The news and views of area executives on pertinent business issues of the day.
16 CORPORATISM:
Jim Blasingame says your business should not be the most important thing in your life.
and Shay
By Ron Stang
A2 AT A GLANCE
A look at predictions and Canadian views on the country’s condo market.
2 CROSSWORD
Take a coffee break from work and challenge yourself with our crossword.
3 ESSEX ECONOMICS
A series of guest columns by business executives on various trends in the region.
8 PRIME PROPERTY
A look at recent commercial property transfers in the city of Windsor .
10 PRIME HOME
A look at residential property sales in Essex County and Chatham-Kent.
12 BUILDING PERMITS
A compilation of construction activity in the Windsor and area market.
13 WORLD OF WORK
A career advice column by two workplace consultants and career coaches.
14 START UPS
Newly incorporated firms launched in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent.
popular south Windsor commercial intersection will once again be known as an area to purchase high quality meat. The Butcher’s Dozen opened last month in Roseland Plaza on the southeast corner of Dougall Avenue and Cabana Road. The shop, with artisan flourishes including a bakery and coffee kiosk, is helmed by husband and wife team Jared and Shay Niziolek, both of whom have wide experience in the food business. They have struck out on their own with a unique concept.
Many city residents will recall Windsor’s one-time best-known meat market was Ted Farron’s Gourmet Butcher Shop. It operated for more than three decades by Ted Farron, a businessman and civic booster who died last year. The shop was just across the street.
“I feel there’s a need for a good high quality butcher shop at this end of town,” Jared said.
Continued on page 4
Jared
Niziolek at their new butcher and bake shop, The Butcher’s Dozen, in south Windsor.
AT A GLANCE
JUST THE FACTS:
• A recent Leger survey commissioned by Rates.ca found many experts predicted a rebound in real estate, following the Bank of Canada’s interest rate cuts.
• It found buyer sentiment remains surprisingly cool especially toward the condo market.
• The percentage of Canadians who now believe condos are no longer a good investment is at 35 percent, a five percent increase since March 2025.
• At the same time, condos seem to be an entry point into homeownership for a new generation of young and first-time buyers.
• For young buyers and those in expensive urban centers, condos remain the most accessible path to homeownership, even as their potential for financial appreciation has waned.
• While 13 percent of respondents who don’t currently own a home still aspire to buy one, a growing 30 percent now say they have no plans to purchase – highlighting the increasing challenges of entering the housing market.
• Younger Canadians are slightly more optimistic about condos, both as a place to live and as an investment. Among those under 35, 39 percent express interest in buying a condo, compared to just 27 percent of those over 35.
• Meanwhile, 61 percent of Canadians over 35 say they would not consider purchasing a condo, compared to 43 percent of Canadians under 35 who stated the same.
1. The views of Canadians on the country’s condo market.
56% of respondents say they would not buy a condo for any reason.
31% of respondents remain open to purchasing a condo.
Respondents considering buying for a primary residence held steady at 21%.
Respondents considering buying for investment purposes remained stable at 10%.
39% of respondents under 35 would consider buying a condo.
61% of respondents over 35 say they would not buy a condo.
Source: Rates.ca, November 2025.
DO YOU THINK THIS ICEBERG IS IN A RECESSION, OR JUST A PERIOD OF SUSTAINED SLOW GROWTH?
TO THE EDITOR
I really liked your article about networking (“Don’t be a networking vulture,” WB, November 2025), in particular about the predatory networkers.
It rather nailed my experience at a local business group’s after work networking functions. More often than not, I would get bombarded by (usually) young men in cheap polyester suits, desperately trying to put a business card in everybody's hand before the event ended.
I found the experience to be rather a disincentive for attending such events. I was relieved to see I wasn't the only one that found such behavior distasteful.
Mark Dudfield, Better Blinds and Drapery, Windsor
VOLUME 29, ISSUE 8 • DECEMBER 2025
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nadia H. Shousher
ART DIRECTOR David Cowx
CONTRIBUTORS Jim Blasingame, Dan Chase, Mike Chase, Dale Dauten, Paul March, Devan Mighton, J.T. O’Donnell, Ron Stang, Joe Symchyshyn
Windsor Business is published monthly by The Page Publishing Corp. and is distributed through Canada Post to every business address in Windsor and Essex County and Chatham-Kent. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publisher. Copyright The Page Publishing Corp., 2025.
With our society having turned so far away from traditional means of self-identity – via church, family or charity – it is not surprising more of us look toward our careers to generate and sustain our selfesteem.
Yes, we work for many not-so-lofty reasons: to support ourselves, to feed our families, to protect ourselves, to guarantee a future. Beyond that, however, is another fundamental need: to face the challenges inherent in our immediate environments and then master them. Recognizing the value in such an accomplishment is what separates the team member from the worker. The one with a career from the one with merely a “job.” The one with a future from the one without. The one who continually evolves from the one who stagnates.
You know the type: they watch the clock, expend just enough effort to get by, perform at the bare minimum unless rewarded to exceed it, are incapable of long-term sustained effort, expect immediate results, lack creative thinking and problem solving skills, and are motivated purely by their base financial needs.
Over time, the cost of retaining these workers is prohibitive for a business. These workers haven’t actively developed their skill set, and so have not increased their value to the company. In fact, these individuals haven’t even increased their own value to themselves as workers, as one’s marketability increases with skills, performance and proven professional growth.
Many proponents of the “work-to-rule” attitude, so common now, argue against investing so much of oneself into what is considered just a means of survival. This camp is made up mostly of, not surprisingly, unfocused and frustrated workers, the underemployed and the unemployed. This group maintains our society puts too much emphasis on work and, in fact, idolizes the goals of materialism and career advancement. I disagree. Work is more about self-definition and self-actualization than just paying the bills. It’s about overcoming difficult challenges, taking risks, learning, leading, self-expression, intellectual advancement, skill development and power.
