Business Leader Summer 2019

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SUMMER EDITION 2019

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WELLINGTON COUNTY

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Inner Joy Inverhaugh couple opens unique bed and breakfast getaway

DISTILLERIES ON THE RISE Three facilities to open in Wellington

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ROOTHAM GOURMET From preserving to mentoring

DANBY CEO JIM ESTILL Receives national recognition

BIG OPENINGS Canadian Tire and Broadline in Mount Forest

2019-07-04 12:38 PM

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2 | BUSINESS LEADER WELLINGTON COUNTY

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DISTILLERIES IN WELLINGTON 4 CHAMBER ROUND-UP

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VACANT LAND TAX REDUCTIONS ELIMINATED

11

CHEQUES AND BALANCES

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ROOTHAM PRESERVES

14

INNER JOY GETAWAY

18

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

20

ORDER OF CANADA

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GRAND OPENINGS

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CANADIAN TIRE OPENING

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ON THE MOVE

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BROADLINE OPENING

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CWCC AWARDS

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THE SOCIAL CORNER

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BUSINESS LEADER

PUBLISHER DAVE ADSETT EDITOR CHRIS DAPONTE ASSOCIATE EDITOR JAIME MYSLIK WRITERS MIKE ROBINSON, PATRICK RAFTIS ARYN STRICKLAND, PHIL GRAVELLE SALES DREW MOCHRIE, FAYE CRAIG, GLENN GEORGE, CRYSTAL SEIFRIED DESIGN HELEN MICHEL, ALICIA ROZA JACQUELINE FURFARO, STEVE GILHOLM DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR KELLY WATERHOUSE

Hope springs eternal Statistics Canada’s recent labour longstanding business owners decide force survey heralded the lowest to re-invest and take their business to unemployment rate since the the next level. government began tracking such data This past quarter saw generally in 1976. good activity in Wellington County.

Today the unemployment rate This current edition of Business stands at around 5.4 percent.

Leader highlights dozens of openings, While there are other factors celebrations and anniversaries. going into this number, such as an Strong economic activity indicates aging population confidence in and tough times not only the finding workers, economy at the telling large, but more number is that particularly, in more and more the community For every (business) people are going the business into business for s e r v e s . success story themselves.

Certainly Centre there are countless Starting a We l l i n g t o n , business is no M a p l e t o n , failures ... easy feat.

Wellington Years pass and North and Minto eventually, given have their fair enough time, a share of success success story can stories in this emerge. edition.

But for every ultimate success story Watch the Advertiser each week there are countless failures, whether and check out Jaime Myslik’s column, the cause be poor revenue, exorbitant Business Matters, on page 11. expenses, poor business acumen and How is business, what’s new, where yes, sometimes the concept of the are you heading? We’d like to hear business is just a bad idea. from you.

Hope springs eternal however and for the sake of the general population most businesses try to serve, the public has access to numerous choices and possibilities.

New owners are willing to invest in their idea and give another option for DAVE ADSETT, people in the community.

PUBLISHER There are also occasions when

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contents

Contact us Business Leader Magazine 905 Gartshore Street, Box 252 Fergus, Ontario N1M 2W8 Email: businessleader@wellingtonadvertiser.com *COVER PHOTO by Jaime Myslik: Inner Joy Getaways owners Laura and Will Feenstra BUSINESS LEADER WELLINGTON COUNTY | 3

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Three new distilleries set to open in Wellington County

BY ARYN STRICKLAND WELLINGTON COUNTY - Craft distilleries are on the rise across the province, including three new facilities opening soon in Wellington County.

The number of on-site distillery retailers in Ontario increased by 32 per cent in the 2017-18 fiscal year, according to an LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) report.

By 2020, Arthur, Elora and Moorefield are all expected to be home to craft distilleries.

In April the Elora Distilling Company broke ground along Metcalfe Street in Elora. In January Kitchener-based Pepprell Distilling Company purchased property for a 4,000 square-foot facility on Hillwood Drive in Moorefield to produce its signature gin. And last December construction began on the 3,100-squarefoot Silver Fox Distillery on Wellington Road 109 in Arthur.

A major difficulty faced by small-scale distilleries is layers of red tape when obtaining permits and municipal zoning.

In Wellington County, lower-tier

“A lot of the difficulties in opening up a distillery have to do with how well a municipality is set up to deal with zoning because there aren’t a lot of distilleries.”

- JOSH CORMIER, CEO, PEPPRELL DISTILLING COMPANY

municipalities like Mapleton, Wellington North and Centre Wellington that are looking to attract businesses can be appealing options for first-time distilleries.

“We have seen a lot of breweries pop up in the past decade within Ontario.

Distilling is a little bit behind breweries in

terms of the amount that have been opening up, but you are starting to see more and more now,” explained Josh Cormier, CEO of Pepprell Distilling Company.

“A lot of the difficulties in opening up a distillery have to do with how well a municipality is set up to deal with zoning because there aren’t a lot of distilleries.”

In Mapleton, municipal staff reached out to the Ontario Craft Distillers Association to promote the township to members. Cormier and Pepprell Distilling Company entered into discussions with the township soon after.

“We had been looking around the KW (Kitchener Waterloo) area because we are based out of KW, so wanting something relatively local,” Cormier said.

The deciding factor was the township’s willingness to accommodate the company’s zoning needs.

“Moorefield was nimble enough to allow for us to open up relatively quickly without having to go through too many council and bureaucratic processes to get the zoning opened up,” Cormier said.

4 | BUSINESS LEADER WELLINGTON COUNTY

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“One of the biggest challenges is getting the licensing because you really have to ... it goes through every level of government so with Moorefield approaching us, that was a huge win because dealing with the municipal level government can be tricky.”

- JOSH CORMIER PEPPRELL DISTILLING CO. STAFF, IN BLUE, FROM LEFT: EMILE MCLEAN, KYLE CORMIER, NATE READ-ELLIS, CAMERON CURRY AND JOSH CORMIER (WITH BARTENDER ULISES SANCHEZ PANTOJA, SECOND FROM LEFT) AFTER THEY PITCHED THEIR BUSINESS ON CBC’S DRAGON’S DEN IN MARCH.

For a new company launched in 2018, it was one less barrier Pepprell Distilling Company had to face.

Along with the upfront investment that needs to be raised to open a distillery, craft distillers new to the scene need to get federal, provincial and municipal licensing to distill and sell spirits.

“One of the biggest challenges is getting the licensing because you really have to ... it goes through every level of government so with Moorefield approaching us, that was a huge win because dealing with the municipal-level government can be tricky,” Cormier said.

“It’s not really cohesive so you kind

PHOTOS: SUBMITTED

SILVER FOX DISTILLERY, INTERIOR

of have to do it bit by bit. You can’t get a provincial license to sell spirits until you have the federal license to manufacture spirits.”

Pepprell Distilling Company is reaching the final steps of preparation. The building will predominantly be a manufacturing facility, which will allow the company to reach its goal of anually selling 2,000 cases of gin.

“We would like to have a tasting area.

The core idea behind our brand is ... we are going to predominantly be a manufacturing facility and then if we can we will also have an area for visitors to come in and try our spirits and purchase,” said Cormier.

The facility will also allow the company to expand in the years to come. Currently Pepprell Distilling Company offers a single type of gin made distinctive by its citrus character, which is then accentuated by cardamon and coriander, to combine for a smooth-tasting gin. It can be purchased through the company’s website.

Once the facility is up and running Pepprell Distilling Company hopes to sell its gin at the Moorefield facility and in LCBO stores. Cormier said the company also plans to expand into other types of liquors.

Pepprell Distilling Company expects to open in Moorefield this summer.

SILVER FOX DISTILLERY Also new to the scene, Silver Fox Distillery is a stand alone craft distillery coming to Wellington Road 109 in Arthur.

The company’s main reason for choosing Arthur is through traffic and charitable causes.

Owners Linda Townsend and Mary Ellen McAlonen, along with master distiller Mark Townsend, have spent a good portion of their lives working with charities.

They are also members of the Doctor Who Society of Canada and the Canadian Dalek Empire, which builds props from the hit British television show Doctor Who. The owners have sold merchandise to comic conventions in Ontario and Quebec and donated the proceeds to children’s hospitals.

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SILVER FOX DISTILLERY, EXTERIOR

SILVER FOX DISTILLERY, MUSEUM

“Wherever there is a comic con in that area, we donate to that specific hospital in the area and it always goes to a children’s area so ... the main benefactor from us is the Toronto Sick Kids. So we build the props, everything is out of pocket, 100% of the donations that come at the charities at the comic cons goes directly to hospitals, we don’t keep anything, we don’t offset any costs so we build the props and we take them to the shows and people donate to get pictures of them,” said Mark Townsend.

Though the company does not expect to be able to donate in the first year or two, Townsend said it had already identified worthwhile charities in Arthur to support.

Company officials looked at a number of communities before settling in the village.

“We were looking at Alma, we were looking at Elora, we were looking at Fergus and we went up and looked at Kenilworth and even as far as Orangeville, but we kept going through Arthur and we kept looking at it and going, ‘yeah you know what, this

place makes a lot of sense and this mall that we are in right now has really kind of had a raw deal. It’s been left empty for way too long,’” said Townsend.

The company hopes to draw cottagers heading north to check out Arthur on the way - if not for the locally-sourced liquors they will produce, then for the daleks on show.

Silver Fox Distillery plans to craft its own vodka, gin, moonshine and whiskey with some botanicals planted at the distillery.

“I picked up some pawpaw trees, which are a native North American tree but almost extinct in southern Ontario; there are only a couple of spots. So I picked up 10 new trees and we are planting them right here on this facility at the distillery.

We are planting juniper bushes which will give us some juniper berries for our gin, we will have them right here beside us,” said Townsend.

Other ingredients like Maple Syrup and

grains will also be locally sourced. The facility will have two 1,000-litre stills and six 1,000-litre fermenters.

The distillery expects to be operational by late this summer or early fall.

ELORA DISTILLING COMPANY Elora Distilling Company also plans to offer gin, vodka and whiskey infused with local botanicals. Launched by Centre Wellington residents, being situated in Elora was important to the owners. The main focus, according to the company’s website, is to “revive Elora’s long and storied history of micro-distilling, which dates back to the late 1800s. We will focus on small batch, artisan-crafted spirits infused with local flavours.”

The facility, still in the early stages of construction, will provide a tasting room and a small store-front.

Elora Distilling Company expects to open sometime in 2020.

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Advertorial

Proprietor, Partnership or Corporation:

How should I structure my business?

One of the first decisions you need to make when setting up your business is whether to operate as a proprietor, partnership or corporation.

There are a variety of factors you need to consider:

Simplicity and Administrative Costs Partnerships and proprietorships are simpler to administer than corporations. Transactions are easy to understand and financial statements are not always required therefore simplifying accounting and bookkeeping. Additionally, no separate tax return has to be prepared for the business as it is included as part of the personal tax return.

In the case of partnerships, legal advice may be required to register the partnership’s name and prepare a partnership agreement.

Depending on size, the partnership may also be required to file a partnership information return with the CRA. For corporations, accounting and bookkeeping costs will be higher because of the added complexity of the corporation and the necessity to prepare financial statements along with separate corporate and personal tax returns. Additional legal costs will also be incurred to set-up the corporation and prepare annual shareholders’ resolutions.

