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Times Advocate, 1991-01-23, Page 5Lighting company enjoys .unique position in marketplace By VAR( Lewisay - While many companies are relocating in search of lower operating costs and larger markets, Steve Le- Faive continues as southern Ontario's only lighting manufacturer. Located southeast of Varna, Citation Lighting is owned and operated by Steve and his wife Ruby who, along with a small staff, supply stores with both solid and cast brass fixtures. Steve is responsible for the actual produc- tion while Ruby handles packag- ing and acts as bookkeeper. In ad- dition, two part-time workers assist the owners when necessary. Currently, the company employs three salespersons who cover most of southern Ontario. Citation has recently expanded its territory eastward but avoids the Toronto market. After several profitable years as a manufacturer in Toronto, Steve decided they had had enough of the big city. After coming to the area and spending eight years with the canning factory in Exeter, the couple decided to re-enter manu- facturing and set up shop in Var- na. - Since then, the company has enjoyed success despite the many changes which have occurred in the industry itself. "Back then it was much different in industry," says Steve. You shook a guy's hand and that was a deal." Steve also notes that the trade wasn't quite as competitive then as it is now. For a while, indiviJpa1 began to flood the market' with cheaper products which, although of poor quality, did damage to the bottom end sales of many compa- nies. In order to compensate, Steve decided that, instead of depreciat- ing his own product, he would im- prove upon his already high stan- dards. Citation Lighting began to up- grade their line of fixtures to appeal to the industry's top end. More lamps were made containing solid brass and the company switched from styrene shades to those of hand sewn silk. The result, last year the Varna company distributed over 4,500 fixtures. The company deals almost exclu- sively with stores, but there are cer- tain exceptions. For instance, last year Citation supplied lighting to a Newfoundland hotel. Asked about supplying individuals the owner states that it would be awkward for him to operate both ends of the business. "We don't have a showroom like mainly to stores." a large manufacturer in say, Toron- But Steve worries about the Ca- to. So for now we're content to sella. nadian market which he says has shriveled since the imptemen1$Lon of free trade and will continue to diminish with the (IST. The main concern is over the companies t�Ie various parts re- quired e- q tiin the manufacturing of lam With the exception of the shades, which are manufactured in Montreal and North Bay,the com- panies which once supplied opera- tions such as Citation have all moved south of the border. Nary :a one can be found in Canada. • Unlike their suppliers, Steve and Ruby have chosen to remain in At one time they enter - thoughts of becoming just distributors but decided against it 'vhen they discovered that the qual- ity was not the same. Presently, Fixturesproduced in Varna can be found in many loca- dons throughout Canada Locally, they are distributed to stores such as Dinney's Furniture of Exeter. Citation Lighting is the last of its breed in southern Ontario. Steve and Ruby LeFaive ensure that it will remain the best. *NO iso 10 .9% .*u 04vtt"fn4ri veunza MIND. TRAMPIERAnta VIA CHASM twat • • PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE • Touch of brass - Steve Lefaive, owner of Citation Lighting, operates on one of the brass fixtures which `las helped to solidify his business. INVESTM( NTS 524-2773 ,004.601 1-800-265.5503 Check out a Clinton Community Credit Union .. . RIRISIPI FIXED RATES 1 and 2 Years 3, 4 and 5 Years 101/296 101/4% "THE SINGLE MOS"!' IMPORTANT DETERMINANT OF INVESTMENT SUCCESS WILL BE ASSET ALLOCATION" Ibrtune Magazine 1991 Investor's Guide 1.000 AGF Asset Allocation • No administrative fees We'II make a believer out of you! CLINTON COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION 374 Main St. Exeter, Ontario Phone 235-0640 70 Ontario St. Clinton, Ontario Phone 482-3466 ACF ASSET ar.LO CATSO M OCT. 31/76 OCT. 31/90 AGF Canadian • Equity d Limit5628,233 AGF Money Market Account 5425,546 AGF Canadian ��1Fund SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1952 Bill EMsdngfOn Exeter native elected to head IBM Canada 77 79 81 83 ss 87 MORE TRE OF RASP' What Fortune Magazine has to say about Asset Allocation is even more true of RRSPs where dividends and capital gains are reinvested in pretax dollars. How you allocate your RRSP between stocks, bonds and the money market can have a bigger impact on your long-term returns than the specific investments you make. The problem is timing. When should you get out of the stock market? When is it time to switch into bonds? Does keeping your RRSP in cash make more sense in this kind of economy? OBJECTIVE ANSWERS AGF's Asset Allocation Service offers a computer based system for deciding on when to