Yes, power.
The urge to control our own lives is a universal human trait, one that can be and often is fulfilled through our work. Just as we could define ourselves in terms of our familial attachments, our hobbies or our academic achievements, so too does our work add definition and significance to our self-image.
For economic reasons, most of us are required to spend the largest part of every day and the largest part of our lives working. Isn’t it a shame to have to do so accompanied by monotony, stagnation and political impotence?
Nadia
H. Shousher is Editor-in-Chief of Windsor Business, a division of The Page Publishing Corp.
ESSEX ECONOMICS
JOE CURCILLO
Protect the bottom line in an age of AI
AI has moved from shiny headline to background noise. It drafts reports, crunches numbers and spits out answers before you finish your coffee. Impressive, sure, but here’s the truth: AI doesn’t carry consequences. It doesn’t look a client in the eye. It doesn’t feel the effects of a decision. And it sure doesn’t take responsibility for your bottom line.
If the answer the machine generates tanks your revenue, alienates members or erodes trust, you’re the one left holding the bill. That’s why strategy – and the leadership behind it – matters more than ever. No algorithm owns the outcome; you do.
Here are some deliberate moves you can make right now to protect your bottom line, and lead beyond the prompt.
• AI thrives on clarity. You ask, it answers. But authentic leadership lives in the fog – messy, high-stakes decisions where trade-offs collide. Budgets. Hiring. These aren’t clean equations; they’re ambiguous, political, human. AI can draft a neat pro/con list. Your job is to pause and ask: What’s missing? Who wins? Who loses? If you skip that step, the hidden costs will show up later as disengagement, member churn or bad investments. At your next meeting, call a “Fog Check.” Ask the questions, but don’t let the quick answer become the wrong one.
• AI speeds up silos, marketing automates campaigns, finance accelerates forecasts, and operations run smoothly. It all looks good until those isolated wins collide. Leaders who see the whole map know that a $10,000 savings in accounting isn’t a win if it creates a $100,000 problem in member experience. Your job isn’t to celebrate local brilliance. It’s to orchestrate the system. Otherwise, the hidden costs will eat your margin alive. So, assign a “system scanner” to your next initiative, to flag downstream impacts before final sign-off.
• AI will keep getting faster, but that’s not the threat. The danger is forgetting the work only humans can do. Machines don’t build trust. They don’t mentor. They don’t sense when silence in a room means resistance. That’s the work that keeps members engaged, employees loyal and revenue steady. You don’t need to outrun AI. You need to hold the horizon and lead beyond it. Holding the horizon means keeping your eyes fixed on long-term direction while navigating the fog of daily complexity. AI can generate, but only leadership delivers. Protecting your bottom line isn’t about the machine. It’s about doing things the machine never will – today, not tomorrow.
Joe Curcillo is a strategist, speaker and author of Beyond the Prompt: Leading with Purpose in the Age of AI. Visit www.joecurcillo.com.
BY RON STANG
New retailer brings upscale meats and more to high-profile corner
Continued from page 1
Jared comes from the restaurant family that used to run Lilly Kazzillys on the waterfront (now Harbour House) and worked in the kitchen, and then helped a friend open the Rare Butcher Shop on Amy Croft Drive.
“I kind of learned the trade there,” he said.
Customers should expect virtually all Canadian-sourced, higher end meats such as Triple A, Wagyu and premium cuts.
But not only will you find meat – and here’s where the store’s name comes in – but you will find baked goods with an artisan touch, courtesy of Shay, an expert baker. The other baker is Brie Pilgrim, married to Matt Pilgrim, who is
running the Cherry Waves Coffee kiosk in-store. Shay’s sister Erica is also helping out, making it a genuine two-family affair.
Matt is excited about setting up shop. “This has been my dream for over a decade,” said the former GM of Anchor Coffee House on Lincoln Road. He will be selling Kingsville-based roaster Red Lantern Coffee Co. “The whole coffee community, which has been a big attraction for me, I found very collaborative and helpful.”
Besides sourcing locally, the shop will be offering a range of instore baked goods – butter tarts, cinnamon buns, cookies, carrot cake, banana bread, brownies, biscuits and scones. They will also be selling their own flavoured butters: cowboy butter for steaks, garlic
COMMERCIAL
BY RON STANG
herb butter and cinnamon honey butter for toast.
The plaza is owned by Marco Savoni, who acquired it in 2020.
The Butcher’s Dozen joins new businesses like Boss Bagel and Teang’s Kitchen on the food side.
“The Butcher’s Dozen. That’s nice, because we finally have a butcher back in this area,” Savoni said.
Other new businesses have been
The Chairman’s Barbershop, Latitude Chess, and Art Splash Atelier, chess and pottery schools respectively. Six new apartments on the second floor will be available for rent this spring.
The location is the reason Nizioleks set up shop in that plaza.
“Just the traffic alone,” Jared said. “I think it’s just a good fit all around.”
Companies complete building swap
Anondescript setback onestorey Essex office building that has housed private and public sector businesses, has been sold to the owner of Essex Weld Solutions, a well-known local manufacturing company.
The building at 39 Maidstone Avenue East traded hands in September for $1.2 million.
The seller was the Figliomeni Group Inc. , of Windsor, which could not be reached for comment.
According to Abe Friesen of Essex Weld, the deal was a “swap” for property his company owns at 148 and 154 Talbot Street North. These are comprised of a couple of buildings and a small plaza.
Essex Weld will move its offices at 148 to the Maidstone building. Meanwhile, accountancy and financial firms Baker Tilley and Raymond James will move to 148.
