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Orillia Packet and Times
When Norval Orser opened an electric motor rewinding shop in downtown Orillia in 1934, he built a culture of community engagement that’s still ingrained in the company eight decades later.
“No matter who takes over when I’m done, I believe that culture will continue,” company president Tony Telford said Friday. “If we don’t look after our community, our trade, then who is going to do it?”
Orser Technical Services is celebrating its 80th anniversary with an appreciation lunch and trade show at its 655 Harvie Settlement Rd. location Wednesday afternoon.
Like Orser, Telford and his employees are big supporters of community engagement.
Orser was chair of the Orillia Water Light and Power Commission and was involved in the Rotary Club and Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital. The giving-back spirit was continued by William Bundy, who purchased the business in 1977.
Telford, who grew up in a doors-unlocked-type of home, was the perfect fit to carry on the legacy.
“I was raised in a farming family where your word was your bond, a handshake was worth more than any document and if somebody was in need, then you were there,” he said.
Telford began working at Orser Technical Services 37 years ago while he was in high school.
To Telford, Bundy was a second father.
“I was really fortunate to have two fathers in my lifetime that acted as mentors for me,” he said. “A lot of people have given me breaks in my life. It’s my job and my responsibility to pass those breaks on when I can. Pure and simple.”
Orser Technical Services is involved in Rotary, Kiwanis, the Orillia Manufacturers Association, the Orillia and District Construction Association, Lakehead University and other local groups and initiatives.
In the spring of 2013, the company sent 15 people to the Dominican Republic to help build a medical clinic.
Orser Technical Services supplied labour and material to install electricity in a 40-by-60-foot structure they helped build. It took six days.
Telford took part in the build with his son, Matthew, 18. His daughter, Kathryn, 21, just came back from Africa, where she spent a month volunteering at a medical clinic.
“Already I can see that type of culture being passed on. What better legacy can you have?” Telford said.
Besides his staff members, few people knew Orser Technical Services helped build the clinic, Telford said.
“We didn’t do it for the press. We did it because it was the right thing to do,” he said.
Locally, Telford attends elementary schools and high schools each spring to educate students about the trades.
Orser Technical Services recently took part in the trades fair at OD/Park Secondary School. More than 1,500 youth attended.
“If we helped 10 kids make a little better decision, then that’s worth a whole-day commitment,” Telford said.
When Telford decides to sell the company, he plans to teach the trades.
“It’s part of me,” he said.
Since Norval Orser started the company working alone, Orser Technical Services has grown to employ about 19 people, Telford said. On average, staff stay for about 15 years.
The public is invited to celebrate Orser Technical Services’ 80 years in Simcoe County and Muskoka at a barbecue lunch Wednesday beginning at 12:30 p.m. The trade fair runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“It will be a feel-good day,” Telford said. “It’s a way of giving back — again.”
The public is asked to RSVP by calling 705-326-6427.
Photo: Tony Telford, president of Orser Technical Services, stands inside his business at 655 Harvie Settlement Rd. Friday. The company is celebrating 80 years serving Simcoe County and Muskoka.
