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Economic Development eNews | July 25, 2023

Business Profile

Top feature photo: The family behind CREWS and Jones Rail Industries from left: Kayla Jones Chapman and Paul Chapman, Alyssa and Jesse Jones, Judy and Clayton Jones (President and founder) and Kyle Jones.

CREWS Sets the Bar for Rail

JOHNSTOWN - When it comes to the rail business and moving goods, the Jones family and their team are setting a high standard in efficiency.

Clayton Jones, president and owner of Canadian Rail Equipment Works & Services Inc. (CREWS ), has designed and built a fast-expanding railcar transloading and storage facility. The effective design can be adapted to regions across Canada.

"By the end of this year, we will double our capacity," Clayton said during a recent tour of Johnstown's 134-acre, state-of-the-art site adjacent to the main CN line corridor. The operation is expected to go from 560 to 1,000 rail cars per day within months.

"We can bolster and strengthen the supply chain with this model," Clayton said of the Johnstown location.

CREWS specializes in "first and last mile" services, which include transloading, railcar storage and consulting. Another service is in-plant switching for larger industrial customers, one of which is the Port of Johnstown. Overall, the CREWS site is a relief valve between Toronto and Montreal.

"This is an ideal location. We're not here by accident," Clayton said, adding when he first purchased a smaller parcel at the site seven years ago he felt confident it would expand quickly. Initially it was 76 acres, but more land was needed to expand westward for Phase 5 & 6 of development. They've gone from a storage capacity of 100 to 1,000 railcars. Originally they transloaded about 1,500 cars per year. They are now up to more than 6,000 cars per day.

"We're just scratching the surface. Now we're diversifying into other commodities and are very interested in accommodating Eastern Ontario business," said Clayton.

Clayton also founded and continues to run Jones Rail Industries Ltd., a niche company which, since 2007, designs, builds and maintains rail track for industrial clients.

Clayton credits his family and the dedicated CREWS team for having a strong safety structure in place, the foundation of an effective framework to support the business. He speaks highly of, and is grateful for, his partners at CN.

Learn more about CREWS and Jones Rail by visiting their website, see their LinkedIn page, call them at 613-258-6919 or send them an email.

Summer Company

Rideau Lakes, Merrickville Summer Co. Bosses

Two local students have been selected for the 2023 Summer Company Program in the north Leeds Grenville area. Summer Company provides an opportunity for students to be their own boss and operate a business for the summer. The successful students are:

Annie Burnett, Tyler Lane Ceramics

Tyler Lane Ceramics is a pottery studio based just outside of Smiths Falls in Rideau Lakes Township. Annie is focusing on simple designs and offering a range of functional wares (mugs, bowls, vases). In addition, she hopes to work towards a collection of some more sculptural, decorative work over the summer months. Follow along with her business on Instagram @tylerlane_ceramics or email her at tylerlaneceramincs@gmail.com to place an order or discuss getting a custom piece made.

Sam Molomaya, Sam’s Lawn Beautification

Sam is offering lawn maintenance services in the Village of Merrickville. He has a friendly positive attitude, and his services will satisfy his customers’ desire to have their lawn and property looking clean, tidy, and well maintained. Let Sam do the work, so you can enjoy the summer. You can reach out to Sam through email sammolomaya@gmail.com or by phone 613-269-4923 or 613-581-8021.

The Summer Company Program through the Small Business Advisory Centre is in its 22nd year promoting entrepreneurship to enterprising students. They spend their summer gaining invaluable business experience and learning what it means to be your own boss.

For more information about the Summer Company Program, contact Cindy James at the Small Business Advisory Centre (Smiths Falls/Lanark County/north Leeds Grenville) at 613-283-0062 or via email at cjames@smallbizcentre.ca. Visit www.smallbizcentre.ca and their Facebook and Instagram pages.

Above photo: Annie Burnett; below: Sam Molomaya.