change your RRSP asset mix. The system is based on a proprietary computer model of a major U.S. brokerage firm, which evaluates over 17 years of relative returns of cash, stocks and bonds. The model has been tracked through all kinds of markets, and although the past is no predictor of the future, the results were impressive. For example, in October 1987, just before the major market decline, the model weightings were 9% cash, 86% bonds and only 5% stocksl ROW ASSET ALLOC*CIION WORKS The model operates by constantly calculating expected rates of return on cash, stocks and bonds in the U.S. and compAring current relationships with historical relationships. TORONTO - A former Exeter area resident, Bill Etherington, has been named as the new president and chief executive officer of the Canadian division of IBM. Etherington has just returned from 'two years spent with IBM's Latin American divisibn, explained IBM media relations manager Stan Didzbhalis. The 49 year old Etherington takes over the operation of an opera- tion that boasted revenues of $4.58 bitdon in 1990, including $1.84 billion in exports. IBM Canada emplqs some 13,000 people. Etherington trcepplaces former CEO Iohn Thompion who is moving up to the positidn of vice president of marketing and service for IBM in New York. Etherington joined IBM's London office in 1964 after gradtadng from the University of Western Ontario with a Badtelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. Ile has sieve wonted in several Ca- nadian Cities and wasa in 1980. His parents, Archie a� pill live at their Usborne Township cattle farm, bat could not be reached for comment. Btheringum's cousin Derek said the armouncement ante as some- thing of a surprise. "Mind you, he's been with them fort �1y 30 years, so he de- serves it, said Derek. I don't suppose hethought he'd end up there when he started." \- Exeter Town Council, at their Monday meeting, speed to recog- nize Etherington's achievement by sending hint acrd of la- tae on the town's behalf. As deviations from normal increase, the model allocates a greater weighting to the asset that has deviated positively. Thus the model develops a mix of assets, and depending on circumstances, the weights can vary from 0-190% igl, any single+ asset. BOW 1T APPLIES a CANADA AGF implements the Asset Allocation Service by utilizing three AGF funds to represent the three asset types: AGF Canadian Equity Fund Limited (stocks), AGF Canadian Bond Fund (bonds) and AGF Money Market Account (cash). When AGF backtested the model using these funds, the results were impressive as illustrated at left. An RRSP investment of $100,000 on October 31, 1976 would have grown to $1,031,791 by October 31, 1990. These returns are after all management fees, assume a transfer fee with each switch and assume reinvestment f dividends/ distributions. . COST An RRSP investment is mule among the three funds, and is subject to an initial or deferred sales charge (detailed in the prospectuses). Transfer fees of 0-296 will be charged each time a switch is made, subject to an annual maximum of 246 of the aggregate net asset value of your holdings. MORE INFORMATION For more information on AGF's Asset Allocation Service and relevant prospectuses, talk to your stock- broker or mutual fund specialist. You can also use the coupon below or call us Toll Free at 1-800.265-3478 , and we'll arrange to have this material sent out to you. r Es. I'D LIKE TO HEAR MORE: PLEASE ARRANGE 10 HAVE INFORMATION ON AGES ASSET ALLOCATION SERVICE SENT'PQ ME. ' . „'r•ay� Gary C. Bean RBC Dominion Securities Inc. 188 Main Street South Exeter, Ontario NOM ISO Noma - rIGT Address. City: Prov.: Postal Code - a Horne Phone: Bus . Phone - P`s. tis , • AGF ASSET AL This advertisement s not to be oonatiroes ss • pubic aratnq The 08enrq is mode solely by the relevant pospechese. what contest details of chirps The Asset Moulton Sema may be waned by investors resident in those jurittictions wMMn AGFA wowed to edmIU10 tris service. Copes of the peeupecll es May be obtained from en investment dealer Of mutwl turd speeulrl H those hrrmebons Reuse reed theft( ptor to mike. a purdire and want than lot ntlerence. Rates of rears Mown am maw annual compound reins fa the penods indicated. and are calculated on the eel amount moaned All Mures assume ,art d% of Weldomor drtribun tribunate. Rata et reins fat AN, MaSpruce ce and for the tntdetlyng Aura' are u follows, for ponds .1146^9 Oclober 31. 1990: Are( Alkenom: 14 yeas 18.116.10 years 15.0%, 5 years SIPA 3 yews 5 5% 1 year -1.41 For AOF Gime £Qtly F und. 14 years 14 ON. 10 years a .116, 5 year, 21 %. 3 years -15N. 1 year -24.8% Fos Aar Caeebpn load �d • 14 riffs WI% le yea a 11.if1t 5 feats 8.81A3 years 7.1%. 1 far .P4. For ACT Mdney Marfcet Account 14 years 11 O%. 10 yeah 11.3% 5 years 1 et* 3 years 10 8N. 1 year 12.4% Name Of (Twin rM/ W seduced bl aay aka chipolata:! apply. RBC DOMINION SECURITIES Gary C. Bean RBC Dominion Securities Inc. 186 Main Street South Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S0 (519) 235-2231 1800-265-3478 1