Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1988-02-24, Page 5n the Street By Jim Beckett Last week's thankyou ad in the T -A from the Grand Bend Winter Carnival reads like the Grand Bcnd and area telephone book. When scanning the names of businesses and individuals you get the impression almost everyone in town contributed to the success of the event in one way or another. Chairman Dave Sheppard sounded extremely proud of the sup- port his organization received. I talked with him on Monday, Febru- ary 15 and you could tell he was still on a high from the success of the previous two weekends. Sheppard said every hotel in town was filled and many businesses described the Carnival as another May 24 weekend. One of the ulti- mate compliments of several received by the Carnival chairman came from a waitress who called him Sunday morning. "I want you to know I made S103.00 in tips last night, " she beamed into the phone,. When you multiply this by hundreds of similar stories you are con- vinced Grand Bend will be building on the success of its WinterCar- nivals for many years to come. Because so many people in the small community get involved you also know the Grand Bend Winter Carnival goes far beyond the two weekends of bringing extra dollars into the community. The Winter Carnival is genuinely a fun experience for families. This includes the many local families who host all the festivities and the hundreds of parents and children who have found another reason to enjoy coming to Grand Bend. * * * * One of the most successful reader participation promotions in recent months was the 'Pucker -Up" contest where photos of lips had to be matched with photos of the staff at MacLeans. Gary MacLean said the purpose of the contest was to create a little fun and apparently it did that. Ivan Hern of R.R. 1, Granton was the best judge of lips and will be receiving a gift certificate cour- tesy of MacLeans. * * * * • Jack Lavender, of Jack's Small Engine Repair Service in Hen- sall sent a clipping last week which he believes accurately defines the definition of the word "Entrepreneur." It was gleaned from the premier issue of the Servicing Dealer and reads as follows: "Men who found businesses are the Green Berets in our army of economic men. They fight. their battles over all kinds of terrain - in basement foxholes, out of the garage or the back of a truck." "Entrepreneurs swim in white water rapids, with the full knowledge that there's nobody around who's going to throw them line or scraps of wood; or even a few words of encouragement. What comments they do get tend to come from critics, hecklers and unbelievers." Sound familiar? * * * * If you like stimulating conversation and a friendly, relaxed atmos- phere just drop into the Huron Restaurant anytime Monday to Friday for the morning coffee break. - Just one of the arguments going on last Tucsday was between Der- ry Boyle and Danny Heywood as to why the Montreal Canadi- ens and Toronto Maple Leafs have been faltering lately. Heywood maintained you can't win hockey games without defense and Boyle stressed the importance of having good scorers. The 'debate continued with neither party giving an inch but Derry Boyle came up with a statement I thought was interesting. It's doubtful if anybody has watched more local hockey games than the former mayor and his audience reacted with surprise when he said he enjoys watching the novices and atoms play more than any other category. "I've been following hockey since the days teams had seven players on the ice at once and these kids today can skate and shoot better than anybody," Boyle addcd. When questioned as to why he thought hock- ey was improved today Boyle attributed it to two factors... "artificial ice and better coaching." * * * * Every once in a while you'll notice a fad, or a strange trend that de- fies logical explanation. in the late 60's auto• makers persuaded us that a car .was basically ugly unless covered with an attractive vinyl roof at a cost of just over $200. During the next years that fad was pushed to the limit when we were persuaded a full vinyl roof really wasn't in. We were told a half vinyl roof (your choice of front or rear) was the •ultimate in dressing up' your car. Now, get this. The half vinyl roof could be purchased for only slightly more than thc full version which was rapidly losing favor. They sold it and we bought it. That's why I find it impossible to jump all over my kids as they have joined the Exeter fad of wearing running shots in the winter. Have you ever watched all our young, future leac(ers as they march off to school during some of the coldest days of the year? Instead of seeing a vast array of the warmest boots made... boots designed for survival and comfort in sub -Arctic temperature... we're forced' to look at the same running shoes we thought were put away in November.. Adidas, Nike, Puma, Reebock, etc. arc names that are rapidly re- placing Grcb, Kodiak, Sorel and others that have been keeping our toes warm for decades. Visit the arena and look at the feet of everyone under 18 and you'll think we're living in Florida instead of the middle of the snow belt. An you sec are running shoes. My boys are no different than most others.. Both arc firmly con- vinced they're automatically included with the smart people when they wear running shoes in the winter. The most