Limited Liability

used to offset business or property income within the corporation.

If losses are expected in the early years of your business, it may be preferable to have a proprietorship or partnership over a corporation. However, it should be noted that the amount of proprietorship or partnership losses that can be deducted against personal income may be restricted or even denied entirely by the CRA if it can be established that there is no reasonable expectation of profit.

Non-Calendar Year-End

Tax Deferral If losses are expected in the early years of your business, it may be preferable to have a proprietorship or partnership over a corporation. However, it should be noted that the amount of proprietorship or partnership losses that can be deducted against personal income may be restricted or even denied entirely by the CRA if it can be established that there is no reasonable expectation of profit.

“ The deferral advantage for corporations increases as income increases.”

With partnerships and proprietorships, all personal assets (not just the business assets) can be exposed to the creditors of the business.

Additionally, in the case of partnerships, each partner is jointly and severally liable for the actions of the other partners. This means that even if only one of several partners is negligent, all of the partners can be exposed to the accompanying loss.

The corporation, because it is a separate legal entity, provides protection of personal assets from creditors. It is also possible to setup a separate holding corporation to provide additional protection. However, it should be noted that personal guarantees could be required for corporate debt that would offset some of this protection.

Corporations, on the other hand, have a flat tax rate of only 12.5% (as of calendar 2019) in Ontario up to $500,000 of taxable income.

This low rate of tax means there is more money available in the business to pay off debt, invest in assets and meet working capital obligations compared to partnerships or proprietorships.

It should also be noted that the deferral advantage for corporations increases as income increases. For businesses with lower incomes, there may be little to no tax deferral advantage at all.

Deductibility of Losses

Social Benefits

For proprietorships and partnerships, any losses for tax purposes from the business can be deducted against other sources of personal income. For corporations, losses can only be

Many government benefits, such as the personal HST credit, EI maternity benefits, the Canada Child Benefit and Old Age Security are affected by the amount of income reported

Guelph Wellington Dufferin

on the personal tax return. In the case of proprietorships and partnerships, all of the income generated from the business has to be reported on the personal tax return regardless of whether it is actually needed for living expenses and this could limit or eliminate these benefits.

With a corporation, you can limit the amount of wages and dividends paid to the shareholders and therefore it is much easier to qualify for these benefits.

Corporations can choose a non-calendar year-end for tax purposes. The main advantage of this is to provide a window of time to plan in advance for personal taxes which are always based on the December 31 year-end. Another advantage is that the year-end can be chosen at a time when the business is not as busy and you have more time to attend to the year-end administrative work.

Proprietorships and partnerships cannot choose a non-calendar year-end without suffering adverse tax consequences. Therefore, this is not a viable option for them.

Secondary Wills Under Ontario law, secondary wills can be setup to address the shares of private corporations.

The advantage of doing so is that the assets of the corporation would not subject to probate tax upon the death of the shareholder which can be up to 1.5% of the value of the business.

It is not possible to set-up a secondary will to deal with the business assets of proprietorships and partnerships. Therefore, the probate tax cannot be avoided.

Collins Barrow - Guelph Wellington Dufferin is now Baker Tilly GWD. Long-time local insight Conclusion

This article outlines only some of the major advantages and disadvantages of each type of business structure. There are many additional complexities that cannot be addressed in a single article. Therefore, it is important to get professional advice to determine which business structure is right for you. Your local Baker Tilly office can provide that professional advice to make sure you make the right decision.

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BUSINESS LEADER WELLINGTON COUNTY | 7

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Chamber Round-Up John Mock, President Minto Chamber of Commerce

CHAMBER

Business Leader connects with Wellington County chambers

HAD NOT RESPONDED BY PUBLICATION DATE

Email: info@mintochamber.on.ca Website: mintochamber.on.ca

Diane Cook, President Centre Wellington Chamber of Commerce Email: chamber@cwchamber.ca Website: cwchamber.ca

Tish Green, President Arthur and District Chamber of Commerce Email: achamber@wightman.ca Website: arthurchamber.ca

HAD NOT RESPONDED BY PUBLICATION DATE Neil Driscoll, President Mapleton Chamber of Commerce

Shawn McLeod, President Mount Forest Chamber of Commerce

Email: members@mapletonchamber.ca Website: mapletonchamber.ca

Email: chamber@mountforest.ca Website: mountforest.ca

BL

Can your members open on statutory holidays? Why or why not?

Minto John Mock

Most of our dining and hospitality businesses are open on all statutory holidays and are happy to cater to tourists and locals to make sure your memories of Minto are happy ones. Many businesses are closed on these holidays and feel that it is important to take some time to relax and enjoy time with family and friends.

Centre Wellington Diane Cook

Our members are from many sectors and operate under the rules that govern their particular industry.

Many member businesses already keep their doors open seven days/week. The recent approval of a bylaw allowing businesses in downtown Fergus to open on statutory holidays will give members more business options.

With the rebranding of downtown Fergus, and the Mill construction Elora has seen increased foot traffic that gives an economic case for businesses to open on statutory holidays. Staffing shortages, training and costs remain the limiting factors.

Mount Forest Shawn McLeod

Opening on statutory holidays is by the choice of each retail business. It’s important that our community has key businesses open during holidays to encourage shopping locally, especially as local tourism picks up into the summer.

BL

Will Wellington County’s elimination of property tax breaks for vacant/ excess land affect your members?

Minto John Mock

The Minto Chamber and our members feel that the elimination of this tax break is a step in the right direction. It is our hope that it will hold absentee landlords accountable and try to be an incentive to make their vacant buildings attractive, safe and compliant.

Centre Wellington Diane Cook

If business owners of vacant land can no longer receive a refund on their property tax, we see more land coming on the market for CWCC business opportunities – this is great news for business.

CWCC members that are currently expanding or moving their business are looking to purchase land and build – there is no land to purchase. Rental properties are often not feasible as they require significant cosmetic/construction improvements and rental costs/ft2 prevent a profitable business case.

Mount Forest Shawn McLeod

Many of our local businesses wish to see more storefronts filled and a vibrant business community. This change in property tax breaks is meant to encourage absent landlords to actively seek out new tenants.

8 | BUSINESS LEADER WELLINGTON COUNTY

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**If you have a question you would like to pose to local chambers of commerce and/or BIAs, email your suggestion to businessleader@wellingtonadvertiser.com.

BL

What is the summer outlook for businesses?

Minto John Mock

In Palmerston, the summer season is looking optimistic.

Several store fronts have been repaired and updated making the downtown very attractive and new businesses are popping up in Palmerston all of the time.

Unfortunately, Highway 9 between Harriston and Clifford will have to endure another year of construction, which will affect the downtown traffic flow.

This is why we stress the importance of shopping local.

Before you head out of town for the weekend, be sure to buy your supplies locally. Your local businesses are the ones that help keep the community beautiful and strong.

Centre Wellington Diane Cook

Optimistic, as is the way with many entrepreneurs … the glass is half full and going for full. This past winter was very difficult for many local businesses with profit numbers lower than ever.

Mount Forest Shawn McLeod

Summer is a very busy time, with lots of tourists, construction projects and a positive business environment.

BL

Do members include giving back to the community in their business plans? If so, can you provide a good example?

Minto John Mock

We think that most members do consider giving back or donating to the community in their annual budget or business plan.

It is important to keep in mind when soliciting businesses for donations it can quickly become a drain on their bottom line.

Minto business owners want to give back and they want to help out whenever possible, but in order to do that you must remember to shop at their stores so they have the financial means to help you out.

Centre Wellington Diane Cook

Our observation is that there are a number of businesses who do include giving back to the community in a variety of ways.

From sponsoring events, supporting sports teams, donating prizes or food, participating in larger events.

Everyone does what they can to support the community they live in.

Is it in their business plan – that would be up to each business owner to know and not something that the chamber is privy to.

Mount Forest Shawn McLeod

Many members see giving back to the community as a great way to connect with local organizations and the people in our community.

With the recent Radio-a-thon by 88.7 FM The River, raising for a new Splashpad in Mount Forest, there were a variety of different businesses making pledges to help our community get closer to this great new amenity.

BL

Are there any large community projects that could impact businesses this year?

What are they?

Minto John Mock

Minto is always buzzing with projects and upcoming events and this year there is no shortage of fun.

Starting with the Clifford Street Party, Party in the Park in Palmerston, the Harrison Street Party which includes Savour in the Street and the Leslie Motors’ Ford Car Show.

The stores in the downtown will be having sidewalk sales and fun events for the whole family to enjoy.

For more information visit @ townofminto on facebook or mintochamber.on.ca. Hope to see you there.

Centre Wellington Diane Cook

Road and bridge closures are a necessary part of summer to help grow and attract businesses and residents.

As another major bridge replacement will take place this year in Elora. The affected businesses see significantly less foot traffic as customers change their driving routines.

We have had businesses see a several month lag after the completion of the bridge repair to have customers’ routine return.

Mount Forest Shawn McLeod

Road construction is always a summer hassle that we accept as a badge of honour. No one wants to live on a street with the biggest pot holes. We appreciate all the hard work put in by the public works department for the Township of Wellington North as we build for future growth.

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ADVERTORIAL

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My weight loss journey began in early 2012, combining our Homeopathic Weight Loss Formula with Lifestyle Modifications, hence reducing bad carbs to a degree and incorporating clean eating as part of my success habits. I found the Homeopathic Weight Loss Formula was key to resetting my metabolism and maintaining my weight loss goal.

As you begin a Weight Loss Program it’s important to ask yourself the following questions: 1. What are my true needs? For example: self-esteem, improved health, joint pain, body shape?

2. What is my vision of success? 10>20>30lbs. or more?

3. Am I able to commit to making lifestyle modifications?

4. Am I ready to be accountable?

5. Am I in a positive mindset to move forward?

Part of your vision may also be addressing your hormone balance, thrown off track during menopause. Our hormone imbalance often becomes part of our weight loss journey by addressing the cause of unwanted and at times rapid weight gain.

So, what happens when hormones stop playing well together? We can often experience a ripple effect. It may cause women to struggle with weight gain, (and many other symptoms!) during menopause, which affects both their physical and emotional health. Hormone imbalance during menopause can be a contributing factor to negatively affect our self-esteem and our ability to lose weight. Incorporating the Saliva Hormone Test is a great tool to addressing both weight gain and emotional symptoms such as anxiety, depression, irritability, mood swings, low libido, night sweats and insomnia. Testing provides the client the opportunity to balance hormones by integrating a customized program of integrative medicine (herbal supplements) along with their lifestyle modifications.

The definition of self-esteem is an overall subjective emotional evaluation of self-worth, (an attitude towards self.) I always tell clients their own perception or their own self-reflection is what counts most. For some clients it may be the last stubborn 10 to 15 lbs. sitting on their tummy, (every 10 lbs., is a size!)

At our age it’s time to put our health first and create the self-image and confidence that makes us feel good to look at our reflection in the mirror!

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Council approves rezoning for Riverstown cannabis production facility

BY MIKE ROBINSON KENILWORTH - Wellington North councillors have given the go-ahead to a rezoning application to allow a cannabis production facility in Riverstown.

Addressing council this spring, Mayor Andy Lennox noted Eric Beamish owns the land at 7294 Sideroad 5 West, in former Arthur Township.

The property is approximately 1.17 hectares (2.9 acres) in size and located in a rural industrial area within the hamlet of Riverstown, between Kenilworth and Mount Forest.

