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Home My WebLink AboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-01-27, Page 3Wednesday, January 27, 2016 • Lucknow Sentinel 3 Lucknow's industry promotes village and area worldwide Darryl Coote Reporter There's more to Lucknow than hockey legend Paul Henderson. Outside of Canada it's safe to assume that few would know who he is, andwithin the country most would confuse his home- townfor its namesake in India. "There's a Lucknow in Can- ada?" one canimage the response. However, farmers the world over, from Japan to USA, Den- mark to Germany and Malaysia to Singapore know of Lucknow, Ontario, andnotforHenderson's game -winning goals in the 1972 Summit Series, but for the goods its companies here produce. 'We areallknownforPaulHen- derson," said Ludaiow&District Chamber of Commerce President Morten Jakobsen, 'butwe're also knownforLudarowTMRmixers.' On the side of a total mixed ration (TMR) mixer that com- bines various feeds for live- stock, emblazoned inwhite and blue, the word Lucknow stands boldin a Honduran farm field. Manufactured here by Helm Welding Inc. at its warehouse on the Lucknow Line 1 road, this product has been shipped worldwide. And the company has been doing so for decades. "So people may not know that Lucknow is a town, but theyknowthe name Lucknow, Jakobsen said. "ButI don't think there's a lot of people [here] that actuallyknows [this]„ And Helm Welding is not the only chamber member in the Lucknow region with international reach. There are five. Along with Helm Welding there is Britespan Building Sys- tems Inc., Smyth Welding & Machine Shop Ltd., Snobelen Farms Ltd. and Protekta Inc., which is owned by Jakobsen. "I don't know how many communities of a town of 1,100 people that has that," the chamber president said. One reason few people in town know of these companies, or at the very least their reach, is because they are less visible than the shops on Campbell Street, he said, but their impact on the community is arguably greaten "Ifyoutake these five, they are in the picture everyday;" he said. We pass them driving throughout the township, he said, but people might not con- sider them. However, what they offerthe communityis "unique: "They are the silent ones;' he said. They help to stabilize Luc- know's population, he said, which has been shrinking. Between 2006 and 2011, Lucknow's population has dropped 4.9 per cent from 1,162 to 1,105, based on num- bers from Statistics Canada. The companies provide "good paying middle-class jobs" he said, and while the big player in town is Bruce Power, Lucknow's manufacturing sector provides a diversityofother typ es ofemploy- mentopportunities. The example he offered is that ofthe educated and experienced spouse of arecent hire at the Kin- cardine nuclear plant who may notwishtoworkretail. Theymay find work at one of Lucknow's industrial manufacturers. And for a town of so few eligi- bleworkers, all but one (Protekta Inc.) have a minimum of 20 employees. For instance, Brites- pan alone (which manufactures large-scale fabric buildings) has 50 people in its employ. The five companies account for at least 100 middle -wage jobs, he said, which alongwith helping to attract people to relocated to Entries now open for Alice Munro Festival of the Short Story Entries are now being accepted for the annual Alice Munro Festival of the Short Story writing competition, with $2,000 in cash prizes. First place in the adult competition will be awarded $1,500 with two runners-up prizes of $250 each. New to this year's competition is a $500 prize sponsored by the Arts & Letters Club of Toronto to be awarded to a Toronto-based writer. Prizes in the youth com- petition include $500 for first place and $250 each for two runners-up. The 12th annual short story competition for emergingwrit- ers provides an opportunity for Canadian writers to explore the short story, a literary art form made popular by 2013 Nobel laureate Alice Munro. Submissions for the com- petition