6 HE SAID/SHE SAID: The news and views of area executives on pertinent business issues of the day.
16 CORPORATISM: Jim Blasingame suggests using the power of adjectives to see where you’re going.
By Ron Stang
H2 AT A GLANCE
A look at an annual market review and forecasts of Canada’s restaurant industry.
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.
arvest Bible Church, one the fastest growing evangelical Protestant dominations in southwestern Ontario, plans a second campus not too far from its main church in south Windsor.
The 24-year-old church, started by Pastor Aaron Rock, will open a new site for several of its ministries at the former Prince Andrew Public School on Kelly Road in LaSalle. Its current location is on Spring Garden Road, also a former school. The church bought the new property in September for $5 million from the Greater Essex County District School Board
The church began looking at a second property a few years ago – “institutionally zoned properties are pretty rare,” Rock said – and had lost a bid on the nowclosed Western Secondary School.
But the Prince Andrew building will be more than sufficient for the new cam-
Continued on page 4
AT A GLANCE
JUST THE FACTS:
• A recent survey shows the restaurant industry in Canada employs almost 1.2 million people, or six percent of the country’s workforce.
• The foodservice industry creates more than 291,100 spinoff jobs in other industries, including agriculture, transportation, finance and real estate.
• The survey shows as of June 2025, 41 percent of restaurants are either operating at a loss, or merely breaking even. This compares to 12 percent before the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The top factors cited by restaurant operators are rising food and labor costs, rising insurance costs, and rising utility and other operating expenses.
• To manage these higher costs, 85 percent of operators have increased menu prices, while 60 percent have cut staff or staff hours.
• Half of restaurant operators have streamlined their menus, while 53 percent have changed ingredients or suppliers.
Source: Restaurants Canada, Food Service Facts 2025.
I NEED SOMEONE WHO CAN TAKE DICTATION...
BUSINESS BOOST
“To most outsiders, corporate IT departments are not typically thought of as fun places to be. They have a reputation for being dispassionately procedural and predictably answering ‘no, it can’t be done.’
“Several years ago, we discovered the same natural laws which regulate self-promotion and career advancement in sales were also at work governing career advancement in corporate IT departments.
“Over a five year period, the number of promotions and the amount of salary increases in non-sales, administrative management personnel were directly correlated with one, and only one, personality factor: willingness to self-promote. Individuals moving up the corporate ladder the fastest, and landing the biggest salary increases, were not necessarily the best onthe-job technicians. They were most willing to self-promote.
“In sales terms, they ‘prospected’ for pay increases. In political terms, they ‘ran’ for promotions. Those not faring so well sat and waited to be recognized. They’re still waiting.”
VOLUME 29, ISSUE 7 • NOVEMBER 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.
One of the most often misunderstood buzz words in today’s business environment is “networking.” Just like its friends “leadership” and “bottom line,” networking is being peddled as a quick fix to everything. Mind you, I’m a productive networker myself, being an active member of various professional business groups. My issue with networking is not its goal or agenda, but rather how all sorts of abuses are excused under its guise.
Some of the worst offenders descend upon business and social events as if they were locusts on an arid prairie, doling out business cards and bending your ear about their latest “deal.” These predators think it’s all about numbers: the more victims they corner and the more often their lips flap per minute, the better their networking.
Yet, making good, meaningful contact and gaining knowledge – not enforcing your own – should be the objective of networking. You can meet 20 people at one event, spend an average of two minutes with each and pass out or collect 20 business cards. Do you have 20 new contacts, or just another 20 cards to add to the pile? I very much doubt there is any real value to either the networker or their prey, who’ve been sized up, cornered and then worked over in a matter of seconds. This burn ‘em and turn ‘em approach may work in a game show, but business? I think not.
Alternatively, you could meet five people and spend an average of 20 minutes with each, and collect five business cards. Chances are the information asked for and provided by each (such as business expertise or responsibilities) is more likely to be remembered later and be more relevant to future contact. Thus, more useful to each party. There is truly a skill to promoting your name, business and the unique aspects of your product or service. But be selective and accept the limits of reality – you are not going to meet everyone in the room at any one event. Nor can you possibly develop any meaningful relationships with more than a few on first contact. And please, don’t sales pitch your fellow attendees. Nothing makes me run away faster than seeing the beeline approach of a known sales vulture.
Set your objectives before making a move. Is the goal to meet and close a prospect? Or, as should be the case, is it to get your name and face in front of people with whom you may eventually do business? Or not.
Because networking isn’t actually about hunting up business, or boasting of your professional coups. It is about selective expansion of your web of influence, your knowledge base, and all the factors that could potentially affect your work.
There’s nothing predatory about it.
Nadia H. Shousher is
Editor-in-Chief of Windsor Business, a division of The Page Publishing Corp.
ESSEX ECONOMICS
SUSAN ROBERTSON
Innovation is like wreath making
Sharon, in corporate HR, spends her days helping shape a culture that supports innovation and creative thinking. When fall rolls around, her evenings are spent with wreath forms, mesh ribbon and a glue gun.
Wreath-making is creative thinking in action. There’s a clear purpose, a loose set of tools and a whole lot of unknowns in between. It’s everything innovation in business should be, but often isn’t.
