Biz X magazine September 2020

YOUR ONLY INTERNATIONAL BORDER CITY PUBLICATION SPOILER ALERT! CBC’s “Still Standing” TV Series Features Pelee Island Canadian comedian Jonny Harris (left) experiences firsthand, life on the island in the season six premiere episode this fall and chats with many locals such as At The Farm Table B&B owners, Alyssa and Matt Staples. — Page 26 September 2020

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PLUS FO1 Order Sheds More Light On Premier Aviation Jobs Deficit; Fortis Construction Group Inc.’s Finished River Bookshop; County Bounty; Sottozero Catering; Forest Glade Fireplaces, The Parenting Biz and more!

“80 Incredible Years Of Community Support” The Motor City Community Credit Union celebrates a milestone anniversary this year. To be exact, it is eight decades of supporting the people in our community and being run and governed by its members. Now more than ever, the credit union’s executive group (pictured), along with their staff of 50 at four locations, are here to make sure Windsor residents and business owners receive the support they need from a financial institution, for many more years to come. — Page 18 B I Z X M A G A Z IN E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0

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FOR BUSINESSES & PEOPLE IN WINDSOR, ESSEX COUNTY & METRO DETROIT SINCE 1998

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table of contents SEPTEMBER 2020 volume 23 • issue 7

4 Funny Stuff 5 From The Publisher: Last Call For Nominations And Voting Begins In The 23rd Annual Biz X Awards 8 Editorial Viewpoint: Columnist’s FOI Odyssey Concluded

After another successful Freedom Of Information appeal, Alan Halberstadt has established that Premier Aviation paid no penalties for failing to meet its job guarantees to the city and in fact received a fourth rent free year on its aircraft repair facility paid for by municipal and federal taxpayers. Premier has since sold the facility to AAR Aircraft Services. Accompanying photo, (by Rod Denis) at the entrance to the facility on Cty Rd 42, shows the AAR sign installed after the acquisition in September 2017.

10 Front Lines 13 Heard On The Street 14 Newsflash

Campaign founder John Fairley, as well as Honorary Co-Chairs Jamie Henderson and Michael G. Solcz, announced the start of the Hospice of Windsor and Essex County Inc. 18th annual “Face to Face” campaign in mid-August. Find out how to donate and read up on some other interesting tidbits of information in our Newsflash column.

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16 Food For Thought: Getting The (Gelato) Cart Rolling With Sottozero Catering 24 Portfolio Corner: The U.S. Election And The Healthcare Sector 25 Accounting Counts: Preparing For The Rebuild Phase

30 Feature Story: Fortis Construction Group Inc. Builds The Future By Restoring The Past In 1885 Historic Building When Richard and Colleen Peddie decided to open the River Bookshop in the heart of Amherstburg, they enlisted the talents and skills of a team of creative minds and skilled tradespeople to execute their vision, including Fortis Construction Group Inc. of Windsor as the general contractor. The unique 135 year old building at 67 Richmond Street (photo

by Rod Denis), now home to the bookshop, received some much needed TLC to achieve a “Victorian new and now” look. Curious about who was involved in the transformation? We fill you in on the local businesses who made it all possible.

34 Ask The Experts: Firing It Up For Over 30 Years In Essex County 36 Take The Lead: Dr. Martha Reavley, The Odette School Of Business, University Of Windsor 38 The Parenting Biz: “Coronacation” Is Over!

September traditionally means back to school after a two month summer break, but with children at home since midMarch, things are drastically different this year for students, teachers and many anxious parents. As schools reopen and kids learn about how to keep germs from spreading, we start the school year off on the right foot with advice from the local health unit. As well, The Literacy Loft, a local tutoring agency, offers foundational skills for reading that can be reviewed with your child now as they head back to the classroom (whether at home or at school). And we’ll explain all about a new webinar series from Youth Diversion, designed to help parents help their kids get the most from technology while managing risks.

45 XX Files: County Bounty Local Entrepreneur Tracy Klie 46 Biz Of The Month: Craft Supply Canada’s New Storefront Location

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ON THE COVER —“80 Incredible Years Of Community Support”—18

The Motor City Community Credit Union celebrates its 80 year anniversary in 2020, an interesting year to say the least. Even though the credit union’s executive group (pictured) may have to physically distance in today’s COVID-19 guidelines, they will always work together with their dedicated team of professionals to give their members (customers) the best financial advice and banking services. Photographed at their 6701 Tecumseh Road East location, from left are: Edward Facca, Vice President, Retail Operations; Danielle Bombardier, Vice President, Human Resources; Sonia Lenhardt, Vice President, Member Experience; Robert Griffith, Chief Executive Officer and Steve Schincariol, Vice President, Commercial Operations.

Photo by Rod Denis (RodneyLDenisPhotographer.com).

SPOILER ALERT! (top inset photo) — 26 The season six premiere of CBC’s hit comedy “Still Standing” airing in October 2020,

features Pelee Island and stars Jonny Harris (pictured with At The Farm Table B&B Owners). Biz X’s Joe McParland investigates who “makes a cameo” in the episode and how those who call the island home are committed to ensuring that their unique jewel is around for generations to come. Photo courtesy of CBC.

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Lori Baldassi Julianna Bonnett David Clark Sherrilynn Colley-Vegh Andrea Grimes Alan Halberstadt Dave Hall Dave Halliday Shelley Lavoie Steven Mayo Joe McParland Jim Murphy Alison Piccolo Rebecca Wright PHOTOGRAPHERS

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B I Z X M A G A Z IN E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0

from the publisher

Get Ready To Vote In The 23rd Annual “Biz X Awards

By Deborah Jones

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all is fast approaching and things are slowly getting back to a new normal. Despite all the shutdowns due to COVID-19, we have kept pumping out our issues and now we pick up even more speed as we enter our awards season.

We’ve been busy creating a new automated online process to collect information from nominees.

In the past, packages were dropped off or mailed to us. For this year, a safer method to share information with our Judges was needed.

Dozens of nominees have already been contacted, yet our search continues to find even more qualified businesses. The deadline is upon us, so keep reading to find out how to participate!

Now more than ever we need to reward businesses, organizations and people who are fighting hard to keep paying the bills and doing great things in our region! And the 2020 Biz X Awards are a fantastic way to do just that.

Here again is a quick rundown on how the awards process works. With the publishing of the July/August edition, the categories were officially released, repeated here in my September column, and nominations are accepted on our website: BizXmagazine.com.

Readers can nominate the businesses and people in Windsor Essex who they believe are the best in each category and deserve to be recognized.

So if you own a business or run an organization, ask your customers/clients to nominate you ASAP! Nominations are accepted until September 11 at 5 p.m. on our website: BizXmagazine.com.

Whenever possible please include some supporting evidence, for your nominee, on our online form. ***NOTE: If you choose the wrong category, we reserve the right to move it to the appropriate category so that your nomination counts.

Nominees are made public on the Biz X website when voting commences on September 16 (noon) and continues through to September 25 (5 p.m.)

During the voting period you can go online to: BizXmagazine.com and cast your vote for your choice to win the 2020 Biz X Award in its respective category. You can also vote using your smart phone or tablet via our mobile friendly voting site.

Keep in mind the nomination and voting process is not a popularity contest — it only takes ONE nomination to be included in the voting poll. It's always best for a few people to nominate you or your business to ensure your nomination was received by us.

Once you nominate an individual or a business you will receive a confirmation email showing it was properly submitted. If you DO NOT receive

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE

BUSINESSES AND

PEOPLE

from noon Sept. 16, until 5 p.m.

Sept. 25, 2020 at:

BIZXMAGAZINE.COM NOMINATIONS END SEPT. 11, 2020 at 5 p.m.

this email (check your spam folder too) then we did NOT receive your nomination. Please check all sections were filled out, you have answered the captcha question and re-submit the form.

If you or your business/organization is fortunate to be nominated, you will be contacted to supply further details (online only) on your qualifications, history, and to confirm information supplied by nominators.

Once the polls open in September, be sure to toot your own horn. Do whatever you can to get your customers to vote for you on the Biz X website — post a link to the voting poll on social media and your own website to get those votes coming in!

Remember that vote tallies are only a portion of the overall selection process.

All nomination forms received, along with company background information supplied and voting poll results, are then reviewed by the Biz X panel of Judges after the polls close.

The next step involves the Judges deciding in the fall who the final winners will be. The Judges do not know the winners’ names as voting is done by secret ballot. The final results are posted in the November/December edition of Biz X magazine, released mid-November.

In the past 23 years, Biz X has awarded over 724 recipients in all kinds of industries, so don’t be discouraged if a certain category is not listed as it may have been previously awarded. (Please check our website to see a list of past winners.)

Now that we have entered our third decade of award winners, certain categories from years back are re-used to allow for new businesses in those industries to have the opportunity to be included.

Six staple categories are included for 2020 — “Outstanding New Business”; “Distinguished Biz Champ Of The Year”; “Powerhouse Professional”; “Artist of the Year”; “Best Little Retail Shop” and “Restaurant That’s Hot, Hot, Hot”.

Listed below are the four major sections containing the 24 various categories. While the majority of nominations and votes come from Essex County residents, U.S. citizens and those living outside Essex County can vote in any category, since they could be patrons of the business.

Please follow the rules below to ensure that your nomination counts . . .

1. Only nominate ONE company/person per award category. Businesses/people are only permitted to win one award each year.

All nominees must be over 19 years of age.

2. Be certain that the company or individual you B I Z X M A G A Z IN E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0

are nominating fits with the category’s criteria.

3. The business/person you nominate must be located (or reside) in Windsor, Essex County, or Pelee Island and NOT be part of a national franchise/chain or non-profit organization (except for categories in the PEOPLE section). The PEOPLE categories (#8 to #13) are judged on the individual and not the company itself and those working for national chains/franchises and nonprofits are eligible to participate only in this section.

4. Every business in Essex County (with the exceptions above) has the opportunity to win a Biz X Award. *However: NO MEDIA outlets or representatives can participate in any of the categories. You do not have to be an advertiser with the magazine to be nominated or to win. Judges are not told who is an advertiser (past or present) to ensure there are no biases or conflicts of interest.

Good luck to all area businesses and organizations. And if you're lucky enough to win . . . you and a guest receive a complimentary invitation to a future “Biz X Awards Gala” (held at St. Clair College Centre For The Arts with decor

by Designs by Diane); a plaque from The Trophy Boys in Windsor; a write-up in our November/ December Awards Edition and are declared #1 in your category.

Don't forget to check your email account daily in September to see if we contact you about an awards nomination. Visit: BizXmagazine.com for the very latest information and happy voting! Good luck!

And now we present the. . .

2020 BIZ X AWARD CATEGORIES

*See rules in second column before nominating*

BUSINESS & SERVICE

(*no chains/non-profits allowed) 1. “Outstanding New Business Of 2020” (Businesses that opened from September 1, 2019 to September 1, 2020) *No restaurants/food trucks or bars can be included as they can participate in the Hospitality & Entertainment Categories.

2. “Charged Up Electrical Expert” (The electrical firm to hire for big or small commercial, industrial or residential jobs.)

3. “X Marks The Spot With This Leading Notary Public” (Criteria may include: qualifications, experience, fees, specialties, quick delivery of services.)

4. “Online Digital Masters” (Who to hire to get you set up on the world wide web to sell your products or services; check fees, referrals, past websites designed.)

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Nomination deadline: Sept. 11, 2020 at 5 p.m. Voting begins on Sept. 16 (noon) until Sept. 25 (5 p.m.) at: BizXmagazine.com.

5. “Distinguished Biz Champ Of The Year” (A company in operation for over one year that has done something exceptional to take care of business.) *No restaurants/bars or retail shops please as they have their own categories.

6. “The Smart Money Is On These Accountants” (An accounting firm that helps you grow during the pandemic, handles your books and tax returns and gives good advice in all stages of your business.)

7. “Company That Moves Mountains 4 U” (Whether it is down the street or across the country, the moving company to trust with reasonable rates, insurance, positive reviews etc. to make the move as smooth as possible.)

PEOPLE

8. “2020 Powerhouse Professional” (A local business owner or top manager who has what it takes to keep the company/organization they own or work for profitable in today’s tough times.)

9. “Artist Of The Year” (Singer, painter, musician, sculptors, bands, actors.) *No authors or photographers please.

10. “Mortgage Rep Looking Out For Your Best Interest” (An individual, employed by a bank, credit union, or private mortgage agency, who works hard to get you the best rate, terms and conditions possible.)

11. “The Most Honest Auto Salesperson” (A new/used car salesperson you can trust who

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offers a fair price for your vehicle and won’t sell you a “lemon”!)

