a lot of those connections were lost during the pandemic, “And so when we see community being rebuilt, people come together.”

He said the staff and volunteers “love working together, and then they love also sitting down to tell stories over a coffee and just enjoy a connection time. And, and that’s what we’re about, community services.”

He closed by saying, “Even though MCS was started by some Mennonite churches, newcomers in this area, the services are delivered to everybody. And that comes out of the values we share.

“That’s living the way Jesus did, noticing our neighbour. For me that’s the biggest reward – living it out doing so with staff, volunteers, donors. It’s the start. It’s all used for those good purposes.”

Aylmer Thrift Store Manager Dave Guenther stands among the shelves of constantly rotating merchandise in the downtown Aylmer store. Overseen by Mennonite Community Services, it has been operating and giving back, primarily to the East Elgin community, for 40 years. MCS purchased the former ICS plaza in 2018, and the store moved to the much larger location, opening in the fall of 2019. Above, the longtime former storefront is shown.

Helena Dyck, left, and Helen Bueckert are shown stuffing pillows – with the insides from stuffed animals that were in too rough of shape to be put out in the store. Helena Bueckert has been volunteering with the thrift store since 1983, one year after it opened. She joked of the task at hand: “We butcher all the little rabbits.”

Helena Siemens stands at the front counter jewellery display. She’s been volunteering about five years now, but also “a long time ago when the store first opened.” She said her husband helped to get the store going and she was glad to be back there.

The journey through Aylmer Thrift Store: many hands help to move pieces from mountains of donations to attractive rows of merchandise, ready for purchase

ABOVE LEFT: “This is where it all starts, in sorting,” said Aylmer Thrift Store Manager Dave Guenther, giving a tour of the operation. David Fehr left, and John Loewen, are the front line for making decisions on whether the donations can be directed to the store or to other agencies they work with, including textile recyclers, and sometimes whether and item is beyond use and needs to be disposed of. David said they see, “all kinds of stuff, some brand new, some garbage. You’d be amazed.”

ABOVE CENTRE: Volunteer Susan Friesen, and 15-year employee Linda Miller check handbags for defects to ensure they only put quality pieces up for sale. Once sorted, the merchandise receives a price and is put into the store’s inventory system. Linda said in the sorting that they also hope to catch any higherend pieces to ensure they are priced higher to reflect their quality. There always needs to be a balance between donors and shoppers, ensuring fair prices for both sides, as well as a good selection. “With people having financial challenges, there’s people thrifting now who have never before,” increasing the demand at the store.

ABOVE RIGHT: Aganetha Unruh smiled while sorting through piles of clothing, getting them ready before going to the racks. She said it was he first day back volunteering after spending the summer with her kids. “I miss the children but I love being back.”

LEFT: Anna Klassen said she helps at the thrift store, “almost every day, most of the time four hours a day.” She makes sure that all the kitchenware is washed before it goes to the shelves.

NEAR RIGHT: Merchandise before it is sorted.

WE’RE PROS AT HELPING PROS

FAR RIGHT: At its final step before purchase, merchandise is arranged in tidy displays throughout the store, ready to be purchased and given a new life. Dave noted that, “Having well placed shelving is just as good as the product itself.”

l87 John St N Aylmer ON

in spacious quarters at 80 John St. S.

The original McFarlan Rowlands office at that address has been enlarged considerably to provide space for 11 workers currently, with room for more in the future, Branch Manager Karen Zimmer said in an interview.

The roots of McFarland Rowlands, which has 18 offices across Southwestern Ontario, stretched back to 1896. It is a brokerage dealing with many different insurance providers, not just one.

The Aylmer office was first opened over 26 years ago by Sue Zimmer, Karen’s sister-in-law. Prior to that, the office was in Springfield and was owned by the late Giles Hume.

The office in Aylmer started with three employees and had reached five before the merger. With the amalgamation of the HWC staff, that increased to 11 workers.

McFarlan Rowlands, she noted, had approached HWC about purchasing all five of its offices, including Aylmer, St. Thomas, Port Stanley, Straffordville and Tillsonburg, and all remain open under the new ownership.

The sale took effect on January 1, 2021, but HWC continued to operate under that name for one full year before being folded into McFarlan Rowlands, to phase customers in gradually.

Karen, a former HWC employee herself, looks after all five of the former HWC offices, except Tillsonburg. St. Thomas has four additional employees, Port Stanley two and Straffordville three.