are now open and are being accepted until April 1, 2016. Entry fee is $25 per entry for adults and $10 per entry for youth. Entries must be an original Canadian work of up to 2,500 words in the English language, fiction, written by an author not yet published in book format. Winners will be announced at the Jubilee Gala on June 4, 2016. The Alice Munro Festival of the Short Story is an annual four-day festival that takes place in Wingham, June 2-5, 2016. The festival features nowsentinel.co r 1 1 1 workshops, readings, and on-stage presentations by internationally renowned Canadian authors. For more information and full competition guidelines visit www.alicemunrofesti- val.ca or email the contest co-ordinator at contest@ alicemunrofestival. ca Lucknow Legion Branch 309 February Events 1 7 1 1 Wednesday, February 3: Seniors dining 1 1 Friday, February 5: Youth Public Speaking, 7 p.m. 1 1 Saturday, February 6: Wing night 1 Sunday, February 14: Shoot, 1 p.m. 1 1 Sunday, February 28: Euchre, 1 p.m. 1 Clip & Save L Tuesday, February 23: General meeting, 7 p.m. 1 1 1 1 1 J the community, also bolsters the local economy. "I think it's important for the economy, and that makes sense because hopefully a lot ofwages are beingpaid out, andhopefully a lot of them are being spent in town buying lunches at restau- rants and coffee and whatever;" Jakobsen said. The chamber president now wishes for the compa- nies to aggressively grow. "Grow;" he pondered. "That's such a vague statement. I think they are all willing andworking on growing, 'cause in my world if you're not not growing every year, you're going backwards:' There are obstades to this, he said, not limited to politics and the current discussion at council to re - delegate land usage, but there are also positives onthehorizon, such as lastyear's announcement that natural gas will be coming to the area, which should lower manu- factuingcosts. "I thinkit's goingto help" he said, about EPCOR's commitment to pipe in gas. "You never know what's goingto come out of that' With that in mind, he wants each of these five companies to strive to add one new position a year. Darryl Coote/Kincardine News Morten Jakobsen, president of the Lucknow & District Chamber of Commerce and owner of Protekta Inc., says Lucknow's industrial manufacturing industry has great international reach, but few know about it. This article is the first in a series on Lucknow's core industrial businesses and employers. "That's five jobs created, which if it's awelder at Smyth Welding or at Helm or a sales rep at my company, it's a good average middle -dans paying job: Over the next coming weeks, The Sentinel will be profiling each of these companies in a five-part series to better depict Lucknow's position -- as atown, as a manufacturing sector and as a home -- in the greater world. This article is the first in a series on Lucknow's core indus- trial businesses and employers. O Lj R H0sPITAL, rIR ece 111 W ng'haFro District. 'r It it FOlirtilOtIOn wdhfou ndation.ca Ueout pito-tato dattata taitie the Awl ii`«t. ! Si' r,t706+ Britespan BuildiAgSwterins (avid St Doris Inglis Joe Kerr Limited Lu ckn ow & Dktrlrt Kiri 5rrr en Tllgra Vance Ray I adhara 41@tian.. Gerd & Ruth tarter, kart Elly, \akon & IVIrAa Frank, Pat Gaunt, Narecn Gna1r, Sara MI Hackat, Ravotand & Sheriek Kaufman, ,Andy $r Ber McBride, Paul & Elaine MsNal ly, Bola & JOan PelltldletOra 5tOttMilter &.JeSjita G►e Wad, 13err'4 Penn MI Mev, DokeRol106, J.A iPor4arMakings Ltd Brussels Transport Ltd - 1J:, Maria Sear & Larry r r or George &Dianne Kerr arias &Maryrtau Care -Bran, karr6Aruns &Bart [a1rseron, Maniqua Cameron, C]HF's PiurnbUrE & Heating, Eurvhom a Appliance - Heraryr & Mariien Van HCessh, Bobs& Marlene Fontan, Mark Forman Lisa Hearndcn, Leslie Motors Ltd. - Marrk &Lisa Le 51 ie.. LeVan Farnifyr' folanslohG41, On Yang Liu &family, PAcCionarth I.nsurancn Hankers, Royal Homes, Talda Faundatlon, 3'D Bank Flmarxial Group,Tnlllum Mutual lInsuranre Com parry, lfincerrt Acres - Nittkray &JayCLI 1n pry