12. “The Caring Pharmacist Constantly Prescribed” (Dealing with viruses is now a constant concern for us all. Factors can include; a Pharmacist who is interested in your health, makes recommendations and offers other services such as immunizations, delivery, etc.)

13. “The #1 Wedding Photographer Always In Focus” (Consider style, personality, value for money, experience.)

RETAIL

(*no chains/non-profits allowed) 14. “The Best Little Retail Shop Of 2020” (Open to all retailers with good prices, fantastic customer service and selection.) *They must have a storefront, no on-line only businesses please and if a specific category is listed for their type of business they can only participate in that category. *Nominees in #15 to #19 cannot participate in #14.

15. “Premiere PPE Place” (The business you turn to for cleaning and disinfectant products or Personal Protection Equipment like masks and gloves.)

16. “Wonderful Window Display” (A business selling quality, affordable windows that completes the job on time.)

17. “Pedal Power Palace” (Where to buy the first bike for your child or if you plan to take up cycling

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for fun or racing, that has a large inventory or even sells Ebikes!)

18. “Forever In Blue Jeans Heaven” (The place that makes a fashion statement with stylish and comfy jeans for women or men or both.)

19. “Coolest Kids Clothes” (From infants to teens and all ages in between, a children’s shop with a large selection, fair prices and friendly staff.)

HOSPITALITY & ENTERTAINMENT

(*no chains/non-profits allowed) 20. “Restaurant That’s Hot, Hot, Hot For 2020!”

(Can be a new or an existing restaurant/food truck that offers exceptional cuisine, fair prices and has a unique, trendy atmosphere — patio dining acceptable.)

21. “The Greek God Of Grub” (Diner, grill, or restaurant to pick up a mouth watering gyro or enjoy your favourite Greek dish.) *Cannot also participate in category #20.

22. “Sparkling Winery” (Good wine is a must, but added perks like a restaurant on site, event facility and tasting tours can be considered.)

23. “Extraordinary Event Caterer” (The company to count on to ensure your private office or home party features fabulous food and a top notch presentation.) *Offsite caterers only please 24. “Favourite Home Away From Home” (A quaint, affordable place to stay overnight such as a B&B or cottage.) *No hotels/motels or campgrounds.

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editorial viewpoint

Premier Aviation Freebie Extended To Fourth Year

By Alan Halberstadt *If you have a comment on this topic, please post it under my column in the CITY section of BizXmagazine.com

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t’s hard to believe, but my approximate eight-year odyssey to extract critical information from the City of Windsor on its chattels at Windsor International Airport, has reached a conclusion.

My requests to the province’s Information and Privacy Commission (IPC) started in 2012 when Premier Aviation began operation of an airframe Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility.

The $23 million, 144,000 square foot space was funded and constructed by the city and federal government with the promise by former Mayor Eddie Francis and others that it would be a major employer, and possibly an engine for a new aerospace industry on the city’s airport lands.

In fact, predictions that the MRO would employ well over 300 workers continue to fall well short, despite herculean assistance from governments.

My first successful Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the IPC revealed, by way of a June, 2014 order, that Premier was allowed to lease the monstrous hangar for the first three years of a 20 year contract at $1 a year. As an adjunct, the facility doesn’t pay property taxes.

Six years later, my latest FOI resulted in a startling March 11, 2020 order from IPC Adjudicator Jenny Ryu. It revealed that Windsor and its wholly-owned subsidiary YQG, agreed in June of 2015 to waive the contract fee for year four of the lease, which ran from April 23, 2015 to April 22, 2016.

That gesture saved the company $120,000, effectively extending the taxpayer supported freebie.

A year and a half later, in September of 2017, the unlamented Canadian owned Premier Aviation sold the company to AAR Aircraft Services, a respected MRO provider headquartered in Illinois.

By then, my second FOI request had unearthed covenants in Premier’s contract with YQG that obligated the service provider to hire 100 full-time employees within the first year, 175 employees by the end of the second year and 325 by the end of the seventh year.

My third request unearthed the information that Premier would be on the hook for stiff penalties $5,000 times

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the difference between the number of employees guaranteed in the contract and the actual number delivered.

I subsequently asked YQG to provide the number of employees hired in year one and two and the number employed as the seventh year approached in mid 2019, and how much the company paid in penalties if those job guarantees were not achieved.

A battery of lawyers toiling on behalf of the city, YQG, Premier and AAR moved heaven and earth to keep those numbers hidden during the glacial-speed FOI process. I’m tempted to file an FOI to find out the amount of legal fees expended by the city on this file.

Suffice to say the fees are a few bucks (LOL) more than I paid to pursue my objectives. It cost me $5 to file each request to the city, and $25 per appeal to the IPC when the city denied me access to the information.

Ironically, YQG and the city decided to disclose the information in my most recent appeal, and it was AAR that fought to submerge it.

AAR is a publicly traded company and that explains it. The adjudicator noted there are four affected parties representing AAR, and there were claims that certain disclosures would interfere with its contractual and labour negotiations, resulting in financial loss to the American owned company. Ryu rejected those arguments.

Her order to release YQG documents that are responsive to my requests lacks explicit details. For instance, we still do not know exactly how many full-time jobs were created at the end of years one, two and seven of the service agreement.

We do know that the targets fell short and certain penalties were waived. YQG admitted as much to an IPC mediator, identified on page three of Ryu’s order.

We also know, through a recent interview with David Robertson, AAR Vice President of Windsor Operations, that the company has never approached a workforce of 300, although not from a lack of trying.

“We have 150 to 160 workers, including technicians and administrative staff, when we are working full out,” he indicated.

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Business was good earlier this year, before the pandemic hit and decimated the aviation industry world wide. AAR workers were laid off and receiving government assistance.

In early July, 60 percent of the workforce was called back to work on two Embraer planes in the hangar that can handle six aircraft at a time.

Robertson has stated he would like to see 300 staff within a couple of years, but a big drag on that objective is a lack of skilled labour.

“Kids today don’t want to get into the technical trades, they want to start at the top,” he says, noting that his recruiting efforts to lure technicians to Windsor to earn $80,000 to $90,000 a year have been frustrated by other MRO outfits, many of them AAR owned.

“We’re all competing in the same talent pool,” he concludes.

Let me return to Premier Aviation and the question of whether Premier paid all its rent and subsequent penalties to the city prior to AAR’s purchase of Premier on September 8 of 2017.

On that point, YQG released a statement, dated August 22, 2017, that showed Premier was past due in the amount of $169,500, plus interest, reflecting five monthly payments of the contract fee covering the fifth year of its agreement with the city, which had escalated to $240,000.

Premier committed to paying the arrears and meeting all other obligations to the city as a condition of the sale.

Premier also agreed in that statement to pay $360,000, in monthly instalments, on a contract fee payable in each of years six to 10 of the terms of agreement.

Of course, by year six the MRO company had been turned over to AAR and I don’t know what that agreement with the city is.

We can be assured that job guarantees are not part of it.

I could carry on with a request to IPC for more details, but I have decided against it.

I believe there’s enough information out there now for taxpayers to make a judgement on whether they got a proper bang for their buck.

Don’t ask me. After eight years of this, my brain needs a rest.

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FRONTLINES Area Golf Course To Receive

The Royal Treatment The owners of India ’47, a popular new Indian restaurant, recently added to their business portfolio by buying Royal Estate Golf Club, 7014 9th Concession in Maidstone.

Now named Royal ’47 — the course, which was established in 1985 by previous owner Bob Nesbitt — is undergoing extensive renovations, according to Nick Aujla, one of four partners, along with Ashok Sood, Paul Sidhu and Andy Pabla.

“We’ve spent at least $100,000 on new equipment, we’ve purchased 18 new golf carts, we’re renovating the pro shop, adding barbecues, a liquor licence and a beer cart,” explains Aujla. “We’re also improving the signage on each hole.”

More people are coming back to the game this year because they are seeking recreational options and others are playing locally because the closed border has blocked access to courses in Michigan.

“We’re not really golf guys, but we’re not really restaurant guys either,” admits Aujla. “But, we are business guys and we see this as a great opportunity, especially at a time when people are looking for activities they can safely do while observing social distancing protocols.”

Aujla believes the course’s potential is unlimited because of its location in the middle of Essex County and about 40 kilometres from communities across the region.

“I’ve lived in this area for 30 years, I now live 15 minutes from the course and I knew nothing about it,” says Aujla. “We believe that with increased marketing and advertising, it can become an attractive option for golfers across the county.”

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The 18 hole Royal Estate Golf Club in Maidstone has a new ownership group as of late July (from left): Nick Aujla, Ashok Sood, Paul Sidhu and Andy Pabla. The 35 year old course measures 5,694 yards from the longest tees and features three sets of tees for different skill levels. Photo by Rod Denis.

The new owners plan to continue operating it as a golf course, but would consider development on the periphery of the course in the future.

“We’re not getting ahead of ourselves here,” he expresses and adds, “We believe in seeking niche opportunities and businesses that need some investment and rebranding.”

They’ve taken the same approach with their restaurant India ’47, which is located at 1640 Lesperance Road, in what was previously Webb’s Steak, Seafood, Burgers and Bar. The ’47 in the name of both the course and the restaurant refers to 1947 when British India was partitioned into India and Pakistan.

Aujla and his partners took possession of the course in late July, but had been granted early access in June to begin renovations and improvements.

There are two houses on the property and the owners have plans to turn one into an Airbnb for visiting golfers.

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FRONTLINES Two Best Friends Hold Fast To Their Business For 20 Plus Years

FASTSIGNS of Windsor Franchisees, Donna Bilodeau (left) and Jackie Raymond, celebrate their 20 year milestone with a toast in their new centre lobby. Photo courtesy of FASTSIGNS of Windsor.

Nothing can stop two women on a mission, especially two women who are also best friends and co-business owners.

Despite an unprecedented pandemic, the time had come for FASTSIGNS franchisees, Jackie Raymond and Donna Bilodeau to relocate their beloved FASTSIGNS of Windsor into a new space. So on May 31, 2020 the team officially moved into their new business home located at 5165 Halford Drive.

Twenty years ago in July, Bilodeau and Raymond took their friendship to a whole new level when they purchased and started working in their own business, satisfying a life-long goal of becoming entrepreneurs and working for themselves, together!

One important reason was the fact they could involve their families to help build something they could take pride in every day.

Their fathers brought customers in with word of mouth marketing and made deliveries, their mothers would bake and drop goodies off for the team, their husbands would use their respective skill sets to help out when called upon and their children all either worked in the business and/or volunteered at their numerous community and charity events.

So, it is not surprising that the recent move was a full family effort. Raymond’s husband, Guy, spent time after his own workdays renovating the space in preparation for the move. In addition, Mike Power assisted in the efforts, enabling Raymond and Bilodeau to keep him employed despite having to lay off employees during this time.

Increasing their space from 3,800 (in the old Howard Avenue location) to 7,800 square feet, the team looks forward to offering

even more services to both existing and new customers as well as new industries such as manufacturing.

“As technology has evolved, we have purchased new equipment to allow us to produce a greater quantity while maintaining our exceptional quality,” says Bilodeau.

“With our team and offerings expanding, we simply had a need for more space.”

Though the current business climate could have easily discouraged them, the two strong entrepreneurs have continued onward with a hopeful business outlook.

With challenges of a busy move and a pandemic, FASTSIGNS of Windsor has actively met the needs of essential businesses from the earliest shutdown phase.

They are now working diligently with both existing and new clients to help them get their businesses back up and running.

FASTSIGNS has been fortunate to be able to meet the demands for custom COVID-19 signage for many local educational, healthcare and public service institutions.

“We are thrilled to be in this new space that will enable us to expand our services,” Raymond expresses. “We are thankful for the opportunity to not only have more space, but to take our business to even greater heights.”

The team continues to commemorate their 20th business anniversary with charitable giveback efforts in the second half of the year and beyond by contributing to the local food bank, “Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure” and more.

To learn more about their company refer to: FastSigns.com/658 or stop by their new location and meet their awesome team!

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FRONTLINES

Windsor REALTOR Sold On New RE/MAX Franchise Congratulations to Broker of Record and Owner Goran Todorovic on the opening of RE/MAX CARE Realty in July 2020.

With 32 years of experience in the real estate industry, his hard-work, outstanding negotiating skills and dedication to the RE/MAX brand is well recognized throughout the RE/MAX network.

After 20 years as an individual agent, Todorovic formed his team in 2008 and grew into a leadership role as Chairperson of Cross Canada Referrals (CCR), a referral group of

The company’s agents, staff and clients have worked out of the Sylvestre Drive location since July 2019. The beautifully renovated office building, just West of EC Row and Manning Road, is just under 6,000 sq. ft. with modern accents and glass walls.

