Ontario East Success Stories | Page 3 | Ontario East

Ontario East Success Stories

Bear Mountain Boats

Rural Opportunties sector
WESTPORT - Canoe making enthusiasts from all over the world found their way to Bear Mountain Boats recently to learn from owner and master boat builder Ted Moores. Ted is called "the guru of canoe building," with his sprint racing canoes and books on wood strip canoes cherished around the globe. People are so keen about working with Ted and his partner Joan Barrett that the workshop sold out in 20 minutes once posted online. "This course is worth every penny because he's the best in the world," says Germany's Werner Schmidt, who spent a week in Ted and Joan's workshop just north of Westport on County Road 10. Ted and Joan moved to the area a few years ago and brought their business with them from Peterborough. They have been building boats for over 40 years and have an online business with wooden canoe, kayak and small boat kits and plans, hard-to-find building materials, books and videos.
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Evonik Maitland Site

Advanced Manufacturing sector
Maitland - The Evonik Canada Inc. Maitland Site team continues to expand its product into new markets. The hydrogen peroxide producer is part of multi-national Evonik Industries, a world leader in specialty chemicals. Locally, Evonik employs 26 skilled workers and prides itself on having a top safety record and being a good neighbour. "We have a green product and markets for that are growing," says Plant Manager Rod Hartley. "We're looking toward the future - we use the term 'futurize' - with new markets that are profitable but also sustainable."
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AD Snacks

Food Processing sector
Imagine a product that requires no advertising, very little marketing, and no overhead costs. It’s a golden nugget, it is the product that sells itself. And that’s exactly what Peter and Angela Joyce’s customers claim about their pepperoni. “It came organically. Our customers said to us ‘you don’t have to sell this, just let people taste it. The product sells itself'. So we trademarked 'the taste that sells itself'.”, explains Peter when describing how they came up with their pepperoni’s brand.
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Jarvis Design & Display Ltd

Advanced Manufacturing sector
KEMPTVILLE - If you've gone shopping in Canada since the 1970s, there's a big chance you've seen one of Jarvis Peacock's signs. Jarvis Design & Display Ltd.'s signage and in-store wall graphics have been part of this country's retail landscape for 46 years. Her signs are prominent from coast to coast. "I started in my mother's basement making snowflakes," Jarvis says, adding she landed her first big contract making the white cut-outs for seasonal window displays. Moving into design and signage followed naturally, she says. "I learned everything as I went along." Jarvis started her company in Ottawa and later moved it to Kemptville in the 1980s. At peak periods, she has had as many as 75 employees with installation crews all over Ontario and in other parts of Canada. "I think if anyone said I'd be in this business 40 years later, I would say they were crazy but here I am. I don't have any regrets. I've had my share of challenges but somehow I have always been able to overcome them."
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Mamasoup

Rural Opportunties sector
Mamasoup is an informative, accessible and fun new app that offers new mothers a chance to network with one another, sharing stories, information, tips, challenges, experiences and solutions in a safe and secure environment – one that promotes collegiality, understanding and practical support. It is the brainchild of Janetville, Ontario mother of four, nurse, doula and Lamaze childbirth educator Joanne Ilaqua, and has been growing rapidly since its soft launch in the fall of 2018. Mamasoup is available for download on most platforms, and is currently optimized for iOS and Android devices, as well as having a related website: www.mamasoup.ca.
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Golden Moment Farm

Food Processing sector
Maple syrup production at Golden Moment Farm started on a small scale when the couple bought the property in 1997 preparing for retirement from the federal government. Today, their products are sold at locations in Kingston, Brockville, Smiths Falls and Merrickville. "We started with 200 taps by bucket and we've gone to 1,200 taps on pipeline in 18 years," says John, adding they use reverse osmosis. "We will probably go up to 2,000 taps before we retire."
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DVS Manufacturing Inc. and Louet North America

Advanced Manufacturing sector
North America's only metal knitting needle manufacturer - located right here in Leeds Grenville - is expanding its operations. DVS Manufacturing Inc. and Louet North America owners Dave and Pam Van Stralen manufacture and sell their products around the world, including the popular DVS's SquareTM ergonomic knitting needles and crochet hooks. "Our expansion options are limitless," says Dave, noting 95% of their products are sold in North America. The needle arts are a $2.5-billion business in the US alone. DVS also has customers in Japan, Spain, Russia, Austria and New Zealand. "We're growing and have some new patented products we're very excited about," says Dave. The two companies employ 11 but could triple staffing while expanding their product lines.
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DVine Labs

Advanced Manufacturing sector
What started as a small, personal endeavour to try and quit smoking, soon took advantage of a boom in the popularity of electronic cigarettes and has now morphed into a multi-million-dollar manufacturing and packaging/bottling firm that has clients throughout North America across a wide array of sectors. DVine Labs, now based in Lindsay, Ontario, started when its future president Mike Meathrel was looking for a way to cut back his smoking habit and was advised to investigate e-cigarettes as a healthier option. Upon discovering the less-than-hygienic way many of the liquids used to carry the nicotine were made, he decided to make some himself, ensuring the process was sanitary and the quality of the product excellent.
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Mariposa Dairy

Food Processing sector
It is an amazing phenomenon to see a business that started off simply as a passionate part-time project turn into a large-scale and industry leading enterprise. This is exactly what has happened with Lindsay, Ontario’s Mariposa Dairy. Demonstrating a remarkable foresight, the husband and wife team of Sharon and Bruce VandenBerg chose the creation and sales of tasty varieties of goat cheese as their modest entrepreneurial endeavour nearly 30 years ago. It was seen as a niche, artisanal product at the time that could be marketed to a small minority of folks (primarily urbanites) who were very conscious of dietary restrictions related to bovine dairy products, and those who had developed a penchant for more natural-based, small batch-made products.
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Pinnguaq

Rural Opportunties sector
Living and working in the community of Pangnirtung in the Nunavut territory in northern Canada, Ryan Oliver realized one of the significant educational deficits in many Indigenous communities was a lack of computer training, especially in the crucial areas of coding, software and game development. Understanding the importance these skills would be in improving the economic and community development opportunities for those communities, and especially for enhancing educational opportunities for their young people, Oliver rounded up several tech buddies and began a humble little non-profit enterprise called Pinnguaq.
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