The property is adjacent to agricultural land.

The purpose of the site specific zoning amendment is to rezone the property to permit the indoor cultivation of cannabis.

The facility proposed on the site, a new 743m2 (8,000ft2) industrial building, is subject to federal legislation and would be licenced by Health Canada.

Wellington County senior planner Michelle Innocente said the facility “brings an agriculture use into an industrial area.”

She added work on the property is subject to site plan control because it is a new development.

The processing component of the operation is permitted under the existing rural industrial zoning, but indoor cultivation

of cannabis, an agricultural use, requires a zoning bylaw amendment.

Innocente told council the planning department has no objections to the proposed amendment, though the facility requires Health Canada approval to proceed.

“We note that facility will be entirely indoors, and will include typical components associated with an industrial use such shipping, receiving, loading, truck and employee traffic, deliveries, etc., which are appropriate in an industrial area,” said Innocente.

“The inclusion of indoor cultivation is compatible in a rural industrial area and involves many of the same supportive activities.”

The Cannabis Act includes site design requirements for security and air quality.

Innocente’s report states the applicant has indicated water for the facility will be provided by a well on the property and a septic system will be used to handle wastewater.

She added that, according to the applicant, the facility will not require large volumes of water or generate large volumes of wastewater (from cleaning and bathroom use only).

Council members later passed the bylaw.

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10 | BUSINESS LEADER WELLINGTON COUNTY

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Tax reductions for vacant land being eliminated

BY PHIL GRAVELLE WELLINGTON COUNTY - In an effort to spur economic development, Wellington municipalities are moving to eliminate the tax break that owners of vacant commercial and industrial land have been receiving.

County council has cancelled the discount of 30 to 35 per cent, and local councils have either done the same or are considering the move.

In Erin, the discount is expected to be maintained until at least 2020, recognizing that some landowners have been told that they are not allowed to build until a wastewater treatment system is built, which could take several years.

Municipalities will not collect more tax money overall. The discounts have been subsidized by other taxpayers, so when they are eliminated, homeowners will get a slight tax adjustment.

“People who have vacant land, or in some other cases empty commercial, they were getting a bit of a tax break and we’re going to be eliminating those,” stated Guelph-Eramosa Mayor Chris White, chair of the county’s Administration, Finance and Human Resources committee, in a recent report to county council.

“In our case, for example, it makes for absentee landlords and they shouldn’t necessarily be rewarded, and at the end of the day the residents pick up the difference.

“It’s not like this money isn’t needed.

So this is an opportunity to take a little pressure off the residents and try to get it on the vacant landowners.”

Two years ago, the provincial government provided municipalities will the option of eliminating the vacant land discounts.

“The recommendation is in line with the province’s interest in ensuring tax competitiveness and consistency for taxpayers,” states a county public notice.

In a related move, some local municipalities have also been eliminating or adjusting a similar tax break on vacant space in business buildings in recent years.

This does not apply to county taxes.

Centre Wellington, Wellington North, Guelph-Eramosa and Mapleton have already eliminated the vacant land discount.

“... It makes for absentee landlords and they shouldn’t necessarily be rewarded ...”

- CHRIS WHITE, MAYOR, GUELPH-ERAMOSA In Erin, Mayor Allan Alls said it would be a “double slap” for the town to tell businesses they can’t build, but then charge them more to hold the land until a sewer system is in place.

“I have the same reservations,” said councillor John Brennan. “We have a lot of vacant land because we have made it compulsory.”

Staff will consult local business groups and report back to council before a final decision is made.

Erin finance director Ursula D’Angelo recommended delaying the change until 2020. She reported that 53 properties would be affected, with an average town increase

519.843.2741 540 Blair St., Fergus, N1M 1S4 fergus@carstar.ca

of $308 for vacant commercial lands, and $410 for industrial, based on current assessments.

The town residential tax rate would drop by 0.3%, with a benefit of less than $4 on a home assessed at $500,000.

County wide, 307 properties are affected. County and education taxes will shift, depending on their share in different municipalities.

In Erin, property owners will pay an extra $835 on average to the county for vacant commercial land, and an extra $1,332 for vacant industrial land. The average homeowner will pay $7 less to the county.

Erin has not eliminated the vacant unit rebate, but its new Community Improvement Plan (CIP) says it is under consideration.

Once that tax revenue is recouped, council may decide to reinvest it in CIP incentive programs to support new growth or in improved municipal services.

In Puslinch, based on the results of a public open house, council eliminated the vacant unit rebate, effective in the 2018 taxation year. They supported elimination of the vacant and excess land property tax subclass tax reductions, effective in 2019.

In Minto, the vacant land change would mean approximately $7,200 in additional township taxes on 38 properties in 2019, with an equal amount of reduced taxes on all other properties.

The change for an average residential property would be only about $2. The affected property owners would pay a total of about $8,300 more in county taxes.

- With files from Patrick Raftis

BL

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CHEQUES

+ Balances

Do you support a local charity?

Send your photos of cheque presentations, draw winners or donations to businessleader@wellingtonadvertiser.com to include in the next edition of Business Leader.

Shoetopia in Mount Forest donated $265 to Ducks Unlimited. Daphne Rappard, left, accepted the cheque for Ducks Unlimited from and Lynn Grassi of Shoetopia.

Shoetopia in Fergus donated $287 to Big Brothers Big Sisters Centre Wellington. From left, Michelle Green, Laura Dykstra, Jenn Law, Kristen Drexler of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Centre Wellington and Peter Mohr.

Rob Figliuzzu, president and CEO of Wightman Telecom, right, appeared at the June 24 Centre Wellington council meeting to receive acknowledgement from Mayor Kelly LIngton for a $50,000 donation for a co-generator at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex in Fergus. When council began looking at a co-generator at the sportsplex, Wightman was looking at pod locations for fibre internet. With the co-generator both the sportsplex and Wightman has emergency generation. For the township that means the sportsplex can now serve as an emergency shelter.

RBC officials delivered a big cheque to the Palmerston and District Hospital Foundation on May 7. The bank donated $10,000 for nursing education. Foundation development officer Dale Franklin said the funds support a series of nursing skills training days for North Wellington Health Care staff. RBC has been donating $10,000 annually to the foundation for nursing training for the past 11 years.

From left: front, RBC regional vice-president Dan Woods, Drayton RBC branch manager Amber Weima, hospital staff members Lori Woestenenk, Elizabeth Engel and Cathy Hass, RBC vice-president of commercial/financial services; centre, hospital staff Ruth Johnston, Nancy Cleary and Franklin; back, hospital staff Brianne Heffernan and Katie Oelschowski. A similar $10,000 donation was made to Groves Memorial Community Hospital on May 7. RBC has donated a total of $110,000 for nursing education at Groves since 2009.

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PHOTOS: P. 12 CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: SUBMITTED, JAIME MYSLIK, PATRICK RAFTIS, SUBMITTED; P. 13 GETTY IMAGES

Guelph entrepreneur receives $100,000 in government support GUELPH - SpeakFeel Corporation, led by Kelly Lee Brooks will receive up to $100,000 through the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, a $2-billion investment that seeks to double the number of womenowned businesses by 2025.

The grant is the first of its kind dedicated to advancing women’s economic empowerment.

MP Lloyd Longfield says, “the women entrepreneurs and business leaders of Guelph make incredible contributions to our economy and community every day,” said Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield.

“I’m proud to be a part of a Liberal government that takes women’s economic empowerment seriously.

“From tackling pay equity to modernizing parental leave, this government is taking action on gender equality because when women succeed, we all succeed.”

SpeakFeel Corporation SpeakFeel Corporation, a software development company, will use the nonrepayable funds to grow their businesses and facilitate opportunities in markets abroad.

“We are honoured to accept funding that recognizes the valuable contributions women entrepreneurs continue to make in the Canadian economy,” said Kelly Brooks, SpeakFeel’s president and founder.

“The funding will help complete our Quarter4 Artificial Intelligence platform that engages sports enthusiasts to predict team and player performance outcomes through data.”

Women Entrepreneurship Strategy The Women Entrepreneurship Strategy compliments the Government of Canada’s efforts to advance gender equality, which includes addressing pay equity, providing more affordable childcare and putting an end to genderbased violence.

The strategy provides funding for women entrepreneurs, recognizing that the full and equal participation of women in the economy is essential to Canada’s competitiveness.

Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington receives grant from Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont GUELPH – Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont has donated $2,000 to the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington as part of its Growing Today, Leading Tomorrow program.

The grant from Corteva Agriscience will be used to support the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington Food and Friends program, a preventative program committed to improving the learning ability, health and well-being of children and youth aged four to 19 years, by providing healthy food before or during school.

Food and Friends currently has 106 student nutrition programs across the region of Guelph, Wellington and Dufferin that feed over 17,000 students a healthy breakfast, morning meal, lunch or snack at school.

“We know that a balanced meal can make a world of difference when it comes to a student’s ability to learn,” said Karin Younghans, territory manager with Corteva Agriscience.

“That’s why we’re proud to support

initiatives that provide children and youth with a dependable source of healthy, nutritious food.”

“Once we introduce healthy food to hungry students, the classroom environment begins to change, students’ learning abilities begin to increase, and disruptive behaviours decrease,” explains Bobbi Turner, student nutrition program manager with the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington.

“Through the Food and Friends program we’re able to make a stronger connection with students and educate them on the importance of healthy eating.”

Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, makes contributions to community-based organizations on behalf of the business and its employees.

Consideration for outreach grants are given to communities where Corteva Agriscience employees, channel partners and customers live and work, and that support quality-of-life initiatives to create an improved, sustainable lifestyle for people worldwide.

“We know that a balanced meal can make a world of difference when it comes to a student’s ability to learn.”

- KARIN YOUNGHANS, TERRITORY MANAGER, CORTEVA AGRISCIENCE

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MARILYN ROOTHAM AND WILL ROOTHAM-ROBERTS OF ROOTHAM GOURMET PRESERVES

Rootham Gourmet Preserves enjoying second-generation success, growth

BY JAIME MYSLIK PUSLINCH – From custom preserves to co-packing to entrepreneur mentorship, Rootham Gourmet Preserves has doubled over the last three years under the watchful eye of owner/operator Will RoothamRoberts.

The Puslinch business comes from modest beginnings in Fergus. Founder Marilyn Rootham, Rootham-Roberts’

mother, started the business over 30 years ago.

Though Rootham lived in Fergus, she and a friend had a coffee shop at the Guelph Farmer’s Market and, at the end of the day, she would often get leftover produce because farmers didn’t want to take it back home.

She would then spend the week making

preserves.

“Over the summer I had jars and jars of everything you could imagine, so then my partner’s sister came down, she owned a fairly high-end store in Muskoka and she said what are you doing?” Rootham said.

One thing led to another and Rootham ended up selling preserves in the woman’s Muskoka store.

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PHOTOS: JAIME MYSLIK

“My mother was with me at the time and she was a hand calligrapher so she hand calligraphed all these labels and we cut out little cloth tops and we tied ribbons on them and sent them off with her and they sold really fast,” Rootham said.

“So she was asking for more, so she took all that year’s sort of stuff that I made and sold it.”

Other clients were soon approaching Rootham to purchase her preserves, so she would take orders and fill them throughout the summer.

