St. Catharines–Thorold Chamber elects first Board of Directors 

ST. CATHARINES—The official election results for the first Board of Directors of the newly merged St. Catharines – Thorold Chamber of Commerce has been released by English & Jones LLP Chartered Accountants.

The following individuals were elected:

Chrisse Allan – Intelligent Workspaces and Interiors

Stephen Cook – Credit Bureau Canada

Joseph Critelli – Critelli’s Fine Furniture

Rob DePetris – Silicon Knights

Nancy Diamond – Kelly Services

Preston Haskell – Preston Haskell’s Millpond Studio of Photography

Anita James – Bukhari Law Office

*Ted Manning – TT&T Sales and Marketing was acclaimed as a Thorold business representative

Angelo Nitsopoulis – Heart of Niagara Hospitality

Andrew Panko – Associated Brownfields Inc.

Adam Shields – The Business Link Niagara

Al Simpson – Partridge Iggulden LLP Chartered Accountants

John Storm – Oxford Learning Centre

Daniel Willis – Nucomm International 

“The response from the membership was very impressive,” said Walter Sendzik, Executive Vice-President and General Manager of the St. Catharines–Thorold Chamber of Commerce. “With the number of strong candidates, and the response from the members, it’s a clear indication that we have an active membership with a strong interest in the Chamber.”

Niagara Sheet Metal celebrates 60th Anniversary

NIAGARA FALLS, ON. — City Council, staff, and residents of Niagara Falls saluted the important contributions that Canadian entrepreneurs make to our local economy. Several area businesses were recognized during October’s Small Business Month celebrations. Niagara Falls is very fortunate to have a diverse base of businesses operating in our community. In particular, the city is home to a high percentage of family owned and operated businesses which have passed the test of time and continue to succeed in Niagara Falls.

A family-owned operation since its inception in 1946, Niagara Sheet Metal continues to serve customers from its Montrose Road location in Niagara Falls. The early success of the company was based on the work of Myer Delduca and his brother Pat. When they were considering starting the business back in 1946, the two Delduca brothers were working for Cyanamid of Canada. Myer purchased a lot on Stanley Avenue from the City of Niagara Falls for $75.00. This lot was across the street from his family home. The two brothers then pulled their savings and built a $2,200.00 fabricating shop on the site.

Myer left his job at Cyanamid Canada in 1947 to devote all of his time to the business. His brother Puck returned full-time to Cyanamid while continuing to work part-time for the company. Niagara Sheet Metal specializes in custom machinery, such as dust collection systems, furnaces, and steel tanks, and supplies to local industry. One of the company’s most unique projects was developed for Major Lloyd Hill in 1949. A 650 lb. barrel was made for Hill who was known for attempting to navigate the Niagara River rapids.

In 1968 NSM was relocated to an industrial lot on Montrose Road in the city. Working as a team, Myer’s daughter Patricia and her husband George Holmes, took up the challenge of operating the industrial business. In 1970, George and Patricia became the sole owners of NSM & Welding Co., keeping the successful fabrication business in the Delduca family. With George now retired, the couple’s son, Chris Holmes, now serves as the vice president and general manager of NSM.

Entrepreneurs are creative, hardworking, and get involved in their community. Family operated enterprises usually involve every family member in the business, which can often lead to trying times during generational shifts. Successful entrepreneurial businesses show leadership, courage, and vision to adapt in a forever changing business climate.

From Olympic Challenge to Bumpin’ Die™ 

ST. CATHARINES — An exciting and entertaining 3D DVD board game brand is being introduced into the market place for 2007 in North America by a Niagara-based firm.

The branded games called Bumpin’ DieTM is another brain-child from Altius Games® Inc., who is a North American company with the head office located in St. Catharines, ON. “The Bumpin’ DieTM brand is an accumulation of ‘Fun. Exciting. GamesTM’ that move you to ‘Support. Play. Learn.TM,’”says Dik Lee, President and CEO of Altius Games®.

The Bumpin’ DieTM series commemorates the die, a phenomenon over 3,000 years old. The players bump and race through the Bumpin’ DieTM 3D playing surface with the mission to be the first to complete ‘pip travelTM.’ The enhanced ‘Fun’ feature allows the players to rotate the 3D playing surface to position their opponents on the bottom playing surface resulting in ‘Bumpin’ them back to the start. Further enhanced levels of play include the use of a DVD which incorporates a wealth of interesting facts about dice.

Niagara firm donates to local Habitat for Humanity

ST. CATHARINES — A Fenwick building firm that specializes in improving living space for condominium residents is doing its part to provide affordable living space for Niagara.

