Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 19, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B7 winnipegfreepress. com BUSINESS WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2014 B 7 your mortgage, consider it done Canada's Mortgage Experts T Call me today Peter Paley Mortgage Specialist Ph: 204- 227- 2744 Fax: 204- 272- 3404 www. peterpaley. com peterpaley@ invis. ca Brokerage License# 10801 I deal with over 50 lenders to get you a mortgage that is suited to YOUR needs. I offer the most competitive rates in the industry with maximum flexibility in financing choices. Free mortgage consultation*, with over 14 years experience in the banking! lend t ort First time home buyer? Relax. trust a ' first time home buyer' mortgage specialist. . JOIN THE PROS. go. CPAmb. ca CPAs are in demand in every business sector. Learn why at an upcoming information session. ELEVATE YOUR PROSPECTS RON KRAHN SALES MANAGER Steve Dennis, General Manager of Waverley Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram is pleased to anounce the appointment of Ron Krahn to the position of Sales Manager. Ron has extensive experience in both the automotive and hospitality industry. Please feel free to visit Ron at his new location in the Waverley Automall. E- mail: ronkrahn@ waverleychrysler. ca www. waverleychrysler. ca | 204- 661- 5337 A P P O I N T M E N T Mr. Greg S. Arason, Chair of the Thunder Bay Port Authority Board of Directors, has been reappointed to the Board for a three- year term ending December 31, 2016. Federal Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt announced the reappointment on February 4. Mr. Arason was first appointed to the Board on January 1, 2011 and became Chair of the Board on June 26, 2013. Residing in Winnipeg, Mr. Arason served as President and C. E. O. of the Canadian Wheat Board from 2006 to 2008 and from 1998 to 2002. He was C. E. O. of Manitoba Pool Elevators from 1988 to 1998 and has served on many corporate and industry associations including the Western Transportation Advisory Council, the Western Grain Elevator Association and the Vancouver Port Authority. Thunder Bay Port Authority 100 Main Street Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6R9 ( 807) 345- 6400 www. portofthunderbay. ca BOARD CHAIR REAPPOINTMENT Gene G. Fraser Gary W. Giesbrecht, President and CEO of MacDon Industries Ltd., is pleased to announce the appointment of Gene G. Fraser to the position of Vice President effective January 1, 2014. In his new role, Mr. Fraser will be responsible for MacDon's Global Sales and Marketing functions. Mr. Fraser joined MacDon in June of 1981 and has held several positions throughout the Company and most recently Director of Marketing. Mr. Fraser's farm background and many years of experience in agribusiness is an asset in his new role. He is a graduate of St. Francis Xavier University and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. MacDon Industries Ltd. is a family owned, Canadian based corporation, specializing in the design and manufacture of harvesting equipment for global markets. www. macdon. com John Wright, P. Eng. Gary W. Giesbrecht, President and CEO of MacDon Industries Ltd., is pleased to announce the appointment of John Wright to the position of Vice President effective January 1, 2014. In this role, Mr. Wright is responsible for leading Design Engineering, Product Management and our New Product Development process. John joined MacDon in 2009 as our Director of Design Engineering, having spent much of his earlier career leading engineering teams and production teams in aerospace. John holds a B. Sc. in Engineering ( Mech.) and a Master's Degree in Business Administration. MacDon Industries Ltd. is a family owned, Canadian based corporation, specializing in the design and manufacture of harvesting equipment for global markets. www. macdon. com 204- 942- 3331 CANADA'S largest pizza restaurant chain - Pizza Pizza - is continuing its aggressive expansion in the Winnipeg market with plans to open four more outlets this year and at least two more in 2015. " We're very happy with the growth and prosperity we've seen in the city," said Pat Finelli, the Toronto- based chain's chief marketing officer. " With nine locations in the community, we're hopeful that we will continue to grown in the region..." Finelli said the company already has its eyes on two potential sites - one in St. Boniface and the other in the Sage Creek area in southeast Winnipeg. Negotiations are underway with the landlords of those two properties, he said. Finelli said all of the local restaurants are franchises, rather