Eventually Rootham purchased the Aberfoyle Antique Market and continued making her preserves in the kitchen there when the market wasn’t on.

Rootham exhibited at various craft shows and markets, selling her product primarily to retail customers. However, she did have contracts with Eaton’s and Holt Renfrew, but eventually the demand became too labour intensive.

“When [Will] came to the business he decided he didn’t want to stand on the weekend and sell preserves,” Rootham said. “Which I don’t blame him, he went and did his own thing.

“So that’s when we sort of mechanized and he started taking on other clients and doing the co-pack.”

Rootham Gourmet Preserves is now located on the east side of Aberfoyle in its own facility.

The business is primarily wholesale now under Rootham-Roberts’ eye.

Growing up with the business RoothamRoberts has always worked for Rootham Gourmet Preserves, even when he was going through school at the University of Guelph.

“I saw an opportunity to come and work here after school because they needed some help,” he said. “So at that point I started to take on some of the cooking. That was probably eight or nine years ago; I would do the cooking in the morning.

“Come in, start all the kettles and then I’d go to the back to do the shipping.”

At that point the company was handfilling the jars.

Rootham-Roberts slowly morphed the business into what it is today, with a fully automated system.

While Rootham still produces and sells its own preserves, the bigger part of the business is co-packing contracts.

“Basically a co-pack client is somebody that comes and we package their product ... for them,” Rootham-Roberts explained.

Now, Rootham Gourmet Preserves produces about 150 co-packs and 50 of its own preserves.

“At any given time I’m working on about 10 or 15 different products or people,” he said. “I’ve got stacks of recipes around here that I’m working on at any given time for different clients.”

Clients come to Rootham-Roberts with an idea and he works with them to make sure it is a saleable product. RoothamRoberts then takes the recipe and costs and sources everything that’s required.

“We have to make sure that his product fits into the criteria that the government mandates for our facility ... no meat byproducts, cost stability, acid levels for the product, has to be pasteurized,” Rootham-Roberts explained.

“It’s always about food safety because if you don’t provide the food safety then you have nothing to really sell.”

- WILL ROOTHAM-ROBERTS, OWNER/OPERATOR, ROOTHAM GOURMET PRESERVES

“I have to help each client work though these problems with their product so they can be bottled, packaged and shelf stable for the consumer without incurring any food safety risk because that’s ... the one thing that we always want to mitigate before taking on new business or new clients or making money.

“It’s always about food safety because if you don’t provide the food safety then you have nothing to really sell.”

Once approved, the labels are designed and printed and the product is ready to be jarred.

“We try to help them find the most efficient avenue so they can get a good return on what they’re doing,” RoothamRoberts said.

This is one of the details that sets the company apart from its competition.

Some bottlers charge large consultation fees before any product has even been presented, Rootham said. She had some experiences when she first started out on her business journey.

At Rootham Gourmet Preserves,

Rootham-Roberts tries to keep those fees at a minimum.

Clients also have access to the full facility and are often present and helping while their product is being bottled and packed.

“They work with our team in the kitchen, they don’t have to come every time, but some of them ... are just so into their products I guess they want to be on site,” Rootham-Roberts said.

“They like to help; it’s like having another body that’s basically another staff member in there so they’re trained on what the protocol is - hair nets, handwashing, handling. Obviously the head chef still has control but they like to help and they like to be involved and that’s great, they work well with the team.”

Another perk of bottling with Rootham Gourmet Preserves is the facility is federally inspected.

This means all products bottled to those specific standards are exportable to the U.S. and between provinces in Canada.

“We allow the entrepreneur to receive an inspection level with only going in with a $1,000 or $2,000 initial batch run of like 500 units,” Rootham Roberts said.

He explained many other commercial bottling companies require 5,000 to 15,000 unit runs to receive the federal inspection level.

“The inspection level allows the marketing and the confidence of the retailers to take your product on because they know it’s made by a qualified facility that’s clean; it’s got food safety, quality,” Rootham-Roberts said.

One of the co-packing clients is the Elora Brewing Company.

“We were having a hard time keeping up with our ketchup production,” said chef Ben Sachse. “In the summer we go through so much of it and we’re open full day, seven days a week, and have very limited space.

“Therefore we were having a hard time finding even an hour where we could get a 16-litre pot on that stove to make enough ketchup to last us a couple more days.”

Someone Sachse knows suggested Rootham Gourmet Preserves.

He said having Rootham prepare and bottle the house-made ketchup is more cost effective than if the Elora Brewing Company were to continue doing it on its own. The recipe was tweaked to make larger quantities that will taste just like the original recipe.

“Once we have what we like, then from there on I just have to call them and order the stuff and pick it up the week after,” Sachse said.

Rootham will fill five-litre pails as well as retail bottles.

“They’re a family-run company; that’s key, that’s huge,” Sachse said. “It’s pretty easy to deal with them in a chaotic fashion.

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WILL ROOTHAMROBERTS

“Everything that we do in this business, that we do in the restaurant industry, works on kind of an ordered chaos.”

Sachse said the flexibility of being able to pick up an order outside of normal business hours is also very beneficial to the Elora Brewing Company.

“It works for us because it works with our whole idea of being a communitybased business and being community supported,” Sachse said.

“Working with someone so close ... and I don’t have to pay for delivery costs because I can just pick it up myself, so proximity is definitely a big one.”

He said using a professional bottling company is also good for the Elora Brewing Company’s insurance.

Sachse also said Rootham can bottle three or four times the amount of ketchup at the perfect temperature and under the ideal conditions, compared to what the brewery could do at its own facility.

“I wish I had known about this co-bottling idea long before,” Sachse said.

“It’s opened up this whole new area of where you don’t need to be the expert on something.”

When co-packing, Rootham-Roberts said he is always honest with clients.

“I want to work on products that I can see being successful on the marketplace and so I evaluate them based on that,” he

said.

“If you think you can be successful and I think I can work with you, then it’s like I see potential in your business then I’ll take you on and help steer you down the path.”

“It works for us because it works with our whole idea of being a community-based business and being community supported.“ - BEN SACHSE, CHEF, ELORA BREWING COMPANY

Rootham-Roberts won’t take someone on as a client if he doesn’t think they will make any money. He wants his clients happy and to build good relationships, he

said.

“Sometimes it can be a bit of a heartbreaker to be the person who has to tell somebody that, but I think it’s better to be honest with them up front than it is to take their money and watch them struggle, send them down a path of ... failure,” Rootham-Roberts said.

“So that’s sort of what we’ve come to now because we’re not really looking at growing too much more, so we’re being even more selective about what we bring in now.”

Being loyal to longtime customers is also important to Rootham. Some of their wholesalers have been with the company since the beginning - more than 30 years.

Now, the Rootham label is sold to about 200 retailers, from high-end grocery stores to specialty cheese shops to delis.

Rootham-Roberts says he tries to keep the Rootham label for specialty stores and will occasionally create private label products for select larger grocery stores.

“That then protects our independent retailers,” he said.

“We get a little bit more from them; they get more because it’s something unique that they can’t find at the grocery store but it also allows the consumer to have something because most of these ... are destination stores. (They) need to have unique items in order to protect their

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The financial advice world is always changing and it’s time to ask yourself ...

Does my advisor ask me enough questions to provide me with the best integrated advice for me, my family and my business? 

PHOTOS: JAIME MYSLIK

Is my advisor keeping up with the ongoing changes to income taxes and government grant opportunities when recommendations are provided?

market segment and attract consumers to come and visit them so this is one of those items.”

Rootham Gourmet Preserves is also focused on using local products.

“We want to try to use as much farm products within 100 miles of this facility and that’s what a lot of the bigger companies want now,” Rootham said.

“They don’t want stuff from China; they want to know where it’s coming from.

Consumers care about where it’s coming from and it also keeps the dollars within the Ontario economy.

“If we can support local farms then that’s farm money going back into rural economies and the dollar just keeps going round and round.

So that’s big for us. “ Mother and son both have advice for future entrepreneurs.

“Don’t be so set on your product,” Rootham said. “Be able to evolve.

“If you get somewhere and see a little niche going off somewhere, be able to go on the road where you see there’s a need rather than stick with your original idea that might not be working.”

She added, “I never thought I was going to make preserves; that was the last thing I was going to do. I had a coffee shop at the market. So obviously I sort of ran with what ran and gave up the coffee shop.”

Rootham-Roberts said it is key to ensure the product fits the profile of the marketplace.

“If we can support local farms then that’s farm money going back into rural economies and the dollar just keeps going round and round. So that’s big for us.”

- WILL ROOTHAMROBERTS

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“It basically comes down to risk mitigation,” he said.

“You don’t want to invest too much too quickly in an idea that’s not 100 per cent proven.

“Because it is a competitive marketplace no matter where you’re going into and you don’t want to put your house or mortgage the family farm to get into the market before you jump in.”

For more information about Rootham Gourmet Preserves visit www.roothamsgourmet. com.

BL

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140 St. Andrew Street W., Fergus, Ontario www.wolfelawfirm.com • 519-843-3650 Serving Wellington and Dufferin Counties for 70 Years BUSINESS LEADER WELLINGTON COUNTY | 17

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INNER JOY GETAWAYS SHIPPING CONTAINER SUITES

Inverhaugh couple looking to help people find their inner joy

BY JAIME MYSLIK INVERHAUGH – Running water, singing birds and swishing trees are all key elements to Inner Joy Getaways’ goal of offering guests whatever they need for their own inner joy.

“That could be a spectrum of things to different people,” said owner Laura Feenstra. “So what can we do to give you the base so that you can find your joy, wherever it may be.”

Laura and her husband Will Feenstra have opened Inner Joy Getaways, a unique bed and breakfast located in Inverhaugh on the site of a private cricket pitch.

The idea stemmed from an unlikely source: shipping containers.

However, the unique getaway was not their primary focus or reason for purchasing the land, it was a by-product of their life journey.

Will is a youth counsellor and would like to offer different types of counselling, for both youths and adults, on the site.

“The first time we came here [Will] had been in the hospital with a teen for suicide and anxiety,” Laura said.

“That morning the mom called and said ‘would you take my son for the day?’ and that’s when we were coming to see this place, so we were like ‘sure’.

“We brought him and we just watched how when he and I stood by the water he

started to come alive.”

Will already knows the room he would like to use for counselling services: a sunroom off the side of the house.

“The sunlight that is here is incredible for people that are struggling with anxiety,” he said.

When the couple first looked at the property, it was way out of their price range and they considered converting it to a wedding venue so they could pay for the property and still offer counselling.

However, they couldn’t get permission from Centre Wellington Township without paying high costs for studies and other necessary requirements.

So Laura started looking for alternative funding streams and she stumbled upon tiny houses built out of shipping containers.

She sent a photograph to Will.

“I remember getting that picture and going ‘how far out of the box did you go?’

Will said. “Really, she was thinking in the box.

“Neither one of us had ever really dreamed of doing anything with shipping containers.”

They got the approvals from the township and ran with it.

“So we used all the equity that came out of our house, every penny and then some,

to start this up,” Will said.

“The idea is that the containers, basically the business runs and pays for the property, mortgage, taxes so that we can continue to do what we want to do with youth.”

Laura said that passion for working with youth is really the driving factor behind the business.

“So spilling from youth into couples ... couples need to find their own peaceful spot and rejuvenate and that kind of thing because it’s hard,” she said.

