Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 19, 1995, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press b8 John 6977264 business Little chateau on the Prairies from fort a Jarry iaoafg5ro8t october 1995 Manitoba exports soar some see Clouds ahead official by Murray Mcneill business reporter the Bloom is still on Manitoba Export sector As Strong sales in ener equipment and Industrial goods have the province headed for a record after two years of steady Manitoba products destined for foreign markets increased million in August to the gains were led by a Dou bling of Energy sales and a 66 per cent increase in consumer goods such As Furni Ture Over 1994 there seems to be no end to Manitoba Export said Andrew Pyle of mrs a financial Market information service in there Are signs of growth in a wide Range of sectors from manufacturing and processed foods to apparel and a Low Canadian Dollar has companies like Recap and new flyer industries on the verge of record meanwhile other merchandise Trade August 1995 merchandise Trade balance Jody Moho Winnipeg free press engine assembler Arthur quest Kapow at versatile Plant the equip ment buoyed by has seen double digit imports billion exports billion seasonally adjusted source statistics Canada up companies like Palliser furniture and ver Satile farm equipment have seen double digit on a year overhear were on track for a 20 to 30 per cent increase in Art president of in hearing from a number of local companies that Are expect ing 30 and 50 per cent increases in opportunities Manitoba Export sales finished 1994 nearly 30 per cent ahead of 1993 Levels and to they Are up another 26 per exports have reached Bil lion up million Over our industries Are responding to the opportunities out said Trade min ister Jim but Manitoba Strong showing in August came As a Surprise to Jonas vice president and general manager of the Manitoba division of the Canadian manufacturers Sammons said he attended the divisions Board of directors meeting earlier yester Day and More than one firm mentioned that things have ground to a dont get me he Treyve had a Good year but they were saying its like somebody pulled Down the the Only explanation Sammons could think of is that the drop off has occurred since the end of and that its linked to a higher valued Canadian another local manufacturing official said he want at All surprised by yesterdays Export Rick Vic president of service and marketing for new flyer industries said if new flyers experience is any this has been a Good year for Export our exports continue to be very Strong and our sales Are Sebinski adding that sales for the firm should hit a record million in statistics Canada said Strong Auto production helped boost exports per cent Over the july level to the biggest jump in 15 800 600 400 200 0 r r ill a Sondyj pm am j a 94 july 95 95 source statistics Canada up imports were up per cent to Bil leaving the country with a record Trade surplus of awesome is the said Sherry chief economist at Nesbitt exports clearly generate jobs and prof its in so All of this is very americans dont get the Point of funny business associated press a Texas Purina Puppy Chow spiced with a taste of Squirrel no such of but ral Ston Purina was polite in telling that to Stuart and James the prankster Brothers who get their kicks out of tweaking humor less companies wrote the pet food manufacturer is it True that ral Ston Purina has recently launched a new Brand of dog food called Squirrel blend the rumours circulating Here Are that it even comes in two flavors Woodland and Rocky Mountain the company reply Ralston Purina company does not Manu facture a dog food product called Squirrel blend and i know of no plans to do whether the answer was dead pan or innocent int entirely the Wade Brothers have com piled the replies to their prank let ters in a drop us a line Stuart Wade is a Public relations consultant in Austin and his brother a marketing consultant in after the persian Gulf Stu Art Wade wrote to Hormel foods asking Why the Straits at the Mouth of the Gulf share the same name As your Hormel answer i have Learned through our people that the area you Are probably referring to is called the Strait of it is not the Strait of Stuart Wade said most american companies didst seem to get the while the British often wrote inspired the wades asked to use win Chester Cathedral in England to hold a requiem in Honor of Castor a very dear Friend who passed away last month in another tragic victim of Reindeer transmitted brucellosis Castor had friends All Over the therefore i believe we need a Large the reply suggested they approach his holiness the Pope to see if the service might be held in in another James Wade applied for the Job of a kind of human Fly version of Mickey mouse at euro with the help of tiny suction i could climb vertical sur faces for a very crowd leasing he note for the wardrobe department i Wear a size 40 regular euro Disney wrote Back and asked for a award Winner credits advice by Murray Mcneil business reporter three words uttered Dur ing a Job interview six years ago have had a profound effect on the lives of Winnipeg entrepreneurs Art Kingma and Matthew the words were uttered by an official with a local engineering firm who was interviewing King a for an engineers Job with the during the Kingma mentioned that if he find an engineering