In corporate environments, creativity gets over-engineered. There’s pressure to skip the messy middle. But that’s not how creativity works, and it’s not how innovation thrives. This kind of iterative hands-on thinking is exactly what organizations need, especially in complex, high-stakes environments where creativity can too easily be dismissed as risky. Here’s why:
Creativity Needs Chaos Before Clarity: Most wreaths start ugly. At some point the design looks off. The whole thing feels like a misfire, but that’s part of the process. Keep going, keep layering, keep stepping back. Eventually, something clicks. Creative thinking at work follows the same pattern. Visionary leaders know clarity follows chaos, not the other way around. The mistake most teams make is stopping too soon. Leaders Compose, They Don’t Control: Wreath-making isn’t about wrangling every element into submission. It’s about noticing how different materials interact. It’s not control – it’s composition. The same applies to leading innovation. The role of the leader isn’t to dictate every move; it’s to shape conditions. To arrange talent, provide structure and space, to edit when necessary and step back when not. Too many leaders default to micromanaging creative work out of fear. But possibility can’t be coerced; it has to be composed. Reward the Risk, Not Just the Result: When a wreath is finished, it gets photographed, complimented, maybe sold. But the real learning comes from the ones that didn’t work. Innovation cultures that only reward the polished end product create team members who play it safe. Especially in industries where risk aversion is built into the operating model, the instinct to avoid failure is understandable, but it’s also limiting.
Leaders who want to unlock creativity have to reward effort and experimentation before the outcome is clear. Celebrate learning, normalize iteration, make creative courage visible.
Wreath-making may seem like a strange metaphor for business innovation, but innovation doesn’t come from more of the same. It comes from letting the messy middle exist. Leaders know that vision isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about clearing space for something new to emerge.
Susan Robertson has more than 20 years of experience speaking and coaching in Fortune 500 companies, and is an instructor at Harvard. Visit SusanRobertsonSpeaker.com.
George W. Dudley and Shannon L. Goodson in The Psychology of Sales Call Reluctance, Behavioral Sciences Research Press, Inc.
Former LaSalle school to be second home of growing evangelical church
Continued from page 1
pus. “It is 15 acres, three times bigger than the property we have here,” Rock said, although the original site underwent an expansion in 2019. “We’re in the process of painting and doing minor repairs.” With a plethora of classrooms – more than 20 – “it’s going to be awesome for children and youth ministries.”
The church held a barbecue there in September and attracted 900 people.
Harvest Bible started with five members, and has grown to 1,700. It offers ministries, Biblical counseling, a Christian school and a staff of 30.
Rock attributes the growth, with a membership that trends younger, to several factors.
“We preach the word of God, the Bible, without apology, and people appreciate that. There’s an academic yet practical dimension”
to the preaching. He said the ambience is “warm, friendly, contemporary, but it is not ‘diet church’ – we do teach and preach the truth of the Bible without apologizing for it,” he said.
career choices or finding a spouse or how to be married well. We’re not ashamed to address the issues and equip people to live as Christians in a difficult world.”
That message dovetails with what Rock said are young people “looking for authenticity,” and (who) appreciate the Christian faith that’s “applied relevantly to the issues they’re thinking through.”
Also, Harvest Bible “addresses cultural issues from a Biblical perspective,” Rock said. “We’ll talk to all the issues. We do a lot of discipleship for young people. This helps them think through good life choices. We just work through all the different issues, whether it’s
Despite trending younger with many young families, the pastor said Harvest Bible has a “good cross section of the population, which gives opportunity for people to develop meaningful relationships with different demographic groups.” Harvest Bible has also been attracting more newcomers to the country.
The former Prince Andrew school, named after Prince Andrew of Britain, opened in 1960 and had additions in the 1970s and 1990s. It held more than 300 students and closed in 2021.
The Greater Essex County District School Board replaced Prince Andrew with Legacy Oak Trail Public School off of Laurier Parkway, two kilometers away.
Alandmark building on Howard Avenue has been purchased by a local investor, after being sold by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice under a vesting order.
The $1.6-million sale of the 1.2acre property, with a unique turret and formerly the long-time home of Purity Dairy, took place after the bankruptcy of the Downtown Windsor Business Accelerator, which occurred in 2024.
The purchaser is Windsor Gryphons Investors Inc. (principal Graeme Thompson). Calls to Thomp-son were not returned. But a tenant, Krystal Baylif, manager of Graphix Plus – which has long operated out of the building – said the new owner was “working on renovations. Graeme’s a nice guy; we’ve met a couple of times.” Her business is a “separate entity” from the rest of the building and it will be remaining there.
The Accelerator had a high profile and had moved to the Howard site form a former bingo hall on Ouellette Avenue. The Accelerator’s biggest secured creditor which held the mortgage, the Libro Credit Union of London, decided to
put the property up for sale. Libro also had an outlet at the building, along with several other entities. Baylif said a couple of units remained empty.
The purpose of the Accelerator, considered an innovator in the Windsor business community, was to help new businesses get a start through shared resources and collaborative working and mentorship. Former CEO Arthur Barbut, a graduate of Athabasca University, declined comment after the filing a year ago, and did not respond to an interview request for this article.
But he is now involved in a new business called the Art of Startup
The company claims it has “coached hundreds of startups, led accelerators, launched brands and built ecosystems around the world.”
Barbut’s partner is Christopher Pressey, “a brand strategist, mindset coach and creative director.” He was also president of the Accelerator and has owned Christopher Pressey Design in Windsor.
