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8 Business Links · HALTON HILLS · Tuesday, January 17, 2012 Focusing on "Business of the Month" By Cor Baarda, Knowledge Management Every month, Chamber members and local residents have the opportunity to nominate a local business for the Chamber's Business of the Month award. The criteria for selection are: quality of service, unique products, and/or civic involvement which benefits the community. T he recipients for this quarter are: Georgetown Import Inc. (October), Ray Johnson & Associates Inc. (November), Alexanian Carpet & Flooring (December). Congratulations to all of you! Business of the Month: October 2011 Georgetown Import was opened by Par Brar and Mark Handy in early 2010. They met at a previous place of employment 13 years ago, and decided to open their own shop from scratch and repair imports, in which they were experts. They don't advertise, so they get all their customers by word-of-mouth and referral. They don't hesitate to talk their customers out of unnecessary work on their vehicles and it doesn't take long before the customer 1) praises Georgetown Imports to his/her friends and 2) becomes a friend. Both Par and Mark love their work, and it shows. Congratulations on a well-deserved award! Ray Johnson & Associates Inc. Tel: 905-877-0131 115 Main St. Georgetown, L7G 3E5 ray_johnson@cooperators.ca Member since 2008 Ray has been with the The Co-operators for 18 years (15 in Georgetown) and in charge of his own agency ever since he started here. Ray still has many of the same customers he started with, and has grown his agency by referrals. The Co-operators is Canadian-owned, and has been active for 66 years. Ray handles all lines of insurance and investment products. Having clients Business of the Month: November 2011 Ray Johnson & Associates Inc. Photo: Independent & Free Press managed by Sammy Turkoz, has been open for about three years. They sell and install all kinds of flooring ­ carpet, rugs, vinyl, hardwood, laminates, ceramics and cork, as well as window coverings and California shutters. Alexanian has their own installers and this means they can make sure each job gets done right. Their customers receive excellent service and this means repeat business. The business grows by word of mouth; Alexanian is a well-respected name with excellent after-sales support. Happy customers come back. Congratulations! Georgetown Import Inc. Photo: Independent & Free Press who stay with you is a testimony all on its own ­ they like you, and trust you. This seems obvious, but only a successful business owner knows that it also requires hard work, constant vigilance and great staff to get it and keep it. Congratulations on a job well done! Alexanian Carpet & Flooring 23 Mountainview Rd. N. Georgetown, L7G 4J8 Tel: 905-877-7688 www.alexanian.com Member since 2009 Alexanian Carpet & Flooring, owned by the Alexanian family, has a number of Ontario locations; the Georgetown one Business of the Month: December 2011 Georgetown Import Inc. 905-877-6900 354 Guelph St. Georgetown, L7G 4B5 georgetownimport@gmail.com Member since 2010 Alexanian Carpet & Flooring Photo: Independent & Free Press Ask The Professionals PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING SERVICES Ask Amy about our "NEW" Ask The Professional Directory asykes@theifp.ca 905-873-0301 ext 237 905-873-9393 WWW.FORGECOACHINGANDCONSULTING.COM INFO@FORGECOACHINGANDCONSULTING.COM FREE PRESCRIPTION DELIVERY Joy Thornton RPh 905-450-1850 Barbara Byckowski Investment Advisor, BBA, PFP, CFP 83 Mill Street, Suite B, Georgetown, Ontario When one chooses to ignore the impact of disruptive and hurtful events in their life, it often finds a way of surfacing at unexpected moments causing us to experience emotional and/or physical distress and use a multitude of coping strategies. While some coping strategies are very helpful, others can be hurtful. For example, meditation and exercise are adaptive and useful while drugs and alcohol, or falling into a state of depression and anxiety, are not helpful. Many believe that counselling is about rehashing old hurts. There is nothing farther from the truth. The purpose of counselling is to assist individuals in becoming more resilient. Counselling normalizes emotions and provides effective tools to manage them. It also focuses on identifying and developing personal strengths. As one becomes more skilled in facing their challenges, their perceptions of situations, self and others change. Counselling is a transformative process which moves people from survivor to thriver so they can realize their maximum potential. Manon Dulude is a Professional Certified Coach she can be reached at 905 873 9393. Q: A: Open until Midnight 7 days a week 265 Guelph St. E., 905-877-2291 Email: barbara.byckowski@rbc.com Tel: 905-877-8668 Fax: 905-877-4165 Marta Masley B.Sc.