Essex Weld also owns an indus-
trial building on Allen Avenue in town. The company also has operations in the United States with its main customers in the auto industry. “Those are all of our customers, directly and indirectly,” he said. The firm has been in business for 20 years and manufactures metal containers. It has about 30 staff. They produce customdesigned racks and storage solutions; its clients include Honda and Volvo
BY RON STANG
Three regional nursing homes purchased ACQUISITION
Three regional nursing homes have changed hands – two larger residences and one smaller house.
Peterborough-based Omni Quality Living has purchased Amherstburg’s Richmond Terrace for $15.28 million, and Chatham-Kent’s Copper Terrace for $6.82 million.
Meanwhile, Woodstock-based Zuriel Blooming Lifestyles (Zuriel Wellness) has scooped up Walkerville Manor in Windsor, an older gray house on the corner of Devonshire Road and Brant Street.
Officials for the two companies did not respond to requests for comment. The Amherstburg and Chatham homes were formerly owned by APANS Health Services of London.
The for-profit Amherstburg home has been a staple of the community for decades. The residence has 128 licensed beds, with 189 people on its waiting list as of the end of September, according to a Ministry of Long-Term Care fact sheet.
The latest government inspection in October responded to an issue of “resident care and services,” but showed “no findings of non-compliance.”
The for-profit Copper Terrace on Tecumseh Road in central Chatham is also a modern home, with 138 licensed beds and 89 people on its waiting list. There was a recent “complaint about discharge processes” and a “critical incident relating to fall prevention and management.”
Yet, a Ministry inspection found no issues of non-compliance.
Omni was founded in 1975, and this year added five new residences to its portfolio including those in Amherstburg and Chatham. It has
homes in Ontario and New Brunswick. In Ontario, it provides longterm care and retirement homes.
Zuriel is more focused on personal and home care, including housekeeping, yard work and personal transportation.
Pat Armstrong, a York University sociologist specializing in longterm care, said a recent government document shows many homes are not meeting the government's 2023-2024 moving target of three hours and 42 minutes per day of hands-on care per resident.
THE LATEST GOVERNMENT INSPECTION IN OCTOBER RESPONDED TO AN ISSUE OF “RESIDENT CARE AND SERVICES,” BUT SHOWED “NO FINDINGS OF NON-COMPLIANCE.”
“So, looking at just three of Omni’s long-term care homes, Wildwood Care Centre averaged 3.03 hours of care, Bear Creek Care Centre 2.98 and Grace Villa 2.47, well under four hours of direct care per resident per day,” she said. Meanwhile, “There is and has long been an overall pattern of fewer hours of direct care per person, per day, in for-profit homes.”
Meanwhile, Copper Terrace was rated at 3.41 hours and Richmond Terrace 3.27 hours. Reports on Walkerville Manor (sometimes known as Devonshire Lodging Home) could not be found.
The average target the Ministry set for this year is four hours per day.
Business woman sells first of three buildings
Businesswoman Mary Lambros has sold the first of three of her Walkersville businesses, the old Monarch Mattress store at the corner of Wyandotte and Gladstone.
The buyer is Philip Duym, who operates the Promo Shop just across the street. The purchase price was $1.9 million.
Lambros has owned the mattress store, which she renovated, as well as the Walkerville Theatre and the former NOLA’s - A Taste of New Orleans restaurant immediately west of the theater. Now all three properties are on the block, with the mattress store the first to sell.
Lambros invested $1 million into interior renovations of that building, which she hoped would turn into an arts center that would complement the theatre. But Covid hit and she didn’t go further with plans. Now she wants to ease into retirement and divest some of her properties.
“I just kept it closed, because it wasn’t worth putting tenants in if the intent was to sell it,” she said.
The divestiture won’t affect her other businesses outside of these three.
Lambros said there has been a lot of interest in the theater, which she has owned 14 years and which saw its last performance in 2024.
“I absolutely have somebody interested from Toronto,” she said. “We had somebody from LA looking at it (but) that went kibosh. They felt they couldn’t sell a high enough number of tickets, that the area wouldn’t warrant the tickets for their events.”
Meanwhile, she is finalizing renovations to the one-time New Orleans themed restaurant after a fire at a subsequent restaurant there. “We’re in the midst of finishing up the renovations from the fire and the flood.”
The buyer, Duym, said he plans on exterior renovations to give the building “curb appeal to stand out more, as it is the first building that starts the Walkerville district.”
He said he would use a portion to expand his business, and rent the remainder to people who want to be inside a part of the attractive Walkerville retail and office scene.
The Promo Shop is a Californiabased promotional and marketing firm, with Duym having the rights in Canada and Michigan.
Windsor’s Electrozad brand spreading beyond southwestern Ontario area
Venerable local electrical firm Electrozad will now be known well beyond southwestern Ontario.
Electrozad joined with the central and eastern Ontario firm Sesco this fall, consolidating operations under the name Electrozad. And though Sesco is an older company, dating back to 1922, Electrozad was the lager firm with a stronger identity.
Electrozad dates to 1955 and was named after founder Joe Ozad. It eventually had five partners before being sold to France’s multinational Sonepar in 2024. Sonepar also owned Sesco.
“It started in a (former) candy store” location, said James Taylor, Sonepar’s president of Sonepar Canada’s Ontario region. “Just a small place, initially it was a thousand square-foot-store.” The company is now based on Jefferson Boulevard.
Electrozad has carved out a market in the business-to-business industrial, commercial and residential areas.
“We do a little bit of everything,” Taylor said. “Over the years, we primarily have been known to be more of a strong industrial player particularly with industrial automation. Obviously with all the automotive industry in Windsor, that’s been a sweet spot for us as a market leader.”
But there’s been more of an effort lately to diversify. “Commercial construction, that’s a big piece of our business now,” he said. They’ve contributed to such massive projects as the new battery plant and Gordie Howe Bridge. It also has a retail counter for contractors.