Laura and Will have now jumped into the business with both feet.

“We joke a lot that we’re God’s favourite snow globe,” Laura said. “Whenever life kind of seems to settle, he gives us a good shake and we’re like ‘ah.’ It’s been 18 years of that.

“I’m excited because I can see it really doing well, but terrified because it’s so unknown.”

Inner Joy Getaways opened in midJune and has four shipping containers, all painted blue and located at the back of the property on the bank of the Grand River.

The containers themselves were only used once and are CSA approved. They are insulated and placed on concrete bases with plumbing, hydro and equipped with wifi and cell boosters.

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PHOTOS: BY JAIME MYSLIK

ST. JACOBS SUITE SITTING AREA

Each of container is individuallythemed as either Fergus, Elora, Elmira or St. Jacobs.

The containers themselves are about seven feet wide and 40 feet long, with a private 12-by-40 stamped concrete patio.

Each unit has its own hot tub and barbecue.

The site also offers outdoor tennis and six chip and putt golf holes.

“The hot tubs are beautiful,” Laura said. “They have a waterfall.

“They seat five people so if you have ... if you’ve rented out two as a group or two couples you can each go and sit in one or the other and have a glass of wine and relax.”

The patios are separated by tall grass, fences and trees.

“These are high-end suites,” Laura said.

“They are going to have a full pots and pans set and kitchen. Like everything’s in there (but) not the stove ... because that’s against code for short-term rental.

“So it has portable induction cooktops.”

Will said that everything in the suites is unique ... because the tight confines ensure it has to be.

“The whole works had to be thought outside the box,” he said. “You can’t just say, ‘okay shipping container, we’re done now make it look like a house;’ no, because there isn’t the space for a big monster fridge.

“There isn’t space for a big stove.”

In fact, even the furniture and fixtures had to be re-sized and the space needed to be considered.

“The furniture had to be really narrow, so we’re not doing a kitchen table, we’re doing a bar top which is kind of in the window a little bit and it’s up higher and it takes up less space, so everything had to

“We really felt that this was called upon for us to do this.

There’s just so many doors that opened.”

- WILL FEENSTRA, OWNER, INNER JOY GETAWAYS

ELMIRA SUITE BEDROOM

be rethought.”

Instead of a traditional bed and breakfast, where breakfast is offered between certain times in the morning, Will and Laura chose to allow guests to make their own food.

That way the experience is not constrained to any timeline and guests can enjoy whatever pace they choose.

“Every [room] will have its welcome package when you come so it will have a

bottle of wine and then Belgian waffles that you can put in the toaster, fresh fruit to go with it, maple syrup, fresh croissants and stuff like that,” Laura said.

“And then the chocolates or the peanuts if it’s from Elmira suite because they have the peanuts.

“That kind of thing, so there’ll be food in there in case you don’t have time to go to the grocery store for the morning, there’s something you can have.”

The Feenstras have also chosen to feature local businesses in each of the rooms as well. Their goal is to put together a booklet to give guests an idea of where they can go in the local community for various activities like fine dining, coffee shops, grocery stores, etc.

“We’re trying to build relationships locally,” Will said. “Then they also get a bit of a picture as to why we’re doing this.”

As Inner Joy Getaways just opened the vacancy rate is still unknown - and Laura said that is quite nerve-racking. Especially since the couple has had to overcome a number of hurtles along the way.

“You have to laugh, you have to keep going,” Will said. “I think for us, we’ve also had to go back to our purpose.

“We really felt that this was called upon for us to do this. There’s just so many doors that opened.”

Both Will and Laura also said that once the decision is made to start a business, it’s important to give it everything to get your best shot.

“Keep reminding yourself why you’re all in,” Laura said.

“Because you’re going to get ... knocked around a lot and discouraged and just keep going because you know that there was a reason why you had the dream to begin with and keep going.”

The couple also said it’s important for owners to surround themselves with people they trust, because a lot of people will be negative about a new endeavour.

However, they also said it’s important to admit when there’s things that require outside help.

“We have our strengths but we also have our weaknesses,” Will said.

“And we realize that for our weaknesses we hire people.”

The grand opening was held on June 19 and the official opening for guest bookings took place on June 21.

Laura said the bed and breakfast is targeted at people looking for a relaxing weekend, like couples who are looking to get away or friends who are looking to reconnect, or those looking to enjoy some fly fishing on the Grand River.

For more information visit https:// www.innerjoygetaways.com.

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AWARDS & ACCOLADES Mount Forest District Chamber of Commerce annual Excellence Awards Gala

Multiple awards for Wellington Pit, Capital Paving Inc. of Puslinch

Luciano Amico of Canadian Tire, right, was presented with the Corporate Citizen of the Year Award by Township of Wellington North Mayor Andy Lennox when the Mount Forest District Chamber of Commerce held its Excellence Awards Gala on May. 5.

Wellington Pit, operated by Capital Paving Inc., in Puslinch, recently received the 2018 Progressive Rehabilitation Award, Community Relations Award and the Judges Choice Award from the Ontario, Stone, Sand and Gravel Association. From December 2017 to May 2018, Wellington Pit rehabilitated 17.5 hectares of land as part of its ongoing effort to return the pit to agricultural use. Work began by grading the area and employing cut and fill methods to create a uniform landscape. Then approximately 161,077 cubic metres of subsoil was transported from a nearby berm and applied to an average depth of 900mm. Following that, 42,600 cubic metres of topsoil was applied at an average depth of 250mm over the top. For the final stage of rehabilitation, Wellington Pit spent two days removing stones larger than two inches in size with its tractor and stone picker, ultimately removing 400 tonnes of stone from the topsoil. With the area ready for planting, landowners immediately planted corn and soybean as their first crop. “Quality Construction by Quality People” is a motto the Wellington Pit team takes to heart. Since opening in 1999, the pit has received zero complaints from its surrounding community – thanks in part to continuous efforts to mitigate dust and noise, keep the site well maintained, and promote safe traffic management practices. Beyond these on-site activities, the pit and its team of employees also play an active role in helping build the local community.

They host tours for students and industry groups, sponsor sports teams, donate to initiatives like the Puslinch Santa Claus Parade, support numerous fundraisers, and participate in non-profit drives like the 2018 Coffee Break in support of the Alzheimer’s Society. These outreach efforts are highlighted in Wellington Pit’s new community newsletter and Capital Paving’s social media outlets.

Guelph lawyer awarded law society medal for public service Ernie Hunter of Meat the Butcher was presented with the Arny Feairs Customer Service Award when the Mount Forest District Chamber of Commerce held its Excellent Awards Gala on May 5. Making the presentation, on behalf of Perth-Wellington MP John Nater was Andra Varallo.

GUELPH - Longtime Guelph lawyer Aldo Braida was one of eight lawyers awarded a medal by the Law Society of Ontario this spring for exceptional public service.

Braida, who has had offices in Guelph and Acton since 1957, was recognized for his longtime service to the local Italian speaking population of Guelph where he was the first native speaking lawyer.

Nominated for the award by Wellington

Law Association president David Cameletti, Braida was also cited for his tireless volunteer activities in both communities, for his work on public projects.

That work included the building of Acton’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch 197 in the 1970s and Birchway Place apartment complex for seniors in the 1990s as well as the fundraising effort in 2016 for palliative care at St. Joseph’s Health Foundation in

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Guelph.

Braida has also been a member of the Acton’s Citizens Band for over 75 years.

A speech introducing Braida by Malcolm Mercer, law society treasurer, made mention of Braida’s 60-plus years of service to both communities with no end in sight. Both the mayors of Acton and Guelph filed letters supporting the nomination.

When asked by the Law Society Gazette what the award meant to him, Braida answered that he was pleased to be recognized for a lifetime of service in the profession.

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Musashi Auto Parts Canada, plant 2 celebrated having achieved the Ford Q1 award on May 1. The Ford Q1 is a standard used to qualify suppliers for business with Ford. Through the qualification, Ford recognizes plant 2 as an elite supplier in the global market. It certifies that from the invoice process to the quality of the parts themselves, Musashi Auto Parts Canada plant 2 is a preferred Ford supplier.

ABOVE: Plant 2 employees gathered while, from left, Ford supplier technical assistant manager Chad McCarty and Musashi general manager Farid Estifa proudly hold the plaque and Horia Tugulan holds the flag along with plant manager Craig Lucas.

RIGHT: Lucas, Tugulan and Estifa.

M

PHOTOS: P. 20 LEFT: LYNNE TURNER X2; RIGHT: SUBMITTED; P. 21 SUBMITTED X3

519.846.2636

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Danby’s Jim Estill invested into Order of Canada

BY JAIME MYSLIK

GUELPH - Local businessman Jim Estill was recently invested into the Order of Canada.

“Jim Estill is a highly regarded entrepreneur in the Guelph and Waterloo technology communities,” stated a Governor General of Canada press release.

Estill, owner and CEO of Danby Appliances in Guelph-Eramosa, was one of 40 recipients invested by Governor General Julie Payette into the Order of Canada on March 14 at Rideau Hall.

“I’m honoured ... but the key is it’s not why I do what I do,” Estill told Business Leader.

He began his career from the trunk of his car.

As an engineer he needed a computer for circuit board design, but it was a better deal to buy two.

“So I bought two computers and sold one,” Estill said. “And then someone else wanted one so I bought another two and then someone needed a printer so I bought a printer, and then someone needed some software - and so then pretty soon I’m buying and selling computers.”

The business soon became EMJ Data, Estill’s tech distribution company. He eventually sold EMJ Data to Synnex Canada in Guelph.

“When I left Synnex we were doing about $2 billion a year in sales,” Estill said.

“So, it’s start from the trunk of your car

and end up at two billion in sales.”

He has also invested in 150 technology businesses.

“He remains committed to the growth of the tech community through his

“So, it’s start from the trunk of your car and end up at two billion in sales.”

- JIM ESTILL, CEO/OWNER DANBY APPLIANCES

mentorship of budding entrepreneurs and his financial investment in start-up companies,” the Governor General of Canada press release stated.

Estill was a founding director of Blackberry and remained on the board for 13 years.

However, he has noticed that to really make a difference with the businesses in which he invests, he needs an average of 13

years and has chosen to focus on different aspects now.

“I [realized] when I wasn’t operating a business (that) I enjoy operating more than just being a board member,” he said.

“More than just being an adviser, so I like operating a business. So that’s why I’m doing what I do now.”

Estill started out on the board of Danby Appliances about nine years ago. After five years, when the current CEO resigned, Estill stepped in, ran the company for a year and then purchased it.

“But I am at heart a tech guy,” Estill said.

So recently Danby has launched Parcel Guard, a secure option for parcels that are delivered to doorsteps.

“When a parcel gets dropped you get an email or a text that you got the box,” he said. “You can [also] open it with the app.”

Estill branched outside the fridge and freezer market because Parcel Guard is essentially a big box at its core.

He estimates that within a decade most people in North America will have a parcel mailbox.

“Most people are getting deliveries from Amazon and e-commerce sites all the time and parcel theft is a real thing,” Estill said.

With about 70 million stand-alone houses in North America, Estill said if 70 per cent of the population adopts Parcel Guard, 50 million units will be sold.

PHOTOS: P. 22 SUBMITTED; P. 23 JAIME MYSLIK X2

Jim Estill, CEO of Danby Appliances in Guelph-Eramosa, was one of 40 individuals to receive the Order of Canada medal earlier this year from Governor General Julie Payette at a ceremony in Ottawa at Rideau Hall.

