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Home My WebLink AboutThe Huron Expositor, 1995-07-12, Page 22 -THE HURON EXPOSITOR, July 1E, lith Business Beat Ice company local success story BY GREGOR CAMPBELL Expositor Staff +'' If you were seeking the Huron Ice Company Inc. here in Seaforth without directions you would have a hard time finding it. Because it looks like a typical family -home on Spar - ling Street. But out back. is a big small- town success story; the biggest ice company in this part of the province, north of London and west of Kitchener. When summ;,r starts to swel- ter the icemen move into overdrive. • "They call it the 100 -day season," says owner Kurt Stryker. "We do about 75 per cent of our total yearly sales between the May 24 weekend and Labour Day. ' The 20 -year-old local business is now producing at capacity, quietly purring around the clock putting out about 40,000 pounds of ice daily. During summer's hot spells the Strykers sometimes have dif- ficulty staying on top of orders, despite a storage capacity of 30,000 bags here in Seaforth and another 20,000 bags at the company depot in Owen Sound. It is a demanding market Kurt says. Excuses won't chill a summer drink. Customers want their ice when they want it - and if you can't deliver now they tend "to get upset and excited." They will go somewhere else. The Huron Ice Company has four trucks running out of Seaforth and another at Owen Sound. It services hotels and restaurants and about 300 wholesale freezers located in stores, gas stations, marinas and similar locations. The market runs roughly west to about Forest, north to Lion's Head and Miller Lake and east to Wiarton, Owen Sound, Mt. Forest and Markdale. Business is particularly booming on the Bruce Penin- sula these days. Stryker says he "doesn't know what a 40 -hour week is". He leads his busy employees by example in the heat and humidity, by personally working from 70 to 80 hours a week at this time of year. He has high praise for all of his employees, including son Dan.. He says they are tired with the long hours and often working beyond the call of duty these days. The business now employs five full time and tour part-timers for the sum- mer, often college students, and has two spare drivers. THE ICEMEN COMETH - Harold Hugill of the Seaforth's Huron Ice Company Inc. takes a break bagging the successful product at the plant on Sparling Street. He is standing in front and below of the units in which ice is made, about 20 tons a day at this time of year which is peak season in this industry. "A LIGHT CAME ON" Kurt also figures the com- It's all a far cry from 1972 Pany also now has "well over when the Strykers first came to $700,000" invested in equip- Seaforth. ment. Kurt and his wife Corrie, Along the way The Huron now an officer with the com- Ice Company bought out four pany, lived in Goderich back competitors in this region. then. He was the sales manager Capacity is the key to surviving at a' car dealership. They and thriving here and now in bought a wholesale confec- this business Kurt says. tionery and paper products Water feeds into tubes in business at 11 Sparling Street, units that look like huge silver still their Seaforth location, water heaters. The temperature although that soon may change. is lowered until ice forms in The original business turned the tubes, then a blast of pres- out "not too profitable" Kurt surized hot gas allows the tube says. Some customers asked of ice to fall into storage areas, where packaged ice was available "and a light went on." The Strykers invested $10,000 in used ice -making equipment and were off to the races. They sold the confectionery business in 1975 but still sell wholesale paper and party supplies, such as plates and cutlery, as a sideline. At first they, at best, could produce about 600 lbs. of ice per day, about 75 bags. Today the local company produces 20 tons daily in peak season, roughly 66 times that. subject to rigorous and constant govemment inspection and standards which eats up a lot of time and resources. Stryker does all his . own maintenance and the building seems bursting at the seams. There isn't any wasted space. ICE IN THE OLD DAYS In a cabinet on an office wall up front are knick-knacks and artifacts, of the ice business not so very long ago - scrapers, picks, and whatnot. Mechanical refrigeration is a relatively recent technology. It is about