Not to worry. No jobs are in danger.

Are the multitude of factory closings across the width and breath of North America really a necessary part of a healthy capitalist system? Or has something gone wrong? Has our system jumped the rails?

It snowed last night, as it has done in the past and will do again in the future. A Champion grader cleared the snow as it has done in the past, but its days are numbered.

The Champion plant in Goderich, Ontario, a beautiful little town just over an hour north of London, was acquired by the Volvo Construction Equipment Group in 1997. Volvo CE closed the plant this past June.

According to the Champion Antique Grader Club:

"For nearly 125 years, Champion graders built and maintained roads around the world. In 1875 Champion built the first horse-drawn grader. Since then, the innovations have been revolutionary within the grader industry.

The first self-propelled grader and, later, the first all-hydraulic grader, was a Champion . . . Champion motor graders were shipped to 97 countries."

As Champion Road Machinery Ltd. the company lasted 122 years. Under Volvo the plant was boarded up, closed, in a dozen. Why?

It was 1997 when then President and Chief Executive Officer, Art Church, announced the sale of Champion. He said, the sale would allow the company to tap into an international network of sales, distribution, advanced technology, research and development.

The new owner, Volvo CE, would continue to manufacture road-building equipment under the Champion name in the community of Goderich.  But, not to worry. No jobs are in danger, he assured the workers.

Some of the manufacturing of its road-building equipment was soon moved to Brazil.

In 2004 Volvo CE sold the compact motor grader business to Champion LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina, a company organized by Gary Abernathy. Abernathy had been manager of the Goderich business under its previous owner and had continued in that position after the sale. The Charlotte, NC, company acquired the compact motor grader product line and after July 1, 2004, they were to carry the Champion name. (Abernathy kindly posted some pictures of the old plant. Follow the link.)

Today Gary Abernathy is President of Champion LLC in Charlotte and Bryan Abernathy is executive vice president. If you go to their site you will read their story: "Champion built the first horse-drawn grader in 1875 and later the first motor-driven grader." They like to say, "Today, Champion Motor Graders has returned to its roots as a family-owned business . . . " Read Bryan Abernathy's comment below to understand why an NC company makes this claim and backs it up.
__________________________________________________

I am a blogger and not a paid journalist. I do this for pleasure and not profit. (But, please don't let this stop you from clicking on an interesting ad. I do get a penny or two.)

I received this comment and I think it is important to slide it into my post and not to simply bury it as a comment that may go unread. I may be blogging now and not working at a paper, but I do strive for accuracy and fairness.

Bryan Abernathy said... 

 

“Quite an interesting piece and a good chunk of Goderich history … I would like to clarify one aspect of the Champion history in Charlotte NC. The compact grader line was originally founded in Charlotte by the Lee/Abernathy family in 1980. Gary Abernathy actually designed and hand built the first unit. The brand from 1980 to 1993 was "Lee". (not to be confused with LeeBoy) Champion, in Goderich, purchased the Abernathy business to expand the Champion product line, with Gary Abernathy continuing to manage the compact grader operations. The original Champion ceased being a family business when it was sold by the Sully family in 1988. When Volvo took over Champion in 1997, it acquired the compact graders business as part of the package. Eventually, Volvo decided to divest the compact line and sold it back the Abernathys. By then, Volvo had dropped the Champion name, but Gary and his people were very proud of their connection to the Champion legacy and the town of Goderich. They bought back the Champion name from Volvo as part of the deal. So, as the new Champion website states, the Charlotte grader factory actually did return to its “roots” as the Abernathy family business, operating again under the Champion banner since 2004.”

__________________________________________________

Despite the loss of the Champion name, the Goderich workers were assured by Volvo product and communications manager Brian Lowe that the sale would not affect the Goderich employees in any way. Not to worry. "No jobs are in danger," he reportedly promised.

And for awhile it looked as if the promises were true. In 2006 the Goderich plant produced the new G900 series motor grader. Volvo Motor Graders Ltd. President and CEO, Patrick Olney, believed the company had completed the most significant product development in the history of the plant.

Construction Equipment Magazine recognized the G900 series as one of its Top 100 New Products of the Year. This was the second time for the Goderich plant to be so honoured; In 2002 they were honoured for the G700B Series Grader.

The political leaders in Goderich at the time thought Volvo CE, "commendable." I wonder what they think today?

Fast forward to December 2009. According to the Goderich Signal-Star:

"With little fanfare and December lake-effect flurries whipping across the parking lot, two Volvo G960 motor graders were loaded onto TTK Transport Inc. flatbeds and rolled out of town Tuesday, Dec. 15 . . .

Sadly, it represented the last time that road graders would be seen leaving the town limits of Goderich. The final two graders were on their way to Egypt.