The move from the former HWC building (now purchased as the new home of the Aylmer-Malahide Museum and Archives) on Talbot Street West “was great,” she said. The move was

planned for two days but took only one.

Many of the older desks and other furnishings remained at the former site, which the museum appreciated.

“It was an easy move,” and the staff had been wonderful about making the change, with everything they needed packed and ready to go.

As for the new quarters, “We love them. It’s nice, it’s clean, it’s fresh,” and the merged staff got along perfectly. “Everyone helps everyone in the office. We all work together to ensure the jobs are completed.”

They were also now all on one storey, which made a big difference. “I don’t miss those stairs.”

The only disadvantage was that the old HWC office had employee parking out back, which the new office didn’t, but that wasn’t a terrible burden, as it was close to side streets where parking was allowed.

The construction was done by Keith Card of Card and Company, a local builder, and he did a great job, Karen stated.

The new site has a total of 16 individual offices, and she expected that the rest would be filled as the brokerage expanded its local business.

Karen said McFarlan Rowlands offered all types of insurance, for homeowners and tenants, automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles, commercial, farm and life, as well as travel.

Before COVID-19, she said, a lot more customers had come to insurance offices in person. After public health restrictions went into place, customers learned to deal with employees remotely, and many more were using online payments.

“Every one of us enjoy seeing the customers coming in and visiting with them (though),” she noted. “It makes a big difference.”

She notes German-speaking clients were still visiting in person because the language barrier could be easier to deal with face-to-face. They were social and liked to visit.

The brokers at the office knew their clients, “and they know their families, because we’re a small town.”

She thought that maintaining such a close relationship was why the company had so many offices.

“I think we do a great personal touch.”

“And our claims, that’s why we’re here,” she continued. Brokers ensured their customers were well-looked after.

One bad experience, and business would go down the road to another company.

Often, too, the brokers were trying to help people in crisis. After their first car crash, “They need their hand held. That’s what we’re here for,” and “We don’t like to drag anything on.”

McFarlan Rowlands had its own inhouse claims adjusters, rather than relying on insurers for that service. “That’s all new to us,” she said for the former HWC staff.

The main types of insurance sold locally were home-owners, commercial and automobile, she said.

With recent high gas prices, she noted, some customers were switching from larger vehicles to motorcycles.

Karen said, the changing environment in the insurance field was a challenge. “Everything is going up. People don’t expect insurance should go up, but

it does.

“People expect it to stay the same,” but that didn’t consider inflation, the cost of accident benefits and especially liability awards by courts “that were phenomenal.”

Locally, losses from flooding claims could be huge, either directly or indirectly through sewage backing up into homes.

“People don’t like insurance,” she admitted, and might never need it, despite paying for it over many years. And right now, everything was increasing in cost, but wages weren’t going up.

Many customers didn’t understand how insurance worked, unless they had an accident or another claim, but premiums weren’t really increased by that much.

Brokers remained a good choice for clients to choose, Karen added. Customers who bought insurance directly online from a company didn’t have someone familiar to go to if they needed help.

Those who did try would then return to a broker, because the service level they were getting was not what they had expected.

Discounts offered in the first year of online insurance often disappeared in the second year, “and service isn’t there.”

The younger generation was very much Internet-based, shopping more online than older residents, but many still came to McFarlan Rowlands because that was what their parents had done.

The business could help with someone who was trying to settle a claim and did so every day.

They could also provide information on a rapid basis. Someone buying a vehicle wanted to know instantly how much the insurance would cost for it.

The Aylmer office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“Aylmer’s a great town to have a business in, and live in,” Karen added.

helps everyone in the office. We all work together to ensure the jobs are completed.

Among the 11 employees now working at the McFarlan Rowlands Insurance Brokers Ltd. office at 80 John St. S. are front, from left: Marianne Hamm, Tina Fehr, Irma Cosyns, Jody DeCoutere; and back: Karen Zimmer, Jim Matthews and Wanda McLellan. (AE/Rob Perry)

Ricco’s Cash & Carry brings wholesale prices to Bayham

By Jeff Helsdon Bayham Correspondent

Imagine being able to get the prices of big box stores for groceries without having to travel to the city. Ricco’s Cash and Carry has brought that kind of pricing to Straffordville.

Located in the plaza in Straffordville, Ricco’s sells food and supplies at wholesale prices to the restaurant industry. The store also sells to the public.

Robert and Kari Hunter, who operate Cook’s Pizza, own the plaza in Straffordville on Plank Road. Looking for a business to fill an empty space in the plaza, they were given the idea by Don Windsor, who owns the cash and carry in Strathroy.