Photos courtesy of RE/MAX CARE Realty.

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Ready to place a SOLD sign on another property, the camera catches Goran Todorovic, Broker of Record and Owner of RE/MAX CARE Realty, in front of his own office at 1610 Sylvestre Drive in Windsor.

top RE/MAX agents from 100+ markets across Canada. Within CCR, he learned the value of sharing, collaboration and open communication.

His success is also recognized through his achievements, such as the RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement, Circle of Legends, Diamond Awards, Top 100 Residential Teams in Canada and Top 3 Brokerage Small Market.

“My team and I are dedicated to being a leading real estate force, by offering exceptional client services, cutting-edge marketing, training and innovative systems,” says Todorovic.

“I look forward to working with more agents, who are equally as passionate about serving their communities and who are driven to succeed.”

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Todorovic, himself, is extremely passionate about being active within the local community and has supported many local charities, such as: Canadian Mental Health Association, the Heart & Stroke Foundation, The Hospice of Windsor & Essex County and Children’s’ Miracle Network.

The new independently operated RE/MAX franchise serves Windsor, Essex, Tecumseh and the surrounding areas. Ten REALTORS and eight staff — including an in-house home stager, professional photographer, graphic designer and social media director — work together as TEAM GORAN RE/MAX. Learn more online at: TeamGoran.com.

HEARD ON THE STREET Vito Maggio has added another eatery to his stable of Windsor restaurants with the purchase, earlier this year, of Factory House, 5240 Tecumseh Road East. When COVID-19 hit in March, Maggio was unable to make any changes to the interior of the restaurant, but offered patio dining and take-out during the operating restrictions for restaurants until inside dining was permitted again. “It’s a great place with a great menu and terrific staff, so it’s running as normal right now,” says Maggio.

“We have the same employees and the same cooks so customers won’t notice a difference,” he adds. The restaurant, formerly owned by Bill Kobrosli, who passed away in October 2019, underwent major renovations when it became Factory House after years of operating as The Maple Leaf and later The Leaf. Maggio also owns Vito’s Pizzeria, 1731 Wyandotte Street East; O’Maggio’s Kildare House, 1880 Wyandotte Street East and Ortona 1864 Café & Panino Shop Ltd., 1864 Wyandotte Street East. He is also planning renovations to the CIBC building at 415 Devonshire Road.

Maggio informs Biz X that the plans are on hold because of COVID-19, but once business returns to near normal, he’ll proceed with transforming the building into a restaurant complete with a rooftop patio.

A new restaurant, featuring international street food and cocktails, has opened in a former Tim Hortons location, 5720 Wyandotte Street East in Windsor. Owned by brothers Hagop and Yervant Lakhoian, the.dotte opened in the Riverside area in July, but started up in March (yes during the pandemic!) with various pop-up locations. They also own and operate Frenchy’s Poutinery in downtown Windsor. The brothers previously owned Toasty’s Grilled Cheese & Salad Bar, also on Ouellette Avenue, before selling it to Stephanie

and Vanessa Clark in 2015. “We wanted to try something different and this is a great location in a growing neighbourhood,” explains Hagop.

“We’ve been well received and supported by our neighbours already.” The restaurant’s offerings include tacos, salads, a variety of sandwiches and banh mi, which is a Vietnamese sandwich with a variety of fillings. Currently, the.dotte is open inside and out with social distancing and safety guidelines in place. For details on their hours and menu, check out social media: Facebook.com/thedottefoodanddrink.

Elsewhere on the restaurant front, there are two new places coming to Dougall Avenue in South Windsor. The Tastee Grill is replacing Babbaz Grill at 3001 Dougall and a yet-to-be-disclosed restaurant is taking over the space previously occupied by Toscana Breakfast+Lunch+Café at 3891 Dougall. Jonathan Reaume, who owned Toscana, is also a partner in Mercato Fresh, a new gourmet grocery store in Chatham with plans to expand in the Windsor region soon, with Marc Romualdi, owner of Mr. Meat Market.

Sir Richard’s Wine & Ale House has opened at 11828 Tecumseh Road East in Windsor, taking over a space previously occupied by the Spitfire & Firkin, and more recently, The Spitfire Pub. A soft opening was held July 31 by owners Neil Vaseleniuck (Cheers to You) and John Janisse (River’s Edge Tap & Table). The new restaurant and bar maintains the interior look of a British-style pub while offering many of the dishes expected from a pub. These include: nachos, spinach dip and a charcuterie board among the appetizers; a variety of soups and salads along with traditional dishes such as fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, as well as mac ‘n’ cheese, burgers and wings. For more information, visit: SirRichards.net.

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When COVID-19 closed businesses and schools across the region, Neviana and Troy Maleyko decided to ease back on their responsibilities and close Carrots N’ Dates, their vegan and locally-focused restaurant at 2090 Wyandotte Street East in Walkerville. “We closed in midMarch along with everyone else and we just didn’t re-open,” explains Neviana. “With two young children at home full-time, we decided we couldn’t spread ourselves that thin and we’re focusing our business efforts on our Tecumseh location.” Located at 1125 Lesperance Road (CarrotsnDates.com), the Tecumseh restaurant features all the popular smoothies, bowls, soups, sandwiches, salads, appetizers and breakfast dishes along with eggs and cheese dishes. “We used to be completely vegan, but as Troy and I have changed our tastes, we thought our restaurant should reflect those changes,” says Neviana. The couple started out with a stall at Windsor’s downtown market eight years ago, but soon realized they needed a restaurant and opened in Walkerville two years later.

“Business has picked up in Tecumseh since we closed in Walkerville, so it’s encouraging to know that many of our customers have followed us,” expresses Neviana.

Seizing on an opportunity in the marketplace, veteran restaurant owner Chris Bergeron has opened Oh Poot-In, 1285 Grand Marais Boulevard West in South Windsor. “Our combination of poutine variations, gourmet hot dogs, quesadillas and ice cream is something nobody else is doing,” says Bergeron who formerly owned The Broken Egg in the town of Tecumseh before selling it to a second owner in December 2018. Bergeron, who has been in the restaurant business for 30 years, opened his newest venture on July 25 offering takeout services, initially with five employees. “The response has been overwhelming and I’m very encouraged,” he says. Poutine choices include: Buffalo chicken, pulled pork, Greek, beef nacho, Reuben, pierogi, spicy shrimp and chicken pot pie. For hot dog fans, there’s gourmet dogs with gyro meat, chili cheese, pizza and Buffalo blue cheese and lots more tasty choices. While the quesadillas options are: steak and cheese, piz-za, cheeseburger, pulled pork, as well as chicken. To view the full menu, search: “Oh Poot-In” on Facebook.

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NEWSFLASH THE RUNDOWN With not many events happening since the pandemic began in mid-March, it is big news when a fundraiser can actually go on! The inaugural “Alzheimer’s Memorial Golf Tournament” to support the programs and services offered by the Alzheimer Society of Windsor & Essex County is set to take place Sunday, September 20, 2020 at Seven Lakes Championship Golf and Estates in LaSalle. Tee times to be selected at time of registration. Cost to participate is $100 per person and covers one round of golf (18 holes), lunch at the turn and contests.

For more information email Shannon at: SVanWatteghem@aswecare.com or visit: Alzheimer.ca/en/windsoressex.

The Hospice of Windsor and Essex County Inc. kicked off the 18th annual “Face to Face” campaign August 15 which runs until September 30, 2020.

Canvassers are pounding the pavement (while keeping their physical distances and following all health guidelines) and generous sponsors are on board to support the cause to make sure this year’s “Face to Face” campaign is a resounding success!

Funds raised support the Hospice, so they can continue to provide care, programs and services at no cost to patients and their loved ones. The 2020 “Face to Face” campaign (supported by YourTV and “Face to Face” host John Fairley) operates similarly to previous years, with canvassers able to collect donations both in person and online (TheHospice.ca). Community members can show their support by pledging a specific canvasser, or supporting the cause as a whole, either online or in person. To access the canvasser kit, or for more information log on to their website or follow the Hospice on Twitter (@HospiceF2F); on Facebook (HospiceWindsorEssex) and on Instagram (thehospicewindsor).

The Windsor Overdose Prevention Society (Windsor OPS) has received its first funding grant of just over $18,000. This grant was made possible by the COVID-19 Emergency Support for Community Organizations Granting Program for NonProfits, funded by the Government of Canada and delivered through the Canadian

Red Cross. Windsor OPS founder Brandon Bailey and Tammy Drew have been hired as Harm Reduction Peer Workers. They are the organization’s first paid employees.

“I started Windsor OPS because as a person who uses substances, I was tired of attending my friends’ funerals and wanted to make a change and save the lives of people in my community,” says Bailey. “We are ecstatic about this opportunity to be able to implement a new outreach program to deliver harm reduction supplies, hygiene products, overdose response training, peer support and meals in order to replace our drop-in program lost due to COVID-19.

While our goal is to reach 150 people, we hope to reach many more.” The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the overdose crisis, the homelessness crisis, and the mental health crisis across Canada and in the Windsor community. This program aims to mitigate these crises and meet pressing community needs. Bailey continues; “We are extremely grateful to the Government of Canada and the Canadian Red Cross for their

Indoor Air and Surface Decontamination Specialists

(houses, businesses, cars, boats) File Assignments Handled 24/7

TOM HEBERT

Essex/Kent Regional Director

BioSweep Canada P: 1 888 426 1470 x 52 C: 519 982 3956 thebert@biosweep.ca www.biosweep.ca

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support. We also would like to thank our many private contributors, volunteers and supporters that make our work possible. Our mission is to combat the overdose crisis in our community by working to prevent drug overdoses, stop the spread of blood borne illnesses and promote the overall well-being of people who use drugs via the delivery of nonjudgmental harm reduction services.”

Learn more on their social media page: Facebook.com/WindsorOverdosePrevention.

NEW IN BIZ A third location in the Globally Local chain of restaurants has opened at 13458 Tecumseh Road East, in the plaza near Three Lambs Registry & Baby Boutique and Little Caesars. During its soft opening period in August, the restaurant served burgers, chick’UN dishes, tacos, salads, wraps, sides and dessert with breakfast items added when the restaurant officially opened September 5. Owners Kelly Neuber and David Robinson bought their retirement home in Kingsville four years ago and then decided to accelerate their relocation and open Globally Local Tecumseh after moving here fulltime in May. In their prior careers, David worked at Scotiabank and Kelly with Invis Mortgage Intelligence.

It took the couple almost a year to find the

right location; and despite being set back about four months because of COVID-19 delays, they forged ahead and have hired a staff of 12, including Manager Karen Basque. There are also corporate Globally Local locations in London and Toronto. For more information on the restaurant’s menu and hours, refer to: GloballyLocal.ca.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO . . .

RevolutionIP, better known locally as KELCOM Internet Division, is celebrating 25 years in business this year. When the Internet was only a collection of simple web pages and email, KELCOM decided to offer Internet service to its growing client base.

In 1995, that meant setting up two dozen 14.4kbps modems on a shelf and connecting them to some copper lines and a 1mbps Internet backbone. The most common technical support question those days was: “If I send an email to (insert country), will I have to pay long-distance fees?” Today, a single customer may have more bandwidth available to them than thousands of dial-up customers. KELCOM Internet continued to grow, becoming the first local provider of High-Speed Internet (DSL) and digital telephony (VoIP). But, some things never changed — KELCOM Internet always focused on customer service — never

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imposing contracts and offering unlimited services. Further details can be found on: RevolutionIP.com and KELCOM.net.

Biz X would like to personally congratulate Revolution IP President Dejan Todorovic and wish him and his team many more years of success!

ON THE MOVE CEO Peggy Panagiota Kapsalis and her staff at Fredrick and Associates Accounting and Tax Professionals are moving in mid-September to 911 Bridge Avenue in Windsor to serve their clients better. They will be accepting new accounting/bookkeeping clients and have a new role as business consultants. The company provides quality, value-added accounting and tax services, while adhering to the highest moral, ethical and professional standards required by their profession.

If it’s tax related, they can help you!

Providing complete, from start to finish, accounting and tax, including personal and business tax preparation, bookkeeping and accounting services, payroll and remittance, GST/HST filings, and servicing clients across Ontario. Questions? Connect with the company on their social media page: Facebook.com/FredrickAssociates AccountingandTaxProfessionals.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Sottozero Catering, LaSalle

By David Clark Photos courtesy of Lindsey Langlois, F8 Photography unless marked

W

hen you need a winning catering team, go Italian with Sottozero Catering.