Taylor said Electrozad has a “competitive advantage” in branch warehousing with inventories “specific to our local markets.”
The firm provides automation and controls, lighting, power distribution, wire and cable and now EV charging. Though dominant locally, Electrozad has several competitors including Graybar and Wesco Sonepar owns several firms in Ontario and decided “it made sense for differing competitive advantages” to merge Electrozad and Sesco. “For some of our customers across the province, it opens up the doors for a more consistent experience,” he said.
Meanwhile, competitor Wesco’s regional sales manager Simon Will said his firm merged with Anixter five years ago. Both the Pittsburghbased Wesco and Sonepar operate worldwide. In terms of competition, “the only difference is a few different product lines, but we quote the same jobs and we compete heavily on almost everything that goes on in southwestern Ontario.”
BY RON STANG
Local waste firm executive buys former trucking site after bankruptcy
Awell-known Windsor waste disposal executive has scooped up almost 40 acres of what had been a trucking site for $5.2 million, after the two trucking firms using the land went bankrupt.
The October sale was administered by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. The buyer was Vince Moceri Holdings Inc. of Maidstone. Moceri is a manager with GFL Environmental Inc., and previously headed Windsor Disposal Services (WDS), taken over by GFL in 2019. WDS goes back to 1986 as a previous family-run business.
Moceri did not respond to requests for comment.
But the property at 2260 Manning Road had been a base for R. Lessard Trucking which, with Tung Air Transport filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. R. Lessard hauled aggregates. The mostly vacant property also has a family residence on it, along with a truck
repair and storage building.
Mississauga-based Tung Air was started in 2002 by Sardara Tung with one truck. By 2022 it had $17 million in annual revenue, operated 70 trucks and 200 trailers.
In a court filing earlier this year, banker RBC claimed the two firms owed it $18 million.
PROPERTY AT 2260 MANNING ROAD HAD BEEN A BASE FOR R. LESSARD TRUCKING WHICH, WITH TUNG AIR TRANSPORT FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY EARLIER THIS YEAR.
“Until [Tung Air] ran into the financial slow-down that was widespread across the industry beginning in early 2023, they were widely regarded as a success story and were able to make the necessary payments pursuant to the
BY RON STANG
Truck company moving to new business park DEVELOPMENT
| jlwltd75@gmail.com
credit arrangements,” a court factum stated.
“Unfortunately, the combination of the industry-wide slowdown which affected Tung Air and Lessard, some operational and financial system flaws, and some real estate purchases which diminished the [companies’] excess cash-flow, they began experiencing periodic cash-flow shortages in 2024.”
Toronto-based Spergel Inc. was the RBC appointed receiver, and has now taken possession of at least 70 trucks and trailers. Spergel chose Cushman & Wakefield to sell the property, initially valued at $4 million.
Said the court: “Cushman’s efforts resulted in 12 interested parties executing confidentiality agreements, 12 such parties accessing the virtual data room established by Cushman … and a number of interested parties touring the (site). It received eight offers.”
Premier Truck Group is massively expanding its footprint with an almost 15-acre purchase just down the road from its current County Road 46 site.
The Penske-affiliated company bought one of the first of five blocks of land, totaling 40 acres, from local developer Castle Gate Towers and the Habib family.
Zak Habib said two other lots have also been purchased by other firms, “and the rest of them are probably going to close by the end of the year.” He couldn’t disclose the names without company permission. Windsor Business contacted Premier and a rep said he’d have to check with corporate for an interview, but did not respond back by press time.
Habib said the family has been developing the business park just east of the Husky and close to Highway 401 for a few years, and finally got Tecumseh approval in September. Premier Truck sells and
services new and used trucks.
Habib praised the company’s decision along with others that will move in, because it will also jibe with Castle Gate’s next door residential neighborhood. “So, you’re in a situation where you’re creating jobs for people where (they) can bike or walk to work,” he said.
As well, the park represents “some of newest developments that have come along in Tecumseh.” It allows enough space for businesses that want to grow, but without unnecessary sprawl, which he said is lacking in the region.
Habib said the biggest delay in getting the park ready was connecting a Hydro One line.
Habib said the park differs from others in that it will be landscaped with berms and foliage, “so it’s just not hard industrial.” They’ve also used their own storm water pond “so there won’t be any increased capacity on infrastructure in the neighborhood.”
MARK ABRAHAM
“We like to express our gratitude by sending cards to all our active clients. Where corporate purchasing policies allow, we also share small branded gifts or locally made treats as tokens of appreciation.”
Pat O’Halloran, Owner/President, Allegra Marketing Print Mail & Image 360.
“In the past, we would send Christmas cards to clients, suppliers and friends. However, due to the uncertainty we are facing with the current postal service, we have opted to send greetings via Ecards. This will be a first for us, and we hope our E-cards will be well received. Merry Christmas!”
Ryan Jordan, Owner, RJ Steel & Copper Co.
“With the exception of my Windsor Business Magazine, I rarely get good news in the mail. It’s all bills and flyers, so yes: we send out a calendar, and a holiday card with our team photo and names.”
James Labiak, Associate Investment Advisor, Abraham & Associates Wealth Management Group.
“Yes, annually I send large scale calendars with a lotto ticket attached, and a letter of appreciation to all clients each holiday season. You get by giving! A small gesture goes a long way. Clients don't care what you know, until they know that you care.”
Mark Tesolin, Sales Representative, Re/Max Preferred Realty Ltd.
“Yes, Mates Electrical will be delivering gifts to our main contractors, and people who have continued to help and support us through the year. We pride ourselves on having close relationships with our customers, and it’s always nice to show them some appreciation around the holidays.”
Joe Marchese, Co-Owner, Mates Electric.
THE FOLLOWING, PROVIDED BY REALTRACK.COM, REPRESENT SOME OF THE TOP COMMERCIAL PROPERTY TRANSFERS IN THE WINDSOR AREA:
SOLD Address: 2146 McDougall St.