“My husband is also one of his salesman,”

Kari recounted. “They were discussing the sale of the building and said with the large families in the area he said why don’t you try that here.”

The family opened Ricco’s Cash and Carry on July 2, 2021. The store is open Monday through Saturday, closed only on Sundays.

Some of the items sold are frozen chicken breast, chicken wings, shrimp, fruit, vegetables, French fries, wedges, pre-made meals and desserts.

“With restaurant food it also saves time because it’s made quickly,” Kari said.

Some of the frozen items are broken into smaller portions for families that aren’t as large or who want to try an item.

Staples like flour, cooking oil and sugar are also available.

The Hunters have found the main customers are the public but they do have some food trucks and restaurants they supply. Kari said with the food shortages, restaurants are had to sometimes shop around to ensure they had enough food.

Asked if Ricco’s was more like Costco or a grocery store, Kari said, “It’s a little bit more like going to Costco except we don’t carry clothes,” she said. “We’re much faster than going to the grocery store.”

Ricco’s hasn’t been as busy as the Hunters were hoping but they realize it takes time for the word to get out.

“I found that with my other business,” Kari said. “It takes a long time to get peole to try it but one they do, they will keep coming.”

What do businesses need? People.

Area federal and provincial representatives weigh in on the issues they’re hearing about the most from local enterprise

Story and photographs by Rob Perry Elgin-Middlesex-London veteran MP Karen Vecchio and rookie MPP Rob Flack agree that the only thing their riding needs to prosper in future is… more people.

“We’re creating jobs and we’re building a robust economy,” MPP Flack said in an interview in late August.

“So, we’ve got the jobs, the factories, the investments, the business start-ups.

“What are we short of?

We’re short on people and skilled trades to take on those jobs.”

That’s the top issue he’s been hearing about from local businesses and industries since becoming an MPP in the provincial election in June, he said.

As a previous chief executive officer for Masterfeeds, he recalled the company had issues hiring staff out west when the petroleum industry was booming, because it paid unskilled workers $50 an hour.

“But we never had an issue finding skilled people to work in our feed plants,” he said. He’s never seen such a shortage in skilled trades looking for work as he has in the last 18 months, ranging from steamfitters to transport drivers.

He kept hearing from companies that they needed those skilled workers to make their businesses work and grow.

Part of that work force had been lost to early retirements during the pandemic, he be-

lieved, but most of the shortage was just due to the growth of business outstripping the province’s ability to produce new workers to fill an increased number of jobs.

More young persons needed to be encouraged and educated in those trades, but the schooling process took time, he said.

“We all need nurses, but you can’t just snap your fingers and obtain them,” he pointed out.

He believed immigration of up to 2-million newcomers to Ontario over the next 10 years had to be part of the solution. The process of allowing them into Canada and Ontario needed to be sped up.

MP Vecchio agreed that the top priority for businesses and industries right now was finding workers to fill jobs.

“It’s about creating the environment for business to come,” she said about attracting new industries to Elgin-MiddlesexLondon, as well as encouraging homegrown businesses to grow locally.

A whole variety of factors went into making an area welcoming not just for commercial and industrial growth, but also to draw in and accommodate the additional workers who were needed, such as good schools, public transportation systems now missing in most rural areas, and municipalities seeking residential growth.

Housing has been a particularly challenging issue recently, because of the rapid escalation in house values and rents in the last two years, she noted. So was public transportation in rural areas. Maple Leaf Foods was bringing a new chicken-processing plant to London, but the only workers with public transit access to it would come from that city.

Rural and urban needs when it came to commercial and industrial growth were very different, she noted.

To overcome challenges and grow the local economy, everyone had to be working together, “from the ground up.” That meant creating a

better environment for business in general to prosper in.

“Baptism by fire”

When asked why he had decided to run for office after a successful business and farm-

ing career, MPP Flack said, “I really do sincerely believe in giving back to my community and the industry I work in.”

Public service had become much-maligned in recent years, he continued, but he’d never lost his desire to run for office.

“It’s a little bit of baptism by fire right now,” with the legislature sitting for the first time since he was elected. The nature of Ontario politics meant that, while in the legislature, he had to be a partisan, but what he

enjoyed most about his new job was coming home on Fridays and the weekend and working with local residents, helping them get the services or other help they needed from the province.

“That is the thrill,” he stated. His goals when it came to business and industry were to try to reduce the government red tape they faced.

