- - - - Whïtby Free Press, Wedriesday. August 25.,1993, Page 9 I 4q8mop w - w - -mo-m- New McGraw«Hill president sees grow t nelcon By Mark Reosor Publishing companies are turning from printing presses te cernputers, according te the new president of McGraw-Hili Ryerson. '"We're gettin g more electrenic and less book-oriented in this industry, " says John Diii, who on Aug. 9 took over as president of the company which has its Canadian headqluarters in Whitby. McGraw-EIIi Ryerson wil hogin distributinq information from its "very larg egai operation eiectrenicaiiy in Septemnber, says Diii. 1Rgh ow we're taking ail the legai judgments in Canada and puttinig thein on an online systein that wiil 1,e able te distribute it at the end of the month... (and) we hope te hoe able te use what we Iearn frein distributing legal information electronically in our other divisions as weii."- For exampie, getting information inte sehools and colioges through online systens ?'would ho an exciting move for us," since the company publishos a lot of educationai and professional books.. Diii predicts electronie pubiishing wil ho a reai growth area "and our present businesses wil ho growth areas, tee, once we can start te learn how to use theé new technologyv." With the a dvent of hand-held electrenic novels and dictionaries, Diii says the compan4' is working with software and hardware com anies 'to make sure our stuf ets distributed regargiess of whatever format it's in.' Diii, formerly with John Wiley and Sons of Canada Ltd., admits McGraw-Hill Ryerson isn't having a "glowing year," but says "after having been bore a week, I think there's a lot of chance for optimisin. "There's a lot of good things we do have here if we can tough it out through this market and reorient oursolves towards the technoiogicaiiy-changiflg market." Many compcanAies p lan to have more staff HOME THEATRE FURNITURE manager relax in one of the store's roomn settings at David Porter and assistant manager the grand opening Thursday. Joanie Gauthier take a ile Urne out to Photo by Mark Reesor, Whltby Free Press HOME THEATRE FURNITURE New store a prototype The "furniture store of the nineties" officiaiiy opened in Whitby Thursday. Home Theatre Furniture, located beside Cherney's F'urniture at 1050 Dundas St. E., 's the flrst store of its type in the world, accerding te Lawrence Pascal, senior vice presidont of Great Universal Stores of Canada Ltd. which owns Home Theatre and Cherney's. The company bas some 80 stores across Canada. "This is a new concept," Pascal says. "A lot of people sou eélectronics, but very few people sel the furniture that goes with it." Home Theatre carnies the complote lino of 'Stratelounger' motion furnitune -- recliners, incliners, massagers, adjustablo headrests, built-in tables and sleepers - as weil as sofas, chairs, sofa beds and home entertaininent cabinets. Items are laid eut in a varietyof rom settings, each with different celours and furniture styles ranging frein traditional te contemperary. Shoppers are welcome to try eut a couch or chair for example, that catches their oye, or lean tack on that comfortable-looking recliner. That's different from many furniture stores, says Pascal, where items are grouped closely together. We want the custemer te see what it's going te look like in their heuse." The stere is a prototype for the company. Pascal says if it works, the cor.cept will bo used in stores across Canada and the United States. One-third of Durhamn Region companies surveyed for a study expect te hire more full-time empioyees in the next year. But the study, by the Durham Region Action Committee for Training (ACT), aise indicates that 20 per cent of cernpanies surveyed have difficuty hirin suitable people for technical work and skilied crafts and equipment operation, due te in- sufficient skulis. The study, the resuits of which were anneunced at a breakfast session last week, found that an increase in the number of employees wiII most likeiy occur in clerical, sales and skilled trades. Worker ekilis mest needed will ho computer software applica- A seminar on group insurance wili be hield by t he Whitby Chamber of Commerce on Fri- arrAu Mount, of Hardiman, Mount, Richardson, wiiI discuss the Canadian chambers of com- merce grouýp insurance plan. The sominar will be of particu- lar interest to self-em ployed in- dividuais or employons of up te 50 people.. We sominar, fromn 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the chambor office down- town, costs $10.70 for members, $21.40 for non-members. tiens, seliing and marketing, machinery eperation and main- tenance. About ene-third of companies surveyed cut full-time jobs in the past yar; most said employment was te same over the year. The study aise founc?'that cern- panies identified very few skill up grading needs,' although aimost 60 per cent feit training was important te the future success of their company. More than 1,770 cempanios were contacted and 808 cern- paniesPmploying a total of 136es'.3-time workers, wr surveyed 1 the study. Dentists' new no needies, . . .p. .. . . . .. . . .l ........Kanorllcure New technology in Whitby makes a trip te the dentist a more comfortable experience. Whitby dentiots Steven Mill- mani and Mark Librach, who bave boen working together for ie yers, now have a machine which allows them te place fil- linrswithout using anesthetic or The Kinetic Cavity Pre- Iaratiofi (KTC200) machine Uworks like a sand-blaster, net a SEE PAGE il The lazy days Of summer are for you...not our money. Interest rates have CRASHED! Cali now tofind out about secure, higherpaying investment alternatives. Pinan mc Cali 666-7777 for a free finaricial review. DEREK DUTKA Securities 1~'id Cu~p 5,uIsV ajskflstya ~s~tlfl à sdby FL.SeawhînCopofadon 1 «