a half -century old. where it is_brokea. info sma]L Ice wasn't something you round cubes and from whence toblrfor granted and 'got from machines back then. It was It is augured and conveyed to a larger storage unit. When enough has collected it is further conveyed to a bagging area and machine. The bagged ice moves along another belt to the storage room, to be loaded on refrigerated trucks later for delivery. The company also makes pressed blocks and crushed ice. All the ice -making equipment is stainless steel, and ice being a food of sorts, the business is harvested during the winter, sawn into blocks from frozen lakes and rivers and stored in ice houses or in deep pits where it was insulated with sawdust. Ice was regularly harvested in at least three spots in Seaforth, and stored in a half-dozen or so ice houses around town. If you had a light winter the community ran out of local ice early, the price would go up when you to ship it in from elsewhere, and there would be Continued on pg. 8 THE CHILL OF IT ALL - One of the coolest places to be in Seaforth during the hot spells of summer is the storage room of the Huron Ice Company Inc. on Spading Street. Here the boss, Kurt Stryker (on left), poses with some of his busy employees who he is proud of. From left: Stryker, Dan Stryker, Jeff Gemmell, Paul McLlwain, Harold Hugill, Dan Wildfong and Shawn Costello. Absent when this photo was taken were Corrie Stryker and Owen Sound employees Wayne Datema and Trevor Hummel. MALCOLM GRAY INSURANCE BROKERS LTD. •HOME • FARM •AUTO • • COMMERCIAL Auto Insurance Tip... Not -at -fault or out -of - province claims must be reported. SEAFORTH 522-0399 ALLAN CARTER BROKER Strathroy 1-800-265-0959 "The Btb(r Church that has the family at "N.G. heart" ."1«.-R..•MI. (14"." Bethel Bible Church 48 Water Si., Egmondville join Us This Summer For Worship 10:00 Morning Worship Service 7:00 Evening Bible Study There are also a number of small group Bible Studies that meet through the week. Let us know how we can serve you. Call for more information. Pastor: Rev. Rick Lucas (519) 522-0070 Egmondville United Church Summer Worship Schedule Sunday, July 9th - 10:00 a.m. -- Sunday, July 16th - 10:00 a.m. Saturday, July 22nd 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 30th„ -- 10:00 a.m. - August - Closed Ser.frez Suseacez Sale ANNUALS $6.°° flat GERANIUMS $10.°° flat HANGING BASKETS or BAGS - 2 for $16.°° Plus many, many morel Our Perennial Display Garden is a must to,we at various times or the year! "Beautifying HumrrtiountySince 1981 TE -EM FARM rr aedru' e Paistd,Irlt. OPEN 9 to 8 Mon. to Fri., 9io6Sdf.ttSun. RR !I hayfield,Ont. NOM IGO Ted and Emma onder Warden (519) 482.3020 1111.1\0•I•l \ING IMP* REPAIRS • REBUILDING MP' • KEYS RECOVERED lir • DAr.1PP CHASERS • REGULATING mum • •BENCHES Ewa mom ttttttt- Imo tttttr BRUCE PULSIFER 348-92 utitttt:t.i. McLaughlin Chev-Olds Ltd. 13 Main St. Sealath. 527-1140 •Service •Selection 'Savings .satisfaction •t,easing% •Com• = e BODY SHOP Service S.D.C.C. 1995 N.H.L. PLAYOFF POOL FINAL STANDINGS CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS. Rank Pts. '500.00 1 Bob Henderson 203 '200.00 2 Joe 1 (Joe Carroll) : 201 8100.00 3 M & D I (Larry Dolmage) 193 $ 60.00 4 Terry Gray II 192 $ 35.00 5T Bill McIver 185 $ 35.00 5T J.P.S. 3.(John Steffler) 185 $ 25.00 7 B + C #2 (Pat Flanagan) 184 $ 20.00 8 Laurene Regele 175 $ 15.00 9 Arnold 2 (Arae Van Diepen) 174 ' 10.00 10 Bob McNaughton #2 165 Special thanks to Pizza Train and Archie's Service Centre for their sponsorship • Home • Business • Auto • Life • Farm • Toll Free 1-800-876-4163 • •• 271434O • THE CONFIDENT CHOICE Danny Muir_, 'Qcensed Broker ORR INSURANCE Orr Insurance Brokers Inc. • 50 Cobourg Street • • Stratford, Ontario N5A 3E5 • Fax Number 271-7626 TastyNu Bakery & Cheese House For a limited time! 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The Council of the Town of Seaforth will hear, in person or by counsel or agent, any person who claims his land will be prejudicially affected by the said By-laws and who applies to be heard at a meeting to be held at the Seaforth Council Chambers on the 8th day of August, 1995 at the hour of 7:30 p.m. or so soon thereafter as the said meeting may be held. DATED at the Town of Seaforth this 5th day of July 1995. James Crocker, Administrator Clerk -Treasurer 72 Main Street, P.O. Box 610 Seaforth, Ontario NOK 1 WO (519)527-0160 •