According to the statement of bankruptcy, MNP Ltd. of London became receiver in August 2024. The Accelerator owed almost $130,000 in taxes, and a potpourri of other creditors – both companies and individuals, many well known locally – totaling more than $600,000.
Pressey or his businesses themselves were owed about $90,000.
John-Marc Vachon, spokesman for WEtech Alliance in Windsor, another high profile incubator, said the Alliance differs from the Accelerator in that it “doesn’t offer physical co-working space. We help innovation and tech-based business start, sell and scale through our business advisory services.”
The Alliance recently moved to the University of Windsor’s downtown Green Shield Hall, the former Windsor Star building on Ferry Street. But the Alliance was located in the Accelerator’s Ouellette location from 2012 to 2017.
Windsor bakery to open an upscale food court
Yasmeen Bakery is expanding on the concept of its original bakery by taking over the former Hi! Neighbour location just down Wyandotte Street, said owner Ali Seblini.
The concept is a luxury Middle Eastern style food court – three years in the making and designed by Montreal architectural firm World Future Architecture.
Conceptual drawings show a food court with tables in the middle, with various light food stations surrounding it, from coffees and desserts to specialty teas.
City hall approved the project and has provided Community Improvement Plan (CIP) tax incentives, partly as a transformative “catalyst” project for the commercial street, just east of the downtown core. The incentives include a $22,700 annual grant each year for 10 years, to make up the difference between the increased taxes as a result of the improvements versus the current tax.
“The area has suffered a lot lately,” Seblini said. “I believe in the Wyandotte Street and downtown area that it has a lot of potential. Hopefully, it will encourage other people to invest in the area and it will be a bright future for them.”
He decided on the more than $1million concept after seeing similar spaces around North America and overseas. “There’s no single inspiration that led to this idea. But many when you have collected a lot of information and you’ve seen a lot of things,” he said. “It took a few years to finalize the concept.”
The design mimics a “street square,” he said, with stalls and awnings. The interior is landscaped with plants and trees.
One challenge was to increase the roof height. “For this concept to work, you need a high ceiling,” he said. “When it was Hi! Neighbour, I believe it was three buildings as it expanded throughout the years, so there were three different heights. It could have worked, but I really wanted to do something amazing and beautiful.”
The retail area is 4,000 square feet. The bakery will be hiring more people for both production and dining, the latter double the size of its current footprint. Once
the move is completed, the bakery will sell its current property at 1448 Wyandotte Street East.
Hi! Neighbour, a floor covering institution on Wyandotte since the mid-1940s, vacated the building in 2021 and doubled its presence at a new location on Pillette Rd. Seblini is hoping to move the retail by next spring and have the business relocated within a couple of years.
Railway acquires industrial properties
The venerable Essex Terminal Railway (ETR), one of Canada’s oldest railroads, has purchase two massive buildings close to its headquarters at Lincoln and Tecumseh roads.
ETR purchased the warehousetype buildings earlier this fall for $5 million. They comprise a footprint of almost two acres.
The properties are across from one another on Durham Place, an industrial area less than one kilometer east of the ETR offices.
One of the buildings has been a facility of Windsor Mold Group. The other has been a site of CNC Concepts. The seller, LRU Leasing Inc. of Kildare Road, did not respond to requests for comment.
This might be the largest recent acquisition of ETR and sister company Morterm – the city’s major riverfront cargo handling terminal in west Windsor.
Calls to ETR were not returned.
The ETR runs a 35-kilometer
network, serving companies located near the Detroit River from the city’s east side to Amherstburg. The company was incorporated in 1902. It serves a composite of transportation, agricultural, food and recycling businesses including Diageo, ADM, Zalev Bros., Dainty Rice and the Van De Hogen Group In 2017, the company purchased the former GM plant in south Walkerville and converted it into MotiPark, a logistics yard for Chrysler vehicles.
Julie Charrette CEA®
Financial Advisor
519-966-5046
Julie.Charrette@edwardjones.com LaSalle
Lauren Harris
Financial Advisor
519-969-3825
Lauren.Harris3@edwardjones.com LaSalle
Alok Tomar CFP®, CLU® Financial Advisor
519-969-3825
Alok.Tomar@edwardjones.com LaSalle
Cameron Sinclair Financial Advisor 519-969-3825
Cameron.Sinclair@edwardjones.com LaSalle
Colin Duggan
Financial Advisor
519-727-1041
Colin.Duggan@edwardjones.com Belle River
Amie Sargent CFP™, PFP™, CIM™ Financial Advisor
519-979-7334
amie.sargent@edwardjones.com Tecumseh
Joel King
Financial Advisor
519-727-1041
Joel.F.King@edwardjones.com Belle River
Antonella Chisesi Financial Advisor 519-979-5555
Antonella.Chisesi@edwardjones.com Lakeshore
Jayson Bastien CFP™, CPA™ and CIM™ Financial Advisor 519-979-7334
jayson.bastien@edwardjones.com
Jennifer Johnson
Financial Advisor
519-969-1419
Jennifer.Johnson@edwardjones.com South Windsor
“As an automotive dealership, we use ChatGPT quite often. It is a very responsive tool to lean on, especially in a pinch. Its professionalism can go a very long way and will brighten up your business. It is our future.”
