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Fo I os THE PA ERAS bE LJ L 2 Roads not paved with gold: Meeting a LAN SHAR PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, Mar. 23, 1977 -- 27 challenge makes an Jonkheer tick tudo AR ry" WHOLESALE FRUIT & VEGETABLES OSHAWA CHARCOAL DISTRIBUTORS Gerry Jonkheer: Ambition, hard work, a willingness to take a chance and a little help from the Lord. National Farmers Union hold annual meeting The annual meeting of Local 345 of the National Farmers Union was held in the home of Muriel and Maurice McGee of Cavan. Dan Gould of Nestleton pre- sided. Miss Pauline Gould read the minutes of the February meeting. Ken Porter reported $458.86 on hand. Discussion centred around continted Lackie and Mr. J. Crocker. Cast for 'Come What May included Jamie Rose, Jeni- fer Carriere, Rick Creuz- burg, David Redman, John Curl, Joanne Robinson. Cast for 'The Monkey's Paw": Claudia Liebscher, Bruce Andor, Ross Mc- Laurin, Paul Griffen 'and Laural Holtby. Cartwright High School's presentation took place on Thursday and Friday night at the Community Centre in Blackstock. All three plays were directed by students, with the three houses at the school competing for the best play. The Ookpiks presented "The Ghost of Black Jack" by Barbara Williams. The Ali Kats presented '"'Open Season for Love Birds' by John Kirkpatrick, The Tigers presented "The Castle of Mr. Simps- son" by John Kirkpatrick. unprofitable prices for beef and other farm products. It was stongly suggested that our members write to cab- inet ministers other than Mr. Whelan, urging more 'adequate tariffs to prevent unfair dumping of cheap, inferior foreign beef. We recognize that Eugene Whe- lan needs support in his efforts to help Canadian farmers. . Paul Windatt, Picton, Dis- trict Director, conducted the election of officers. Dan Gould was again chosen as President, Ivan Allin, Vice President; Directors - Mur- iel McGee, Ken Porter, Lu- cille Gould, Ken Sificlair and Mel Morton. The district annual meet- ing will be in Campbeliford United Church, Sat., April 2 at 10 a.m, with registration at 9:30. Delegates from lo- cal 345 - Ivan Allin and Maurice McGee. Visitors * will be welcomed. The next local 345 meet- ing will be in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ken Sinclair of Pontypool on April 5 at 8:30 p.m. Paul Windatt will bring slides 'Who pays the Farmer's Profits", if he can get them, As lunch was being serv- ed, a lovely birthday cake mysteriously .appeared in honour of Muriel McGee's birthday. Mrs. M. Allin, R.R.1, Oshawa, Phone 655-3861 It's been' a mixture of ambition, hard work, a thirst for challenge, a will- ingness to take a chance, and some help from the Lord that's taken Gerry Jonkheer from a penniless Dutch immigrant 20 years ago to a successful business- man who today operates a wholesaling-distributing out- fit headquartered in the former Peel's Poultry build- ings on Scugog Street. "I stepped off the plane with $40. in my pocket," smiles Gerry. 'I had no friends or relatives here. 1 was on my own." A minister who picked him up at the airport and took him to a boarding house asked wryly if he could see if the roads are paved with gold. "I told him no," Gerry. Ever since, Gerry Jonk- heer has been doing his own paving, starting with a $1 an hour job at pruning grapes to the multi-million dollar wholesale-distributing enter- prise he now operates. And that's not the final coat. said There are new lines, new expansions and new projects in the works all the time. His newest pet dream is the establishment of three branch offices in London, Ottawa, and Sudbury, but he admits that won't be accom- plished for 'some time." The dream does provide Gerry with something he needs, however. Challenge. He has always had a driving need for ac- complishment, adventure and achievement. "To make things click...from nothing, that's what I like," says Gerry. "It isn't the money, it's meeting the challenge, that's what makes me tick." Although it's been a Strugs a gle at times, the Dutch store manager-turned immigrant has so far managed to meet most of the goals he's set for himself. Perhaps no incident in his life explains the Jonkheer attitude better than during the first two years in Canada when he took a job as a farmer's hand for $50. week. "Things were looking rather