With many of the industrial park buildings now vacated, or sold, the company is winding down its operation in Goderich and General Manager Alan Ball said, 'We are going into the final phase of our existence here and the bulk of the materials and equipment from the plants is gone.'

Last week the company announced it will close its Asheville, North Carolina facility, a move that will affect 228 employees. The production from Asheville will be moved to other existing Volvo CE locations.

The cab production from Asheville will move to Shippensburg, while production of wheel loaders will move to Arvika, Sweden and excavators will be produced in South Korea."

Patrick Olney, Executive VP, Global Operations, said after the sacrificing of hundreds of Asheville jobs on the alter of profitability, “Although the decision was necessary from a business standpoint, we fully understand that the affected employees – who in the current downturn are already going through challenging times – will face additional difficulties.”

The workers in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, are being assured that this decision will have no impact on the ongoing significant investments in Shippensburg. Not to worry. No jobs are in danger.
__________________________________________________

Addendum:

Although a downturn in the construction equipment market resulted in 94 Shippensburg workers being laid off shortly before the original story was posted, for workers in Pennsylvania this story has a happy ending.

As of mid 2012 a $100 million U.S. expansion of the Penn plant is underway. The customer-demonstration center in North Carolina was being closed and moved to Shippensburg. If all goes according to plan, Volvo’s Americas operations will be consolidated in Shippensburg.

As for Goderich, Ontario, there is no happy ending there. Jobs were lost and those jobs will never return.

I've Got A Girl Name Of Rama Lama Lama Lama Ding Dong

Sometimes the best gifts don't arrive at Christmas. Fiona arrived almost four months but I'm sure she made her mom and dad's Christmas the best ever. Make no mistake, a healthy, happy baby clearing every developmental hurdle right on cue is an absolutely priceless gift.

Fiona now holds her head up, smiles when seated at the table and laughs with enthusiasm. She imitates sounds; grandma taught her how to roll her r's. I think she is quite the bright little girl, even if she has shown a fondness for '50s and '60s doo-wop.

My wife can get some very nice smiles with a soft rendition of Who Put The Bop In The Bop Shoo Bop Shoo Bop by the Platters and I do nicely with I've Got A Girl Name Of Rama Lama Ding Dong.

But, before you damn me for my taste in music and for the irreparable damage I'm inflicting on this child, I am also sharing my art collection with her, as simple as my collection may be. The kid's got good taste and has learned to seek solace in viewing beautiful works of art and letting the beauty push life's irritations aside.

I do hope doo-wop isn't one of her life's irritations.

Update: At seven-months the little baby can really dance. She is quite partial to the sax in the middle of the Del Vikings song Come Go With Me.

It is usually night when my wife and I babysit. If we have her during the day, I'll try and shoot a video of her groovin' to doo-wop. Oh well, for now please enjoy the Del Vikings.

TMZ has a hoax and not a scoop

TMZ reported it had an aging black and white photo, old, cracked and faded, in its possession that some believed showed JFK relaxing on a yacht with four sun-loving women. Well that some didn't include the Smoking Gun which with a little hunting discovered the image is from a '60s Playboy pictorial. Oops!

Supposedly the photo was locked away for many years and was only discovered after the death of the collector. A good story but not true. It is not John F. Kennedy and TMZ has been punk'd.

Thank goodness that I didn't get all preachy about the picture. When I looked at it, I saw a man relaxing in the sun, with two women on a deck above and two others off to the side enjoying the water.

I thought all that this picture proved, if it should be shown to be legitimate, was that JFK was not prudish. Sun bathing and swimming sans suits was O.K on his yacht. (It would have been O.K. on my yacht, too, if I'd ever had the chance to give my approval.) Oh well, the hired male model in the picture is still a gentleman; No sideways, leering glances from this fellow.

Years ago I was editing some negatives at a newspaper where I worked when the daughter of a highly placed executive stopped in to to see what was happening in photo. It was an election night and she liked to wander about editorial keeping tabs on the unfolding stories.

As I worked, she asked me about my boat, a C&C 27. I mentioned that I liked to sail the North Channel and anchor in forgotten little coves. She said that she, too, liked dropping the hook in quiet little harbours. When boating in the Caribbean, she said, she and her friends liked to swim together in the altogether off the stern of the boat.

I never found out who "her friends" were. I was too prudish to ask. Maybe that is why no one swam nude off my stern; I was too much of a prude.

But, as I type this, I am beginning to recall lots of nude swimming stories. Yachts, quiet coves, and inviting waters seem to encourage nude recreation, even if I don't. And I can't think of anything salacious in a one of the stories.

This year's favourite gift...

The tag on the neck of the bottle read: " A pessimist sees a glass of water as being half empty; an optimist see the same glass as half full. But a giving person sees the water and starts looking for someone who might be thirsty."

