C
Business
onnections January 2013
2013 - A Year Long 150th Birthday Bash!
Incorporated as a village on December 22, 1863, the Town of Orangeville is gearing up for its sesquicentennial celebration and a year-long tribute to the Town’s history. "One hundred and fifty years is a big deal and we need to celebrate it," says Orangeville Mayor Rob Adams. “In addition to official Town events, our community organizations and groups, businesses, schools, and residents are welcome to organize celebrations, big or small.” To join in the celebration of our Town, find out about events and initiatives underway and to promote your own event, visit the Town’s birthday website – www.orangeville150.ca.
Construction Completed on New Tourism Centre Construction has been completed on the Orangeville Tourism Centre located at 200 Lakeview Court. The new building provides a variety of information on Orangeville’s tourism attractions, events, accommodations, amenities and more and will help solidify Orangeville’s identity as an up-and-coming tourism destination. The attractive two-storey, 4,200-square-foot building is ideally situated to draw in tourists travelling through the Town of Orangeville or along Highway 10. The lower level of the building will house Orangeville Visitor Services and Theatre Orangeville administration services and is accessed from Buena Vista Drive. The upper level has been leased to a tenant and is accessed from Lakeview Court. Landscaping to the property will be completed in the spring and provide a picturesque location for visitors to stop and admire the view of the scenic Island Lake Conservation Area. A generous donation by Edenwood Custom Furniture has added some local history to the building. Specializing in creating beautiful and unique furniture out of reclaimed wood, Edenwood has resurfaced barn board from the Robinson property on B Line that was over 100 years old for use in the new tourism centre. Complementing the historic downtown area, Edenwood has taken a piece of Orangeville and turned it into a beautiful and visual reminder of our past. Visitor services are now available at the Tourism Centre and provided by Theatre Orangeville which assumed these responsibilities as of June 1, 2012. The new centre will provide a selection of pamphlets, brochures and flyers and have trained staff on site to answer inquiries in person, by telephone or by email. The Tourism Centre will be open Monday to Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., as well as select holidays. Orangeville Visitor Services staff can be reached by calling 519-415-8687 or emailing tourism@orangeville.ca.
ORANGEVILLEBUSINESS.CA
Volume 4
Issue 1
COMPANY PROFILE
Edenwood Custom Furniture Co-op student Patrick Lockyer (left) and Edenwood representatives Colin, Mark and Lisa Forrester join Economic Development Manager Nancy Huether at the Tourism Centre’s reception desk.
For several years, in addition to maintaining a full-time job, Colin Forrester enjoyed re-purposing wood and metal products as a hobby. Innovative by nature, Colin enjoyed salvaging old furniture that was headed for a landfill site and using it to create new pieces. He was good at his trade and began to generate a small revenue from his original designs. Three years ago, when his employer re-located, Colin decided to make some changes. Tired of a long commute, not interested in relocating and looking for quality of life improvements, he decided to take the plunge into self-employment on a full-time basis and Edenwood was born. Colin began selling his trendy and original furnishings primarily to the private consumer through word-of-mouth referral and by using online buy-and-sell sites such as kijiji. Within a year however, Starbucks had discovered the Edenwood designs online and recognized the fit between Edenwood’s reclaimed, locally sourced furniture and Starbuck’s environmentally friendly perspective. Colin has been building custom countertops and furnishings for Starbucks ever since. Today, in addition to completing a significant amount of custom work for private homeowners, about 50% of Edenwood’s work is for commercial businesses such as Starbucks and Steam Whistle Brewery. In fact, the business is preparing to enter the U.S. market and anticipates having its product in approximately 50 U.S.-based retail stores in the near future. Not only has Colin created work for himself, but his son Mark now works in the business full-time and Colin’s wife Lisa, contributes to the administrative management. Edenwood provides an excellent example of local business leadership. Colin strives to work with other local businesses, supports the high school co-op program and contributes to the community in other ways as well. He has formed an alliance with another Orangeville business owner, Mark Brooks of AngCam Metal Ltd., and the two partner on a number of projects, demonstrating the benefits of local collaboration. When a century-old barn was demolished on B Line, Colin quickly saw the opportunity to preserve a piece of Orangeville’s history, share an interesting story, and create new uses for the wood. Working with the Town to bring appeal and historic charm to the new Tourism Centre, Edenwood made a significant contribution to the project and his community – as demonstrated in the Centre’s beautiful new boardroom table, resurfaced reception desk, and attractive feature wall – all created using century-old Orangeville barn boards. “I plan to grow my business here in town,” says Colin. “I have lived in large urban areas and other smaller towns throughout Ontario, but none of them have that sense of community that I find in Orangeville. I love running into people I know and developing new friendships. Orangeville is a wonderful place to settle in, to raise a family – and a business!” To explore Edenwood’s fine craftsmanship, visit www.edenwoodfurniture.com or drop in to the new Orangeville Tourism Centre and see first-hand how furniture can be reborn.
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