“Currently, AI and ChatGPT cannot affectively help our business with day-to-day tasks. However, we do use them for proofreading and help with our HR policies.”
Scott Martindale, Owner, Martindale Windows.
“We use AI for creating scripts to automate anything that makes sense. All technical issues get anonymized, then automatically put through ChatGPT for three possible solutions. And I use it for anything I don't want to do, greatly reducing the time spent on them.”
Eric Andry, Managing Partner, Pareto Business Solutions.
“Yes! Speaking for myself, AI is helpful in the capacity of quickly identifying hardware, or easily finding instructions for certain electronic hardware. AI has made the research aspect of our job easier!”
Bob Wilson, Security Professional, Ventri Door Technologies.
“ChatGPT is a valuable editing tool for my work. It helps reword sensitive messages to clients, summarize lengthy Emails, and organize information so it’s communicated more clearly and effectively. In short, it takes my thoughts and makes them sharper and more professional.”
Locally-owned furniture store plans to franchise FRANCHISING
Furnish4Less, a Windsorbased value furniture store at the Windsor Crossing outlet mall in LaSalle, plans a second store in the Greater Toronto Area.
A spokesman who declined to be named for the Chaudhery family, which runs the store, said it is seeking to sell the current business including inventory to a prospective new franchisee.
“We’re basically just looking to expand the business with another location in the GTA, and are looking for someone to take over this existing location,” he said.
The store has been there for four years. It sells furniture as well as accents like rugs, lamps and cushions. Prior to that it operated from “more of a warehouse” location at the Shoppes at Union Square, near Devonshire Mall. The spokesman said “the goal” is to open even more stores based on the Windsor store’s business model.
The spokesman said the target market “is anybody who’s looking to get a good deal” and the pricing self-evident – “I think the name kind of gives it away.”
The spokesman, also a member of the Chaudhery family, said the move to Windsor Crossing expanded the customer base due to “the foot traffic the mall generates.” He said the family will now move to the GTA to run the second store.
The family, with a background in retail including running fast food outlets, came to Windsor from Saskatoon. The GTA move makes sense because the larger population “just opens the market up, not to mention a lot of our venders are
located there so it’s a little bit easier in terms of logistics.”
The original store will continue at Windsor Crossing. “We’ve had a few people show interest, some that were kind of tire kickers and others that have been a little bit more interested.”
Last summer the mall saw the opening of the popular Under Amour store, which specializes in leisure and athletic wear.
BY RON STANG
City acquires property next to park
The City of Windsor has purchased an older two-story house on Sandwich Street, likely to expand neighboring McKee Park. The city purchased the property at 3026 Sandwich last summer for $1.1 million.
The property is about two-thirds of an acre. The house sits immediately east of the park as well as the Historic Sandwich Town welcoming arch on Sandwich.
McKee Park, named after the Caldwell First Nation, partially wraps itself around the newly
bought property.
Michael Janisse, a spokesman for the city, said the purchase “aligns with the principles outlined in the City’s Waterfront Parkland Acquisitions Policy, which guides efforts to secure strategic waterfront lands for public use and longterm community benefit.”
The policy “emphasizes the importance of enhancing public access, preserving natural features, and supporting recreational opportunities along Windsor’s waterfront.” He added that because the
sale was discussed during an incamera meeting of city council, “we are unable to provide additional specifics.”
The seller in this case, according to real estate documents, was “named individuals.”McKee Park, off Chewett Street, has a passive parkland atmosphere with a children’s playground, new benches and trails installed a few years ago. There is an adjacent parking lot and the park opens on to the Detroit River, not far west of the Ambassador Bridge.
THE FOLLOWING, PROVIDED BY REALTRACK.COM, REPRESENT SOME OF THE TOP COMMERCIAL PROPERTY TRANSFERS IN THE WINDSOR AREA:
Address: 3687 Sandwich St.
Selling Price: $1.01 million
Vendor: 2312765 Ontario Ltd.
Purchaser: 1752323 Ontario Inc.
Address: 1501 Howard Ave.
Selling Price: $1.625 million
Vendor: Ontario Superior Court of Justice
Purchaser: Windsor Gryphons
Investors Inc.
Address: 1234 High St.
Selling Price: $755,000
Vendor: Named Individuals
Purchaser: 1234 High St. Property Ltd.
Address: 9833 Tecumseh Rd. E.
Selling Price: $1.05 million
Vendor: 347924 Ontario Inc.
Purchaser: 2832450 Ontario Ltd.
Address: 1628-1696 Durham Pl.
Selling Price: $5 million
Vendor: LRU Leasing Inc.
Purchaser: The Essex Terminal Railway Co.
Address: V/L Marentette
Ave./Sydney Ave.
Selling Price: $2,152,700
Vendor: Essex Leaseholds Ltd.
Purchaser: 2550168 Ontario Inc.
Address: 2250 Cabana Rd. E.
Selling Price: $2.842 million
Vendor: Quad T Developments Inc.
Purchaser: Kings Capital Inc.
Address: 1856 Chandler Rd.
Selling Price: $1,872,673
Vendor: Bayside Homes Ltd.
Purchaser: Chandler & Meighen Inc.
THE FOLLOWING, PROVIDED BY REALTRACK.COM, REPRESENT SOME OF THE TOP COMMERCIAL PROPERTY TRANSFERS IN THE ESSEX & CHATHAM-KENT AREAS:
Purchaser: Omni Quality Living (Southwest) GP Ltd.
