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4- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday November 18, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com Decore Sale On Now Staff strength of business Continued from page 3 Fine Children's Furniture Linen and Decor For all your children's furniture needs from infant to adult. Bean Bag Chair Orders taken now for Christmas 2111 Dunwin Dr., Mississauga 905.828.2525 facing Dundas Street West (2 blocks west of Erin Mills Pkwy) www.aroomofmyown.net 1360 Speers Road, Oakville (East of third line) www.factor ytiledepot.ca 11,000 SQ. FT. OF SELECTION, SERVICE AND QUALITY! Factory Tile Depot Now Open AN EXTENSIVE PORCELAINS, MARBLE AND ALL WE IMPORT AND STOCK Specializing in importing and suppling quality ceramics, porcelain and natural stone from around the world! COLLECTION OF CERAMICS, TRAVERTINES, GLASS, MOSAICS, SLATE, GRANITE, INSTALLATION MATERIALS. ! are the norm. Her staff juggles up to five to six events a day -- and up to three large functions daily. Bell's main market is Toronto, "and I have a strong market in Calgary -- the oil companies hold major events." However, she has very few local clients. One of them is ATHENA Oakville. She created a setting for an elegant gala dinner for the 10th annual awards presented Oct. 25 at the Oakville Conference and Banquet Centre. "She's Oakville's internationally known and acclaimed best kept secret," said her friend Julia Hanna of Ristorante Julia. The two plan to launch a cooking lifestyle show ­ Bell will create the setting and Hanna will devise the menu items. Bell is adept at designing spaces for parties for 50 to 5,000 people. She's known worldwide for her creativity and use of props ­ anything from replicas of Italian marble statues to scale models of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Eiffel Tower plus a bow of ship (closely resembling The Titanic) to larger-than-life characters and chandeliers plus centerpieces and floral arrangements. All of this is kept in a 35,000 sq. ft. warehouse at 1171 Invicta Dr. In the driveway are no fewer than six trucks, and sometimes, up to 11. "We've provided white leather sofas for 150 people at a wedding... 400 tables cloths is not a problem for us." Nor are floral arrangements. The company buys raw fresh flowers and creates lavish centerpieces in its floral division. "Our floral division had to create 440 fabulous florals for one event," said Bell. "That was a massive feat especially since it was not the only event on that day that required florals." The warehouse also houses a carpentry and paint shop plus a graphic design component where signs are made. "We've seated 4,400 people at a party," said Bell. "We got the room ready in three hours." That meant 4,400 chair covers had to be rented or custom made. "On occasion we have clients who want something never seen or done before or not readily accessible in Canada so we have our designs sewn for us," said Bell. "Many times we simply rent chair covers, linens, napkins and napkin treatments for our clients." Earlier this year she was nominated for -- and won -- four ISES (International Special Events Society) 2006 Esprit Awards for creative solution, event design and décor for events costing more than $50,000, and team awards for events budgeted up to $100,000 and events costing more than $100,000. The awards were presented in Hawaii. "We were nominated in four out of 20 categories," said Bell. "Winning all four awards, including winning for best party with a budget of $100,000 to limitless, was huge for us as we're competing against the United States market- place. We were up against `the sky's the limit.'" Bell has also been named an Event Solutions Spotlight Award finalist as the 2006 Event Supplier of the Year "which is worldwide recognition and pretty impressive," said Bell. "We're a new player in the world marketplace." She has also won three Canadian Star Awards ­ out of six nominations ­ for best theme décor costing $10,000 to $30,000; best trade show booth and best table centre. Bell attributes the company's success to her staff. "They are the strength of the business. A lot of our staff has been here for a long time -- they come and stay. It's a strange business...the hours are long. Most of the clients include event planners, hotels, caterers, corporations, awards shows, product launches, branding programs and Fortune 100 companies. About 18 months ago, Bell decided to expand Décor and More and bolster its marketing expertise and recruited Dan Noot as co-president and business partner. "He brings a different perspective," said Bell. "I'm the creative person and he looks after the business, the marketing and branding and positioning of our company. "Dan hails from a Fortune 100 company in the United States and he brings a new understanding to the business." Bell's third partner is son Bryan, 30, "who brings yet a different perspective, a young hip attitude." Bryan has been with the company for more than five years and is its vice-president of sales. Décor and More is somewhat of a family affair -- Bell's other son, Greg, 27, worked with the company for several years before venturing off to Fredericton, NB. Bell and her husband of 35 years, Tom Bell, have lived in Oakville for 29 years. Currently a pastor specializing in counseling at The Meeting House, he was previously in senior management at Toronto Hydro. "He actually got me started," said Bell. "When I was a corporate wife and full time mom, my husband was appointed the first Canadian chairman for the American Public Power Conference held in Toronto. He asked me to serve as a chairperson for social, gala and leisure activities," she said. "I formed a committee of other wives, called up an event company to help and it was the first time I really got to see what an event company does. "That was almost 24 years ago I loved the whole world of events from the `get go.' "After the conference they (the event planning company) jokingly said, `you're a natural. You should really be doing this for a living.' I quipped back, `you should really hire me.' "I got a call out of the blue two years later and started with that company two weeks later. My love affair with events was born." Pud By Steve Nease snease@haltonsearch.com