Selling Price: $1.55 million
Vendor: Prime Holdings Corp.
Purchaser: 1001356306 Ontario Inc.
SOLD Address: 1505-1527 Wyandotte
St. E.
Selling Price: $1.945 million
Vendor: Lorelei’s Inc.
Purchaser: Adhoc Development Inc.
SOLD Address: 1760 Walker Rd.
Selling Price: $1,069,500
Vendor: Amil Mihoren Service Ltd.
Purchaser: 1001336829 Ontario Inc.
SOLD Address: 5745 Wyandotte St. E.
Selling Price: $2 million
Vendor: 2705672 Ontario Ltd.
Purchaser: 1001350528 Ontario Ltd.
SOLD Address: 3027 Walker Rd.
Selling Price: $1.65 million
Vendor: Named Individuals Purchaser: Kottoor Development Inc.
SOLD
Address: 851 Division Rd.
Selling Price: $1.16 million
Vendor: Named Individuals
Purchaser: 851 Division Corp.
SOLD Address: 2250 Banwell Rd.
Selling Price: $5.5 million
Vendor: Elm Windsor (2019) Inc.
Purchaser: 1001387144 Ontario Ltd.
SOLD
Address: 2260 Manning Rd.
Selling Price: $5.235 million
Vendor: Ontario Superior Court of Justice
Purchaser: Vince Moceri Holdings Inc.
SOLD
Address: V/L Wyoming
Ave./Elmdale Ave., LaSalle
Selling Price: $2.6 million
Vendor: 2743331 Ontario Inc.
Purchaser: 100530566 Ontario
Ltd.
SOLD
Address: 6115 Morton
Industrial/665 Morton Dr., LaSalle
Selling Price: $9.35 million
Vendor: Re-Doe Mold Co. Ltd.
Purchaser: Pangeo Corp.
SOLD
Address: 38 Victoria St. S., Amherstburg
Selling Price: $2.314 million
Vendor: Trifilio Ventures Ltd.
Purchaser: Shirdi Sai Baba Drug Mart Inc.
SOLD Address: 13325 Sylvestre Dr., Tecumseh
SOLD
Selling Price: $1.12 million
Vendor: Named Individuals
Purchaser: Brothers Tire Group Ltd.
Address: 92 Churchill St., Chatham
Selling Price: $1.625 million
Vendor: Lambton Kent District
School Board
Purchaser: The Corporation of the Municipality of ChathamKent
SOLD
Address: 4500 Joachim Dr., Tecumseh
Selling Price: $3 million
Vendor: Castle Gate Towers Inc.
Purchaser: 14109431 Canada Inc.
PRIME HOME SALES
SOLD
Where: 9484 Walker Rd., Amherstburg
Property Size: 75’ x 215’
# Bedrooms: 3 + 1
# Bathrooms: 2
Taxes: $4,374
Listed For: $449,900
Sold For: $495,000
SOLD
Where: 1660 Fairlea Cr., Ruthven
Property Size: 65’ x 130’
# Bedrooms: 2 + 2
# Bathrooms: 2
Taxes: $2,900
Listed For: $549,900
Sold For: $547,900
SOLD
Where: 420 Dunn Rd., Essex
Property Size: 79’ x 200’
# Bedrooms: 4
SOLD
Where: 449 Brown Cr., Amherstburg
Property Size: 50’ x 145’
# Bedrooms: 3 + 1
# Bathrooms: 3
Taxes: $4,400
Listed For: $694,900
Sold For: $725,000
SOLD
Where: 976 Waters Beach, Harrow
Property Size: 39’ x 148’
# Bedrooms: 1
# Bathrooms: 1
Taxes: $967
Listed For: $299,000
Sold For: $275,000
SOLD
Where: 140 Queen St. N., Tilbury
Property Size: 50’ x irr.
# Bedrooms: 2 + 1
# Bathrooms: 2
Taxes: $2,960
Listed For: $589,900
Sold For: $572,000
# Bathrooms: 2
Taxes: $3,277
Listed For: $425,000
Sold For: $410,000
SOLD
Where: 265 Stonehedge Dr., Kingsville
Property Size: 51’ x 125’
# Bedrooms: 3
# Bathrooms: 2
Taxes: $2,650
Listed For: $499,999
Sold For: $480,000
SOLD
Where: 444 Oak St. E., Leamington
Property Size: 60’ x 150’
# Bedrooms: 2 + 1
# Bathrooms: 2
Taxes: $4,117
Listed For: $459,999
Sold For: $430,000
TOWN OF ESSEX COMMERCIAL:
• A daycare is doing renovations on Talbot St. N. Value of construction: $900,000.
TOWN OF ESSEX RESIDENTIAL:
• Individuals are building an Accessory Dwelling Unit to a residence on Maidstone Ave. E. Value of construction: $970,000.
• Individuals are building an addition to and renovating a residence on Adelaide St. Value of construction: $156,000.
• Individuals are building an Attached Accessory Dwelling Unit to a residence on 3rd Concession Rd. Value of construction: $360,000.
• Individuals are building an Accessory Dwelling Unit to a home on 3rd Concession Rd. Value of construction: $700,000.
• Individuals are building a secondary unit to a property on Allison Ave. Value of construction: $350,000.
TOWN OF LASALLE COMMERCIAL:
• A contractor is doing an interior fit up at Taco Bell on Sandwich W. Pkwy. Value of construction:
$150,000.
• A contractor is doing an interior fit up at Osmow’s on Sandwich W. Pkwy. Value of construction:
$150,000.
TOWN OF LASALLE RESIDENTIAL:
• A contractor is building two units of a semi-detached on Croydon Rd. Values of construction: $409,973.67 each.