The attached card showed a boy, in an obvious desert landscape, pumping water from a well while a robed, hijab wearing woman watches.

Inside the card was a note telling me, "884 million people lack access to safe water supplies. More than three-and-a-half million people die each year from water-related diseases. 98 percent of water-related deaths occur in the developing world."

The note reminded me that I was very lucky. I was born in a land where clean water was available at a turn of a tap. Or, for about a dollar a bottle, clean water is also available at the corner store.

For the price of about 50 bottles of  water, my daughter is helping to give a family of five access to a new water system providing a safe, reliable supply of fresh water to the family year-round.

She did this in my name, wishing me a Merry Christmas.

. . . and it was.
__________________________________________________________

After completing her research, my daughter decided to use Plan Canada for her ethical giving. Food, water, shelter and eduction can all be found on the Plan Canada gift shelf. The plan is a global movement for change, mobilizing millions of people around the earth.

(A mango tree can be planted in a school yard for just $12 and a young girl can be given a scholarship for a donation of $300.)

Plan Canada likes to say, "Join us and plan to change the world."

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Rockin' On: the Blog wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

In 2010 I may not be blogging daily as I have tried to do this past year. One blog a week, but with a little more depth, may be the approach.

If you know of any good blogs of which I should be aware, please drop me a line. Or if you have a suggestion for a post, love to hear from you.

There are things that I have done, and things I will do in the future, inspired by other blogs and by links supplied by readers. Thank you!

Cheers,
Rockinon

The London Free Press sets the tone, Paul

Paul Berton, editor-in-chief of The London Free Press, addressed the troublesome tone of some of the comments appearing on lfpress.com.

Dan Brown, the senior online editor at the paper, singled out those with the "worst spelling, grammar. . ." as being among the worst offenders.

Berton is right. I have seen some comments on The London Free Press/Sun Media site that I have found appalling. I thought the following warranted being pulled:

"So the key (to having a positive attitude) is for me to start smoking, pull my pants down and impregnate a teen girl?"

I e-mailed the paper suggesting this comment should be taken down. I did not get a reply, and the comment is still to be found proudly archived for posterity by the LFP. (Scroll down to: 2009-09-18 11:09:38)

I assume this means the paper did not find this comment distasteful; If it had been considered distasteful, Berton implies in his Saturday column, it would have been removed.

Maybe Paul will see this blog and reconsider. Maybe he can have Dan Brown, the senior online editor, remove it. This would be fitting as the comment is Dan Brown's.

. . . well, so much for the worst spelling, worst grammar theory.
__________________________________________________

 A few months ago lfpress.com, like all Sun Media websites, began allowing unmoderated comments on all local stories and many national ones. Comments are posted immediately without first being vetted by a Free Press employee.

The Free Press expects its readers to do the vetting, flagging inappropriate or offensive comments. Many of the questionable comments are racist, sexist and down on minorities, according to Berton.

Many contain, "a tone and language that would make a construction worker cringe." (Why pick on construction workers? I can name a few editors who, when given some truly bad copy right on deadline used to, shall we say, turn the newsroom air blue." Berton tells us that it's discouraging and depressing, and I agree.

To think The Free Press, a large paper in its own right and owned by the giant Sun Media / Quebecor group cannot afford to hire the staff necessary to vet comments. Instead they choose to give these verbal graffiti vandals a platform. Rather than hiring staff the media would prefer to risk being "sued for libel" or turning "off too many readers. . ." These are Paul's words.

Brilliant? No. But it is cheap. Please do not insult us by telling us that it is a way to "democratize the news."

During the day readers police lfpress.com for free; Then in the evenings and overnight the ability to comment is simply turned off. It is hard to believe, but come evening there are not enough bodies at the paper to remove the few flagged comments.

Do the math on the number of flagged London Transit strike comments as reported in Berton's column and you may be as surprised as I was:

950 comments related to the strike last week with from five to 10 percent of them flagged. (950 * 7.5% = 71 flagged comments last week.) As last week does not include Saturday, the column is in the Saturday paper, the average was about 12 flagged comments a day. How many of those would occur during the evening? One? Two? Three? And because of those numbers the mighty Free Press must turn off the comment mode.

Yes, it is all so discouraging and depressing.

Keeping and respecting the past

I love the States, but I worry about those 48 states to the south of me. When I was young I travelled throughout the U.S. First, by motorcycle and later by Volvo and finally by Morgan. I loved that country. And I loved the people - for the most part.

One difference between Canada, at least the Canada with which I was familiar, and the States was the look of their small towns. Their small towns had ego; They had pride.

Their small towns had downtown's lined with buildings that still looked pretty much as they looked when built. I used to stay in small, family run hotels for $1.50 and at night I would wander the halls and investigate the lobbies; I'd talk to the night clerk to learn the hotel's history.