“I don’t believe bigger government is necessarily better government,” he stated. He also wanted to advocate for farmers and the agriculture industry, where he came from. Southwestern Ontario was “a Garden of Eden” when it came to tilling the land, with unbelievably fertile soil and a good climate thanks to the influence of the Great Lakes.

We’ve got the jobs, the factories, the investments, the business start-ups.

What are we short of? We’re short on people and skilled trades to take on those jobs.

location in which to do business.

2017 -

owner of Spare Moments Crafts Supplies at the east end of Aylmer, loves making decorative wreaths and floral arrangements, both for weddings and home décor. She and her husband Abe have owned the business for 26 years, and three years ago expanded it after closing their Countryside Inn motel operation. Moving into former motel building, after extensive renovations, doubled her floor space to 2,400 square feet.

Helen Dyck,

2007 - Toni Stafford, left, Sylvia Hall, owner Izabela Maloney and Norma McKenney work at Bela Booteek at 75 Talbot St. W. in Aylmer. The business opened a sister store, By Bela, at 33 Talbot St. E. in early October.

2012 - Corner View Café owner Nathan Smale gets ready to serve breakfast to a customer at the restaurant located in Port Bruce adjacent to the pavilion and park. In its second year, Corner View Café serves all three meals of the day including signature burgers and perch dinners.

Where

will inform what we do because this needs to be responsive to what’s actu-

ally happening in our communities. I don’t want to assume that I know what is needed without hearing from them.”

Right now, what they were hearing from businesses was the challenge in finding people to hire for open positions. They heard that need and responded to it by collaborating with other agencies to host a job fair. “In April we did do a joint job fair with the St. Thomas Chamber of Commerce, Employment Services Elgin and the City of St. Thomas. That

was too soon to tell if trends would last or return to “normal.”

Other challenges facing business owners she had heard of already were concerns about inflation, connectivity, childcare and affordable housing. All these things would be looked at to see how the county might be able to advocate for better, more readily available services.

A part of community engagement Ms. Krahn was excited to see unfold was a new role being added to the team, filled by Delaney Leitch.

“We recently developed the business enterprise facilitator position. It’s a boots on the ground position,” with the goal being to meet with local entrepreneurs and connect them with the people or organizations that they need or help navigate zoning and permitting, or assist them in finding funding opportunities.

She said Ms. Leitch’s role as the facilitator was to, “support local entrepreneurs by going with their ideas, their energy, their passion, and helping remove the barriers way to the success of their business.”

She said they were also “looking to develop advisory committees that will include representatives from different industries, whether it’s manufacturing, agricultural, retail or tourism operators.”

She hoped they could meet a couple times a year to discuss challenges and opportunities that the businesses were facing.

“We’d really like to hear from them, what their priorities are, so that we can spend our time on those areas where there would be most benefit from our community.”

One of the things she had noticed over the past couple years was the creativity, adaptability, and resilience of businesses in Elgin. They did well to offer alternative services, move into online transactions, and do creative promotional work.

Local patronage was also notable, “During the pandemic we did see an increase of people supporting local and buying from local establishments or things made locally. I hope that does continue.”

As for her pitch on why to do business in Elgin?

Ms. Krahn responded, “In Elgin, we are a small community, but that also means that we are a supportive community.

“If you reach out, there’s someone there who will respond and work with them one on one.

We have a great business community that’s here already. A lot of creative people in this community. Whether you’re looking for suppliers or people to work with, this is just a great place to find that.

“We’re in a great location— not too far from London, from the 401 or 402, and not too far from Toronto or from several

was the first time that we had all gotten together to host an event like that and it was quite successful.

“We did face that challenge as well,” she said of hiring and recruitment, in particular student workers. This past summer the department had fewer applications for summer student positions than would be expected.

It was a challenging landscape to operate in because it

border crossings. It’s really a good central location in Southwestern Ontario.”

She concluded, “You’re close to everything that’s happening, but you’re also in this kind of idyllic space as well. Our landscape can be very inspiring and it offers lots of recreational opportunities. It’s a great place for a life-work balance. Elgin County is a peaceful place to live.”

Ec Dev Team: Elgin County Economic Development and Tourism department staff are, from left:  Lindsey Duncan, Tourism Officer; Delaney Leitch, Business Enterprise Facilitator; and Carolyn Krahn, Manager of Economic Development and Strategic Initiatives.

A top priority is to engage with the business community, to learn more about the opportunities and challenges that they’re facing. And that will inform what we do because this needs to be responsive to what’s actually happening in our communities.