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“I’m not arrogant enough to think we’ll be the only supplier; there’ll be other suppliers,” Estill said.

He noted Parcel Guard works well with other Danby products “It’s going to be roughly the same size as a freezer,” Estill said. “They’ll probably get replaced at the same rate as freezers which is about once every 10 years ... and it’s about the same price point as a freezer so it’s comparable.”

Because Parcel Guard is one of the first on the market, Estill said he thinks Danby could grab a greater market share.

“To start with we need to have one that sort of stands out because people don’t have it yet, so the person doesn’t know where to put the parcel,” Estill said.

“So it needs to stand up a little, but within a decade you may disguise it as a bench or you can have a chest, you can have different versions.”

“We’re really excited that Parcel Guard by Danby is the first smart mailbox on the market to give consumers a way to avoid missed parcel deliveries and stop parcel theft.”

In addition to his contributions to the local tech community, Estill was chosen for the Order of Canada because of his charitable work sponsoring about 89 refugee families to Guelph.

He plans to bring another 59 refugee families to Canada this year.

BL

JIM ESTILL, DANBY APPLIANCES WAREHOUSE

We’re really excited that Parcel Guard

by Danby is the first smart mailbox on the market to give consumers a way to avoid missed parcel deliveries and stop parcel theft.

- JIM ESTILL

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GRAND OPENINGS OPENINGS LIFE JOURNEYS Nicole Grimes has opened a shop on Fridays as a registered reflexologist at McDonald Chiropractic at 16 John Street North in Harriston.

Her business is called Life Journeys.

Treatment with reflexology can help alleviate pain, with diabetes, improve circulation improve digestion.

Reflexology can also help people’s body’s function optimally.

For more information call Grimes at 519-323-7345 or email at nicoleegrimes@ hotmail.com.

FERGUS-AVITA HOMEOPATHIC WEIGHT LOSS CLINIC The Fergus-Avita Homeopathic Weight Loss Clinic is now open at 245 St. David St. North in Fergus.

For more information call or text 416884-8444.

MOOSE MOUNTAIN Moose Mountain is located in the former Isabella’s Consignment storefront at 257 Main St. S in Mount Forest.

The indoor children’s play space has something for all ages.

Some of the attractions include a climbing wall, art easels, inflatables, sand table, tablets and books.

The space is also available to book for birthday parties.

For more information call Jeanean Mousseau at 519-509-9947 or visit moosemountain.com.

ELORA DOGGY DAYCARE The Elora Doggy Daycare has officially opened. Located at 11 East Mill Street in Elora, it is geared towards small dogs under 30 pounds and offers half- and full-day options.

Elora Doggy Daycare is also offering drop-in dog-sitting on select weekends from May to September, allowing owners to visit shops and restaurants or partake in activities that are not dog friendly.

Contact Elora Doggy Daycare at 519-2157717 or eloradoggydaycare@gmail.com.

BARBURRITO BarBurrito has opened in Fergus.

Be sure to check out BarBurrito in the Starbucks plaza on Tower Street south, just inside the Fergus limits.

STUDIO BROWS+ Brandy Rutherford of Clifford has opened Studio Brows+ at 245 Main St. W Palmerston.

Rutherford has be a Medical Aesthetician for over 10 years and is C.D.E.S.C.O certified.

PhiBrows (microblading) is a manual, semi-permanent technique of eyebrow drawing in which the shape of eye brows is calculated according to the facial morphology and golden mean.

For more information call 519-501-3763.

CORNER KREST SALON AND BARBER Corner Krest Salon and Barber recently opened at 24 Wellington Street South in Drayton.

An open house took place on June 8.

Destiny Burt is the owner.

For more information visit https:// www.cornerkrestsalon.com.

PRETTY PENNY CONSIGNMENT STORE Pretty Penny Consignment Store, located at 40A McGivern St., Moorefield (beside the Moorefield Diner) is owned by Erica Klaassen.

The lady’s clothing store opened June 1.

For more information email prettypenny. store40@gmail.com.

MISTY MEADOWS Misty Meadows is scheduled to open a new two story building in Conn this July.

The store offers groceries, a café, a bakery and produce.

For more information or to contact Misty Meadows owner Alvin Martin call 519-323-4174 or 519-323-9590 or email info@ mistymeadowsmarket.ca.

ELORA PHYSIOTHERAPY Co-Owners Caitlin Williams and Ashlea Wilson have opened Elora Physiotherapy at 54 Victoria St. in Elora.

They are located in the upper level of the Macadi Jewellery building.

For more information visit www. eloraphysiotherapy.com.

To contact the owners call 226-384-1100 or email caitlin@eloraphysiotherapy.com.

THE PERFECT PIECE The Perfect Piece is a home store specializing in high quality home decor items.

Owner Jessie Lea Koch opened late 2018 in Mount Forest and recently moved to 55

& more Elora St. in Harriston.

For more information call 226-622-2503 or email jessieleahall@hotmail.com.

BBQ BITE A new business has opened in Clifford.

Owner Shawn Weppler has opened BBQ Bite at the old Bambina’s location at 31 Elora St. N in Clifford.

A ribbon cutting was scheduled for May 31 at 4pm.

FORFAR PARK WASHROOM The new washroom at Forfar Park on Gartshore in Fergus is now open.

Eric Van Grootheest of The Van Grootheest Team, Century 21 Exalibur Realty Brokerage Inc. donated the public washroom, which had been included in Centre Wellington’s 10-year capital forecast.

The township was responsible for the building permit fee, the sewer, water and hydro connections, as well as a pathway from the parking lot to the building.

Ongoing maintenance and annual operating costs for the facility will be the township’s responsibility.

LA FONTANA A new restaurant has opened in Elora.

La Fontana offers inhouse freshly made pasta, wood oven baked pizza and other dishes that showcase seasonal food.

To check out the restaurant visit la-fontana.ca, call 226-384-2300 or pop into the restaurant at 15 Mill St. East in Elora.

DR. ASHISH PRAJAPATI Dr. Ashish Prajapati has opened North Wellington Animal Hospital at 248 Main St. South in Mount Forest.

The animal hospital is offering complimentary consults to first time, new clients, until July 15 for the animal hospital’s grand opening.

For more information call 519-323-2060.

ANNIVERSARIES SAUGEEN FITNESS AND SPA Saugeen Fitness and Spa, in Mount Forest celebrated its 13th anniversary on May 13. The community was invited out for a free gym workout, class or tan.

To contact Saugeen Fitness and Spa visit saugeenfitness.com or call 519-509-9090.

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animals, reptile show, puppet show and great draw prizes.

EDGE REALTY Edge Realty Solutions is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

The business serves Fergus, Elora, Guelph, Alma, Arthur and surrounding areas and can help with all real estates needs.

An open house was scheduled for May 31 to celebrate the milestone.

MCFARLANE FAMILY DENTAL McFarlane Family Dental in Mount Forest is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

The anniversary marks forty years of providing dental care in Mount Forest.

For more information visit https:// mcfarlanefamilydental.ca/ or call 519-3234240.

Edge Realty Solutions celebrated its 10th Anniversary on May 31 with an open house at its Fergus location.

DR. BILL VAN SICKLE FAMILY DENTISTRY Dr. Bill Van Sickle Family Dentistry located in the Harriston Lions Medical Centre (16 John Street in Harriston) is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

The practice is still welcoming new patients. For more information call 519338-3522 or 1-877-738-3522.

BLOWN AWAY GLASS STUDIO Blown Away Glass Studio in Elora is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

The studio, located at 6506 Wellington Road 7, showcases blown glass sculptures, chandeliers, awards and decorative pieces for homes, offices and galleries, designed

and produced by owners Katherine and Tim McManus.

They also offer private and group instruction on the art of glassblowing.

For more information visit www. blownawayglassstudio.com or call 519-8468268.

DRAYTON YOUTH CENTRE Drayton Youth Centre is celebrating its 20th Anniversary.

A free event was planned to thank the community for the support of the youth of Drayton and area on June 15 from 11am to 3pm at 21 Wellington St. in Drayton.

The event included a barbecue, live music, bouncy castle, face painting, balloon

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LAUNCHIT MINTO LaunchIt Minto is celebrating its 5th anniversary.

To celebrate the organization held an open house on June 13.

The open house allowed visitors to check out the space and learn what LaunchIt Minto is all about.

Visitors were able to tour the space(s), learn about the businesses/groups that call LaunchIt their home, meet some local Homepreneurs and take a look at their products.

ROYAL TERRACE The Royal Terrace - Retirement Living and Long Term Care in Palmerston celebrated its 30th anniversary on June 27.

The facility was also scheduled to hold its annual strawberry social on June 27 from 12 to 4pm.

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New Canadian Tire opens its doors in Mount Forest at long last

BY ARYN STRICKLAND

LUCIANO, LEFT, AND KRISTEN VARLEY, OWNERS, MOUNT FOREST CANADIAN TIRE

MOUNT FOREST - For close to a decade residents of Mount Forest have been asking for a new, larger Canadian Tire.

Since 1969 Canadian Tire - a community staple - was located in a 3,500-square-foot store at 525 Queen Street in what was once a bowling alley.

After five decades, the tight confines prevented franchise owners from increasing inventory, which impacted existing and potential customers, leaving residents asking for a new Canadian Tire.

With Luciano Amico and Kristin Varley brought on as new store owners, ground was broken in July 2018 at the new site on Mount Forest Drive, just off Main Street North (Highway 6).

“Canadian Tire had been talking about it for about 10 years … to the point where now I think people didn’t really anticipate that they would ever actually update the old location,” said Varley.

Over the years Canadian Tire’s head office never gave up on the idea, Amico and Varley said.

“What I can say with 100 per cent certainty is Mount Forest has always been special to Canadian Tire,” said Amico.

“It did take some time to get all the stars to align, but it’s one of the first franchise stores that Canadian Tire had done.”

And that meant something.

Now, after less than a year of construction, the new 22,000ft2 building stands proudly against the unencumbered skyline.

The grand opening ran from May 9 to 12, celebrating the traditions of the Canadian Tire brand as well as new innovations in Mount Forest.

That, Amico and Varley explained, is what Canadian Tire is and has always been: innovative with a deep appreciation for the past.

Alongside the massive inventory that an additional 18,500ft2 provides, Canadian Tire has placed the new Mount Forest location at the forefront of new technological pilot projects.

More than quadrupling the size of the store means Amico and Varley increased the number of employees from 12 to 40.

Some of those include employees that have worked at Canadian Tire in Mount Forest for decades.

The store has a renewed focus on providing a family-friendly shopping experience and a sense of occasion when customers visit the store, the owners explained.

“I think it’s like a nostalgic thing that doesn’t happen as much anymore now because everyone is so connected with various types of technology,” Varley said.

“For us, as family [oriented] people, that is important when you can actually spend some time with your kids too, because nowadays that’s what it is, that’s the quality time that you get.”

For Amico and Varley, opening the store symbolized a dream come true. Both have worked for Canadian Tire in various

capacities, building their experience and understanding of how to run a successful store along the way.

Amico has worked for the company for the last 20 years, moving up the ladder.

Varley’s first job in high school was as a part-time Canadian Tire cashier.

Together they hoped to one day run their own branch.