tough for the Farm- er," recalls Gerry, '"'and it looked like he was going to have to lay me off." What followed is typical Jonkheer. He convinced the farmer to let him use an old farm truck and sell produce door to door. A short while later, the farmer was back in business and Gerry was making more selling in the evenings than during the regular work day. * He worked at a number of jobs, including salesman for a couple of bakeries, and a job at General Motors. He got married, and when he returned from a New York honeymoon, found he coul- dn't face going back to "the factory' and he quit GM. "All I had was about $60., and an old truck. He'd done PASSPORT PHOTO Contact Peter Hvidsten 985.7383 PORT PERRY STAR a little "fruit peddling" from door to door while working at G.M. but he had no idea if that would sustain him on a full-time basis. The first few years was seat-of-the-pants stuff, Gerry recalls. "My wife used to drive the truck, and after we had the baby, she'd bring a car seat along and sit the baby beside her." Most of his work at the time was door-to-door sales, but he soon found a better profit selling to restaurants and stores. "We switched from retail to wholesale, and were doing well." Problem was, the Jonk- heer was expanding on defi- cit financing. "We borrow- ed every cent," said Gerry. "Banks, friends, wherever I could get it." The first year he ended up so far in the red "I couldn't see straight". The second year was worse than the first, and the following two years were not much better. "We lived in a cottage and had no car --- only the old truck." A Saturday night social call on a friend would find the Jonkheers piling out. of the old vegetable truck, Things were getting a bit tight, and he faced the pros- pect of watching the entire effort go down the tubes Re unless he could get some more backing. His minister provided the final push over the top by backing a loan for the business, and since then it's been growing steadily. He bought and sold fruit markets and other retail outlets in Oshawa, doubling his money in most cases. Two years ago, he started a distributing company, and last year the Gerry's Pro- duce endeavor. He now handles about 40 lines of products, and another 50 lines of produce. He supplies over 600 custom- ers, and his trucks travel all over Ontario. Recently, he's started expanding into Que- bec as well. "We're expand- ing all the time," said Gerry. Customers include the Mac's Milk chain, as well as major stores and outlets such as K Mart and Simp- sons. - He also owns an invest- ment company and is start- ing another company to handle the many non- produce lines he has taken on. It is doubtful that the Jonkheers will stop here, however. "He"s an impatient man," said Gen- eral Manager Bennie Van- derzwet. "He meets chal- lenges head on. When Fry others talk about doing something, Gerry's gone ahead and done it. Bennie's diagnosis of Mr. Jonkheer fits with the general picture. "It's not the money that turns him on, it's the challenge. He's never been a penny- pincher." . Why move to Port Perry? "We have the room avail- able here to expand, I can see the day when we will be employing about 100 people and we'll be needing much more room. The plant now operates with seven drivers, four office staff, two super- visors, two salesmen, a mechanic and a day and a night staff of around four people on each." Gerry attributes a good deal of his success to the Lord. "Prayer and hard work is what's done it for me," says Gerry. "The Lord has been good to me." Other things help, too. "You got to be willing to take chances...and be will- ing to borrow money. If the idea of owing $100,000. gets you up tight, forget about going into business." No small contribution to the successful business has been made by his wife, "She was with me all the way. Without her, I wouldn't be where I am." A Port .Perry couple won the annual Couples Bowling Tournament sponsored by Centennial Lanes in Port Perry. The competition was stiff this year, and Mr. and Mrs. Glen Wilson of R. R. 3, Port Perry, had to do some good bowling to keep ahead of the 35 other competitors for the trophy and gift certificates provided by Centennial Lanes. Jim Rider of Centennial Lanes (centre) is seen here with winners Glen and Carol Wilson. Runners-up in the tourney were Tim Thompson and Patti Horn.