SOLD
Address: 89 Rankin Ave., Amherstburg
Selling Price: $15.28 million
Vendor: Richmond Terrace Ltd.
Purchaser: Omni Quality Living (Southwest) GP Ltd.
SOLD
Address: V/L Martin Lane, Essex
Selling Price: $1.5 million
Vendor: Named Individuals Purchaser: 1903330 Ontario Ltd.
SOLD
Address: 38 Erie St. N.,
Leamington
Selling Price: $3 million
Vendor: 1486047 Ontario Ltd.
Purchaser: 1001341378 Ontario Inc.
Where: 1708 Aubin Rd.
Size: 40’ x 150’
7154 St. Rose
Size: 74’ x 112’
Bedrooms: 3 + 1
Bathrooms: 3
$3,541 Listed For: $449,000
For: $410,000
PRIME HOME SALES
SOLD
Where: 402 Thornridge Cr., Amherstburg
Property Size: 62’ x irr.
# Bedrooms: 2
# Bathrooms: 2
Taxes: $3,397
Listed For: $539,900
Sold For: $465,000
SOLD
Where: 281 Brighton Rd., Tecumseh
Property Size: 60’ x 140’
# Bedrooms: 4
# Bathrooms: 2
Taxes: $2,424
Listed For: $1.189 million
Sold For: $1.125 million
SOLD
Where: 321 Sinasac St. W., Essex
Property Size: 60’ x 120’
# Bedrooms: 3
SOLD
Where: 26 Spring Ct., Amherstburg
Property Size: 118’ x irr.
# Bedrooms: 3
# Bathrooms: 1
Taxes: n/a
Listed For: $499,000
Sold For: $490,000
SOLD
Where: 200 Given Rd., Harrow
Property Size: 62’ x 309’
# Bedrooms: 3
# Bathrooms: 1
Taxes: $3,278
Listed For: $449,900
Sold For: $510,100
SOLD
Where: 106 George Ave., Wheatley
Property Size: 75’ x 100’
# Bedrooms: 3
# Bathrooms: 1
Taxes: $2,219
Listed For: $439,000
Sold For: $405,000
# Bathrooms: 1
Taxes: $1,433
Listed For: $419,900
Sold For: $412,000
SOLD
Where: 37 Melbourne St., Kingsville
Property Size: 66’ x 132’
# Bedrooms: 3
# Bathrooms: 1
Taxes: $2,665
Listed For: $579,900
Sold For: $535,000
SOLD
Where: 127 Danforth Ave., Leamington
Property Size: 62’ x 160’
# Bedrooms: 3
# Bathrooms: 2
Taxes: $5,614
Listed For: $499,500
Sold For: $485,000
- 3rd
BUILDING PERMITS
TOWN OF ESSEX COMMERCIAL:
• Wincon Construction is erecting a commercial building on South Talbot Rd. N. Value of construction: $2.5 million.
• Individuals are building an accessory structure at a commercial property on County Rd. 20. Value of construction: $144,000.
TOWN OF ESSEX RESIDENTIAL:
• Individuals are building a Secondary Dwelling Unit on Erie Rd. S. Value of construction: $400,000.
• Abraham Construction is building a Secondary Dwelling Unit on Ducharme Lane. Value of construction: $252,000.
• Individuals are building a Secondary Dwelling Unit on 4th Conc. Rd. Value of construction: $738,000.
• A contractor is building an addition to a single-family residence on Victoria Ave. Value of construction: $107,000.
• Individuals are building an addition to a single-family residence on Huffman Rd. Value of construction: $266,000.
• Individuals are building an addition to a single-family residence
on Church St. Value of construction: $120,000.
• Noah Homes is building four Secondary Dwelling Units to residences on Susy Crt. Values of construction: $500,000 each.
• Individuals are building a Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit to a residence on County Rd. 18. Value of construction: $545,000.
• Individuals are building a Secondary Dwelling Unit to a home on County Rd. 20. Value of construction: $338,000.
• Individuals are building an Additional Dwelling Unit on 4th Concession. Value of construction: $200,000.
• Santarossa Group is building a Detached Additional Dwelling Unit on Centre St. Value of construction: $222,000.
• G&A Quality Homes Inc. is building a single-family home on Ducharme Lane. Value of construction: $550,000.
MUNICIPALITY OF CHATHAM-KENT COMMERCIAL:
• Dennis Jackson Seed Service is building a new office on Jackson St. Value of construction: $1.5 million.
• Kent & Essex Mutual Insurance is building an office complex on Queens Line. Value of con-
struction: $6 million.
• Individuals are building a new agricultural facility on Base Line. Value of construction: $1 million.
• A numbered company is building a new manufacturing facility on Lyon Ave. N. Value of construction: $1 million.
• Erie Bluff Farms Inc. is building an addition to an agricultural building on Desmond Rd. Value of construction: $650,000.
MUNICIPALITY OF CHATHAM-KENT RESIDENTIAL:
• Wallaceburg Kinsmen Court Non-Profit Housing is doing renovations to an apartment building on Reaume Ave. Value of construction: $60,000.
• Jodamar Properties Ltd. is building two units of a semidetached residence on Cornerstone Pl. Values of construction: $750,000 each.
• Individuals are building a single-family home on Stewart Line. Value of construction: $570,000.