A cultural explosion began when the company opened April 30, 2019 featuring gelato, gelato cakes, cannoli and a host of other Italian dessert masterpieces for special catering events and/or great treats for private home celebrations or even to enjoy on a regular basis.

Giovanni Arcuri, the “Gelato Maker” and Co-Owner at Sottozero Catering, comes from a family of pastry and gelato chefs back in Italy.

“Our selection of gelato and pastries choices are family recipes with a little Italian-Canadian twist,” he explains.

And as Co-Owner Lisa Costante points out: “I’m the one that fills in the gaps.

I insert new flavours into the menu and create some of the wonderful pastries at the shop. Myself and Giovanni both make sure the goodies always get out the door.”

New recipes are created all the time and Costante adds: “An upcoming favourite, the yummy gelato cakes in a variety of sizes are a huge hit. However, they are not your traditional cakes. They are 100% Italiano all the way!”

The Strawberry Gelato Cake is a real looker and amongst the favourites at Sottozero.

When it comes to their star attraction — gelato — the Pistachio and Nocciola are tops. With 45 different flavours to choose from you can also try the gelato balls that taste like Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

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This cool and elegant gelato cart (next to the espresso bar) is hot on the trail with Co-Owners Lisa Costante and Giovanni Arcuri on board to the next venue. And the wheels are already in motion for a permanent storefront location too!

With the cannoli lineup, the Sicilian is the true Italian cannoli. Various flavours include: Classic, Lemon, Pistachio, Hazelnut and of course, Nutella.

Other offerings include the Bomboloni, an Italian doughnut filled with Nutella and flavours such as: Strawberry, Pistachio, Turtles and more.

Another popular treat, the Zeppole, is a traditional Italian pastry filled with pastry cream and a cherry. A secret ingredient makes Sottozero’s unique.

True masters of catering to those with a sweet tooth, the business became an instant

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success since its conception.

“We have done events as large as 1,000 people (such as the In Honour of the Ones We Love, February 2020 gala) and we are able to do 1,000 to 1,500,” explains Costante. “Our menus are customizable to the event and the client’s needs.”

Always willing to help the community, Sottozero has been involved in numerous giveaways of free gelato during the toughest months of dealing with COVID-19 business shutdowns and the stay at home requirements.

A smile in return for their products was more than enough for their efforts.

Photo courtesy of Sottozero Catering

THIS ISSUE FEATURES . . .

Regarding the pandemic, with major events being postponed to next year for the most part, Sottozero will be ready and waiting to serve their customers when needed as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Very popular as of late, the Strawberry Gelato Cake is one of many great choices for a celebration, made 100% Italiano.

For now, curbside pickup and home delivery orders of their items are available.

All health unit guidelines for mask wearing and social distancing are followed.

In addition, there are five beautifully crafted carts (gelato, espresso, cannoli, pastry and champagne) available for private parties with lots of surprises on display that will fit in any venue.

A staple of Italian desserts, the tasty Lemon Cannoli is fully loaded and ready for your awaiting palate.

The couple pours their heart into the business and puts a lot of love and care into each order. They operate under the slogan: “Made Fresh Daily.� They appreciate all their customers and feel they are blessed to also be loved by all in the Windsor region.

Currently operating from a private commercial kitchen in LaSalle, the pair have big plans to open a storefront in the near future.

For further information on this company and to place an order, check out social media: Facebook.com/sottozero.gelato.5 and Instagram.com/SottozeroCatering.

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COVER STORY By Dave Hall

Celebrates

T

he Motor City Community Credit Union is celebrating 80 years of serving the financial needs of thousands of Essex County members and their families, as well as numerous businesses who owe a large part of their success to the financial resources of the credit union.

With 13,000 members and more than $394 million in assets, Motor City Community Credit Union (MCCCU) is also a major contributor and supporter of dozens of charities and special events held every year.

Plans for community gatherings and 80th celebrations were put on hold when the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way society and businesses operated back in March.

“Things have changed over the years and none more so than this year, but what will never change is that since 1940 we’ve put our members first,” says Chief Executive Officer Robert Griffith, who has been with the credit union for seven years. “Now more than ever we’re here to make certain that our

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communities get the support they need from their financial institution.”

He continues by stating: “We’ve stood by our members through previous health crises, as well as floods, wars and recessions and we will continue to do so.”

The credit union was established in 1940 and over the years forged partnerships with credit unions such as Motorco Savings & Credit Union Limited (1944), Ford, Chrysler, General Motors and the Printers’ Industrial Credit Union (1940).

Among the other credit unions incorporated over the years are those representing S.W. and A., Windsor Dominion Civil Servants, Windsor Municipal Employees, Inmont, MotorEmployees (Windsor), Colonial Tool, Brewer’s (Windsor), Champion Spark Plug, New York Railroad Employees, Hospital Employees (Windsor), Windsor City Centre, Windsor Community and Purity Dairy.

As a result of that past history, MCCCU is the only unionized credit union in the B I Z X M A G A Z IN E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0

city, having grown over the years through providing workers at hospitals, automotive plants and media outlets, such as CBC and the Windsor Star, with financial services.

Griffith points out that the MCCCU name includes “community,” which speaks volumes about its commitment to the Windsor area and its members across the region.

“I think our reputation is second to none and it is one of the main reasons why we were one of only three financial institutions in Ontario to be selected to help roll out the Canada Emergency Business Account program, which is designed to help small businesses survive during the COVID-19 crisis,” explains Griffith.

The program provides $40,000 in interestfree loans and if the funds are paid back by a predetermined deadline, $10,000 would be forgiven.

In addition to working with members and business owners to satisfy their financial needs, MCCCU is heavily involved with

Photos supplied by MCCCU, unless otherwise marked Photographed at the 6701 Tecumseh Road East in Windsor, this hard-working team of the Motor City Community Credit Union represents the dozens of staff members who are there to help their customers with all their banking needs throughout the City of Windsor and surrounding area. Photo by Rod Denis.

s 80 years!

a number of charities in the Windsor Essex community.

MCCCU recently provided an interest-free loan and partnered with BK Cornerstone Design-Build Ltd. (BKcornerstone. com) in “The Dream Project” with all the proceeds of the sale of the home dedicated to In Honour of the Ones We Love, MCCCU’s signature charity.

MCCCU Board Chair Don Fraser informs us the project was first discussed four or five years ago, but finally came to fruition a little over two years ago.

With the leadership of Ben and Brent Klundert of BK Cornerstone, subcontractors and suppliers donated time and products to the project, which was completed this past spring, resulting in more than $300,000 being donated to the charity.

“When like-minded people come together for a project such as this, it’s amazing what can be achieved,” Fraser expresses.

One of the many advantages to banking with a local credit union is that decisions

A blast from the past, the MCCCU Cadillac Street Branch in 1994.

affecting members and their personal and business finance issues are made right here in Windsor Essex.

MCCCU is governed by a 10 person Board of Directors led by Fraser who works at the Hôtel-Dieu Grace campus of Windsor Regional Hospital.

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Other members of the Board include: Vice Chair Sandra Fischer (Willis Business Law); Corporate Secretary Wendy Graat (retired from Financial Fitness Centre); Stephane Boucher (Global Vehicle Systems); Jim Angus (retired from the Windsor Star and Unifor Local 240);

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In August 2019 representatives from participating companies and organizations pose in front of “The Dream Project” home in Belle River. From left: Jim Angus (MCCCU Director); Don Fraser (MCCCU Board Chair); Becky Langlois (MCCCU Marketing and Community Relations Manager); Frank Moceri (MCCCU Director); Susan Dozois and Diana Lausch (Community Support Centre Board of Directors); Teresa Silvestri (In Honour of the Ones We Love); Bill Marra (MCCCU Director); Anita Imperioli (In Honour of the Ones We Love Founder), Janice Kaffer (President & CEO, Hôtel Dieu-Grace); Ben, Sue and Brent Klundert from BK Cornerstone Design-Build Ltd.

Randy Dupuis (retired CEO from MCCCU); Bill Marra (Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation); Frank Moceri (St. Clair College); Marc Moore (Windsor Fire and Rescue Services) and Amy Wolters (Windsor-Essex County Health Unit).

“When I joined the board 11 years ago, I didn’t realize how involved MCCCU was in the community,” says Fraser, who has been Chairman for four years. “I’m impressed by

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the personal touch our employees bring to the banking experience for our members.”

Fraser adds that besides family, money is probably one of the most important aspects of the credit union’s members’ lives and providing help and guidance is critically important for those members.

The Board of Directors is responsible for governance and charting the big-picture future of the credit union rather than the day-

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to-day operations, which are left to senior management and MCCCU’s employees.

“We meet with senior management every year and make whatever suggestions we deem necessary and then leave it up to management,” says Fraser. “I’m extremely satisfied with how the credit union is running and how it remains so very active in our community.”

A credit union such as MCCCU is able to meet its local members’ needs because it has its finger on the economic pulse of the city and is better suited to making decisions at a local level than major financial institutions.

MCCCU was the first financial institution in Windsor to enable members to take photographs of their cheques and deposit the funds into their account through the use of their smart phone.

This digital approach takes into account the ever-increasing investment in technology now in the hands of their customers, particularly younger members who are new to banking and financial investments.

Becky Langlois, MCCCU’s Marketing and Community Relations Manager, adds that the credit union also provides community support in the form of financial literacy, small and medium business development and by creating tools to help business owners manage

their investments now and into the future.

The credit union, which has approximately 50 employees, has three branches across the Windsor area and one commercial lending centre — 6701 Tecumseh Road East, which also houses its corporate offices; 1375 Walker Road; 189 City Hall Square and 420 Kildare Road.

According to Griffith, more and more people are handling their banking needs online and as a result, establishing branches throughout the community is no longer required.

“With many people also doing their banking by telephone, we don’t feel we have the need for geographical brick-and-mortar locations,” says Griffith.

CONGRATULATIONS MOTOR CITY COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION FOR 80 YEARS IN BUSINESS! Wishing you continued success in servicing your members!

ROTHMOSEY.COM Way back on February 24, 1964 Directors received a special Printers’ Industrial Credit Union plaque during the 25th Annual General Meeting.

Members also have access to more than 3,700 ATMs across Canada, including almost two dozen in the Windsor area, with the vast majority operated under agreements with a variety of financial institutions.

For many people, the difference between banks and credit unions can be hard to understand, but it is really quite simple.

“Basically, the difference between the two is that members actually own shares in a credit union and in effect, own the credit union,” explains Griffith. “Everyone who does their banking at a credit union owns shares, which means they have a say in how the financial institution is run.”

Members have a vote in the election of a Board of Directors and they share in the profits through annual dividends. In addition, a certain amount of a credit union’s profits are directed back to the community.

“I think what differentiates us as a financial institution is that we have spent a lot of time listening to our members who do business with us and we have helped find unique solutions to their financial problems,” Griffith states. “That approach is something we have been very proud of over the years.”

MCCCU also offers flex-free accounts, which require no minimum balance and come without service charges when customers bank online or at ATMs. B I Z X M A G A Z IN E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0

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October 4, 1979: the MotorCo Savings & Credit Union Limited office, after a merger.

During the COVID-19 crisis, MCCCU offered interest-free six month extensions to people in financial difficulties because of employment or business losses.

Griffith explains MCCCU’s decision to offer the extensions by saying “When it’s raining, you hand out umbrellas, you don’t take them away.”

While MCCCU is a for-profit business, it turns back much of those profits to either its members in the form of dividends or to

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the community in charitable donations or in the form of its so-called “rainy-day” fund, which finances such programs as interestfree loan extensions.

In addition to handling individual accounts, MCCCU is proud of its work with local businesses, providing investment funds as well as mentorship advice and guidance for entrepreneurs seeking to establish themselves in the local business community.

Laurie Ure and her husband Randy own

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Ure’s Country Kitchen, and credit Shawn Knowles, a Commercial Account Manager with MCCCU, with helping them diversify their business, which includes a restaurant, gas station and mini golf course.

“Shawn has been great in guiding us through the process of business expansion,” says Laurie. “As owners of Ure’s for over 30 years, we had a vision to diversify and our partnership with the Business Development Bank of Canada and MCCCU was seamless and it gave us the confidence we needed to proceed with our goal.”

Laurie mentions Knowles was flexible and adapted to their situation after the pandemic prevented them from opening on May 1.

“While the expansion is still a work in progress, having MCCCU on our side has been a positive experience instead of a stressful one,” adds Laurie.

Ure’s (UresKitchen.ca) is located at 6000 County Road 20 West in Harrow.

Steve Schincariol, MCCCU VicePresident, Commercial Operations, was instrumental in finalizing a business loan that helped Bridget Chippett and Paul Renaud purchase the Erie-O Motel, Marina and RV site in nearby Erieau (ErieoMotel.com).

