Times-Advocate, 1988-06-08, Page 5n
the
Street
By Jim Beckett
Have you ever noticed that some companies use an "overkill" of
words in convincing you to buy their product or reinforcing your de-
cision after you have made your purchase?
In 22 years in the advertising business, last week's experience was
the ultimate. My wife, in an effort to improve my image for sum-
mer, went downtown and purchased several new pairs of underwear
for me. There was nothing unusual about that until -1 --opened the_
package and a sheet of advertising copy fell out.
It informed me that I could wear this underwear with confidence be-
cause there was "deodorant freshness in every stitch." Now that's an
important option.
The copy went on to tell me the company has added the unique
built-in deodorant feature "Ultra -Fresh" to their fabric. Apparently
it's a durable finish that effectively resists odour -causing bacteria and
the deteriorating effects of mould, mildew and other fungi.
If this wasn't enough to convince me I had made a great purchase,
the final paragraph listed additional benefits of increased wear, re-
duced cleaning and lasting deodorant freshness. The final line, in bold
print, stated firmly that this was a bonus feature worth having.
It makes me wonder how I ever survived in the days whcn I wore
nothing but plain, old boxer shorts.
*************
If delicious barbecued pork chops and homemade pies appeal to
you, it's time to start thinking about getting your tickets to the an-
nual Varna Pork Barbecue. The popular event usually draws
about 1,500 and is successful because practically everyone in Varna
and arca contributcs. This year's feast is set for Wednesday June 22
with the first servings starting at 4:30.
I'll go out on a limb and say this community event is the biggest
in the country held in a village this small.
If you like auction sales, good music and barbecued chicken, be at
the Huron Country Playhouse this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The
Playhouse people call it their Meals, Deals, Tunes and Bargoons sea-
son -opening Fun Auction.
*************
Jim and Aileen McGregor of Exeter will be leaving the coun-
try soon when Jim starts a new purchasing career in Rome, Italy.
Jim and Aileen are the parents of Exeter dentist Bill McGre-
gor.
************
For those of you who have been wondering what ghastly injury
has caused _me to limp around town for the past couple of weeks,
here's the answer. Ies a baseball injury that might be described as ca-
reer -ending.
I'm not the fastest runner in the world but when you factor in my
weight in a full -speed dash from first to second base the momentum
peaks at about the same -time you're supposed to stop on the bag. In
any case, my left ankle has earned very little sympathy and a lot of
abuse.
The embarrassing part is going for x-rays and knowing that sooner
or later Tom Bowen is going to add to his already large collection of
pictures of various parts of my body. Tom says his file op me is
starting to take up almost a drawer in his records cabinet.
************
Speaking of baseball, the Exeter Lions Club and the Ba Id
Dogs arc holding their annual slo-pitch tournament this Friday,
Saturday and Sunday. The proceeds are always for a good cause and
the mcn and women who play certainly seem to have a good time.
************
Betty Johnson of the Flower Pedlar deservedly has her name
up in lights this week on the sign on the front of the flower shop.
Betty, who lives in Woodham, recently attended a Flowers Canada
program at the University of Guelph and placed first in several cate-
gories. •
Betty placed first in three categories: parallel designing, silk ar-
rangements and exotic designing. She also finished first in her class
of 60 florists winning a $300 cash award and a plaque.
Back
in time
10 years ago
•The Huron County Board of Education was told by three delegations
that they should trust their teachers whcn deciding if literary pieces
should be used. in the classroom. The delegations, one headed by Dr.
Tom Collins, chairman of the English Department at the University of
Western Ontario, came before the board to defend the use of Catcher in
the Rye, The Diviners and Of Mice and Men.
•Federal NDP leader Ed Broadbent joined the Fleck Manufacturing
picket line briefly, taking enough time to suggest that the long strike
was becoming a national symbol of the female fight for pay equity.