• Creative Touch Ltd. is building a single-family home on Wheeler Line. Value of construction: $400,000.
• Individuals are renovating a single-family home on Ella St. N. Value of construction:
$250,000.
• Individuals are building a single-family home on River Line. Value of construction: $1.3 million.
• Individuals are building a single-family residence on River Line. Value of construction: $450,000.
• Jodamar Properties Ltd. is building a single-family residence on Fenceline Dr. Value of construction: $600,000.
• Maple City Homes Ltd. is building six units of row housing on Park Ave. W. Values of construction: $1.52 million and $1.824 million each.
• Mi Cazza Construction Inc. is building a single-family home on Rosewood Cr. Value of construction: $500,000.
TOWN OF LASALLE RESIDENTIAL:
• Individuals are building a single-detached dwelling on Tabib St. Value of construction: $734,655.
• Individuals are building singledetached residence on Chestnut St. Value of construction: $942,430.
• A builder is erecting two units of a semi-detached dwelling on Todd Lane. Values of construction: $577,390 each.
• A builder is erecting two units of a semi-detached dwelling on Surrey Dr. Values of construction: $1 million each.
• Individuals are building a single-family home on Boismier Ave. Value of construction: $388,050.
• A builder is erecting a singlefamily dwelling on Huron Church Line. Value of construction: $1,109,923.
• A builder is erecting three units of a townhouse dwelling on Meo Blvd. Values of construc-
tion: $688,450, $680,810 and $686,560.
• A builder is constructing a single-family residence on Laier Lane. Value of construction: $1,145.772.
MUNICIPALITY OF LEAMINGTON COMMERCIAL:
• A contractor is doing renovations to a restaurant on Talbot St. W. Value of construction: $40,000.
• A contractor is building greenhouses at an agricultural business on County Rd. 14. Values of construction: $23.07 million.
• A contractor is renovating a store on Talbot St. E. Value of construction: $250,000.
• A contractor is renovating a commercial building on Talbot St. E. Value of construction: $105,000.
• A contractor is building an industrial warehouse on Highway 77. Value of construction: $500,000.
• A contractor is building a hall for a church on Erie St. S. Value of construction: $450,000.
• A contractor is building a mausoleum at a cemetery on Talbot St. W. Value of construction: $140,000.
• A contractor is building new facilities to an agricultural business on Mersea Rd. 5. Value of construction: $17,150,000.
MUNICIPALITY OF LEAMINGTON RESIDENTIAL:
• Individuals are building an Additional Dwelling Unit to a residence on Marlborough St. E. Value of construction: $90,000.
• A contractor is building a multiunit dwelling on County Rd. 14. Value of construction: $1.4 million.
THE WORLD OF WORK
BY JEANINE “J.T.” O’DONNELL
Everyone on LinkedIn seems perfect, so how do I compete?
Dear J.T.: Every time I scroll LinkedIn, people are sharing big wins. I feel invisible. How do I build a professional brand that gets noticed? —Sara
J.T.: I want to start by telling you something that will probably bring a little relief: LinkedIn is not real life. It’s the highlight reel. It’s the place where people share the promotions, the big speaking gigs, the company awards, the flashy career news. And that’s OK – celebrating wins is part of why LinkedIn exists.
But it can feel like everyone else is succeeding while you’re standing still. The comparison trap is real, and it can paralyze people into silence. What you need is consistency, authenticity and a focus on providing value rather than trying to look perfect.
Let’s talk about what really works on LinkedIn. People don’t connect with corporate-sounding jargon or robotic self-promotion. They connect with real humans sharing real experiences. You don’t need to craft a masterpiece every time you post. Instead, share things like a quick lesson you learned at work, a story about overcoming a challenge or even a mistake that taught you something valuable.
These posts don’t need to be long, and they definitely don’t need to be perfect. They just need to be real. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a simple, two-sentence story about a tough day at work get more engagement than a polished press release. Because people relate to it. A lot of people think they need to churn out original posts constantly, but engaging thoughtfully with other people’s content can actually get you noticed faster.
Let’s say someone in your industry shares an article about a big trend. You leave a comment that adds an insight or asks a smart question. Other people see that comment. Some might click on your profile. Before you know it, you’re part of the conversation. And the more conversations you join, the more visible you become. It’s like networking at a professional event – you don’t have to give the keynote speech to make connections; you just have to talk to people.
Now, about this feeling of invisibility. A lot of professionals lurk on LinkedIn for years without posting or commenting because they’re afraid of saying the wrong thing. But most people aren’t sitting there analyzing your posts. They’re scrolling quickly and, if something resonates, they like it. If it doesn’t, they keep scrolling. The
only way to build a presence is to start showing up, even if it feels awkward at first. Like anything else, confidence comes from repetition.
One strategy I love for beginners is to pick a posting rhythm that feels doable – maybe once a week at first – and stick to it. For example, every Monday, you share a short post about something you learned the week before. It could be as simple as, “Last week I real-
ized I’ve been overcomplicating my Emails. I tried keeping them to three sentences, and suddenly I got faster responses. Sometimes small changes make a big difference.” That kind of post is relatable, helpful, and quick to read. And consistency matters because the LinkedIn algorithm favors people who show up regularly.