“Steve helped us work through all the issues that were new to us about the commercial lending process and we are

To celebrate their 80th anniversary, Chief Executive Officer Robert Griffith and Becky Langlois (right) of MCCCU presented Teresa Silvestri and Anita Imperioli (middle) of In Honour of the Ones We Love, with a $40,000 donation, in June 2020.

eternally grateful to Steve and his staff for their guidance,” says Renaud. “We’d like to thank MCCCU for bringing the human element back to banking.”

Chippett mentions the entire process was painless and seamless and Schincariol even reached out to the partners during the COVID-19 crisis to make sure everything was running smoothly.

“He was always there for us and I think that’s rare for someone at a financial institution,” adds Chippett.

Chippett, who also works for Windsor Fire and Rescue Services, believes the credit union’s involvement in the community

and with local charity events definitely stand out alongside its customer service and support.

“They were always very helpful with donations and staff time for our annual ‘ChiliFest’ and they’ve also been supportive of Sparky’s Toy Drive,” says Chippett. “Not just with financial support, but also with volunteer time.”

Over the years, MCCCU has supported a variety of local charities by not only contributing to local events, but also by making staff available to help charities with their fundraising efforts. (Note: for a complete list of the more than 30 organizations and events supported by the credit union visit the recently updated website: MCCCU.com).

MCCCU’s involvement in the community is also recognized by its employees.

“When I first started working at MCCCU, I was pleasantly surprised to see how much involvement we have in the community,” says one financial services representative.

“It’s nice to work for a company that is so well known for its constant support of local causes.”

The employee adds: “In our branches, we always strive to do what is best for our members and outside the branch we carry the same mindset for the entire

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At Motor City Community Credit Union, small business is big business! From left: Commercial Lending team members: Commercial Account Managers Fabio Cesca and Shawn Knowles; Lorie Parent, Commercial Loan Admin; and Steve Schincariol, Vice President, Commercial Operations.

community and I’m proud to be part of that.”

The credit union also awards $13,000 a year in scholarships to graduating high school students in the community.

It’s also just one more example of how MCCCU has helped build relationships with clients, members, customers and business owners throughout the region, over its 80 year history. And there’s a more than excellent chance that the Motor City Community Credit Union will be around for another 80 years to meet the financial needs of the Windsor Essex community!

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portfolio corner

Election Season . . .

Here We Go Again

By Steven Mayo At this point, COVID-19 and its risks are part of everyday life.

This pandemic is now with us for longer than we would like. It has been a huge disrupter, hurting so many individuals, families, businesses, etc. We also now get glimmers of hope as real progress is being made on the treatment and vaccine fronts.

The stock markets have already made big bets on the sectors that have benefited from this disruption and those that have yet to recover remain at recessionary values.

The dispersion between technology stocks and everyone else is well documented now. In reality it’s made portfolio management very challenging because diversification in the last six months has not worked well. I would suggest though that, over time, it will. With the U.S. election coming we should see some nasty rhetoric with resulting buying opportunities.

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As per usual, every four years, the presidential candidates will pick on Wall Street and the healthcare sector. This sector is one of 11 that make up the S&P500 index.

It has sustainable long-term trends in its favour, while most of the stocks are at attractive valuations.

Let’s start with demographics.

According to the Census Bureau, 2030 will mark a turning point in the U.S. as all baby boomers will be 65 years of age and older, becoming 21% of the population from 17% currently. Older people need more drugs, medical procedures and hospital stays.

Rising healthcare costs are driving changes in the system, to reduce costs, employ more technology and be more efficient on providing patient care. This is called value-based care.

With this comes telemedicine and “vertical integration” where one system provides a variety

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of services such as health insurance, pharmacy, acute care, nursing care, home health and data analysis under one roof. All of this to reduce cost, but also to improve the patient experience.

While politicians want to reduce drug prices, which is just one area, the headline risk should not be a reason to avoid the healthcare sector as fundamentals remain good.

It must also be said that one’s investment view should not be locked into one sector.

As I write, it’s Big Tech getting all the attention. We are currently at a time that dividend paying stocks are getting very little respect.

In my experience they will eventually rise again. Patience may be required. Some good returns take longer than others.

A portfolio should have diversification, and with this comes the ability to withstand a variety of outcomes.

Keep this quote by Winston Churchill in mind: “Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have.”

Steven Mayo is a Vice President, Director, and Investment Advisor with RBC Dominion Securities Inc. (Member — Canadian Investor Protection Fund). This article is not intended as nor does it constitute investment advice.

Readers should consult a qualified professional before taking any action based on information in this article.

ACCOUNTING COUNTS

Rebuilding Your Business For A New Reality

By Alison Piccolo, CPA, CA The impact COVID-19 has had on our communities and economies has been unparalleled.

No one has ever experienced anything like the current conditions, and as restrictions ease, business leaders and owners are making difficult choices to create a sustainable business in a post COVID-19 landscape.

Here are several areas you should be focusing on to help prepare you and your business through this rebuild phase.

1. Assess the damage — While comparing your financial results to last year’s numbers will allow you to see how much your business sales, profits and cash flow has been impacted, consider some of the other factors of your business. If employees have been laid off, account for that in the rebuilding plan. Also consider customers lost due to their businesses failing or because they have migrated toward competitors. For brick and mortar businesses, it is important to take

stock of existing inventory and consider how that meets the demands of your current market.

2. Optimize your costs — Cost optimization is more than just cost cutting and belt tightening, and short-term tactics alone will not lead to sustained business success. Typical reasons to rethink costs are: financial distress, pressure on revenue or prices, changing consumer needs, intensifying competition, need to fund growth or strengthen the balance sheet, and pressure from shareholders. Our experience working with private, mid-market and family businesses has shown that organizations that take a more holistic, strategic view will have a greater chance of success.

3. Access to capital — Most businesses in private and mid-market sectors don’t usually have a large amount of cash on hand and it’s likely that any cash reserves are already depleted. There are several options for business to seek access to working capital including federal support

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programs, small business term loans from banks, credit unions and online lenders, business lines of credit, or alternative financing options — accounts receivable financing; inventory financing; purchase order financing; equipment financing.

4. Communication with your workforce — Have frequent and transparent conversations with your staff. Involve them in your planning processes as you map out plans for rebuilding and reshaping the business. Truly engaged employees often offer the greatest ideas and involving them in the rebuilding stage will give them a sense of ownership of their roles and responsibilities.

Finally, as you take necessary steps towards rebuilding your business, remember to track your progress. This is particularly important if you’ve secured capital to fund your business, because you don’t want to waste time on activities that aren’t delivering a solid return on your investment.

While the short-term outlook for businesses in the private, mid-market and family business sector varies greatly by industry, we are all looking towards rebuilding and reshaping as the economy begins to return to a state of normalcy or establishes a new normal.

Alison Piccolo is a Chartered Professional Accountant and works for KPMG in Windsor (KPMG.ca). Alison has 15 years of experience in public accounting and currently leads the local Owner Managed Enterprise practice. She works directly as a trusted business advisor to privately held companies, assisting with audit, accounting and tax matters.

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HAVE A CUP OF JOE WITH JOE

Canadian Comedian Jonny Harris . . .

“Still Standing” On Pelee Island Photos courtesy of CBC

By Joe McParland

Jonny Harris with his dog, Macy, on the Pelee Island Ferry Dock.

“For a flat piece of land in the middle of Lake Erie, it is stunningly beautiful.”

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hese words describing Pelee Island were spoken by Constable George Crabtree of the Toronto Constabulary Station House 4 after his five day stay on Pelee Island, from October 12 to 16, 2019.

My bad . . . the words are actually from Jonny Harris who has played Constable Crabtree in all 204 episodes of CBC’s hit drama “Murdoch Mysteries”, now in its 14th season.

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Harris has another award winning show on CBC — “Still Standing” (CBC.ca/ television/stillstanding) — where, for the past five seasons, he has hosted, cowritten, co-produced and demonstrated his comedic genius through 64 episodes.

As described by CBC: “Still Standing follows Canadian comedian Jonny Harris as he sets off across the country once more, veering off the main highway to discover the hidden comedy in Canada’s far-flung small towns. Each week, Jonny takes a hilarious and heart-warming journey to find humour in the unlikeliest of places — small towns on the ropes.

After immersing himself in the lives of local characters and unearthing the tall

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tales in these tiny towns, Jonny delivers a rousing original stand-up comedy routine — a toast, not a roast — for the whole community.”

“Still Standing” Season 6 premieres Tuesday, October 6 at 8 p.m. on CBC and the free streaming service CBC Gem, with an episode highlighting Pelee Island.

I was sent — for my eyes only — an advance copy of the episode to view for this article. All I can say at this point is that you will absolutely love the episode!

I give it a 15 on a scale of one to 10!

Forty-four-year-old Harris hails from Pouch Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador, a small hamlet of 2,000 residents located 27 km north of St. John’s.

Jonny Harris with viticulturist Wolfgang Moritz (left) at Pelee Island Winery on Pelee Island.

He is frequently asked where the “h” in his first name has disappeared to, and Harris with that infectious smile of his replies, “I was born Jonathan Harris, but by the time I had entered pre-kindergarten in Pouch Cove, my classmates all had renamed me ‘Jonny’, and it has stuck with me ever since.”

Before describing Harris’ adventures on Pelee Island, let’s start with a few facts about the island . . .

• Pelee Island has 234 permanent residents, with the population rising to around 1,500 during the summer months.

• Pelee Island covers 10,000 acres. It is 12.5 km long and 6 km wide.

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• Pelee Island is the largest island in the Western Basin of Lake Erie, in the Province of Ontario. It is located less than 30 kilometres south of Leamington, Ontario.

If arriving from the south, Pelee is 22 miles from Sandusky, Ohio.

• At 41.7 degrees north of the equator, there are 27 U.S. states at least partly north of Pelee Island and 13 states that are entirely north of it.

• Pelee Island is the birthplace of Canada’s wine industry. Vin Villa was established in 1866 and is also the birthplace of champagne in North America.

• And, according to The Pelee Island Bird Observatory, a non-profit charitable organization devoted to the study and conservation of birds, 314 species of birds and forms have been identified so far on the island. (See: PIBO.ca) A few weeks back, I had a conference telephone conversation about the Pelee Island episode with Harris and Anne Francis, who is an Executive Producer on “Still Standing”. I started our conversation by asking how they chose Pelee Island as a small community to visit.

“We have been trying to get to the island for quite a while, but trying to fit certain communities in between Jonny

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Bike shop owner and former Pelee Island Mayor Rick Masse (left) gives Jonny Harris a tour.

shooting two different shows can be quite challenging,” explains Francis.

Harris and Francis both told me they have a top-notch group of researchers who scour the country looking for towns to visit.

They look for those small communities who have faced struggles and challenges, and for those that have a unique history. And they add: “Pelee Island was a perfect fit.”

On October 12, 2019 Harris crossed over to the island with his dog, Macy, on the recently christened, MV Pelee Islander, one of two seasonal ferries bringing people and vehicles from the mainland to the island. (OntarioFerries.com/en/mv-jiimaanmv-pelee-islander).

Harris’ advance crew preceded him and had already spent hours chatting with island residents. They selected a cross-section of about five or six residents and heard their stories, which helped tell the story of the island.

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In this episode you will meet a young couple, Alyssa and Matt Staples, who own and run At The Farm Table B&B (Peleefarmtable.com); the Manager of the island’s Co-op/General Store; a field ornithologist and bird bander; the Pelee Island Winery viticulturist; the former Mayor and bike rental owner, as well as a number of other Pelee Island residents.

Harris chats with them and experiences firsthand their life on the island, which he then works into his final night stand-up comedy roast for the island people.

I spoke with Rick Masse — former Pelee Island Mayor from 2009 to 2018 and currently proprietor of Comfortech Bicycle Rentals and Retail Store (PeleeBikeRental.com) — about the experience of having Harris and his crew on the island.

Masse recalls: “I was a bit apprehensive at first, but every crew member was outstanding — cordial and professional and

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respectful of our island. And Jonny himself was simply amazing. A truly likable and funny guy who spent time with me off camera and shared some of his life story with me.”

He described for Harris some of the challenges the island has experienced and continues to experience.

There were the blue-green algae blooms a few years back, which nearly wiped out the island’s tourism. And then there is the ongoing challenge of developing new things for tourists in an environmentally protected area. Throw in shoreline erosion issues and you can begin to understand some of the difficult times experienced by the residents.

Harris sees a common thread through all the small communities he visits across Canada in how they face their hard times.

