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wp" 26 -- Scugog Citizen - Tuesday, October 25, 1994 , = o Gofer Courier: a local company on the move Gofer Courler started running In Scugog Township just over two years ago and has been running hard ever since. Jim Bishop (left) and Ron Costello are partners In this company and have made It grow from modest beginnings to the point where business is booming and the future looks good. They have bullt a solid client base here In Scugog Township. Jim Bishop and Ron Costello 'don't mind a bit.if you call them "gofers." « In fact, they consider it'a compliment. After all, the name of their company is Gofer Courier, and since its very modest start just over two years ago, things have really taken off for this Scugog - based company. In the first month (July 1992) that Gofer Courier was in business, they made a grand total of 16 deliveries worth $138 in revenue. Today, just over two years later, they are "fast approaching 12,000 deliveries, and have developed a local client base that is a who's who of blue chip Scugog companies. "We really owe a huge thank you to people and business in and around Port Perry," Jim and Ron told the Citizen in a recent interview. "They have really supported us" With dozens of national courier services and hundreds of small independents, why would anyone want to jump into this highly competitive market with a new business based in Scugog? Back in the summer of 1992, Jim, who lives on Scugog Island, had just lost his middle management position after 23 years in the freight- transportation industry. He whs offered a job with a courier company, but it would Meet 'Get a Life' author Wayne Roberts, one of the three co-authors of the fastselling "Get a Life! A Green for Canada's Economic Blues"* will be coming to Uxbridge to talk about "green jobs" in the Tokai Room at Uxbridge Library at 7:30pm on Thursday, November 3rd. Organized by the committee to elect June Paton, thjs event is free and open to anybne who is 'interested in learning how we can all work 'to make our communities both more self- stfficient and more "green." The "Get a Life!" writers say » their book is "a green book of solutions, a starters' kit for do- it-yourselfers, "ecopreneurs", community organizers and local heroes who want to do something right now, without waiting for governments or big corporations to make the change for them." .. Their book is a fascinating read - funny, irreverefit, and chockhull of helpful tips on how people with more energy than cash can begin to turn things around to create local loy t and start cl up the planet. | PORT PERRY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY will host an ALL (o7.\ '[n]]n).¥ p=] MEETING featuring Ward Councillors 7 PM - WEDNESDAY, 'NOV. 2nd, 1994 Latcham Centre, Port Perry For furtherinformation please contact Shirley Hunter 985-3819 They contend their suggestions can help create two million jobs you won't find in the newspaper or the unemployment office. This event should be of interest to everyone - average citizen looking for work, early retirees, local politicians and prospective politicians, parents concerned about the state of the environment, and particularly young people beginning to think about careers. Refreshments will be served (please "lug-a-mug"). Call 985- 3225 for more details. Our Hallowe'en Treat is 18 on October 31,1994! HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE! Love from your family have meant moving to Toronto, something he was loath to do. "I thought to myself, 'why not go into business for myself?" At about the same time, Ron lost his job as a driver when Gerry's Distributing went out of business, and they were soon partners in Gofer Courier. * The name was Jim's creation, and he chuckles today that he came up with out of spite and anger. But it certainly fits as Jim and Ron have built the company on personal service and guaranteed same-day delivery of any parcel within their trading area which is roughly the Golden Horseshoe. "If we are notified before 11:00 AM on any business day, we guarantee delivery that day," Jim says. And their rates are, well, more than reasonable. For example, the cost of an under-50 pound parcel from Port Perry to Toronto is $12. When the business started, deliveries were made in a 1990 Plymouth Colt. That original "Gofer car" is still on the road, but they have since added an Astro Van and a Chev S10 truck with cap, all cell phone equipped which lets them know exactly where a parcel is and when it will be delivered. Jim and Ron estimate that in the last two years, they have logged about half a million kilometers. Ivan Clark is a full time driver working out of the Uxbridge area where At Your Service on Bascom Street is an official agent for pick-ups and deliveries. April Fairbanks works part-time as office manager. Jim and Ron say the business really began to take off early this year and they point to two reasons. They worked hard t§ build a client | base and the Township is rebounding from the regession. "I guess you could say we just hung in there (during the recession) and yes, there were many times when we felt like throwing in the towel ," said Ron. . ' Business was tough for the first couple of years. In fact, for 20 months, it ran in the" - red. But gince April this year, the growth has been moving ahead at 10 per cent per month. Gofer Courier will handle just about any kind of delivery, including - time sensitive (perishable) items, because of the same day guarantee. Jim recalls one customer who * wanted her pet dog picked up from a grooming salon in Oshawd. "It was a $9 run and 1 was glad to get jt," he said with a laugh. The company has also delivered flowers to skater Dorothy Hamel's dressing room at Maple Leaf Gardens, © angry letters to the Queens Park office of Premier Bob Rae, and has picked up script to deliver to professional actors living in the Scugog- Uxbridge area. One of the first major clients landed by Gofer was Paula Lishman International and Bill Lishman. Since the, they handled the deliveries for Native Perspectives, Country Style Donuts, Kastelic Kounting, Circular Sounds, Willy and Son, Traditional Woodworking, Michael Fowler and Associates and Professional Mortgage Brokers to name a few.. They have also developed a lot of business for same day delivery of flowers to nursing homes, hospitals and funeral homes in the Golden Horseshoe. While Jim and Ron are delighted to see the rapid growth in business, they are not about to go hog-wild with expansions. "We are looking at slow and controlled growth. This is a service industry. We are on a first name basis with our clients. We don't ever want to think of our clients as just a number," said Jim If things keep moving as they have, Gofer Courier could have six full time drivers in the next five years. Jim and Ron are looking to the future with confidence. After all, if a new business can survive the last couple of years, it can survive just about anything. @® Pottery Bliié Whale @ Natural yarns foi knitting and weaving ® Knitting accessories @® Handcrafted cedar and pine tables, chairs, boxes for toys, blankets or woolens @® Natural Christmas decorations ) OPEN : Wed. to Sundzy 11 AM to 6 PM Fridays until 8 PM 3330 SIMCOE ST. 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