he was think ing of starting up a new importing business with his Friend and future he go for Kingma recalled adding the interviewer pointed out that he could always go Back to being an Engineer if the business so he took the mans in january he and College chum Matthew Baerg launched classic Stone design a Winnipeg company that imports hand made furniture and funeral related products from the in the nearly six years since the pair has built classic Stone design into a successful importing business that is expected to Post million in that Success garnered them some National recognition when they were named Manitoba Young entrepreneurs of the year at a special awards ceremony in Baerg said he and Kingma were surprised and honoured to have won the which is sponsored by the business development Bank of Canada and honors an out standing Young entrepreneur or team of entrepreneurs from each province and territory in the Winnipeg duo got their importing and Selling coffins and cremation urns made from Fossil a Marble like Deposit indigenous to the it want Long before they Dis covered an even bigger demand for handcrafted occasional tables and dining room tables and so they also began importing them from three factories in the once they gained the Confidence of their target clients furniture manufacturers and distributors from throughout North America and Europe there was no looking a unique feature of the Young entrepreneur awards is its men tors which pairs award winners with a prominent Busi Ness Leader from their Home province or for the next bergs and King Mas Mentor will be Maureen president of Prendiville a family owned forestry based Gendis loses taste for restaurant business when four gringos restaurants in Winnipeg and Calgary closed earlier this it marked the end of an Experiment in diversification by Gendis it also added another chapter to the history of the grapes restau rant Chain a Story that May some Day make an excellent business school Case although grapes Canada was not associated with the four gringos restaurants when they closed on it was a partner in the Ven Ture one week before the Deal Dies Gendis and the former manage ment company that ran the grapes Chain signed a partnership agree ment in february 94 whereby Gendis would bankroll new prop erties developed by the grapes part of the Deal was renege allowing for a buyout of the Winnipeg grapes restaurants by one of the former so on 29 Thrainn Krist grapes became the sole owner of grapes Canada ending the Deal with Gendis and extricating Kristjansson from Gendis then closed gringos ending its association with the restaurant i bought Gendis shares in Martin Cash grapes Canada and the round table restaurant at a predetermined Kristjansson the company he bought Back is the franchiser of four grapes restaurants and acts As head office for the other those other two Are partially or completely owned by Kristjansson he also owns the round table not Only have Many of the restaurants in the original Deal closed the closure of the four gringos restaurants was preceded by the closing of grapes restau rants in Vancouver and Brandon As Well As a tavern in Cal Gary but the management team that was supposed to operate and grow the business for Gendis has effectively when the Deal came together in february the Golden Spike then located in the Johnston terminal at the was to be a major growth vehicle for the partnership through the Sale of one year later the Golden Spike was closed and that restaurant now called Monetta world cafe is in the hands of a former grapes senior executive who helped put the Gendis Deal the collapse of what was the beginnings of a major Winnipeg based restaurant Chain is noteworthy in that grapes and its other properties at one time virtually owned the Winnipeg Kristjansson blames the fail ure on poor research and development that took place while he was Semi retired in the Early the company was too expand Sion oriented without a proper foundation in he to make things a firestorm is brewing among the grapes Uptown limited partners who Are now concerned with Sim ply saving the the meeting is to discuss ways investors can get their Money Back and keep the business said Craig an Mann said there is serious con Cern and dissatisfaction among the 36 investors Over the involvement of grapes Canada in the Way grapes Uptown but Kristjansson said we Are doing All we can to help that restau Mexicali Grill bar Jeff oe80owwinnipm free press Polo Park one of four in the Chain that Gendis closed in Winnipeg and rant speaking of about Worth of renovations is currently being slowed into grapes on main to upgrade the 10 year old former Cash Kristjansson admits what Many people have been saying for some that grapes has not kept up with the he said the development of a Ai i new menu has had a positive although insiders claim its Little More than new names for old dishes plus a handful of new Kristjansson says plans Are in the works for More up grades after grapes on main and believes grapes will Bounce the restaurant business is truly even companies that Rule the Roost today Are upstaged by someone new Gendis still has a desire to but i think it now realizes that the restaurant business is not for said Martin spokesman for Gendis the Gendis experience proves once again that no matter How savvy the the restau rant business ultimately operates on its own ;