Another tip: Repurpose things you’re already doing. Did you read an interesting article? Post a sen-
tence or two about your takeaway and share the link. Did you give a presentation at work? Turn one of the slides into a simple image post. Did you have a conversation that sparked a new idea? Share it. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time. And please, stop comparing your behind-the-scenes life to everyone else’s highlight reel. The people posting promotions and big wins have had bad days, rejections and
failures they’re not talking about online. The goal isn’t to compete with them; it’s to build your own voice and presence so opportunities can find you, too.
* * *
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.
Tooling company buys east side block
AToronto tooling company has bought an entire front block in east Windsor.
A numbered company associated with MS Falcon Tooling purchased the properties of 4255 to 4275 Tecumseh East, between Bernard Road and Rossini, for $1.6 million. The company is associated with a Muhammed Abid. Messages left for him were not returned. According to a sales document, the former unnamed owner was based in Brampton.
The trapezoid shaped property of less than one acre includes two buildings – the former Bob Reaume Sports at the east corner, and a small plaza. The plaza contains Mister Safety Shoes Services include machining and injecting molding. It’s a member of the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council
Mister Safety Shoes is the remaining business. The company has numerous Ontario locations as well as ones in Alberta. It also has
an outlet at 13300 Tecumseh East. The Toronto-based retailer dates from 1972 and was started by Frank Colantonio. He was an organizer with the Carpenters’ Union, a case administrator for the Italian Immigrant Aid Society, and a safety instructor with the Construction Safety Association. He teamed with wife Nella, who had a background in retail, to get into the safety shoe business because of the difficulty of finding proper safety footwear at the time.
START UPS
THE FOLLOWING WINDSOR, ESSEX COUNTY AND CHATHAM-KENT COMPANIES WERE RECENTLY ISSUED CERTIFICATES OF INCORPORATION UNDER ONTARIO’S BUSINESS CORPORATIONS ACT:
• Akatsuki Stoneworks Ltd.
• All Around Towing Inc.
• All In Property Management Inc.
• Alt Automotive Enterprises Inc.
• Anchor Trade Group Corp.
• Barker Builds Inc.
• Big Bear Excavating Ontario Inc.
• Bladi Cafe And Creamery Inc.
• C&C Warkentin Inc.
• CCor Interior Contracting Ltd.
• CD Plumbing & Backflow Inc.
• Cedar Valley Confectionary Selections Inc.
• Concise Design Solutions Ltd.
• Craftline Services Inc.
• Crop Shield Drone Spraying Ltd.
• Dauphin Electrical Services Ltd.
• DK Plumbing Inc.
• Dr. Valerie Spano Dentistry Professional Corp.
• E&B Junk Solutions Inc.
• Empower Business Systems Inc.
• First Light Greenhouses Inc.
• Gabrielle Casey Legal Services Professional Corp.
• Gillen Family Investments Inc.
• Goldenwall Tech Inc.
• Grayland Property Maintenance Inc.
• Grease Solutions Canada Inc.
• Great Lakes Water Society Inc.
• Green Principle Solutions Inc.
• Greg's Collision Services Inc.
• Helonk Autoshop Ltd.
• Infinite Calls Inc.
• Integrated Trade Specialties Inc.
• JLM (Can) Capital Holdings Inc.
• Kena Contracting Inc.
• LaSalle Medical Centre Inc.
• LaSalle Recycling Inc.
• Leamington Electric Ltd.
• Lfgnxg Capital Corp.
• Michael North America Inc.
• Mix Asianmarket Inc.
• Mortgage Max Inc.
• Newko Greenhouses Ltd.
• North Breeze Wellness Corp.
• O'Halloran & Suich Chiropractic Professional Corp.
• Onenorth Trading Co., Ltd.
• Panallied Inc.
• Paris Restaurant & Hall Inc.
• Park West Auto Sale Inc.
• Polarlogix Inc.
• Prestige Capital Investment Inc.
• Professional Choice Concrete Inc.
• Promax Construction Ltd.
• Queen Cabinets Ltd.
• Raamp Health Group Inc.
• Richmond Management Blue Water Inc.
• RM Valuations Ltd.
• Saniana Alarcon Engineering Solutions Inc.
• Sham Halal Meat Inc.
• Sheaseb Venture Capital Partners Inc.
• Skyward Markets Inc.
• St Clair Steel Inc.
• Stan & JJ Automation Inc.
• Sunny Side Solutions Corp.
• Supergenai Inc.
• Sybridge Technologies Inc.
• The Greek Boy One Inc.
• The Storyboard Media Inc.
• Tiger Body Shop Inc.
• Tilbury Machining Systems First Inc.
Continued on page 15
Leamington AG giant buys area properties
Two former religious-affiliated buildings in the heart of Chatham have been purchased by a major Leamington agri-business investor. St. Agnes Church and the elementary school by the same name, across the street from one another in a quiet residential area, were bought by The Quiring Holding Foundation for $1.45 million.
The Foundation is associated with Peter Quiring, who is founder and executive chairman of Nature Fresh Farms. The company was founded in 1999 with an ethos of being “firmly committed to sustainable agriculture.”
The company describes itself as “one of North America’s largest vertically integrated leaders in greenhouse-grown produce” and as growers, greenhouse builders, “plant nurturers, and partners with like minds and kindred spirits.”
