12 New Jobs Created as Strongco Choose Orillia

Orillia is the new home of a branch of Strongco Corporation, one of Canada's largest multi-line mobile equipment dealers.

Site work has already begun on the 1.5-acre parcel of land in Progress Park, where the new 10,500-square-foot building will be constructed.

"We are happy to be in Orillia," said Tom Perks, vice president of corporate development for Strongco. "I have been up there a few times, looking at existing buildings...when this piece of land became available, we jumped at it."

Perks said Orillia's location is ideal.

"We have a large aggregate customer base within a 50-mile radius of Orillia, particularly on the east side of Lake Simcoe," said Perks. "We originally considered Barrie but it was not advantageous. Orillia is the best location geographically."

The new building is being constructed by Aerarium Group, a Barrie-based property developer and manager who specializes in design/build projects. In essence, they are hired by businesses to construct facilities specifically designed for that business.

"We have done a number of these types of projects, primarily in Barrie," said Rob Nicholson, general manager of Aerarium Group. "We have 40-plus buildings and more than three million square feet in Barrie. We are hoping to do more of these types of projects in Orillia."

The Orillia branch is one of 31 Strongco operations - 26 are in Canada, five are in the northern United States.

"We sell, rent and service Volvo construction equipment in addition to other lines," said Perks, noting Strongco also represents Case Construction, Manitowoc Crane, Terex Cedarapids, Skyjack, Allied, Taylor, Kawasaki and other lines.

He said the company has already started hiring new employees for its Orillia operation.

"We will start with four to six employees but we feel we will double that if things go well," said Perks. "This will be a self-managed branch so there are a range of positions from administrative to mechanics that will need to be filled."

The addition of Strongco and its state-of-the-art, four-bay building is good news for Orillia, said Dan Landry, the city's manager of economic development.

"It's great to see a company chose Orillia, build a new facility, and bring good, stable jobs to the community," said Landry. "Our planning staff has worked very closely with the developers to make this project happen."

Strongco, headquartered in Mississauga, expects to open its new Orillia branch in October.

For more information, contact Dan Landry, Manager of Economic Development, at 705-325-4900 or email dlandry@orillia.ca

For more information on Strongco, contact Tom Perks, vice president of corporate development, 905-670-5100.

For more information on Aerarium Group, contact Rob Nicholson, 705-726-7130, extension 4228.