“There’s an optimism, positivity, resiliency, a spirit of volunteerism, and selflessness that the people all share and Pelee Island is no exception,” he says.

“In the big cities people say ‘they’, while in small towns the resident say ‘we’ . . . like in the case of roadway pot holes — ‘they’ need to fix these pot holes versus ‘we’ need to fix these potholes.”

I asked Harris what he will remember about his Pelee Island stay 20 years from now.

Without hesitation he responds, “At the end of the shoot I remember wishing I could stay on and hang out on the island for another week or so as a tourist — I really fell in love with the island, and I’m sure I will return to it in the future.”

Spoken like a true islander himself!

Once again, “Still Standing” Season 6 premieres Tuesday, October 6 at 8 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem, with the Pelee Island episode.

Be sure to tune in and get your family and friends to join you. This is a great opportunity for the Windsor Essex region to rightfully brag about itself and the true crown jewel that is Pelee Island!

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Photos by Rod Denis, unless marked

FEATURE STORY By Dave Hall

Fortis Construction Group Inc. And Subcontractors Create “One For The Record Books” In The ’Burg

River Bookshop owner Richard Peddie (inset photo) couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear when he posed in front of the River Town Times office last October — he knew what was planned for the building he purchased with help from Sales Representative Meghan Boschin of Deerbrook Realty Inc. Brokerage. As for the paper, operating out of the 67 Richmond Street location since 2008, it relocated in December 2019 to the Heritage Square plaza, 80 Richmond Street. Photo courtesy of Ron Giofu/River Town Times. >> Fast forward to summer 2020 and you will see this unique building (main photo) received lots of TLC from Fortis Construction Group Inc. and all their subcontractors during its transformation. Located at the corner of Richmond and Ramsay Streets, the overall look and feel of the River Bookshop is as captivating as the unique books on its shelves, making it a must see destination in Amherstburg.

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ransforming an historic 135 year old building in the heart of Amherstburg, which at times housed a drug store, a restaurant and the River Town Times newspaper, into a Victorian-style bookshop was a lengthy and challenging project.

But, for Fortis Construction Group Inc., it was also an exciting opportunity to bring the building back to life as the River Bookshop and restore many of its original features.

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Executing a vision created by bookshop owners Richard and Colleen Peddie was a source of pride, according to Tyler Beckett, Vice President of Fortis Construction Group Inc., (Fortis) the general contractor, which brought in six local subcontractors to work on a project that began in January.

Despite delays caused by COVID-19, the project is now complete and the bookshop opened officially on August 14, 2020.

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“It was the perfect project to work on,” says Beckett. “First being able to work for such amazing clients as Richard and Colleen whose gift of giving back to the community is outstanding and it allowed us to do the same.”

Beckett adds, “It was also very exciting to renovate a building that was built in 1885 and has so much history and character nestled in the heart of Amherstburg, just off the water.”

A former Chief Executive Officer of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment and a resident of Boblo Island, Peddie is proud of the finished project and calls it: “beautiful and (it) completely matched our vision.”

Peddie continues by stating: “We wanted to restore the outside of the building to its former appearance and the building’s history determined what it would eventually look like. We opened up two closed windows on one side of the building and expanded two others and we are absolutely happy with the end product.”

The name of the bookshop was a nod to the Detroit River which flows just minutes away from the store, as well as being reflective of the building’s history when similar retail businesses were called shops, not stores.

“It’s not unique by any means, but it is different and the historic nature of the name fits with the building’s history,” he explains.

Once the couple selected a location for their new venture — 67 Richmond Street — they realized that the project, which cost in excess of $1 million, would need a great deal of work both inside and outside.

It would require a complete retrofit, including new heating and cooling systems, new flooring, restored brickwork around a fireplace, curved ceilings, interior lighting upgrades, intricate carpentry to give the

Fortis Construction Group Inc. added a fireplace where the existing chimney was by restoring the bricks. Obviously this is the before photo . . . flip the page to see the finished interior!

building a Victorian “New and Now” feel, an exterior mural and new windows.

Floors had to be strengthened and fully supported in order to handle the weight of thousands of books.

Fortis also added extra structural supports all through the main floor to accommodate gatherings expected to take place on the second floor.

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The floor vents were also installed flush with the new hardwood flooring to create a seamless look throughout the main retail space.

In addition to using a roster of local tradespeople and subcontractors, Peddie credited a team of creative forces with bringing the vision to life, despite delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Toronto, the creative team includes: Lebel & Bouliane Inc. architectural practice, past winners of the designlines magazine “Designer of the Year”; One Method, experts in design and advertising, which helped with the original brand positioning and created the shop’s logo and ModelCtzn, which created a unique space on the building’s second floor (think F. Scott Fitzgerald and rum runners!).

Opening mid-September the space will host book readings, a speaker series and discussions about local events involving members of the community.

“River Bookshop is our personal investment in Amherstburg,” continues Peddie. “It is intended to make an economic, cultural and social contribution to the community and we hope you enjoy it as much as we liked creating and building it.”

He points out that Randy Gray of Gray Development Group (see: GrayDevelopmentGroup.com) was also

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Few things are more enjoyable than sitting by the fireplace and whittling away the afternoon, flipping through the pages of best sellers, first editions and more. The custom built bookshelves from floor to ceiling (with two sliding library ladders) were made and installed by Grain Woodcrafting.

instrumental in developing the final look.

“A great design doesn’t go anywhere unless you have individuals who can execute superbly,” says Peddie. “That job fell mainly to Fortis and Gray who brought in all the excellent subcontractors.”

Encore Mechanical & Building Services Inc. handled installation of a new heating and cooling system, which in itself presented some challenges.

“Removing old walls and leaving exposed brick to create an old-world feel made it difficult to find places to install our systems,” explains Jeff St. Louis, Encore’s Heating and Cooling Manager. “But, we work well with Fortis and we were able to adapt as we moved through the project.”

“It was a pleasure working with people who know what they’re doing and that made the project enjoyable, while at the same time challenging,” adds St. Louis. (Refer to: EncoreMechanical.ca to see a list of all their services).

The interior of the building was gutted down to the bare walls by Fortis who then painstakingly brought it back to life.

“There is so much detail and character inside the bookshop,” says Beckett. “From the curved ceiling, the restored brick on the

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fireplace, the floor vents, which have been installed flush to the new hardwood flooring, all-wood custom doors and handpicked Emtek hardware, it’s a true work of art.”

In addition, there is an intricately designed archway, which leads to the children’s area.

The bookshelves, crafted from bleached white oak, were all made and installed by Grain Woodcrafting, a 10 year old Windsor company owned by Tom Gelinas. (Learn more at: GrainWoodcrafting.com) “White oak is fitting for a bookshop because it’s a nice hardwood, which fits in well with the shop’s interior design,” indicates Gelinas. “We built all the bookshelves and display tables from scratch in our own shop and we also handled the installation, which allowed us to keep a close eye on the quality of the finished product.”

Gelinas adds that Grain Woodcrafting doesn’t contract out any of the work and he believes his company is one of very few in the region that could have handled the bookshop project.

“We also built the archway leading into the children’s area, which is U-shaped,” he adds. “The bookshelves are all curved to follow the shape of the walls.”

Gelinas says his company generally

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splits its projects between residential and commercial with residential making up 80 percent of the company’s business.

“Any commercial work is a gift for us and we’re excited about the finished product and knowing that our work will be the first thing that many people see when they enter the bookshop,” states Gelinas.

It took Gelinas and his staff about two months to complete the work, which was among the final pieces to be completed in the shop.

“Our work always goes in last on any project,” he informs Biz X. The bookshelves will be filled with as many as 6,000 volumes hand-picked and purchased by Richard and Colleen along with Lori Wightman, a 16 year veteran of the Amherstburg Public Library system, who has been hired to manage the bookshop.

“In addition to being a stunning transformation, the shop will be a great place to meet, browse and socialize,” says Wightman. “I think every reader’s dream is to go out and buy whatever books they want, but it’s harder than it sounds.”

She describes how “It was a daunting challenge to try and anticipate our customers’ desires because you can’t just buy what you want. Working with the library in Amherstburg for as long as I did gave me an insight into what many local readers want to see in a bookshop.”

Wightman notes that in addition to featuring as many different genres as possible, Canadian authors will be wellrepresented in their inventory.

When the shop opened, the hand-crafted shelves were filled with books by authors from across the globe.

Meanwhile, on the exterior of the building, no expense was spared in restoring it as close to its original appearance as possible.

This includes exposing two windows on the east side, which had been previously boarded up, installation of wooden accents on the building’s front walls to give it an oldtime Victorian feel and a new stucco cornice

A beautiful burst of colours are found on the exterior wall of the River Bookshop. Harrow Artist David Creed, who is well known for his contemporary artwork and murals across Essex County, was responsible for this one of a kind painting, which was also meant to inspire us all. A quote by Canadian author Margaret Atwood: “A word after a word after a word is power” is painted at the very bottom. Full mural shot on page 30.

was added over the front of the building.

Other new features designed to give the building a Victorian appearance include crown cornices over the windows, a mural with quotes from famous authors on the east wall of the building, and new supports and foundations for the building’s windows.

Fortis Construction Group Inc., the project’s general contractor, is a local company backed by a collection of expert senior industry professionals with the

common goal of significantly improving the way construction projects are delivered.

For more than 40 years, Fortis has worked with clients openly and transparently while holding itself to the highest standards of professional and personal integrity.

The company’s mission is what drives Fortis to do everything possible to expand what it means to be a construction company.

They achieve this goal by creating ground-breaking projects, by building a diverse and passionate team, by partnering with the best in the industry and by making a positive impact on the communities where it operates.

“We used all local trades because that was really important to Richard and Colleen as well as ourselves,” explains Silvia Spadafora, Project Manager/Warranty Coordinator with Fortis. “We all worked well together on a complicated project delayed by COVID-19, which caused us to shut down construction for about six weeks.

Despite that delay, it was a really fun project to work on because we were determined to capture the building’s original history and appearance and it was a proud moment to see it all come together.”

In addition to working hand-in-hand with clients to help them achieve their vision, Fortis is committed to providing its clients

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with quality projects completed on time and on budget.

With offices in Windsor, London and Toronto, Fortis is competitive throughout Ontario and has established relationships with subcontractors and suppliers to provide competitive and qualified bids.

From general contracting to design-build and construction management, the Fortis team handles projects of any size and scope.

The company’s broad range of clients includes leading firms in the institutional, commercial, industrial, recreational and multi-tenant residential sectors.

In addition to Grain Woodcrafting and Encore Mechanical (mentioned earlier), other local subcontractors on the project include: RE-Lighting for lighting fixtures (see: RE-lighting.ca); Trevar Lawrence Painting and Decorating (see: TrevarLawrencePD.com); Crema Electric Ltd. and Unique Flooring for all hardwood and tile.

Much of the building materials were sourced from Wigle’s Home Hardware Building Centre in Amherstburg (website: HomeHardware.ca/store/12455).

To learn more about the general contractor log on to: FortisGroup.ca. For more information on this new Amherstburg business visit: RiverBookshop.com.

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ask the experts

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Achieve Home Comfort With Forest Glade Fireplaces

By Dave Halliday

Photos courtesy of Forest Glade Fireplaces

W

e have faced many challenges recently and as a result we have found ourselves at home more than we typically would be. As you hunkered down with your family to do your part to stop the spread of the coronavirus, did you notice you were more aware of your living space?

How many of us normally fly out of bed each morning amidst the mad scramble of our daily activities only to arrive home so late in the evening and head off to bed without even noticing our surroundings?

I bet more than one of our readers spent their isolation time looking at their home and considering options to improve it!

One such enhancement that comes to mind is having a gas fireplace. Surely the warmth and simplicity of a beautiful fireplace would add an extra comfortable and a cozy feel to any living space.

Now that our local merchants have reopened, with hopes of getting our economy up and running full speed again, we at Biz X found the opportunity to have a discussion with the knowledgeable folks over at Forest Glade Fireplaces (ForestGladeFireplaces.com).

Situated at 11400 Tecumseh Road East in Windsor, Forest Glade Fireplaces has been warming the homes of local residents for over 35 years and John Li Causi (second generation owner), was more than happy to share his years of experience with our readers. The family also operate a location (Lifestyles By The Fire Box) at 107 Erie Street North in Leamington and recently expanded to Chatham.

Tell us a little about what Forest Glade

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A new linear gas fireplace can add warmth and style to any living space.

Fireplaces provides. “We specialize in selling and servicing wood, gas and electric fireplaces for both indoor and outdoor applications,” informs Li Causi. “We also have a wide variety of BBQs, smokers, and patio flame tables.”

