Canadian Tire changes hands here

People who shop at Canadian Tire here are being urged to “tell it like it is” to new owner Ray Engelbertink.
And that means putting most of his own ideas on hold until he takes into account what his staff and clientele have to say.
“Staff and customers are the most important–and that’s not a rehearsed line,” said Engelbertink, 38, who took over the store here last Thursday after former owner Rob Heenan re-located to British Columbia.
“I have to listen to what they think. Good or bad, I want to hear it. They’ve been here a lot longer than I have,” he stressed.
“Staff and customers are the best resource [for change].”
People can fill out a form being published in today’s Times to list what they like about the Canadian Tire store now, and how they would improve it.
The form can be dropped off at the Customer Service desk to be eligible for a $100 draw.
Engelbertink moved here from Gananoque (a town of about 5,000 near Kingston) with wife, Kim, and their two children, Christine, 11, and Michael, nine.
He had headed up a Canadian Tire store there since 1995.
In fact, Canadian Tire has been in his blood since 1978 when, at the young age of 18, he took his first job with the company as a floor sweeper and tire changer at a service centre in the Ottawa area.
“I loved it. I came up the line and eventually into the store,” he said.
As far as getting involved in the local community, Engelbertink said he still has to get familiar with what’s out there, noting that at least for now, he has no “pet” organizations or clubs in focus.
But he plans to continue to fulfill his store’s commitment of supporting local sports teams and non-profit groups that former owners have upheld.
“One of the advantages of a smaller community is that you get to know and see who you are supporting,” he added, noting that in large urban centres, it’s almost impossible to familiarize yourself with customers and community on the same level.
While Engelbertink and his wife both admitted there will be a bit of an adjustment getting acquainted with their “northwestern” surroundings, they won’t miss living near a heavily-populated area.
In fact, the couple said they declined a number of dealerships up for grabs across the country because of a desire to get away from the hubbub.
“We turned down a lot in southern Ontario and B.C. because of that,” he added. “We’re not going to miss the big city.”
“We did not want to live in an urban centre,” she agreed.
Meanwhile, although the Engelbertinks were greeted with mild and uneventful weather upon their arrival here, even a cold snap would have been nothing compared to what they left behind.
They and other Gananoque residents felt the effects of the recent ice storm–and that meant no power, heat, or hot water at homes and businesses.
“We had no heat or hot water [at home] for four days. That doesn’t seem like a long time–but it was,” Kim Engelbertink said.
“One morning when we got up, the temperature was only six degrees. We could see our breath,” he added, noting all four family members had slept together to keep warm.
At the store, Engelbertink and his staff used flashlights and hand wrote bills to stay open for customers seeking emergency supplies.
“We had a huge lineup of customers from one end of the parking lot to the other and we couldn’t let them in at random, only three or four at a time,” he recalled.
Fortunately, power was restored to the area before the family move here–and prior to the Gananoque store being transferred to its new owners.
Still, it will be a long time before they forget the scene of destruction back east.
“The day we left, the army was still very visible along the streets [helping out]. And there were hardly any trees left standing,” Kim Engelbertink reflected.
“All the old oaks were destroyed. It brings tears to your eyes. I get very emotional when I think about that,” she said.
“I don’t think any of us ever expected it to happen, and it will be something we’ll never forget,” she stressed.