20 years ago
•District Public School teachers received pay increases of $500-
$1,000 per annum as a result of negotiations with three arca school
boards. Benefits, including the payment of 50 percent of hospital costs,
were given up by the teachers in the negotiations.
In Exeter, teacher's• Salaries ranged from $4,700 to $10,000 with the
new increase.
•Addressing a crowd in Huron County, Robert Stanfield, leader of the
federal Conservative Party, told voters: "The main issue in this cam-
paign is the state of the economy. The issue Canadians must decide is
whether we can entrust our economic future for another four years to the
present Liberal government...."
50 years ago
•"An electrical storm passed over this section Monday night accom-
panied by rain," noted the T -A in early June, 1938. "The storm was
more severe to the south of Exeter. Lorne Sholdice, of Biddulph, lost
a horse that was struck by lightning. Several animals were shocked."
•"Rumour has it that Hitler is soon to be married. We just knew that
something would overtake that terrible man," read an editorial.
• Twenty four people attended a public meeting in Exeter to "consider
the advisability of erecting a Rest Room in town". The turnout was
apparently disappointing, as the proposal had stirred much controversy
earlier. Explaining that there had been much confusion as to what was
meant by the term "Rest Room", the T -A took on the task of setting
things straight: "Well, to call a spade a spade, the proposed rest room
is nothing more or Tess than the provision of toilets for the accommo-
dation of those who come to our town to do their shopping, or for the
tourists who arc passing through."
70 years ago
•"The auto accident of Saturday evening last should be a warning to
the Town Fathers that there should be bylaws governing the driving and
parking of car's in this town," read an editorial. "The driver in this case
may not be in the least to blame but nevertheless it is a fact, as we have
pointed out before, that there is much furious driving, careless turning
of corners, and bad parking of cars in Exeter, and it is time it was
stopped."
•"People who complain because. they cannot get some of the luxuries
they used to enjoy in the pre-war days might do well to remember that
their forefathers lived without sugar till the 13th century, without coal
till the 14th, without butter on their bread till the 15th, without tobacco
and potatoes till the 16th, without tea, coffee and soap till the 17th,
without umbrellas and lamps till the 18th, and without trains, tele-
phones, gas and matches till the 19th."
Times -Advocate, June 8, 1988 Page 5
RV business keeps lines rolling
By Adrian Harte
Homes on wheels always seem to
hold a fascination with the public.
Not only do they offer the luxury of
changing your neighborhood at
will, but their efficient use of space
always makes us wish our own
homes were as well thought out.
The market for the vanous forms
of wheeled homes has done well in
post -recession Canada, and several
arca companies are finding demand
for mobile homes, park homes,
travel trailers, and motor homes is
keeping them fully booked with or-
ders.
"___''The 1 V_(recteatiopal vehicle) is
what made Northlander," said
Northlander's general manager, Jim
Bedard. Even though thee -Exeter
company makes mobile homcs and
mobile officcs, Bedard says park
homes and travel trailers make up
about 50 percent of their business.
A travel trailer is usually eight
feet wide and can be towed with the
owner's pickup truck. Park models
are as wide as 12 or 14 feet and as
long as 43 feet and are usually
towed by a commercial hauler and
permanently parked at a camp-
ground for summer use. Bedard de-
scribes these as the "bread and but-
ter" of Northlandcr's line.
Many campgrounds have limits
on the size of trailer they will al-
low, but Bedard states that many arc
now accepting Northlander's spe-
cialty: the large 43x12 park homes,
cvcn though larger models are avail-
able.
The smaller class C motor
homes are built on van chassis,
cost less and are easier to handle
than the larger class A. The Hen-
sall factory builds both kinds in
about 60 varieties of lengths and
floor plans and with an almost in-
finite selection of options ordered
through dealers.
Because both motor homes use
the large 7.5 litre engines they
don't get as good gas mileage as
your average subcompact. Imanse
says they range from 14 miles per
gallon to eight miles per gallon de-
pending on size. Nevertheless, the
luxury motor home customer isn't
likely to quibble over gasoline, ac-
cording to Imanse.