disappointing thought about the whole thing is I don't have the nerve to correct them. You see, I'm one of thousands who paid considerably extra for the half -vinyl roof. ' * * * * Larry Taylor of Exeter has stopped smoking thanks to the efforts of his'son Trevor. Trevor, 11, a second year member of the Exeter Broncos atom hock- ey team has been bugging his father about smoking for years and Lar- ry's response was, "I'll quit when you get your first hat trick." It took Trevor a while but he finally did it on the weekend in a tour- nament at Wasaga Beach. Peter's Point Continued from [-mc 4 beef casserole appeared, ready to be heated in 3 minutes. Corned beef casserole is one of our favourite dishes. Everybody loves it. "What on earth did you have for lunch?" Elizabeth asked. "Oh, i had tuna salad sandwiches, and the kids had milk," 1 said. "You really must get your hearing checked," Elizabeth advised. iVow why docs she say that when she knows perfectly well that there is nothing wrong with my hearing? It would have taken her ten seconds to open the door of the microwave oven and show me the casserole. "And another thing —" Elizabeth pointed at the pantry, "you didn't mark the tuna cans off ,the list" Some people never learn that it's praise I want, not criticism. m Peter Hesse!, 1988 What? You haven't sent in your entry for the PETER'S POINT CONTEST (PPC) yet? Don't you realize that the deadline is February 29th? So get off: your butt and drive, walk. ski or skate over, Eo your newspaper office NO , Times -Advocate, February 24, 1988 Sales u15-43 percent Market upturn spurs production An upturn in the farm implement_ Program in the late 1970s, was left market has prompted Kongskilde in with an overcapacity that required cutbacks in both the work force and 4 the management of their only North -American plant. "Since 1982, we've had to go through very much a consolidation program,' said Poole, who pointed_ out that at the beginning of the dec- ade there were 9,200 farm equip- ment dealers in the U.S.; now there are approximately 5,000 remaining. "Forty-three percent of our busi- ness goes into the U.S. market," said Poole. Last August, Kongskilde entered the materials -handling industry with the development of pneumatic con- veying systems. Essentially, the system uses airflow to move small items via pipe networks throughout factories. The conveyors can move. everything from peanuts to bottle caps. "From a strategic point of view, we're trying to diversify more," said Poole. His com.an wishes to be Exeter to expand its operations. No physical changes will be made to the factory, but a larger work force has been hired to make better use of the plant's capacity. George Poole, president of Kongskilde, attributed his compa= ny's improved standing in the mar- ketplace to an increase in farm in- come and to changes in farming practices in.Canada and the United States. Trends towards reduced tillage for fields have allowed Kongskilde to increase sales of their vibrating cul- tivator, the Conser-Tine. Sales for this cultivator have in- creased roughly 43 percent over 1986 levels and Poole anticipates that some models will push sales further still. That is good news for an industry - which was dealt a severe blow in the early 1980s. Kongskilde, itself, after going through an expansion less dependent on the farm imple- , merit market and have more inter- 1 ests in the industrial sector. Kongskilde is also putting its plant capacity to greater use by ac- cepting contracts for "outside" work. Not only are other industries making_uK of Kongskilde's mesal - working abilities, but their electro- static painting system has advantag- es over the usual paint -dipping prac- tices. Lt's a bit state-of-the-art," Poole. "Many companies our size just don't have equipment like that." Poole attributes Kongskilde's ability to weather the harder years in the market to the strength of thc Danish holding Company which provides financial support for all its subsidiaries. With interests not only in farm equipment, but tobac- co, furniture, and wholesale distri- bution of consumer products, the, company has sales of around S1 bit; lion annually, allowing it to not only protect its financial interests, Page 5 increase but to also share its technology._ • _ __ "We are totally self-sufficient," Poole said of his Canadian division, but the support of a multinational lends a security few other Ontario small industries enjoy. "Maybe the toughest thing about ihis industry is -the cycles involved.-- Everone asks 'what happens next year'?" Poole is confident Kongs- kilde will continue to succeed be- cause of the experience of its staff, both on the management and techni- cal sides of the work force. Kongs- kilde's staff has swelled in ranks to 52 people from 32 only a few months ago and the company has additional staff in Ohio to handle the U.S. distribution of its prod- ucts. "Small industry Ontario has a.trc- mendous opportunity to expand and grow," Poole notes. He cites the area's firm customer base and its.ac- cessibility to American markets as a good foundation on which to build. his and other industries. it's Your Business ELECTROSTATIC PAINTING - George Keller of Kongskifde examines farm machinery as it enters the electrostatic painting system. The system is expensive and is not commonly found in a business of Kongskilde's