• Individuals are building an addition to and renovating a residence on Normandy St. Value of construction: $1 million.
• A contractor is building a singlefamily residence on Mayfair Ave. Value of construction: $934,175.
• A contractor is building a singlefamily residence on Caterina Cr. Value of construction:
$1,199,260.
• A contractor is building a singlefamily residence on LaSalle Woods Blvd. Value of construction: $1.1 million.
• A contractor is building a singlefamily residence on LaSalle Woods Blvd. Value of construction: $752,390.
MUNICIPALITY OF LEAMINGTON COMMERCIAL:
• A contractor is doing minor
repairs to a commercial building on Erie St. S. Value of construction: $75,000.
• A contractor is building an accessory structure to a property on Foster Ave. Value of construction: $700,000.
• A contractor is renovating a greenhouse at an agricultural business on Kent County Rd. 1. Value of construction: $500,000.
• A contractor is building an addition to an agricultural business on Mersea Rd. 4. Value of construction: $800,000.
MUNICIPALITY OF LEAMINGTON RESIDENTIAL:
• Individuals are building an Accessory Dwelling Unit to a residence on Westmoreland Ave. Value of construction: $65,000.
• A contractor is building a singlefamily home on Talbot Rd. E. Value of construction: $450,000.
• A contractor has started construction on a multi-family dwelling on Hodgins St. Value of construction: $700,000.
• A contractor is building two units of a townhouse dwelling on Eagle St. Value of construction: $1.2 million.
MUNICIPALITY OF CHATHAM-KENT COMMERCIAL:
• A numbered company is building new storage facilities to a commercial property on Prosperity Way. Value of construction: $1.2 million.
• Maizex Seeds Inc. is building an addition to a warehouse on Marlborough St. N. Value of construction: $1.45 million.
• Chatham Kent Collision Centre is building a new maintenance shop on Junction Ave. Value of construction: $2.2 million.
• A numbered company is doing renovations at a retail store on Chatham St. N. Value of con-
struction: $395,000.
• Individuals are building an addition to an agricultural building on Jane Rd. Value of construction: $300,000.
MUNICIPALITY OF CHATHAM-KENT RESIDENTIAL:
• Individuals are building a singlefamily home on Longwoods Rd. Value of construction: $400,000.
• Individuals are building one unit of a semi-detached dwelling on Lafontaine St. Value of construction: $150,000.
• Individuals are building a singlefamily home on Wheatley Rd. Value of construction: $75,000.
• Individuals are converting a basement into an Accessory Dwelling Unit on Klondyke Rd. Value of construction: $200,000.
• Greenwood Homes is building two single-family homes on Nazarene Rd. Values of construction: $450,000 each.
• Affinity Elite Homes is building a semi-detached dwelling on Worthington Crt. Values of construction: $400,000 each.
• CMP Construction is building a single-family home with two Accessory Dwelling Units on Isaac St. Value of construction: $500,000.
• Individuals are building a singlefamily home on Mariners Rd. Value of construction: $150,000.
• Individuals are building a singlefamily home on West Bothwell Rd. Value of construction: $300,000.
• Individuals are building an addition to residence on Bates Dr. Value of construction: $400,000.
• Individuals are building a singlefamily residence on Nazarene Rd. Value of construction: $400,000.
• Individuals are building a singlefamily residence on Grande River Line. Value of construction: $300,000.
• Depencier Builders is building a single-family home on Demall Dr. Value of construction: $1.1million.
• Coulson Design Build is building a single-family home on Talbot Trail. Value of construction: $600,000.
• Individuals are converting a residential garage into an Accessory Dwelling Unit on Cornhill St. Value of construction: $135,000.
• Individuals are building an addition to a residence on Detroit Line. Value of construction: $175,000.
• Individuals are building an addition to a single-family home on York St. W. Value of construction: $70,000.
• A numbered company is building a single-family home on Rosewood Cr. Value of construction: $450,000.
• Individuals are renovating an apartment on Patteson Ave. Value of construction: $100,000.
• Zandstra Carpentry and Design is building two single-family residences on Bates Dr. Values of construction: $500,000 and $150,000.
TOWN OF KINGSVILLE COMMERCIAL:
• A contractor is doing alterations to a commercial building on Division St. N. Value of construction: $20,000.
• A contractor is renovating a bank on Main St. E. Value of construction: $200,000.
• Nello Construction is building an addition to a greenhouse on Value of construction: $160,000.
TOWN OF KINGSVILLE RESIDENTIAL:
• A contractor is building an addition to a single-family residence on Road 11. Value of construction: $204,750.
BY RON STANG
Provider buys customer base of another firm
Windsor’s KELCOM has purchased a smaller Essex County tech firm’s Internet customer base, in a shrinking industry increasingly controlled by big telecoms.
The selling firm is Lime Telenet, whose web-base residential customers KELCOM acquired late last month for an undisclosed price.
KELCOM president Dejan Todorovic said it didn’t make sense for Lime to hold on to diminishing customers, due to the heavy costs of providing support.
Lime president Ryan Culver said his firm continues to provide business-to-business Internetbased phone services like PBX and VoIP.
Todorovic said the problem is the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) reversed a rate plan for smaller ISPs like KELCOM and Lime, which once made up 10 percent of all Internet sales.
“They encouraged companies like mine to sell Internet services to residential customers,” Todorovic said. “They would control the wholesale pricing, and then we would resell and use Bell, Cogeco and Rogers to deliver services.”
All that changed when fibre Internet was introduced, where the small players cried foul over what they say is a sweetheart deal between the CRTC and big telecoms. So, while the small companies still have access to the fibre of big companies, they can only sell at
much steeper prices.
“Basically it killed any future for small ISPs like us on the residential web side,” Todorovic said, adding his firm has been losing some $200,000 a year.
