Belleville History Alive!

Grills Merges Dairy, Part 2

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LEE. Grills Merges Dairy Belleville's Friendly Milkman has got himself some new buddies. Lee Grills, MP for South Hastings and owner of one of the Quinte district's biggest milk plants, has confirmed a big change in his business. Mr. Grills now becomes vice-president of Lee Grills Dairy Ltd., which has been amalgamated with two other Eastern Ontario dairies. The amalgamation joins the Belleville enterprise to Spencer's Quality Dairy, of Brighton and BrooksidePrice's Dairy, of Kingston. Taking Mr. Grills' place as president of tfte Quinte unit of the new group is Gordon J. Spencer, of Brighton. Mr. Grills, started in business more than 20 years ago, when he came in from a Sidney-township farm and borrowed money to buy out Harper's Dairy. "Our first day in business -- Nov. 1st, 1944 -- we delivered 180 quarts of milk," recalls Mr. Grills. "In 22 years I've had the satisfaction of watching the business grow 40 times to a daily output of 8,000 quarts." He moved to expand in 1949 when he successfully bid for Citizen's Dairy Ltd., on the site of the present Grills operation at Coleman Street. Competitors have also dropped out along the way. When he started in business, there were seven dairies plying for trade around Belleville. Now there are only three.*' He also began with three employees -- now Lee Grills Dairy counts 20 on its payroll. Mr. Grills credits his business success to confidence in his home area -- not forgetting the miilk producers, who maintain consistently high standards, he says. His "Friendly Milkman" slogan which has followed him all the way to Parliament since his first election in 1957, was a simple inspiration that stuck. It happened right after he opened business in 1944. "The second day we were in business a calendar salesman came to me and told me \ would never succeed in business without a slogan,11 Mr. Grills recalls. "I prizt friendship more than anything else, so I thought 'Your friendly milkman/ The salesman said that was good enough -- and sold me some calendars." <

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