Scandia Glazing Systems Ltd. will donate five percent of the company’s first-quarter sales for 2007 to the Niagara chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

“We are particularly pleased Scandia is donating a percentage of their sales,” said Alastair Davis, CEO, Habitat for Humanity Niagara. “Thanks to donations like Scandia’s, together we can encourage Niagara residents to become involved in a very worthy community based organization.”

Located in Fenwick, Ontario, Scandia is the exclusive North American distributor and installer of Lumon Balcony Glazing Systems. The Lumon balcony glazing system is a retractable glass design engineered specifically for balconies.

A glazed balcony can be furnished and decorated; extending the time the balcony is used to earlier in the spring and longer into the fall. The glass panels can be closed in the winter months so the balcony area is completely protected. More than 300,000 balconies in 20 countries have been installed.

“We’re really pleased to be able to assist Habitat for Humanity,” said Max Labelle of Scandia Glazing Systems. “One of our goals is to reach out to the community and Habitat is such a great cause.”

Habitat for Humanity Niagara is one of 70 Habitat nonprofit affiliates across Canada. The organization works in partnership with businesses, churches and members of the community from all walks of life, to build simple, decent, affordable housing for families.

Brock University receives $50,000 donation from Meridian Credit Union

ST. CATHARINES — Brock University’s Faculty of Business is teaming up with Meridian Credit Union to help demonstrate that doing good can also be good for business.

The Faculty has announced that Meridian Credit Union will donate $50,000 over the next three years to the Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Initiative it launched in 2005.

“This donation will help ensure that Brock is a leader in exploring the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in corporate governance, public policy, and the media,” Don Cyr, Associate Dean, Graduate Programs and Research at Brock’s Faculty of Business, said.

The program will be known as the “Brock University Faculty of Business/Meridian Credit Union Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Initiative” and will be led by Gillian Kemp, a recent graduate of Brock’s MBA program.

“Businesses in Canada are weighing the pros and cons of making a difference in the world, not just earning a profit. This program will integrate experiential learning, business case studies and articles to encourage our students to examine business decision-making in the context of environmental, community and ethical impacts,” said Kemp.

Martin Kusy, Dean of the Faculty of Business, said he is “pleased and grateful” that Meridian is playing a lead role in the Initiative.

As a result of Meridian’s support, Brock’s Faculty of Business will once again offer Summer Internship Grants to not-for-profit organizations in the community. “These internships are focused on providing a great work experience for students and increasing the capacity of the organization in achieving their mandate. I look forward to engaging the business community with Meridian. I believe that together, we can provide Brock students with a leading-edge knowledge of CSR while helping both not-for-profit organizations and the business community,” Kusy said.

Meridian President and CEO Sean Jackson said that the initiative is a perfect fit with Meridian’s core values as a not-for-profit organization founded on cooperative principles.

“Our members and our organization strongly believe that businesses and other organizations must be responsible and proactive in dealing with social issues, the environment, their employees and the communities they serve,” Jackson said.

Mayor announces partnership with chamber to form a prosperity council

ST. CATHARINES — In an historic first step towards creating a more prosperous city, the Mayor of St. Catharines, Brian McMullan, announced the creation of a Prosperity Council in partnership with the Chamber at the St. Catharines–Thorold Chamber of Commerce State of the City Luncheon sponsored by Bell Canada.

In his address to a capacity audience of business people, the Mayor delivered on one of his key promises made during the election with the creation of a civic-minded council designed to bring more prosperity to the city.

“The prosperity council will assemble private and public sector representatives to create an environment which is supportive of wealth creation,” said the Mayor. “That wealth is represented by job creation, new investment and the attraction and retention of talented citizens.”

The Mayor has been working with the Chamber over the past few months exploring the concept of a Prosperity Council. Last month, the Mayor, city staff and chamber staff met chamber representatives in Waterloo to examine the Kitchener–Waterloo Prosperity Council model. Based on the visit, and additional meetings with the Chamber, an agreement has been struck to proceed with creating a council focused on enhancing economic prosperity in St. Catharines.

“I am pleased to announce that the Chamber is committed to this initiative, and in fact, has agreed to be the driver of this process,” said Mayor McMullan in his speech.

“With the continuing loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector, and the downturn in tourism sector throughout Niagara, the creation of a St. Catharines Prosperity Council to help focus the attention of business, elected officials and the community at large on new and innovative ways for the city to generate economic growth and diversification is an excellent initiative,” explained Chamber President Al Simpson.

As the voice of business, with over 1,000 members who employ over 26,000 people, the St. Catharines–Thorold Chamber of Commerce is ideally positioned to take a leadership role in the formation of a Prosperity Council. More details regarding the St. Catharines Prosperity Council will be forthcoming once the Mayor and Chamber representatives have time to design and develop a framework for the council.