"It's more a matter of conversa-
tion rather than gee, I can't afford
it'," he said.
'manse stated that the RV busi-
ness has been good since 1983
when Canada pulled itself free of
the recession. General Coach in-
creased its number of employees
from around 100 to the present
265. The factory runs at near full
capacity now and Imansc believes
cvcn more vehicles could be built
if floor plans were standardized; but
then again, Imanse explains that
the near -custom service is what
makes the General Coach Citation
and.Corsair lines so attractive.
Imanse. sees no reason for, the
RV market to slow over the next
few years. He cites an aging popu-
lation, which is retiring at earlier
ages with more money, as proof of
Naturally, they all come with
foldaway fittings and concealed cup-
boards and drawers to utilize every
square inch of space. Luxury op-
tions also include video camera
rear-view mirrors on the class A ve-
hicles.
(manse isn't excited by the pros-
pect of free trade, but he isn't wor-
ried either. He believes any advan-
tage in getting duty-free materials
from the U.S. would be offset by a
gradual increase in the value of the
Canadian dollar-- a natural conse-
quence of free trade, in his opinion.
Motor homes now travel across
the border duty-free, so a stronger
Canadian dollar would make Ameri-
can motor homes less expensive.
General Coach already has opera-
tions in the states where labour
rates are cheaper as well as two fac-
tories in British Columbia.
Overall, Imanse feels the Canadi-
an recreational vehicle is of better
quality than its American counter-
part. The colder climate necessi-
tates the construction of a stronger,
better -insulated product. This, says
Imansc, is going to give General
Coach an advantage for a long time
to come.
MOBILE HOME - Northlander's mobile homes are built much like any oth
er home, except on a trailer chassis. The day shift puts some finishing
touches on the frame of this home before it is moved on for completion.
•
Bedard also expects a boom in the
mobile home market once legisla-
tion is passed to allow mortgage fi-
nancing ofthe year-round residenc-
es.
Northlandcr took over from Cus-
tom Trailer in 1983 and has since
found the marketplace eager for
their product. Sales have increased
1000 percent and they have been
running two shifts a day for the last
three years.
Northlandcr's trailers are sold
mainly in Ontario and western Que-
bec, but sales manager Roger Faul-
kner is waiting• for access to the
U.S. market with free trade.
"We'll do nothing but benefit,"
said Faulkner. He claims North-
lander's product is of better quality
than any U.S. trailer and today's
buyer wants the best quality possi-
ble.
"We're the most expensive guy
on the block," said Faulkner, com-
paring Northlandcr's line to Cadil-
lac's. All the trailers come com-
plete with luxuries from stereos
and microwave ovens.
It takes a full week for a trailer
to travel the length of the produc-
tion line. Six hundred trailers are
built every year.
Northlander prides itself on mak-
ing its own cabinets and metal
work along with the rest of the
trailer. One hundred and ten em-
ployees work at Northlander and it
is possible more may be added
once a 30,000 square foot exten-
sion is added to the building this
fall.
Northlander is also interested in
diversifying its investments.
"We're constantly looking at new
products," said Faulkner. "We're
here to grow."
* * * *
Andrew Imanse at General Coach
in Hensall is also encouraged by
the market for the recreational ve-
hicles his company creates.
General Coach makes motor
homes, travel trailers, fifth wheels
and park models. The motor
homes are built on GM and Ford
chassis depending on size.
-the continued demand for the RV.
The economy is a good indicator
of Gcncral Coach's market.
"We work with a discretionary
dollar," said !manse. The Hensall
factory achieved $40 million worth
of business .last ycar. This ycar
!manse expects the class C motor.
home to top sales, with the class
As and travel trailers close bchind.
The motor homes areusually
built with a steel frame with fibre-
glass panels. Travel trailers and
park models use wood frames.
CORSAIRS - Andy (manse stands on the production line where General
Coach builds its first class motor homes.
•
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