How can Forest Glade Fireplaces assist the consumer in choosing the best option for their needs? “We always start by asking our customers what their needs and wants are and determine how they use their space,” he indicates. “From there we can narrow down and focus on the best options for the individual’s needs.”

Besides the functionality, how can a fireplace assist in the appearance of a home? Li Causi comments, “Fireplaces are a great investment for your home and your soul as they provide a focal point and feature wall of most rooms by adding visual

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appeal and warmth. We see time and time again that they provide a gathering spot for family and friends and they become the centre and heart of the home.”

Forest Glade Fireplaces is known for industry leading grills that come in various sizes, styles, and a range of grilling levels, from chefs in the making to professional chefs. They supply gas, charcoal, portable grills and grilling accessories such as the Napoleon Built-in Prestige PRO 825 Propane Gas Grill (pictured).

Beyond appearance are there secondary benefits to installing a gas fireplace?

“Gas fireplaces add a lot of value to your home,” he states. “Besides being visually appealing they are very efficient and beneficial to your home. Direct vent fireplaces are efficient to run and can provide heat on those chilly fall nights when you haven’t turned on your furnace yet.”

Do you provide installation services for all that you sell and what are the benefits to professional installations? “We provide service as we have our own licensed gas installation professionals that install and service everything that we sell,” notes Li Causi pointing out: “This is one of many advantages when you shop and support a small, local business. From the moment you walk into our showroom a relationship is formed.”

Did we hear you mention pizza ovens?

“We offer a wide variety of wood ovens from Italy and smokers, like the Kamado, Weber and Napoleon,” he says. “They are so much more than pizza ovens; you can cook and smoke just about anything in them.”

As the local economy begins to emerge from the struggles of recent times, what will be your keys to success as it relates to your business and clientele?

“After all these years in business we thrive on customer service and COVID-19 has made us realize how personal our business is,” states Li Causi. “From interacting in our showroom to installing in their homes, we deal very closely with our clients.”

He concludes with: “We try our best to accommodate and work with our clients, especially under recent circumstances and I think that’s what sets us apart from other businesses . . . we treat everyone like family the moment they walk through our doors and we hope to continue to service our community for many more years!”

So now with your new gas features in your home you find you’re taking more time to relax and enjoy your surroundings.

Even though the nights are still reasonably warm you have been regularly lighting up the fireplace and the patio flame table. With your favourite beverage in hand the dancing flames are mesmerizing and relaxing.

Your culinary needs are also quite content at this point as you opted to include a pizza oven in your recent additions to your home.

Since it was installed you have been making and enjoying a seemingly endless variety of pizzas and other delicious creations.

And now your next step is to get a membership at a local fitness club before you become an even bigger couch potato!

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TAKE THE LEAD

Dr. Martha Reavley’s Legacy . . .

Impacting Generations Of Leaders

By Sherrilynn Colley-Vegh

L

ike many strong women leaders, I admire, Martha Reavley, Academic Director of the Richard Peddie Leadership Initiative was a born competitor.

She credits family for supporting her goals and dreams and showing her the importance of being a good person. Describing herself as a “bossy kid” she always looked for leadership positions, such as Captain or President.

During her 30 year career, she has served in leadership positions at the University of Windsor, Odette School of Business (Area Chairperson, Undergraduate Program Director, Associate Dean, Acting Dean).

Each of these positions gave her opportunities to work with others to enact Odette’s vision for an impactful and rewarding learning/working environment for all.

Currently, Reavley assists in leadership development programming, offering training and workshops to agencies such as Women Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor (WEST) and the Children’s Aid Society.

These programs develop competence and confidence to grow the leadership of others in our community.

She explains that “Overall, I see my role as helping to build leadership capacity and motivation in our community.”

Professor Reavley serves on the Board of Directors for Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation, and the Board of Directors, Vice-Chair, Leadership Advancement for Women and Sports (LAWS).

Her leadership has been recognized through the “Legacy Award” (WEST); “Distinguished Vocational Service Award” (Rotary International); the “Martha

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Dr. Martha Reavley, Professor and Area Chair, Management, at the Odette School of Business, University of Windsor. Photo courtesy of Martha Reavley.

Reavley Leadership Scholarship” and “Alumni Award for Excellence in Mentoring” (University of Windsor).

When asked about her most memorable teaching experience over her three decade career, she had a difficult time choosing.

“There is joy in every class and in every interaction, it lifts you to share the happiness of students achieving goals and finding out how they can make a difference in the lives of others,” states Reavley. “Sometimes, you are lucky enough to connect with students, learning from each other and it’s rewarding to watch them pursue their dreams.”

Education is adapting as COVID-19 changed our world forever. Reavley believes that a crisis has a way of bringing out the best in people and we have much to be proud of and celebrate.

“We are surrounded by caring people who throughout the crisis, serve,” she shares. “As a

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city and county, we have strong and thoughtful leadership where openness and transparency are the hallmarks of how our officials lead through these difficult times.”

Reavley expresses that great leaders of all shapes, sizes and ages are aware of who they are and understand their values, while focusing on others.

Leaders are great communicators who know how to motivate themselves and others and are committed to building leadership in others. For true leaders, the glory goes to the team and the grief goes to leaders. She prefers to think more of character traits that she admires rather than any single person.

“I love the steady, thoughtful leadership of political leaders such as Angela Merkle and Jacinda Ardern,” she notes.

Reavley plans to continue to plant seeds and grow leaders in our community to contribute to the vibrancy of our neighbourhoods. This includes working to support and bring the new hospital to reality.

“We are living in a world that needs transformational leaders who care for others and can inspire and take action,” says Reavley. “Today students are engaged in every aspect of their own education. These gender-neutral qualities of transformative leadership are a focus as we offer leadership opportunities and individualize their learning to suit their goals.”

She feels it is a special time for wellinformed young leaders who know how to build networks and organizations to make a difference in their communities.

Her parting advice: “Believe that you can — believe in yourself — find others who share your dreams and team up for greatest impact.”

Sherrilynn Colley-Vegh is an award winning leadership consultant and former Director of Leadership Windsor/Essex, Principal, Chief Communications Officer and business owner with over 30 years of experience in education, administration, mentoring, consulting and community leadership. If you know a leader in the community to profile here in this column email: Sherrilynn@BizXmagazine.com.

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11 LOCATIONS! Visit our Website for: • Virtual Tours of Our Campuses • Our Covid-19 Health and Safety Precautions & Helpful Resources! deltachichildcare.com Main Campus 519-977-5922 B I Z X M A G A Z IN E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0

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THE PARENTING BIZ

A Healthy Return To School Supplied By The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit

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OVID-19 has changed daily life for everyone. In the nearly six months since schools were open, children and caregivers have had to adjust to quarantine orders, closures, online learning, and not seeing friends and family.

As schools are now opening their doors again, it is normal that students, parents, and staff are feeling many emotions.

“Coronacation” Is Over The term coronacation has been used to describe the lack of structure in many people’s days since the onset of the pandemic. Children do best when there is a routine in place, and the school day provides this for them.

As schools reopen and kids learn about how to keep germs from spreading, it will be helpful for parents to remember that children are returning to a new normal with new routines, and this may take some practice.

To help start the school year off on the right foot, and keep everyone as healthy as possible, here are some things you can do at home.

Good Sleeping Habits Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important habits to help children be ready to learn.

For this school year, sleep is even more important because it can also help their immune system fight off diseases and infections. Unfortunately, sleep routines

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may have shifted while school was out. More relaxed bedtimes and sleeping in later are common through the summer.

Teenagers feel this the most as their body naturally wants to stay up late into the night and sleep through the morning. This can be a problem when students need to be ready for class at 9 a.m., or earlier.

To make sure students are at their best all day, they need to get enough sleep each night.

Children who are five to 13 years old should get between 9 to 11 hours of sleep each night.

Teens should get between eight to 10 hours each night.

To plan bedtime, figure out when your child needs to be ready to leave the house, and how much time they need to get ready. That time is when they need to wake up. Then, work backwards to find the best time to go to bed.

For example, if your child needs to be awake at 7 a.m. to start getting ready, and they do well with nine hours of sleep, bedtime should be 10 p.m. If they need more sleep, try moving bedtime earlier.

It is also a good idea to keep sleep and wake times the same each day.

Staying up much later on the weekends, and then sleeping in, will make it tough to get up on time on Monday morning.

Limiting Screen Time Virtual (at home) learning is going to be a reality for many students this year.

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They will spend more time on screens, like computers and tablets. Finding a balance between screen time and non-screen time will be harder, but important.

Guidelines suggest that children between the ages of five to 17 years should keep recreational screen use to a maximum of two hours a day. “Recreational use” means using screens for things like playing games, watching TV or movies, or surfing social media. This is different than the time spent on screens for school — that would be educational screen time.

Why should screen time be limited?

Time on screens is time not spent being active, sleeping, or interacting with others.

These things help with a child’s development and also keeps them healthy overall.

Knowing that screens may be used in long blocks of time for fun and education, make sure that children take breaks when using them.

For every 20 minutes spent on a screen, have them look away from the screen for at least 20 seconds. This gives the eyes a break from the screen and makes them focus on something at a different distance.

The body needs a break too. For every 60 minutes, have your child get up and move for at least five minutes.

Remember, these breaks aren’t only good for children, adults should do this too!

THE PARENTING BIZ Feeling Anxious Going back to school can make children excited, nervous, and even feel stressed.

After being away from school for six months, these feelings might be even stronger.

Talk to your child about what school will look like this year, in a positive way.

Get them excited about seeing their friends and teachers again, learning new things, and meeting new friends.

Schools will have new steps in place to keep everyone healthy, and these might make children nervous.

You can practice wearing a mask at home and proper hand washing so they feel comfortable with these things. Tell them why these things are important, and how they are keeping themselves and others healthy.

Also, make a point to talk to your child every day about school. Ask them how their day was, and what they learned.

Let them know that feeling nervous or worried is ok, and they can talk to you or their teacher about it. If they tell you they’re worried or upset, listen to them and take their concerns seriously.

Healthy Students, Healthy School To keep everyone as healthy as possible, parents are asked to do a symptom check with their child each morning.

If students have any new symptoms, or feel

You can practice wearing a mask at home with your child so they feel more comfortable with it. Getting your child used to seeing people in masks and other protective equipment can help lower any fear or anxiety he/she might have.

unwell, they are directed to stay home that day and follow up with their family doctor.

This symptom check is to be done by all school staff, too.

At home, children should be shown how to properly wash their hands, as well as how to cough and sneeze into a tissue or their elbow.

These practices help stop the spread of germs.

Schools will have more stations for hand washing and sanitizing, which students and staff can use during the day.

As another way to help stop germs from spreading, students in grades four and up will be required to wear non-medical or cloth masks inside the school.

Teachers will also be wearing a mask during the day. They may also need to wear

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other personal protective equipment, like a face shield or a gown, when in school.

Getting children used to seeing people in masks and other protective equipment can help lower any fear or anxiety they might have. (Note: there are exceptions allowed for people who cannot wear a mask at school for medical reasons.)

Making The Choice Going back to school is a big decision this year and families have the option of full time virtual learning, if that is more comfortable for them. If virtual learning is the best choice for you, these sleep, screen time, and hygiene tips are still important.

Schools are going to look a little different this year. The school day is going to flow a little differently, too.

From hand washing and checking for symptoms, to physical activity and sleep, the health and well-being of the entire school community is still the focus. We wish everyone a healthy and happy school year!

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, in partnership with other agencies and health care providers, seeks to enable all Windsor and Essex County residents to be as healthy as possible. The unit is located at 1005 Ouellette Avenue in Windsor. For more information on a Back To School tool kit, visit: WECHU.org/cv/safe-return-school-toolkit.

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THE PARENTING BIZ

Heading Back To School T he typical “summer slide” is a challenge for most students, creating a need to review previously learned skills at the beginning of each new school year.

Research shows that students lose about one month’s worth of school-year learning due to summer vacation. However, this year, with six months away from school due to the pandemic and then the summer break, children could have possibly lost up to three months’ worth of school-time learning.

This means they may not be prepared enough to cope with lessons in the next grade and could possibly fall behind.

And for September 2020, it’s even more important than ever to review and solidify previous knowledge.

Below are some foundational skills for reading that can be reviewed with your child now as they head back to the classroom (whether at home or at school).

Try to make learning multisensory (utilizing audio, visual and tactile senses) for better understanding, retention and recall.

Multisensory activities use the whole brain while learning. The belief is that the best way to teach concepts is by involving multiple areas in the brain.

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By Shelley Lavoie

By adding auditory or visual components to reading assignments, like illustrations or online activities, you can help your child develop stronger literacy skills.