It has 1,500 acres of greenhouses “with sustainable technologies” across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, and ships 200 million pounds of produce annually. It grows tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, strawberries and “organics,” including boutique branded clamshell-packaged produce. It lauds its “NonGMO (genetically modified origin) Project Verified Status.”
The company did not respond to requests for comment.
The Chatham properties are on a suburban street, the church dating from 1957. The school, which appeared to be from the same period, has already been demolished.
A spokesman for the Diocese of London says the church experienced a “progressive decline” after the year 2000, with registered parishioners numbering 1,181 at the start of the millennium, and 787 in 2023. Sacred ceremonies such as baptisms, confirmations, first communions and marriages dropped precipitously.
START UPS
Continued from page 14
• Tough Built Auto Inc.
• Triplethadventures Trading & Services Inc.
• Truenorth Ad Consulting Group
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“Clearly the parish has seen a decrease in its sacramental life in the past two decades,” said spokesman Matthew Clarke. The building had been renovated in 1981.
Parishioners now attend three other parishes and a Polish parish.
The diocese put the property up for sale in June 2025 and “several groups” expressed interest in purchasing it, Clarke said.
TRANSFER
BY RON STANG
Land deal by two Chatham-Kent firms
Two long-established and high-profile businesses in Chatham-Kent have done a property deal.
RM Auto Properties recently sold 13 acres of vacant land on Communication Road for $1.7 million to Handy Bros. The land is immediately south of Highway 401.
RM is owned by Rob Myers and his well-known RM Auto Restoration, which specializes in buying, restoring and selling collector cars. It’s associated with RM Auctions
which sells these vehicles all over the world through RM Sotheby’s, and is renowned for selling million dollar plus cars, more than any other auction house. Myers also kickstarted Chatham’s downtown revival, with the Retro Suites boutique hotel.
Purchaser Handy Bros started in 1959 by brothers Jack and Murray Handy. It began in Blenheim, and its headquarters are still there, but the business has expanded into Windsor, Leamington, Sarnia and
London.
Windsor Business put out requests for comment to both firms, but did not hear back prior to deadline.
Meanwhile, up in Dresden, northeast of Chatham, a Dresden plaza has been sold by a numbered company to Freyal Inc.’s Daxesh Patel. The building contains Rosco’s Minimart & Vape Shop and the Shade Hair Studio. The property sold for $885,000 after being listed for $1.2 million.
Use the power of adjectives to see where you are going
Have you ever stopped to consider how dull our world would be without adjectives? You know, those handy words or terms we use, as Webster says, to “modify a noun.” Indeed, without the descriptive power of an adjective, a noun is nothing more than a commodity – like broccoli without hollandaise.
If I offered you a soybean, you would probably be less than intrigued by my gift. But what if I told you I was going to give you a
“beautiful soybean”? You still might not know if you want it, but you definitely would want to see such a bean. It’ll cause a change of attitude, all because of the power of an adjective.
When you consider the raw power of adjectives, “modify,” which Webster says means “to limit,” is a rather weenie word, isn’t it? Yet there are adjectives that actually seem to limit, like lukewarm, tepid, dull and, well, weenie.
But then there are those adjec-
tives that get right in your face and hit you between the eyes like great, strong, powerful, dominating, victorious, beautiful and many more. Rather than limiting, these adjectives actually can leverage a noun, like my “beautiful soybean.”
Adjectives can be powerful and useful in your business in at least two ways: They can help you look at your company in a way that is honest, creative and critical; and they help you keep your products and services competitive.
How would you describe your company? Write down the adjectives that come to mind. Here are two ways to write it down: “I have a (your adjective) company” or “My company is (your adjective).”
Make two lists. On the first, put the adjectives that identify areas needing work or attention (the limiting adjectives). Some possibilities are: new, small and undercapitalized. On the second put the leveraging adjectives, which might include: emerging, successful or profitable.
If you were honest with yourself, you have quite a few adjectives on both lists. Don’t worry too much about your limiting adjectives. Your company could be both young and aggressive, or both undercapitalized and profitable. Your lists are not indictments; they’re just a different and constructively critical way to step back and focus on how you see your business.
Use the same exercise for each of your products and services. Perhaps the product you would have described last year as dominating, this year should be described as mature, even obsolete.
Now, what are you going to do with this information? If you described your company as unprofitable, what’s it going to take to be able to change that currently accurate but limiting adjective into its reciprocal – profitable?
If you said your company is growing, congratulations. But growing toward what? Nationally distributed? Publicly traded? Or are you growing OUT of working capital? Some leveraging adjectives can be ominous.
One method of pursuing the power of adjectives is through brainstorming a great way to get creative juices flowing in an organization. Creativity is the mother’s milk of powerful adjectives.
Get your staff or support group together and conduct a brainstorming session. Remember: no criticism. Everyone must feel what they say will not be criticized. Your employees especially need to know that honest comments and ideas will be considered constructive.
It should be freewheeling. If you’re pursuing how to pep up the showroom and someone says “Let’s put an elephant in there,” the next comment should be, “Are we talking African or Indian elephant?” Don’t worry if your idea isn’t complete; your partial idea might spark the other half in someone else’s mind.
Write this on a rock: If you want to see where you are going, use the power of adjectives. You may find your attitude – and perhaps your fortunes – will change, and all because of the power of words.
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),
Abraham (Senior Investment Advisor), Tori Forsey (Client Service Associate), James Labiak (Associate Investment Advisor)