size. What will your RRSP really mean to you? You've read about it time and time again - how regular RRSP contri- butions can grow to phenomenal sums over a 20 or 30 or 40 year peri- od. But what do these fantastic numbers really mean to you? If you are like most Canadians, you contribute regularly to your RRSP for just pne reason: to eventually generate retirement income. So the real question is what kind of retirement income will your RRSP' produce, not how many zeros you can put after the dollar sign? To answer the question meaningfully, four significant factors must be considered. You are probably aware of the first three, but unfortunately, the fourth is ignored by too many people. How much you contribute to your RRSP (1), how many years you make those contributions (2), and the rate of return on your contribu- tions (3) determine how much you will eventually accumulate. Say, for example, that you put $2,000 into your RRSP at the beginning of eve- ry year for 30 years and, on average, you cam 9 percent compounded an- nually. At the end of 30 years, you will have about $300,000 in your RRSP. That's an impressive sum, but only by today's standards. Think back 20 or 30 years. The $100,000 home you are living in now could have been purchased for between $10,000 and $20,000 back then. The comic book your son or daughter just bought for a dollar used to cost a dime. In other words, $300,000 in the twenty-first century - tomorrow's dollars - will not have the same value as today. The culprit is inflation, the fourth and most important factor in our equation. Let's assume that inflation averagcs.a bit over 4 percent for the 30 years during which you make your RRSP contributions. That may be. optimistic considering that the inflation rate has averaged over 7 percent for the past decade, but it is roughly in step with our relatively conser- vative assumption that the RRSP will grow -at 9 percent annually. In 30 years, your RRSP will•bc worth less than $100,000 or today's dollars. this will buy a lifetime monthly retirement income of about $1,000, also expressed in terms of today's dollars. If you want your re- tirement income to be indexed, that is, more or less keep up with infla-' don for the rest of your life, the first monthly payment may be only $600 or $700. Receiving $700 of fully taxable income each month and eventually having .$300 000 on deposit in your RRSP appear to be as. different as hot dogs and caviar. Yet once you step back a pace from your RRSP, you see that they are, in fact, the same thing, but expressed in two dif- ferent ways. If you were to ask today's elderly about retirement income, they would all agree on one thing = you can never have too much. Close to half of elderly Canadians are living near or below the poverty line. You will eventually receive benefits from the Canada Pension -Plan and Old -Age Security.. But will $700 a month .from your RRSP be enough insurance to guarantee your financial comfort: After all, many Canadians who contribute to RRSPs make at least $700 each week, be - tone taxes. RRSPs are the best way you have pfroviding additional retirement income: But they require a concerted eff�ott on your part. Happily. there is tic) secret to how you do this. Simply contribute as much as you possibly can to your RRSP each .and every year, and make sure your RRSP has the highest earnings rate possible. Your RRSP will dO the M_QL . . WELDING - Derek Regier puts together a new cultivator with the aid of an automatic welding machine at Kongkilde's Exeter factory. ICall one of our brokers or stop into our office for your NO OBLIGATION INSURANCE QUOTATION 235-2211 Ross Long • Chris Turner • Janet Kints GEORGE T. MOORE InsurRflnCE BROKERS LIMITED 186 Main Street, Exeter THE 17�'l% RRSP FOR 20 YEARS. oral lostroNtst When it cone's to building retirement income, ever' percent counts. • So whY cheat your 81251' by accepting • lower returns? Industiial Growth Fund has achieved one Of • Canada's best records over the past 20 year:—with a remarkable record of 17.1" �� in conljxunl(1 average annual returns. Over the past 12 months, after one of -the worst declines on record for the stock market, it still gamed 11.7'3-L. And the managers at 1 1 R 11 N'lackenzie are veru_ optimistic alxxlt the future. So why settle for less? • For full information return the, coupon below. l/fignrtrs I' Decemb r.31. 1987a or uretriw' annual cu, i oiuid willows hosed upon the net anw,f,;t'i►rrrsted (111.1 include reinvestment ofditidetuls. Rates of 'Ham nor ialeulahYt borne tledut lino of M'S!' nr'huinis/raliorl - f *'s (maximum $75 per n a, ). Past peri rmaare is nal ruressarily indicative of iodine results. .4 ay hire ► made null• M pmsprrhts whirls rot/ain.s tr»11plrli• . details of all charges. Mase -orad it herrr making v nu prurhase and retain it far Moor reference. • INDUSTRIAL GROWTH: THE LONG AND SHORT 01 IT. 3 YR. 5 YR 11►1'R. 16.9% 20 YR. 17.1".. The industrial Group of Funds Looking birth trays. "lir nu)nnicer iRRS1' itetter. r�u■oor_m—o*r. MINI M-_-- i:ni interested in making my RRSi' w,•rk•a> hard as 1x,s'd►le•. Please send me -more infr,rnmatir,n nti induatnal (;rr,teth Fund. I. . N:%tt� — — -- — y • 1KrrtIS(i:_ - 141-,IAi..lrrirI. t1-' IJ, Tri Ito' \•••• kE�IIrF:��F.• • (DS Dominion Securities Gary C. Bean 186 Main St., South Exeter, Ont. NOM 1S0 Telephone 235-2231 or 1-800-265-3478 1