For primary children, the foundational skills include the alphabet, the concept of print, phonological awareness and phonics.

For older children, review high-frequency words and fluency.

Reviewing these skills in a consistent manner promotes comfort and self-esteem.

RECOGNIZING THE ALPHABET The English language is based on 26 letters, each associated with one or more sounds and students need to know this. They must be able to recognize, name, and form these letters in order to read and write.

PRINT CONCEPTS When teachers introduce students to written language, students must understand the basic organization and concepts of print: Words have meaning, left-to-right and topto-bottom hierarchy; letters create words and words create sentences; words are separated by spaces, and punctuation controls the pace and expression of print.

Children frequently come to understand these concepts through owning their first books.

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Shelley Lavoie, Owner of The Literacy Loft shows Addyson MacDonald that printing words on the red cards, which cannot be spelled phonetically and do not follow any phonemic rules, remind students to “stop” and think about spelling them. The word “month” according to the rules, should be a short o sound, but it is a short u sound. Photo by Rod Denis taken prior to COVID-19 health guidelines.

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS This foundational skill is about recognizing the sounds of language.

It begins with word awareness and the ability to recognize, for example, the number of words that make up a spoken sentence.

Secondary mastery of these skills includes recognizing rhyme and syllables.

At the most detailed level, the phoneme level, students can discern the sounds that make up a word. They can segment the sounds within a word, blend sounds together to make a word, and substitute sounds to make new words.

THE PARENTING BIZ PHONICS Students must match a unit of sound (a phoneme) to the letter or letters that make the sound. Separating the written word into its individual sounds and blending the individual sounds of letters to make words are the foundation of reading.

HIGH-FREQUENCY WORD RECOGNITION Students must be able to recognize and read a collection of high-frequency words — many of which cannot be decoded by sight — and be able to do so with increasing automaticity.

FLUENCY Students must be able to read and comprehend text on-level accurately, at the appropriate rate, and with the correct expression.

This is best accomplished by repeated readings of text passages of increasing complexity while reporting the reading rate and accuracy.

Based on my own experiences as a tutor, reviewing these foundational reading skills can significantly help your child ease back into school.

In closing I leave you with more homework! Please read the ABC Life Literacy Canada (Toronto) blog to learn more family literacy activities here: AbcLifeLiteracy.ca/blog-posts/familyliteracy-blog-posts/tips-for-preventing-the-summer-slide.

Shelley Lavoie holds a Developmental Services Worker (D.S.W.) Diploma from St. Clair College, Psychology Degree from the University of Windsor and Learning Disability Specialist Post Graduate Diplomas from Cambrian College in both Learning Strategies and Assistive Technology. She is a certified Orton Gillingham tutor and owns The Literacy Loft, a tutoring agency that specializes in teaching people with developmental and learning challenges using the Orton Gillingham approach. It is located at 2052 Ottawa Street in Windsor and online: TheLiteracyLoft.ca.

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THE PARENTING BIZ

“Digital Parenting In The Age Of COVID-19” Webinar Series

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he COVID-19 pandemic has closed schools, cancelled extracurricular activities and isolated a large portion of the population at home — all at once.

Although the Windsor Essex region recently entered Stage 3, parents may still be feeling overwhelmed as their children were home more than usual this year (since mid-March), spending extra time online via phones, tablets, laptops and video games, possibly dealing with issues ranging from cyber bullying to FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) to cruel comments . . . or worse.

Youth Diversion (1821 Provincial Road, Windsor) wants to help parents help their kids get the most from technology while managing risks by adding to its existing #parentingunplugged webinar series (sponsored by The Solcz Family Foundation) featuring guest speakers offering safety tips, commentary and strategies to implement at home on all aspects of tech use and parental controls.

The #parentingunplugged webinar series, “Digital Parenting in the Age of COVID-19,” is intended to leave even the least tech-savvy parent feeling confident

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Youth Diversion’s goal is for parents to feel empowered to educate and support their kids in becoming positive decision makers online by encouraging responsible use. Photo credit: © Can Stock Photo/4774344sean

about strategies to implement at home to keep their child digitally resilient.

Joanna Conrad, Executive Director of Youth Diversion along with guest speakers, Sergeant Jeff Taylor of the Internet Child

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Exploitation Unit of Windsor Police Service and Kevin Cosgrove, a local IT specialist with over 20 years’ experience in the field, educate parents about social networking risks, cyber security, exposure

to pornography online, digital resiliency, predators, video game addiction and parental controls.

The webinars, available on the agency’s website: EcYouthDiversion.ca and YouTube, are a convenient and easyto-understand resource for parents with children of all ages.

A description of each webinar follows . . .

Webinar 1

Social Networking Risks With Sergeant Jeff Taylor: Online Predators; Online Grooming; Warning Signs Your Child Is/Has Been Communicating with a Predator; Is Your Child at Risk?; Strategies for Parents; Sending Nudes; Kids and Online Dating and Police Involvement in Online Activity.

Webinar 2

What’s the Big Deal Anyway With Sergeant Jeff Taylor: Social Media Risks; First Generation of Internet Parents; Kids Sending/Receiving Nudes; Sextortion; Fake Accounts; Ramifications of Digital Devices and Strategies for Parents.

Webinar 3

Video Games Addiction, Racism & A Hypersexualized Society: Internet Addiction; Video Games and the Brain; Correlation between Video Games and Gambling; Racism and Gender Stereotypes in Video Games; Age Ratings; Effects of a Hypersexualized Society on Kids and Consequences of Access to Porn Online.

Webinar 4

Parental Controls 101 Part I With Kevin Cosgrove, IT Specialist: Cyber Security and its Impact on Our Daily Lives; Digital Privacy and What it Means for Parents; Digital Resilience; Information Leaks and How They Affect Kids; Security Faults; Passwords; Public WiFi and Strategies for Parents.

Webinar 5

Parental Controls 101 Part II With Kevin Cosgrove, IT Specialist: Filtering and Blocking and What it Means for Parents; Software Controls; Domain Searches; Bypassing Security Settings; Software Options for Parents; Security Controls; Parental Controls and Privacy Settings.

After viewing the webinars, Youth Diversion’s goal is for parents to feel empowered to educate and support their kids in becoming positive decision makers online by encouraging responsible use.

Their five part webinar series is supported by the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund and by the WindsorEssex Community Foundation (WECF.ca).

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BROUGHT TO YOU BY

PROFILING LOCAL BUSINESS WOMEN Story And Photo By Julianna Bonnett

TRACY KLIE L

The Fruit And Veggie Lady

ocal entrepreneur Tracy Klie of County Bounty, finds herself driving door to door in her neighbourhood providing her community with fresh, local fruits and vegetables.

During the pandemic, grocery shopping turned into a fearful event for Klie and her family, including her 26 year old daughter Stephanie and her grandchild.

After waiting more than two weeks to receive her groceries ordered online, she knew something had to change.

Thanks to Klie’s niece, who works at a greenhouse in Essex County, she was able to find her first wholesale supplier and began getting the best locally sourced vegetables and fruits she had ever dreamed of.

“I realized, whenever I would order groceries online, the fruits and vegetables I would order were of such low quality and they would go bad within days of getting them,” Klie states. “It became frustrating for me; I came to the realization that if I wanted to get healthier for myself, I needed to source out my own vegetables.”

When making her orders from the greenhouse in Essex County, Klie found her challenge to be that if she wanted two cucumbers, she would have to buy a whole box to receive high quality produce.

This allowed her to share the bounty (of the county!) with her friends and family and with any extra produce she had left over donated to the Street Help kitchen.

While driving back and forth from the houses of friends and family, Klie came to the realization there was a need for this service in the community, as so many people wanted locally-sourced fruits and vegetables. And so, County Bounty was born in May 2020.

Tracy Klie’s new mobile farmers’ market reminds us of visits from the milkman for residential dairy delivery so many years ago, but also it reminds her of how she grew up. Raised eating from a bountiful garden, full of fresh organic produce and working in jobs in neighbouring fruit and vegetable farms, she now brings healthy food right to the front door of her customers.

“Doing this has really brought me back to my childhood roots,” explains Klie. “I grew up with a big garden, full of fresh fruits and vegetables and even worked on farms in my earlier years.”

Klie who works Monday to Thursday at a dental office in LaSalle explains that even though being a Dental Hygienist full time and operating County Bounty on the weekends, she finds a good balance when it comes to maintaining her mental health.

“Most people assume that I’m stressed because I am doing so much, but I have found a very good groove to my work ethic,” shares Klie. “There are a few things I can do throughout my week that help me relax, which is going on my regular bike rides, having some personal time to myself and relaxing in my hot tub when I can.”

Throughout the week, Klie prepares baskets for local orders, including a small basket of produce, a medium basket and a large basket, all varying between $14 to $40 a basket. Each basket contains different produce, depending on what you order, including cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, garlic, red onions, and many more items to choose from.

“I ask for most orders to be put in on Wednesday before 9 p.m., and once that’s done, we pick up that local produce and deliver it to that person’s door on Friday,” explains Klie.

In the future, Klie hopes to be delivering food items to the community full time and build her business up into something bigger.

“You find so much fuel in something that drives you,” shares Klie. “The passion just takes over when you’re putting your all into something that you love and that can help your community, I don’t consider it work.”

Already enjoying “amazing success” with her biz, Klie began in mid July a mobile farmers’ market on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in LaSalle at 6150 Malden Road, next to Imperial Diner.

The market runs until the end of October.

To place your first order with Klie or to learn more about her company, check out: ShopCountyBounty.com or on social media: Facebook.com/shopcountybounty.

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Craft Supply Canada . . .

A Cut Above The Rest OF THE MONTH

By Dave Hall

Offering more colours than you can find in a rainbow, Craft Supply Canada Owner Leslie Headley cuts some heat transfer vinyl that will be bonded to a T-shirt design. Photo by Rod Denis.

I

ncreasing sales and a customer base, growing across Canada, has convinced Leslie Headley to move her Craft Supply Canada business from her basement into a brick-and-mortar storefront on Walker Road in Windsor.

“After two-and-a-half years of working out of six rooms in my basement, I decided I needed my house back,” says Headley with a smile. “It’s a small business, but it was still taking up too much room.”

Headley received the keys to 3750 Walker Road on March 1 and two weeks later, the COVID-19 mandatory shutdowns forced her to delay a planned move, which would have seen her open the doors in late March.

“It delayed everything and I understand why, but it caused my business to slow right down,” she explains. “I had already taken down much of my website to sell supplies in person and not as much online.”

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Headley launched her online business after having difficulty finding quality supplies to use in making hair clips for her daughter.

“I ended up buying from a company in the U.S. before a friend and I decided to start our own business supplying those items to parents in a similar situation,” Headley informs Biz X. “In April of 2019 I bought out my friend’s share and decided to go it alone.”

Then in September 2019 she purchased the entire inventory of a similar craft supply company, which was going out of business.

Since that time, Headley’s business has grown in leaps and bounds and moving to a storefront seemed like the only solution.

With a background as a child and youth worker, as well as having experience running a consignment shop for a few years, Headley readily admits that a career in retail sales was not a direction she thought her life would ultimately take.

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“But I also always wanted to work for myself and I love it,” she says. “My husband and I have three children and working for myself gives me a certain amount of flexibility to meet our family’s needs as well as those of the business.”

And since many businesses are not operating at full capacity and hours are constantly changing due to COVID-19 issues, for now, Headley plans to be open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and on Tuesday and Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

With uncertainty lingering over schools re-opening in September, Headley intends to keep home-schooling her three children — aged two, seven and eight — for the time being.

“It’s a difficult decision for any parent, but I’m lucky in having the opportunity to keep them at home,” she states. “It’s a small thing, but it also helps open up classroom spaces for parents who don’t have the choice I do.”

In addition to getting her household back in order, Headley is also looking forward to serving customers in person.

“It’s easier to match colours for one thing and it also gives me an opportunity to make a connection with my customers,” she says.

“I’m excited about the move and ready to get started.”

The product lineup includes: hair bows, nylon bands, clips, velvet sheets, fabric flowers, faux leather and vinyl options as well as Cricut supplies for customers with Cricut machines who are seeking to make their own finished items.

“It’s a Do-It-Yourself crafting store for people with creative ideas,” she points out.

“We’re always adding to our product line.”

Headley is concentrating on shipping across Canada for the moment because shipping rates for U.S. customers are prohibitively expensive.

“It’s kept me busy enough servicing our Canadian customers,” she says.

The new store opened August 15 and the website was re-launched on August 21.

Currently, Headley has two employees but plans to hire more if needed.

For more information, visit their website: CraftSupplyCanada.com.

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