Fulfilling that dream has meant moving across the country from Edmonton to Mount Forest with their three children.

“Not in everybody’s career do they get the opportunity to take from the ground up and build a store and see the whole process come to fruition at the end,” said Varley.

With many of the big decisions already made and the doors open, the couple reflects on the process so far with enthusiasm.

“It’s been a huge, exciting learning curve for everybody,” said Varley.

“A whirlwind experience,” added Amico with a smile.

EXPANSION The couple worked closely with Canadian Tire’s head office to design the interior of the store to ensure it met the needs of Mount Forest residents.

Head office sets standards for all its branches, which were met, but inside, “we were able to fine tune and adapt to our local market,” said Amico.

To personalize the store to meet Mount Forest’s needs, the couple researched the

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PHOTOS: P. 26 JAIME MYSLIK; P. 27 CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: JAIME MYSLIK X2; SUBMITTED; JAIME MYSLIK

community and looked to the surrounding areas.

“We were able to do a lot inside to add to that shopping experience and to take in the information that we had from the local community,” Amico explained.

Unique to the store is a newlyconstructed horse and buggy barn in the front parking lot for the local Mennonite community.

“You don’t see a lot of Canadian Tires with them, but definitely a couple of the neighbouring Canadian Tires have been able to do that,” said Amico.

The larger space inside meant many of Amico and Varley’s interior decisions focused on what areas of the inventory should be expanded.

“We were able to add the kids zone.

Not all Canadian Tires have a kids zone,” explained Amico.

“That’s a little bit more market specific and we had to juggle a few things to incorporate the kids zone into this store, because that is something we felt was important to us.”

They expanded it to an entire aisle and adding an in-store bike selection and other related categories to fill out the familyoriented shopping experience.

Amico and Varley emphasized a few key areas in the design: housewares and living categories, the automotive department and the hunting and fishing aisles.

Service manager Lyall Eccles has worked for Canadian Tire in the automotive department in Mount Forest for over 40 years.

“I started down here in 1975 and it was steady work, so I stayed,” he said.

Over the years Eccles has witnessed

many changes in the store as business expanded.

“Things just got tighter and more cramped in the old building from the time I started,” he said.

With the expansion of the store, Eccles said the shopping experience is night and day.

“It’s easier to work here. There is more room and it’s better for the customers too - they don’t have to all cramp in that little area. They can pass each other in the aisles

“What I can say with 100 per cent certainty is Mount Forest has always been special to Canadian Tire.”

- LUCIANO AMICO, CO-OWNER MOUNT FOREST CANADIAN TIRE

where before they couldn’t,” he said.

However, the most common feedback Amico and Varley have received from customers focuses on shopping carts.

Considering the previous store had a grand total of two carts, the new carts have left an impression.

“Actually, that has been one of the biggest comments ... ‘Oh my, you have such nice shopping carts.’” Amico said with a laugh.

“You typically don’t go into a store and that’s the first thing that you notice or

experience.”

Customers will also encounter a number of technological upgrades at the new location including an electronic queuing lane.

INNOVATION Canadian Tire chose the new Mount Forest location for some pilot projects.

The company’s focus on innovation has enabled it to continue to grow, Amico and Varley said, even in the age of online shopping.

“A lot of people say that retail is being subdued by online shopping - and no doubt that there is an impact there - but at the end of the day there are still customers that need a product, need it now,” said Amico.

Plus, online shopping does not help shoppers who don’t exactly know what it is they are looking for, or which brand to choose for the job, he noted.

CANADIAN TIRE TRADITIONS Despite all the new technological advancements, customers can still pay using printed Canadian Tire money.

Another customer favourite, the rain check, also keeps residents returning to the store.

The convenience of shopping locally is also an important advantage of the new store.

“I think all of the businesses here in town work very hard to try and keep people locally,” said Amico.

“Hopefully we will be able to add to that and support the other businesses.”

BL

CLOCKWISE FROM CENTRE: One-year-old Jack Cressman plays with a truck in the toy area of the new Mount Forest Canadian Tire; unique to the store is a newly constructed horse and buggy barn for the local Mennonite community; the new location includes a substantial garden centre; and the finished building ready for business.

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ON THE M

VE

Local Businesses that are making the move to new and larger facilities to serve you better

Centre Wellington Chamber of Commerce executive director Roberta Scarrow is retiring in July. Scarrow has been with the chamber for the past 15 years.

From left: Scarrow and new executive director Dana Burdenuk, who was previously with Habitat for Humanity.

NEW OWNERS/ RELOCATIONS FROCK N FABRICS Gerald and Charlene Martin, new owners of Frock N Fabrics have moved the store to 7605 8th Line in Drayton.

The business offer a large selection of sewing products.

For more information call 519-638-5876.

BEAUTY CREST HAIRSTYLING The Tren Set Groups has moved to Beauty Crest Hairstyling on Main Street in Fergus.

Beauty Crest Hairstyling is located at 238 St. Andrew St. West in Fergus. To contact the salon call 519-843-3461 or 519843-4743.

Clients can have their hair done by Bonnie, Diane, June, Sue, Laurie or Brenda.

DRAYTON PIZZA New owners have taken over Drayton Pizza at 11 Main St., in Drayton. New owners Jongkol Sringern and Saithip Wandee will soon be introducing Thai food to the restaurant offering as well. For more information call 519-638-0808.

KA$ INC. KA$ Inc. has moved to 160 St. David Street North in Fergus effective April 1.

The new business entrance is at the back of the building. Kate Kiss has been running the book keeping and accounting business

On April 27 Macadi Jewellery held its grand opening for the new location at 54 Victoria St. in Elora.

Centre Wellington Chamber of Commerce executive director Roberta Scarrow, left, presented a ribbon cutting plaque to Mandy Deskur, centre, of Macadi. Centre Wellington Mayor Kelly Linton, right, was also at the opening. Top: the interior of Macadi Jewellery’s new location. out of her home and is now moving into an office space. For more information call 519843-2933 or email info@booksnpayroll.ca.

ELORA OPTOMETRY Elora Optometry has moved to 54 Victoria St Elora.

This is the same building that Macadi Jewellery recently moved to.

KARGER GALLERY Karger Gallery has moved to 14 Mill St E in Elora. Elora Owner Renate Karger reopened the new store just before Mother’s Day and opened a second store in Guelph in January.

For more information check out www. kargergallery.com or call 519-846-2921.

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INNOVATION GUELPH TEAM CHEF DAMIEN INGRAO

PHOTOS: P. 28 LEFT: BILL LONGSHAW, RIGHT: SUBMITTED X2; P. 29 SUBMITTED X2

Innovation Guelph expands to better support the local business ecosystem GUELPH - Innovation Guelph (IG), a Regional Innovation Centre servicing Guelph, Wellington, Dufferin and the surrounding communities, is now operating from its new location at 361 Southgate Drive in Guelph.

On April 1, IG moved to the new, welcoming, client-focused space, more centrally located within the innovation corridor.

Situated close to many of IG’s clients, benefits of the Southgate Drive location include increased capacity and on-site parking along with a wet lab space that will be commissioned when funding allows.

“IG is pleased to be able to offer this amenity in the future to address gaps identified by companies they serve in the agri-innovation and clean-tech sectors,” officials state.

IG is nurturing client growth with programs that include seed funding, coaching with mentors and industry specialists, and project work. Additionally, lunch and learn events, panel presentations and networking opportunities connect business ecosystem members with resources, education and each other.

While continuing to offer business assistance to companies from startup to scale-up, the new increased space is enabling IG to better assist the innovation corridor.

Specifically, IG is providing GuelphWellington with cost-effective, flexible coworking facilities for remote workers, freelancers, startups and small to mediumsized companies.

IG is focused on helping businesses start,

grow and thrive.

To foster this idea, IG has created a space that promotes shared energy and shared values in a colocation community. Without the high cost and long-term commitments required with traditional office leases, occupants can pay for only what they need while enjoying the organic camaraderie of likeminded professionals who inspire, encourage and walk a similar path.

The nature of coworking spaces also leads to business growth by fostering connections through this collaborative network.

The Workshop@IG promotes collision, connection, cross-pollination, collaboration and community with a supportive culture of innovation and diversity.

The new location was made possible with the generous support of Mirexus who is giving back to the ecosystem that nurtured their early growth by contributing a portion of IG’s occupancy costs for three years.

A Grand Opening celebration on June 14 welcomed the community with food trucks, tours, prizes and a ribbon cutting with Mayor Cam Guthrie.

“This celebration was a chance to share our excitement over the new location, including our great Workshop@IG coworking space,” said Anne Toner Fung, executive director, Innovation Guelph.

“It was also our opportunity to thank our supportive network and welcome the community.”

Chef Damien Ingrao joins Crieff Hills Retreat Centre CRIEFF - This spring Crieff Hills Retreat Centre welcomes experienced local chef Damien Ingrao.

He joins current chef Lori Findlay.

Ingrao’s arrival is part of a fresh emphasis on serving local food, including some grown right on the property.

New specialty menus will also meet an increasing demand for vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free foods.

Each year thousands of meals are served to both day and overnight guests in the property’s historic 1874 stone schoolhouse.

After growing up in Cambridge, Ingrao worked at a number of restaurants in Owen Sound and Cambridge including Langdon Hall, before teaching for eight years at Conestoga College in Waterloo.

His style is simple, fresh and rustic, which is a perfect fit for the Crieff Hills kitchen.

“We are very excited to welcome Damien,” said director Kristine O’Brien.

“His extensive experience will be invaluable as we dig into our rural roots.”

Crieff Hills Retreat Centre was created at the former summer home of Col J.B. Maclean, the founder of Maclean’s magazine, The Financial Post and MacleanHunter Publishing.

The property spans 250 acres with extensive hiking trails, a stone labyrinth and historic buildings. They offer retreats for individuals and groups as year round events and programs. For more information visit crieffhills.com

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Broadline Rentals hosts grand opening for new 25,000ft2 facility

BY ARYN STRICKLAND

MOUNT FOREST - Having ridden a wave of major growth over the last 10 years, Broadline Rentals has expanded into a new 25,000-square-foot home along Highway 6, just south of Mount Forest.

“We have been on an amazing run for the last 10 years,” owner Lawrence Gingrich told the Business Leader.

Broadline Rentals offers everything from small lawn and garden tools to farm equipment and contractor equipment.

It’s a one-stop spot that rents, sells and services equipment as small as a handsaw and as large as an excavator.

And all of the equipment is especially chosen for quality and reliability.

“It has to be great quality so the term I usually use is we look for the lowest cost of ownership so to say,” Gingrich explained.

“It’s not necessarily the cheapest piece of equipment.”

Over the past 14 years the quality of Broadline Rentals equipment and its “second to none” approach to customer service has allowed the business to grow tenfold.

Much of that growth is due to growth in Mount Forest.

“For the size of Mount Forest it has a lot of contractors, whether it be concrete contractors or electrical contractors or framing contractors, plumbers. It has a lot of contractors and trades people,” said Gingrich.

“We’ve seen it from all sectors here.

We have seen the housing side and the agricultural side has been very strong over

BROADLINE RENTALS

the past 10 years. The past five years has been completely nuts.”

That led to the move from the 6,000ft2 facility to the new, expansive 25,000ft2 location.

THE GRAND OPENING Already Gingrich and his team have hit the ground running.

