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Pa ge 1 8 T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 5, 2 01 5 - T he IF P - H al to n H ill s - w w w .th ei fp .c a Advertorial For 40 years Ren's Pets Depot has been passionate about pets and the people they own. "It's true," says Colin Job, Ren's Pets owner. Job should know - he's worked at the family owned business since he was about eight. Job's father, Ren, started the business after returning to Canada from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 45 years ago. "He was in the feed business there," Job explains, and decided to pur- chase the feed mill on Trafalgar Road in Oakville where he then sold feed to other farms. This is where Job started - rid- ing in the delivery trucks, learning the business along the way. But as the farms moved further north, the business model had to change and that's just what Ren's Pets did, moving away from feed delivery to catering to pets - cats and dogs, specifically. That feed mill on Trafalgar Road has grown to a 10,000 square foot store, but not before a dev- astating fire in 1980 ravaged the building while Ren and his family were on vacation. Today there are seven Ren's Pets Depots in Ontario with three more set to open between March and May of this year, along with a thriving online business that ships across the country. The entire operation is run out of the company's head office, located in Aberfoyle. With more stores on the way, Ren's will increase the number of employ- ees from 160 to about 200 in the next few months, creating more local jobs in Whitby and the yet-to-be-named two other new locations. Job credits the success of the company he took over entirely from his father about 14 years ago to the fact that they've found a niche in the marketplace and honed in on three pillars: best selection, best prices and best customer experience. Despite what Job describes as "dabbling" in other areas, the management team has never strayed too far from those pillars and it's a recipe that's proved successful. Ren's Pets has also dedicated efforts to giving back to the com- munities in which they operate in the form of a dog licensing pro- gram they run in conjunction with the local humane societies. The program offers a $25 Ren's Pets Depot gift card to all dog owners who register their canines with the city for a dog license. "We also donate to many of the hu- mane societies with product and provide a $25 gift card for each adoption as well," Job adds. Ren's Pets Depot also supplies prod- uct to groomers, breeders and train- ing schools across the country. "We partner with them," rather than compete with them Job says of the reciprocal re- lationships. Ren's Pets Depot recom- mends them to their customers and they do the same, creat- ing customers for life. Frequent custom- ers of the stores will benefit not only from the great selection, prices and customer service, but also the unique rewards programs that see customers earn points that turn into dollars that can be used in-store. It helps regular shoppers earn free product over time. As for what's in store for Ren's Pets 40th year, Job says "we are definitely in growth mode. We'll continue to open as many retail stores across Ontario and to- wards the latter part of 2015 will make our ecommerce site a big focus," with the implementation of a new software system operat- ed by Ren's Pets in-house ecom- merce team, which is located in Aberfoyle along with the market- ing and IT teams. The company will maintain their online presence, offering a num- ber of contests to celebrate the 40th anniversary and continue to offer such community events as the annual tent sales at all the locations. These tent sales are much anticipated by regular customers, many of whom travel from location to location for the sales and to experience the dog training demonstrations, bouncy castle, face painting and popcorn as many times as possible each summer. But the 40th anniversary events won't end in the sum- mer. Celebrations will continue throughout 2015 as Ren's Pets Depot focuses on giving back to the customers with amazing sales, promotions, Facebook con- tests, a black tie event and yet-to- be announced really big contest. Follow all the promotions and events at facebook.com/renspets and find out more about Ren's Pets Depot at renspets.com. Ren's Pets Depot celebrates 40 years in business Colin Job has continued the success of Ren's Pets Depot since taking over from his father, Ren. What was once a single-store enterprise is soon to be 10 stores in 2015 as the company celebrates 40 years in business. Did you think incontinence was just a "woman's issue"? 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Valid through February 28, 2015 at The Essence of Colour, 369 Mountainview Road South, Georgetown. 905-877-4500 or info@essenceofcolour.com oupon must be suroupon must be suroupon must be suroupon must be suroupon must be suroupon must be sur 369Mountainview Rd South - 905.877.4500 - Georgetown South in theMetro Plaza When you present this coupon One single purchase of ben, Regal Select, or Natura Interior Paint-Plus-Primer* *gallons only 20%OFF 2015 Colour Trends now in store! Make Winter Elegant! A fresh coat of paint can help curb Cabin Fever! Beat the Winter Blues 2062-70 Harbour Fog OC-46 Halo 2106-60 Soft Sand It takes about 45 minutes for Amanda Sullivan to hand-knit one of the colourful toques she's been distributing to classmates and others at George Kennedy Public School recently. The Grade 5 student estimates she's com- pleted about 30 of the hats that she learned to make in the school's Stitching Club under teacher Sharon Dutton and a lengthy list of requests is waiting for Sullivan to fill. She's been selling the headgear for $10 each and donating the funds, which has to- talled $200 so far, to Halton Women's Place, a shelter for the abused or homeless. "When I was getting ready to go to school a couple of weeks ago, my mom and I heard on the radio that someone froze to death in a Toronto bus shelter," Sullivan recalled. "So we were thinking, 'What can we do to help?'" Sullivan gets the material for the hats from craft stores and has set a goal of making 10 toques per week, which she says takes up most of her spare time. Her mother does help put the finishing touches on the top weave of the hats, but Amanda said she's quickly mastering the hand-knitting technique. When asked if she's considering a future in the fashion industry, Sullivan shrugged her shoulders and said, "Maybe." "The other kids make headbands, they don't make hats like Amanda's," said Dutton. "She went on You tube and figured it out herself, learning how to connect the different strips. The hats have be- come quite popular at our school." COMMUNITY Grade 5 student knits hats to raise funds for Halton Women's Place AMANDA SULLIVAN The Independent & Free Press needs newspaper carriers The Georgetown Independent & Free Press needs carriers in Acton. Streets available in Acton: Church St. E.; Longfield Rd.; Winford Place; Sprowl Street ; Arthur Street ; Mill St. E.; Agnes St.; Kingsley St. If you or someone you know may be interested in delivering the local news- paper, please call 905-873-0301, ext. 228