Keeping It Local, Because It’s Worth It

Why entrepreneurs are sticking with Windsor-Essex.

By Devan Mighton

Photos by Dave Hunter

Naturally, businesses need to branch out. Whether it be to find affordable locations, skilled labour, or better access to investors and materials, companies, as they grow, need to find what works best for them to thrive in the modern global marketplace.

However, there is a growing demand for businesses to support their local communities—through jobs, through feeder industries, and supplying local product to local consumers.

These three entrepreneurs, representing Windsor-Essex County have done what it takes to not only grow, but to thrive in their markets and, most importantly, keep it local!

Ameen Fadel, Cedar Valley Selections

While attending Belle River District High School, Ameen Fadel, a Gr. 10 student at the time, heard over the announcements that the government was giving away $3,000 to 30 business-oriented students to start their own company. He was excited about the idea, but what he didn’t have was an idea.

The next day, as he sat with a guidance counsellor, she suggested an idea. Her son played minor hockey with Fadel and reminded him that whenever they held a team party, everyone would always beg Fadel’s mother, Surria, to bring her fattoush salad. She suggested that maybe Fadel should consider bottling his mother’s dressing as a business. At first, Fadel thought the idea was funny, but, suddenly, it struck him that it wasn’t such a bad idea. “I said, ‘There’s no bottled fattoush dressing in Canada, so maybe I’ll partner with my mom and see how it goes.’”

And, a business was born.

In 2017, Cedar Valley’s product started hitting the local farmer’s markets, but since fattoush salad is traditionally served with pita chips, the Fadels started getting asked if they would soon make those too. They acquiesced and another popular product line was born. The next year, their products were in Sobey’s and Whole Foods, but with the whole production still just a mother and son team, with an ever-expanding product line, they outsourced their dressings to a company in London.

“With the chips, we couldn’t find anyone across North America ... to make them, so we decided to take the risk and open up a facility in Windsor and see what happens,” explains Fadel. “In mid2020, we signed a lease for a 5,000 sq. ft. facility in Oldcastle and we turned it into a pita chip manufacturing facility.”

Today, Cedar Valley Selections is available in 750 retail outlets across Canada and will soon be expanding fine balance of ventilation, lighting, and humidity. His goal was for his flora and fauna to thrive, as well, to feel like they were living in their native jungle. For his dart frogs to reproduce, Krol knew that he needed to provide small bursts of fine mist at certain times throughout the day—while he was still at work.

Krol used a mixture of his IT training and biology courses he took in university and fabricated an automated system to keep the dart frog situation in check. As word of his creation grew, he used his business acumen to craft his own business—MistKing.

“Once the news came out that some frog-obsessed guy was making automated misting systems, I started getting contacted by different hobbyists, collectors, universities, zoos, and botanical gardens,” explains Krol. Eventually, he was able to make his hobby his day job. “My then seemingly perpetual and somewhat aimless UofW education of business, IT, and interest in biology fit my business like a glove. I could do my own websites, run my own business, and understand a lot of the biology concepts my customers were talking about.” further with a few new yet-unannounced partners.

“We have a team of 12 employees working for us in the facility, making all of the product day-in and day-out,” states Fadel. “Now, me and my mom are more in management roles now, working on the growth and the vision of the company—and where we’re going to go next.”

Cedar Valley is just as focussed on staying local as they are going national.

“For us, it’s important because, you see the trend of the market, you’re seeing that consumers want to buy more local and they are supporting more local,” explains Fadel. “There’s not a lot of food manufacturing here in Windsor and we want to be one of the leaders here and grow our business to show that it’s possible, and encourage other local entrepreneurs to do the same.”

Marty

Krol, MistKing by Jungle Hobbies Ltd.

Marty Krol never saw making misting systems for amphibians as a profession. After picking up business and computer science degrees at the University of Windsor and finishing his Master’s in business IT overseas, Krol was happily working IT at Wayne State University. However, his self-described obsession with tropical environments, orchids, insects, and amphibians like poison dart frogs dominated his personal life. Late into the night, Krol would build intricate terrariums with mosses and orchids as homes for his prized frogs, requiring a

Krol has an extensive list of worldwide clients, like the San Diego Zoo, Bronx Zoo, Smithsonian, Harvard, Stanford, a few museums of natural history, London’s Royal Botanical Gardens, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, the Vancouver Aquariam, and has distributors in the US, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and across Asia. Also, MistKing has aided in helping organizations like the Bronx Zoo keep the virtually extinct Kihansi spray toad alive. Now, thanks to MistKing, these near-extinct toads are multiplying and are being bred in multiple zoos.

Through all of this, Krol has kept MistKing local because of his strong personal connection to the area and its place as a manufacturing and eCommerce hub.

“I’m a first generation immigrant and came to join my family in Windsor when I was 14,” states Krol. “A few decades later, my parents passed away and my brothers moved back, so I’m essentially here by myself with my own family.

“While Windsor may not be a Canadian crown jewel, it is very conveniently located. We are essentially an eCommerce company and rely heavily on courier shipping daily. Having good rates to the USA is vital. Overnight ground shipping all the way up to Ottawa is also a major bonus. I’ve lived in Essex County most of my life, so having a business here works. I don’t know if there is a more strategic location in Canada for an eCommerce company that does a lot of its business with the USA.”

James Gibb, Affinity Outdoor Living Products

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, James Gibb was already 18 years deep into a career in plastics manufacturing. Gibb had spent time in injection molding, thermal-forming plastics, and fabrication—servicing automotive, recreational, and marine applications—and was well-versed in both the manufacturing process and manufacturing systems for plastics.

“When COVID started, I had a number of friends and families who owned businesses and restaurants who were reaching out to me looking for COVID plexiglass and lexan barriers,” explains Gibb. “They did not know where to go, where to source these ... and I had a couple people reach out because of my experience and my industry contacts and asked if I could start building something for them.”

Finding his new calling, on Feb. 13, 2021, Gibb quit his day job and pursued Affinity Outdoor Living Products fulltime. His company is predominantly focussed on outdoor living products for both home and business. Twenty per cent of their business is other industries like agriculture and sports and recreation.

“Our success story is our brand recognition,” states Gibb. “Over the past two and a half years of growing the outdoor living products division, we’ve grown our catalog. I started with a custom consignment of a park bench for a client and that park bench is really what started the process of building a catalog of outdoor living products.

“In the past 30 months, I’ve grown the catalog to over 30 products that are designed, ready-built for sale that we sell-direct, as well as through a network of dealers and resellers throughout Ontario and expanding into the US now.”

Gibb explains that keeping the business local has aided in their success.

“We have the skills, the knowledge, and we’re a manufacturing hub of Canada and, honestly, North America,” says Gibb. “We have the people, we have the brains, we have the know-how to do a lot of stuff in this area. This area, from a manufacturing standpoint, has a very deep, strong history of people with capabilities. When I look at Windsor-Essex, for me, growing the business here, it’s very vital to be able to supply throughout Canada and, as well, into the US.” W.E.

Are you looking for a dynamic career that is in high demand? Look no further than St. Clair College. Our exceptional faculty provide top-notch, in-class and hands-on learning to ensure you have the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the manufacturing industry. Our programs offer apprenticeships and earn-while-you-learn options for added hands-on experience. Let St. Clair College be your launching pad for a successful career in manufacturing.