than company- owned outlets, " so it has to be locations that we like and they ( the franchisees) like." He said they usually prefer to be in strip malls or retail plazas where traffic volumes are good. One plaza they're looking at has a junior department store and another fast- food outlet as tenants. If the company is able to open four new outlets this year, it will likely add at least two more in Winnipeg in 2015. It's also keen on expanding into the Brandon market within the next six to 12 months, Finelli said. - Murray McNeill T ORONTO - A refreshed vision for Tim Hortons begins to take shape this week as the company releases details on its financial results and how it plans to remain innovative in the highly competitive Canadian coffee market. The quick- service chain will reveal the strategy in two stages, starting on Thursday with its yearend financial results. Then, next week, recently appointed chief executive officer Marc Caira will take the stage at the company's investor day to outline the next steps for Tim Hortons. The Oakville, Ont.- based company faces an onslaught of challengers in the coffee industry, a corner of the Canadian market it once seemed to dominate effortlessly. While promotions such as its annual Roll Up the Rim contest still generate plenty of attention, the number of people buying food and beverages at its restaurants has been slowly declining over several years. Working against it are cheaper alternatives such as McDonald's and the wider range of coffee flavours offered by Starbucks and Second Cup. Analysts don't anticipate much will improve when the fourthquarter results are posted Thursday. Bad weather in Ontario and Quebec caused power outages and store closures in December, which hit the entire retail industry hard during the peak Christmas shopping period. Average earnings per share expectations are targeted at 77 cents, according to a survey of analysts by Thomson Reuters, while a dividend increase from the current quarterly payout of 26 cents is also likely, several analysts predict. " Our outlook for Tim's is unchanged heading into the fourthquarter release, as negative traffic in Canada remains a concern," Barclays analyst Jim Durran said in a note. He expects the company will need to innovate, focus on better customer service and utilize more advanced technology at its stores if it wants to grow. Tim Hortons also faces challenges with its own operations, as it contends with higher- priced food items that take longer to prepare. During peak hours, the backlog of sandwiches and hot food items often causes a bottleneck of customers waiting for orders. The snaking lineups have become part of the regular business day at some of the company's more popular restaurants and drive- thru locations. That image has pained executives such as Caira, who told The Canadian Press last fall service at the counter is the " moment of truth" that determines whether a customer is pleased enough to make a return visit. " Future battles are not going to be won, in my view, with who has the best strategy or who has the best innovation," he said. " The companies that will win will be the companies that can execute flawlessly at the store level." Tim Hortons has lagged behind other fast- food chains, which have redesigned their stores with couches and fireplaces that encourage customers to stay longer. The company only recently introduced free Wi- Fi to its restaurants and still doesn't offer outlets to power laptops and charge mobile phones. The menu at Tim Hortons is almost certain to get a refreshed look, as Caira said one of his priorities is to reconsider everything from the coffee cup sizes to doughnut selection in an effort to craft a product lineup that didn't simply mimic his competitors. One of the most drastic changes being considered was creating a second Tim Hortons coffee blend - a first for the company. Also on the table was the possibility of a loyalty program that rewards the most frequent coffee drinkers. Meanwhile, Tim Hortons is aiming to attract more customers with a revamp of its annual Roll Up the Rim to Win contest. This year, customers have two chances to roll a cup's rim to win prizes including a new car, $ 5,000 Visa prepaid cards, $ 100 Tim Hortons gift cards and also coffee and food prizes. The bonus roll offers a chance to win one of 10 more new cars. - The Canadian Press, with files from the Financial Post Pizza Pizza plans to expand in Winnipeg Tim's rolls up the rim to win Company takes on tough competition By David Friend Tim Hortons CEO Marc Caira B_ 07_ Feb- 19- 14_ FP_ 01. indd B7 2/ 18/ 14 7: 32: 37 PM ;