KELCOM still sells cable Internet service, just not fibre, and that’s what those Lime customers will continue receiving.
So why continue in the residential business? Todorovic said it’s still an economy of scale. With an additional 350 Lime customers “there’s more margin,” given his firm’s fixed costs. But it increasingly focuses on the corporate side such as voice, phone and cloud services.
THE SMALL PLAYERS CRIED FOUL OVER WHAT THEY SAY IS A SWEETHEART DEAL BETWEEN THE CRTC AND BIG TELECOMS.
Lime’s Culver said his continuing business clients extend to the Greater Toronto Area. He obviously preferred to sell residential clients to an independent ISP, rather than a bigger competitor.
“The CRTC is the one destroying small independent ISPs,” he said.
Effective January 12, Lime’s customers will switch over to KELCOM. “Everything stays the same if not better, because we have some additional features to offer,” Todorovic said.
THE WORLD OF WORK
BY JEANINE “J.T.” O’DONNELL
Show up as the real you to nail it
Dear J.T.: I’ve made it to final interviews for three different jobs over the past few months, and each time I thought I nailed it. But then I get the “We’ve decided to move forward with another candidate” Email. I’m frustrated and starting to second-guess everything. What am I missing? —James
J.T.: I’ve heard this one so many times, and I’ve been there myself. There’s nothing more discouraging than thinking you’ve connected, thinking you’re “the one,” only to get that polite but gut-punching rejection Email.
Let’s start with this truth: If you’re getting interviews, you’re not broken. You’ve already proven that your skills, experience and resume get attention. You’re clearing the hardest hurdle.
But something is getting lost in translation between the “Yes, let’s meet him” and “Let’s hire him.” Usually, that gap has nothing to do with competence, and everything to do with connection.
When I worked in recruiting, we had a saying: “The best candidate doesn’t always get hired. The best communicator does.” That doesn’t mean you need to be slick or extroverted. It means you need to help the hiring team see you in the role. You can’t assume they’ll connect the dots.
Here’s what tends to happen: A candidate walks in prepared to answer questions, but not prepared to tell a story. They describe what they’ve done instead of painting a picture of how they’ll make the
company’s life easier.
For example, if they ask, “Tell me about a time you handled a difficult project,” most people start listing tasks: “Well, I managed a project that was behind schedule. We had to reorganize priorities and work with multiple departments.”
That’s factual, but it’s flat.
Imagine you said this instead: “When I stepped into that project, it was weeks behind and morale was low. I started by holding a reset meeting to refocus the team. Within six weeks, we met the deadline and increased client satisfaction by 20 percent. That taught me how to rebuild trust and momentum under pressure.”
See the difference? You didn’t just tell them what you did. You showed them what it looked like, sounded like and felt like. You made it easy for them to remember you. That’s how you turn a solid interview into a memorable one. Sometimes, the issue isn’t storytelling – it’s energy.
I can tell when someone has been interviewing for a while. They sound like they’re trying to “get it right” instead of “get it real.” The joy, curiosity and connection that make someone magnetic in a conversation get replaced by careful answers.
I once coached a client named Heather who’d been rejected from seven final-round interviews. We did a mock interview together and, halfway through, I stopped her and said, “You sound like you’re interviewing to avoid mistakes.” She paused, exhaled and admitted,
“That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
So we shifted her mindset. Instead of trying to impress, she started thinking: do I actually like these people? Do I want to solve their problems? That small shift brought her energy back. Two weeks later, she got an offer. Hiring managers aren’t just listening to what you say. They’re feeling what it would be like to work with you. Energy sells.
There’s one more piece to this, and it’s the hardest: Sometimes, you did everything right, and they still go with someone else. The job market is not always rational or fair. But that doesn’t mean you failed. When you start taking rejections personally, you lose your professional edge. I tell clients all the time: Every interview teaches you something. Each one sharpens your message and moves you closer to the right fit; not just a fit.
Then move forward. You’re just one iteration away from alignment – the company that doesn’t just like your skills but feels your fit. Keep showing up as the real you. Not the rehearsed one. The real one who wants to make an impact, not just land an offer. That’s the energy that turns interviews into “Welcome aboard.”
J.T. O'Donnell is the founder and CEO of the job search career coaching platform Work It Daily. Visit workitdaily.com to submit your questions.
Councillor objects to city’s land buys
One Chatham councillor is unhappy the city continues a buying spree of former schools, yet doesn’t build on them.
The latest is former John N. Given school in the city’s north end, which closed a couple of years ago. A daycare, Adventure Hours Nursery School, now operates out of it and will not be leaving in the immediate future, a rep said.
Neither the municipality nor the school board responded to requests for comment.
But city councillor Michael
Bondy, one of two councillors voting against the $1.6-million sale, said, “I just have a feeling we’re purchasing a lot of property for the purpose of affordable housing. I’m not opposed to building one of these things, but let’s build.”
The city has been scooping up properties the last couple of years, supposedly for affordable housing as even a smaller city like Chatham is experiencing a housing crisis, mirroring the country’s as a whole. But Bondy said the city is doing nothing with the lots. “I just feel
the inventory is too high.”
Other properties the city is “not doing anything with” are the Meadow Park Nursing Home site and St. Ursula’s “That sends the neighborhood into insecurity for years,” he said. “Because it does have a big impact on property values, who’s moving in, and that saleability.”
The city also recently purchased three properties totalling almost $1 million, funded by the CMHC Housing Accelerator Fund. Bondy abstained from that vote.
• 10-8 Services Inc.
• 4280 Howard Inc.
• A.E Empire Home Services Corp.
• AFN Kspfn Chatham To Lakeshore Transmission GP Inc.
• Amico Investment Holdings Ltd.
• Apatsidis Holdings Inc.
• Aurionlink Inc.
• B. Ogunde Medicine Professional Corp.