Broadline officially opened the doors of its new location on the Victoria Day weekend of 2018, at the height of the rental business’ busiest season.

“Usually by May 24 weekend is our busiest time of the year, because we are dealing with the homeowners doing their backyard projects and gearing up and the contractors are gearing up,” Gingrich said.

With rentals in full swing, Gingrich and his team decided an opening celebration would have to wait while he and his team got down to business.

The grand opening was held on May 1 and gave Broadline Rentals a chance to give back to the community and celebrate its success.

HIGH QUALITY EQUIPMENT When Gingrich opened Broadline Rentals in 2005 at the age of 19, he started with a 1,200ft2 shop.

Born and raised in Mount Forest, Gingrich was working in the concrete construction business at the time.

However, a back injury he sustained in a

biking accident a couple years prior made it difficult to lift the necessary 100-pound concrete forms.

At the time Schenk Equipment Rentals was up for sale so Gingrich took the opportunity to sell the equipment that he knew so well. “[The previous owners] were looking to sell and do something else, so I said, ‘Hey, you know, I come from the construction world I understand a lot of the equipment,’ so I jumped at that,” Gingrich explained.

At the time he had one employee. Today the business has 11 employees.

Starting with the Schenk equipment, Gingrich expanded the inventory with a focus on quality and reliability.

That is how Domm Construction Ltd., one of Broadline Rentals’ largest customers describes the company.

“Very good equipment at a fair price,” said Domm Construction president Allan Domm.

“Not the cheapest price but a fair price and [Gingrich] has got the variety. He has quite a variety there now. It’s a big business,” Domm added.

Domm has seen Broadline Rentals grow “very large from when [Gingrich] was on Main Street to out on (Highway) 89 and then over here.

“We have been dealing with Lawrence since he was in business.”

Big or small, Broadline Rentals relies on manufacturers and distributors it knows and trusts for its rental equipment.

With over 150 large pieces of equipment,

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PHOTOS: P. 30 ARYN STRICKLAND; P. 31 CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ARYN STRICKLAND X2, SHEILA GINGRICH

ABOVE LEFT: Lawrence Gingrich. ABOVE RIGHT: New spacious interior.

RIGHT: From left: back, Carlyle Gingrich, Mike Metzger, Ryan Gingrich, Jacob Shier, Kent Whetham and Willard Gingrich; front: Elverne Bauman, Leon Martin, Lawrence Gingrich, Perry Miller, and Eugene Shantz.

and many more small tools, Broadline sticks to its high standards on everything and stays away from offshore knockoff brands.

As a member of both the Canadian Rental Association and the American Rental Association, Gingrich buys from premier suppliers on both sides of the border.

He annually attends the American Rental Association’s trade show, the largest equipment rental show in the industry.

“It’s a fantastic show. I look at everything from a little floor sander to a great big bulldozer and everything in between,” said Gingrich.

“It’s all there. You get to meet your suppliers, you get to see the new products they are bringing out.”

That includes buying from local distributors too.

“We buy a lot of Kubota equipment from DeBoer’s Equipment in Elora. Kubota is a great brand,” Gingrich said.

“Skyjack is a great brand; we use a lot of Skyjack equipment. Those are

“[The previous owners] were looking to sell and do something else, so I said, ‘Hey, you know, I come from the construction world I understand a lot of the equipment,’ so I jumped at that.”

-

LAWRENCE GINGRICH OWNER, BROADLINE RENTALS

definitely our two main brands for our larger equipment.”

LOCAL BUSINESS Broadline Rentals has grown while maintaining a business radius of 45

minutes by car.

“We do sometimes go a little further,” explained Gingrich.

“For example, if we have a contractor in the Mount Forest area that we work with a lot; if he is doing a job an hour and a half away or whatever, then he might call us and just, because we have that relationship, we will take that equipment to him.”

It typifies Gingrich’s humble approach to the company’s success.

“If you talk to Lawrence, he is very conservative with what he says because that’s just Lawrence but when you drive by there, that is quite an operation,” said Domm.

After growing a successful business over 14 years, Gingrich said aspiring entrepreneurs should be determined, prepared for long hours and always thinking about the benefit to the customer.

“Number one: enjoy what you do and be prepared to do what it takes - and sometimes it takes long hours and hard work,” he said.

BL

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Centre Wellington Chamber of Commerce

Excellence

Awards of

A Royale Experience

Dar’s County Market received the Business of the Year Award.

Salad Days Farm received the Agricultural-Agri-Business Award.

Elora Apothecary Pharmasave received the Customer Service Award.

Rowe Electric received the Tradesperson of the Year Award.

25 years of Service Awards: Ecclestone Financial Group, Dr. Maura McKeown and Associates.

Maplecrest Farm Bed and Breakfast, Karger Gallery and Vision Financial Services.

Community Social Responsibility Award: The Centre Wellington Rotary Club.

40 years of Service Award: True Auto Care.

Corporate Citizen of the Year Award: Wellington County OPP Detachment Commander Scott Lawson.

Cultural, Arts and Tourism Impact Award: Puzzle Rooms Canada.

Environmental Excellence Award: Anvil Crawler Development Corp.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award: Pressa Bottle.

President’s Award: Nicholas J. Bachinski.

Not for Profit ward: Centre Wellington Community Foundation.

VIEW THE FLIPBOOK OF THIS YEAR’S AWARD WINNERS AT WELLINGTON ADVERTISER .COM

PHOTOS: BILL LONGSHAW

Business Beautification/Heritage Award: The Elora Mill Hotel and Spa.

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BUSINESS BUSINESS

2

Does your business serve other businesses? If so, reach out to Wellington County

YOUR COUNTY

FREEDOM TO LIVE YOUR WAY

AUTO PARTS

Sun Life’s Money for Life approach adapts to you. Let’s build a plan to get the investments, protection and freedom to live your way now, and in retirement.

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Kathie Butcher* Tel: 519-846-1000 kathie.butcher@sunlife.com 58 Wellington Road 7, Unit 1 Elora, ON N0B 1S0 *Mutual funds distributed by Sun Life Financial Investment Services (Canada) Inc. Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada is a member of the Sun Life Financial group of companies. © Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, 2019.

925 GARTSHORE ST. UNIT 4, FERGUS 519.843.2550 OR 519.787.0317

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I’m here to help you find the right insurance and financial services to benefit your business now and in the future.

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PROOF OF YOUR AD forLEADER the WELLINGTON COUNTY BUSINESS July 2019 Business Leader

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THE SOCIAL CORNER

Print or online: Spend your ad dollars with news brands Advertising with established media delivers widespread business benefits DREW MOCHRIE

Let’s get this out of the way: I work for the Wellington Advertiser and print advertising is the major source of revenue for us here.

Part of my job includes talking with business owners about why they should consider advertising with us. However, I’m not writing this to demand your ad dollars be spent with us in print, but I will say this: advertising with established media proves more effective than advertising on open-exchange platforms like Facebook, Google, Youtube, etc.

Whether it’s in print or online, more and more people are relying on established newspaper brands for trustworthy information.

Now I’m not saying to stop promoting yourself on Google, Facebook, Youtube, etc., but it only works if you know what you’re doing. If you’re not taking advantage of the targeting

options and creative types offered on these platforms you may as well be writing a cheque directly to Zuckerberg and friends. One could say you should be offloading this to a marketing company that has tested this already and has a proven track record for digital success.

The reality here is that a lot of your time and effort is spent finding what is working by continuously testing different creative, language and ad format types. With an established and respected medium such as the Advertiser, a lot of this legwork is done for you.

From attractive, creative and proper call to actions, to timing and delivery of your ads, working with news brands save you time and endless testing on your various ad campaigns.

Let’s Take a Look at the Numbers: CAMPAIGNS USING NEWS BRANDS

37 % 58% 2x 3x

MORE LIKELY TO DELIVER MARKET SHARE GROWTH

MORE LIKELY TO DELIVER PROFIT

AS LIKELY TO DELIVER A REDUCTION IN PRICE SENSITIVITY

AS LIKELY TO DELIVER AN INCREASE IN CUSTOMER LOYALTY

World News Media Congress 2019

19% MORE LIKELY TO BE REMEMBERED

10%

MORE LIKELY TO BE RECOMMENDED

51% MORE LIKELY TO DRIVE CONVERSIONS

SOURCE: IPA DATABANK UK CASE STUDIES 2012-2018 (52% OF ALL CASES)

How the Advertiser invests in the future of your business.

From symposiums to conferences, trade shows to large expo events, the Wellington Advertiser continues to invest in its future. Providing value to our advertisers has and will be the top priority.

By the time this issue reaches your hand, publisher/president David Adsett and I will have returned from Glasgow, Scotland, where we attended the WAN-INFRA World News Media Congress 2019. There pioneers of the print and digital media industry shared their ideas, knowledge and experiences with us. It’s our job to make sense of it all and bring these big ideas back to the county - but only if it makes sense for advertisers here.

Whether it’s in print, online, external signage or more, the Advertiser will remain vigilant in providing true value to small and large businesses alike.

We’re investing in our future, because it’s your future too.

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5 Easy Things You Should Do To Protect Your Business Today

Advertorial

Let’s face it – no one likes to think about bad things happening to them, much less plan for them. But since National Disaster Preparedness Month is coming up, we wanted to give you a quick “brush-up” on some simple things you can (and should!) be doing to protect your business.

Review Your Business Insurance Carefully

Most businesses carry some type of general liability insurance that would pay them if their building and the things in it were damaged. However, many businesses do not have enough coverage to replace all the computer equipment and devices, desks, art, supplies and other things they’ve accumulated over the years that are housed in their office. Make sure you review your policy every year and keep in mind new additions and assets you’ve accumulated during that year.

Consider Cloud Computing One of the biggest advantages of cloud computing is that your data and assets are stored off-site in a highly secure, high-availability data center, with failover and redundancy built in. That means that if your building were destroyed and you had to evacuate, or if your server melted down due to an unexpected hardware failure, everything you’ve worked so hard to create over the years is safe and not a sitting duck in your unsecured closet or server room.

Secure Your Data

Making sure your data is protected from theft is a neverending battle you don’t want to lose. Companies that get hacked and expose sensitive client and employee data can face severe penalties, lawsuits and massive loss of credibility in the marketplace. Make sure you never have to send an e-mail to your customers explaining the bad news that a hacker accessed their info through you. Further, if you keep any sensitive information (even passwords to portals containing sensitive information) on portable laptops, phones and other devices, make sure you have a way of controlling and safeguarding that information.

Write A Simple Disaster Recovery Plan

The key word here is “simple.” If your plan gets too complicated or difficult, you won’t do it. But, at a minimum, think of the disaster that is most likely to happen and that would have a severe and negative impact on your company’s survival.

Your business matters to us. Our goal is to help our client’s business utilizing technology to help their business grow, become more efficient and save money while keeping their data safe and secure.

If you’d like help implementing any of the items mentioned above, please call our office at 519-843-1234 and we’ll set something up at your convenience! Stay safe, businesses of CW! Dedicated to serving you,

Terry Godreau, PlanetCPU Team

Review Your Employees’ Internet Policy With so many people “addicted” to Facebook, Twitter and other Social Media sites, it’s important that your employees know where the line is in what they can and can’t post online.

We also recommend content-filtering to block content and websites you don’t want your employees visiting during these work hours.

519-843-1234

www.planetcpu.com

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