(PT), M.C.P.A. Why go to counselling? Q: A: How can I avoid long wait times when getting my prescriptions filled? In order to avoid long waits here are a few tips to speed things up: Q: A: I am looking at investing in bonds but need to understand what "yield to maturity" means. With the mild winter weather this year, I've Q: decided to take up jogging outdoors so that I'll be ready for the spring and summer seasons. I have tried to increase my distance on a weekly basis, but now I am experiencing a setback because of pain to the outside of my right knee. It seems to be present when I'm into my 2nd kilometer of running and just continues to increase unless I stop. What could this be? It sounds like you have sustained an overuse injury called the ilotibial band friction syndrome. The iliotibial band is a thickened strip of fascia that passes down over the outside of the thigh and inserts into the top of the shin bone (tibia) on that side. When the knee is repeatedly flexed and extended as in running, the ilitibial band repeatedly rubs over a bony prominence of the thigh bone (femur) that is located around the knee joint. This leads to inflammation of the band, resulting in discomfort. Symptoms commonly appear after a long walk or run, usually worsening with increased distance. Walking downstairs and jogging on hilly terrain is also particularly aggravating. A tight iliotbial band and/or lower extremity structural abnormalities are usually the predisposing factors of this syndrome. Since this is an overuse injury, the most important component of treatment is to reduce the stress to the knee. This does not mean that you have to stop running all together, but try running a shorter distance on flat ground and shortening your running stride. Inflammation can be reduced through icing and ultrasound. When symptoms resolve, be sure to include iliotibial band stretches in your pre- and postrunning stretching routine. For new prescriptions: When you give your prescription to the pharmacy technician, ensure that all your personal information is accurate. If you have a drug plan let the technician know the details at the time you show your prescription. Giving this information later when you pick up your prescription can result in further delays while the technician refills the prescription. For prescriptions that do not have repeats left on them: Call in your refill a few days before you take your last pill. Most doctors can take more than 1 or two days to respond to a refill request and many medications should not be missed, even for one day. For prescriptions either with or without repeats left on them: You can request a refill using the Shoppers Drug Mart Med Ready System: By phoning Shoppers and following the telephone prompts (press 1 then 1) you can enter your prescription number on the telephone keypad to automatically refill your prescription. Refills can also be requested by using the internet at www. shoppersdrugmart.ca and clicking on `pharmacy' at the top of the page then choosing `refill your prescription'. Of course you can always speak to a staff member in person if you have any questions or concerns but these useful suggestions can make your pharmacy experience more pleasurable, convenient and less frustrating. Bonds provide good diversification for your portfolio with consistent income and good preservation of capital. The yield to maturity of a bond is the rate of return earned by investing in the bond. It assumes the bond is held until maturity and assumes that all coupon payments are reinvested at the original yield. Bond yields constantly adjust to changing market conditions and should not be confused with the coupon rate which does not change. The yield to maturity encompasses two factors: 1. The coupon income that is fixed and is paid every six months until maturity. 2. The capital gain or loss, which is the difference between the market price and face value (100). In calculating a yield, this gain or loss is spread out (or amortized) over the years remaining until maturity. I'd be happy to review specific examples of these calculations and provide a complimentary second opinion on your portfolio and whether or not bonds are a good fit for your personal investment objectives. A: RBC Dominion Securities Inc.* and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. *Member CIPF, ®Registered trademark of Royal Bank of Canada, Used under licence, RBC Dominion Securities is a registered trademark of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. ©Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Barbara Byckowski is an Investment Advisor with RBC Dominion Securities Inc. Member CIPF This article is for information purposes only. Please consult with a personal advisor before taking any action based on information in this article. Barbara can be reached at 905-450-1850.