• Baba Home Renovation Inc.
• Black Label Automotive Service Centre Inc.
• Blessings Touch Cleaning Services Inc.
• Cash 5 Corp.
• Change Beautifully Inc.
• Copper Tree Financial Inc.
• Dr Equity Holding Ltd.
• Duheini Homes Inc.
• Essex Barber Shop Ltd.
• European Travel Service Int. Ltd.
• Everything Construction Inc.
• First Light Greenhouses Inc.
• Fortress91 Technologies Inc.
• Gemba Technical Consulting Inc.
• GMT General Contracting Inc.
• GMT Holdings Inc.
• Grant Con Homes Ltd.
• Greenpro Services Inc.
• Greg's Collision Services Inc.
• History In Colour Inc.
• House Of Hope Windsor Inc.
• HSJ Holdings Inc.
• Imprint Technologies Inc.
• Iniowuari Investment Funds Inc.
• Inside/Out House Cleaning Services Inc.
• Jake's Windsor Brew Factory Inc.
• LMS Holdings Corp.
• LNE Investments Ltd.
• Mannina Medicine Professional Corp.
• MBS Investment Group Inc.
• Molishire Holdings Inc.
• Moose Auto Inc.
• Natan Veinberg Medical Professional Corp.
• Navacord Insurance Services Ontario South West Inc.
• NM Landscaping & Construction Services Ltd.
• PG Appliance Repair Services Ltd.
• Port City Race Cars Ontario Inc.
• Praise Home Improvement Inc.
• Qir Investments Inc.
• Qmotion Logistics Inc.
• Radix Osteopathy & Associates Inc.
• Rooted Beauty Inc.
• Stetol Tech & Business Consulting Ltd.
• Sugar Lake Properties Inc.
• Ved Holdings Inc.
• Windsor Wash Pros Inc.
May the good things in life be yours in abundance, not only during the holidays, but throughout 2026.
HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRE DES COMMUNES CANADA
As we celebrate this season of gratitude, I want to thank the people of Windsor West for giving me the privilege and honour of serving as your new Member of Parliament.
This holiday season is a time to reflect on the many blessings in our lives, family and community, and the opportunity to give back.
With well-established roots in Windsor West, and a lifelong commitment to public service, I am proud to represent the Windsor West community.
I will dedicate myself to bringing your voices to Ottawa, and will work every day to serve you with integrity, respect and compassion.
Wishing you and your loved ones a happy, healthy and peaceful holiday season. Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year!
Harb Gill, MP
HARB GILL Member of Parliament
Your business is not the most important thing in your life
Isomeone referred to you as an alcoholic, would you feel complimented? Obviously not. The next time someone calls you a workaholic, before your head starts swelling, remember that this word has its root in the word alcoholic.
I am not an expert on the subject of alcoholism but, in my experience, an alcoholic is someone who is so dependent on alcohol it is the central focus of his life. Even if he is able to work and oth-
erwise function relatively productively in society, this dependence is so pervasive that everything else is subordinate. If you are an alcoholic, you are at risk of losing your physical, mental and spiritual well-being, as well as the loss of family and livelihood.
I am somewhat more of an expert on workaholism. I believe a workaholic is so dependent on his work that it becomes the central focus of his life. If you are a workaholic you are at risk of los-
ing your physical, mental and spiritual well-being, as well as the loss of your family.
Notice the similarities? I have witnessed workaholics whose lives were affected just as negatively by their condition as an alcoholic is by his condition.
You may argue that, as is evident in my two definitions, a workaholic is different from an alcoholic in that he typically will not lose his livelihood. It’s true that professional and financial suc-
cess are often associated with a workaholic, but my rebuttal to that is: I have known very successful people who, as a result of being workaholics, are also very dead.
Don’t forget this: Dead people can’t enjoy success.
Joseph Bailey wrote a book called, The Speed Trap, in which he says, “speed has become our god.” I think he’s right. Joe says to conquer this god, we should “slow down to the speed of life.”
You’ve heard me talk about
market velocity. This phenomenon actually becomes a whirlwind that sucks you into it and takes you away from your grounding – the really important components of your life, like your family, your health and your spirit – and substitutes them for things that the “speed god” has convinced you are important. I think this whirlwind is the vehicle that transports us to the realm of workaholism.
If someone calls you a workaholic, they can mean it in either a complimentary or uncomplimentary way. How could the same reference be good in some cases, and bad in others? Well, I think most people use the term incorrectly. What they mean when they intend it as a compliment, and what they should say, is you are industrious, hard working, ambitious, entrepreneurial and passionate.
I’m not playing word games. I believe the literal and correct use of the term workaholic is a pejorative reference. My strict interpretation indicates you have become so compelled by your work that it becomes your primary focus in life, and virtually everything else becomes subordinate.
Thinking they were paying me a compliment, friends have suggested I was a workaholic. Thinking them wrong, I have disagreed by responding that, in my opinion, a workaholic is someone who forsakes everything in favor of their work. Whatever success I have had was not at the expense of either my health, my family or my spirit.
As I have said, I am not an expert on alcoholism. But I know a little bit about workaholics, and I know that neither condition is desirable. Both can cost you dearly, perhaps everything.
Write this on a rock: Of course, you should strive to be successful in your business. And that means you will have to work very hard, make sacrifices, be ambitious and on and on. But keep things in perspective. Your business is not the most important thing in your world. Your family, your health and your spirit are infinitely more important. Now turn the computer off and go hug your kids!
Jim Blasingame is the author of The 3rd Ingredient, the Journey of Analog Ethics into the World of Digital Fear and Greed. Visit jimblasingame.com.
Lori Seguin (Client Service Associate), Mark Abraham (Senior Investment Advisor), Tori Forsey (Client Service Associate), James Labiak (Associate Investment Advisor)