Biz Bytes

Beauty Inside Wellness Spa has larger Location

Beauty Inside Wellness Spa has moved to a larger location at 5 Home Street, Brockville. A grand opening was held on June 22. Owner Terry-Ann Hare and Brockville Mayor Matt Wren cut the ribbon.

Terry-Ann opened her business in 2010. Today she employs a team of 8. She was an honouree for the Lifetime Achievement Award for her efforts to keep her business going when the pandemic hit in 2020. Learn more about Beauty Inside Wellness Spa by visiting their website, Facebook and Instagram pages. You can call them at 613-865-7100

Terry-Ann Hare, centre front, at the ribbon cutting with her staff and Mayor Matt Wren, at right.

News

Attention Eastern Ontario Private Companies with High Growth

The Eastern Ontario Business Journal (EOBJ) is looking to recognize and celebrate the region's fastest-growing private companies. This is a unique opportunity to be recognized for significant, sustainable and profitable growth.

The top 10 companies will be featured in an upcoming issue of the Eastern Ontario Business Journal - both in print and online. The deadline for submissions is Friday, August 4. The top 10 companies will be notified by September 1. These companies will be promoted across the region, including profiles in a special feature in the fall issue of EOBJ, featured in a video podcast, and invited to attend an awards luncheon.

In 2022, two Leeds Grenville companies, Marble Rock Developers & Construction of Gananoque and HFI Pyrotechnics Inc. of Johnstown, achieved No. 5 and No. 6 respectfully in the top 10.

Learn more or register

Digital Opportunities

Easy Social Media Strategies for Busy Entrepreneurs (Part 1)

As a busy small business owner with little extra time, it's important to create social media strategies that are effective and manageable. Here are some quick tips to head you in the right direction:

Set goals: What are the objectives of your social media presence? Are you looking to increase traffic to your website, boost brand awareness, engage more with your online audience or increase online shop sales? Set goals and targets that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time sensitive.
Do your homework: Pick one or two platforms where your current and future customers are. Choose Facebook to foster brand community, Instagram to show your rich visuals, Twitter for pertinent short messages or LinkedIn to display your professional abilities.
Source and use a content calendar: first, plan your content out in a calendar (paper or digital). Content calendars are great for staying organized and ensuring consistency in posting. Create and pre-schedule your posts by using a digital planner such as Buffer, Hootsuite, or Sprout Social.
Reuse and recycle: Repurpose your existing content to save time and effort. Watch our Share More - Save Time - Grow Sales webinar for an in depth look at social media. There’s a great piece on planning your content and an easy formula on breaking it all down into simple pieces.

Consistency is key with managing your social media strategy. It's better to be consistent on a couple of platforms than infrequent on many. In the next edition of the eNews, we will cover the second half of these easy strategies that help boost your online presence.

Book your Tuesday visit when the Digital Specialist is in your community:

Aug. 1 - Front of Yonge

Aug. 8 - Westport

Virtual sessions are also available during the day and there are extended hours to suit your schedule. For more information on the program, visit our Digital Services webpage or connect directly with Cyndy via email or phone 613-342-3840, ext. 5368. See you soon!

Workshops, Seminars and Webinar Library

Canadian Businesses: Learn about Exporting to Mexico and Latin America with Free Trade

Get quickly up to speed with a webinar hosted by Export Development Canada featuring a panel of three experts. Don't let a lack of local presence in the market or understanding of tariff and non-tariff barriers hold you back. Expand your knowledge on how to export products to Mexico and Latin America with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) and Comprehensive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Learn how your business can benefit from tariff liberalization and how to choose the right free trade agreement for your industry. The moderator is Jorge Rave, Chief Representative Mexico, Export Development Canada.

WHEN: Thursday, July 27, 1-2 p.m. online

COST: Free

To register

Learn more about upcoming Workshops, Seminars and explore our Webinar Library.

Leeds Grenville eNews Deadlines for submitting information:

If you have an upcoming workshop, seminar, or business-related event, please email it to us in advance.

Submissions for the August 8th edition should be received by Monday, July 31st.
Submissions for the August 22nd edition should be received by Monday, August 14th.