I stayed in a hotel once in which Abraham Lincoln had stayed. In fact, the desk clerk claimed the bed in which he slept was still in use. I believe the story could have been true from the look of the iron and brass beds in the rooms furnished with old, old stuff. In more upscale hotels such furnishings would be called antiques.

Americans seemed to be happy with their old buildings in a way that southwestern Ontario folk weren't. I recall a beautiful corner drugstore in Windsor, Ontario, which was built in solid, red clay brick. It was a classy 1920s structure.

It was a corner store but the building itself did not have a sharp corner; the corner was cut at a diagonal, and I don't mean it had been removed. It always had a diagonal treatment with a beautiful square canopy hanging from two large chains over the impressive wooden entry door. The bottom edge of the canopy was completely trimmed with leaded, beveled glass.

Above the drugstore there were two apartments. A girl with whom I went to public school lived in one. It was small but beautiful, much nicer than my home. It had lots of original, varnished wood trim, wooden doors and original tiling in the bathroom. It looked old, but stately and elegant, too. I loved it.

When the drugstore went out of business, driven out by the arrival of the chains, the simple, painted sign came down and a cheesy, large, white illuminated plastic box went up. Giant, garish letters screamed the store's new name. You couldn't miss the sign as it wrapped right around the building. The fancy canopy was removed to make way for the sign.

The windows and the doors were all replaced with clean, modern aluminum stuff. And the apartments were gutted and rebuilt as four bachelor units. No children would be living above the store in the future. And the elegant brick? Large aluminum panels now covered the bottom half of the building and the top was painted to match the colour of the aluminum. 

I like to think that old buildings are a lot like old people. Leave them wearing their original duds and don't tart them up. It just draws attention to their age, makes them look even older and more decrepit. It makes them look ashamed of their age.

I've seen this sad story repeated over and over again in Southwestern Ontario.

But in the States I used to find old neighbourhoods that had been allowed to age gracefully. Oh, they looked a little worse for wear but it is not a crime to look old - especially if you are. These buildings had painted signs when built in the 1920s, or earlier, and now decades later, at the worst, they had simple neon ones. There were no plastic illuminated boxes to be seen - and no aluminum cladding or cheesy vinyl siding.

Now, these observations were made some decades ago. Things aren't as positive in the States as they once were. The Yanks are still are not as big on heaping indignities on their old buildings as we are here in Canada; Fewer buildings in the States must endure the painful humiliation inflicted by aluminum and plastic instruments of architectural torture. Americans prefer to put old buildings out of their misery quickly. One day they are old and a bit derelict and the next they are gone. Poof!

The advantage of this approach, compared to the one I noticed in Southwestern Ontario, is that if the building should be appreciated again, breathing life back into the old bones is not all that difficult. Often all the old stuff is still in place and with a little spit and polish the old building takes on the look of a proud old building.

Take the little town of Clayton, New Mexico, on the historic Santa Fe Trail. Clayton has gone through some rough times, like so many little western towns.

First, few folk live there. Ten years ago it only had a total population of about 2500. This can make things tough right from the get-go. The per capita income was under $14,000 with the median household income only $25,600. The town was once a livestock shipping center for herds from the Pecos River and the Texas Panhandle but that too is in the past.

Yet, I talked to some residents and they liked living in Clayton. The little town holds a parade each Independence Day and hosts two museums. And one, The Herzstein Memorial Museum, run by the Union County Historical Society, is open without charge Tuesdays through Saturdays, according to Wikipedia.

Today Clayton is marketing its look; Its age. Its community pride. Some of the businesses, like the old Eklund Hotel, pre-date 1900 but many others are much younger. Visiting Clayton is like visiting the States that I knew in the '60s and the '70s. The States that I loved in my youth.

I think of Carbondale, Colorado, and sitting on a stool at the long soda fountain counter in the town drugstore and sipping iced Green River soda. I recall watching My Fair Lady in the old movie theatre in Glenwood Springs and later enjoying a 3.2 beer with my date.

I'm going to revisit Clayton, N.M., this summer. Spend a few days there if I can arrange it. My Morgan will be quite comfortable there. And maybe I'll be able to buy Judy, my wife, a Green River soda.

You can still see a film at the Luna Theatre when you visit Clayton. Opened in 1916 as the Mission Theatre, with just under 400 seats, it once had a grand ballroom in the basement, later a roller rink, now also long-gone. The Luna won the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Award in 2001. Credit: Rockinon, May 2005

The little English roadsters shown in these pictures are all Morgans on the Morgans Over America 2005 tour. Morgans are still being made, making Morgan the oldest automobile manufacturer in the world. The little company is now in its second century of operation.

Sure glad GM didn't buy them like they did Saab. --- Cheers, Rockinon .