No bus service would mean no jobs for 50 workers as booming company moves
A London business will lose 50 workers, a blow that will threaten its opening on a new site, as London Transit is not offering service to its new home.
Article content
A growing city business expects to lose 50 employees – nearly one-third of its workforce – when it opens a new headquarters in a spot that has no bus service from London Transit.
Bosco and Roxy’s is a dog-treat maker that has seen sales boom in recent years selling into major U.S. chains. It’s about to begin its move to a $25-million, 7,900 square metre (85,000 sq. ft.) plant ahead of a June 26 opening.
But there is still no bus service to Discovery Drive in Innovation Park, located near Veterans Memorial Parkway and Hwy. 401, and that means 50 of its 175 employees who rely on the city bus for transportation won’t be able to get to work.
“I was told it was coming, that it’s in the budget and the only piece left was to tender software,” Jaymie Crook, Bosco and Roxy president, said of London Transit service. “I’m heartbroken. I have good, loyal employees who want to come to work. It’s heartbreaking for them. I can’t help 50 people.”
He bought land from the city about one year ago, planning the move from his smaller 2,800 sq. m Bessemer Road plant to which workers can take the bus. His human resources staff was in talks with London Transit, he said.
Crook said he’s now being told by transit officials there will be service to the park by year end. But that doesn’t help him now. “I’ve spent millions developing an industry in the city and there is not reliable transportation.”
Without those 50 workers, and uncertain as to whether he will be able to hire more without bus service, it may slow opening production, he fears.
“It’s alarming. We will have to hire and train and some of these employees have been with us for years,” Crook said. “We have to shut down for three weeks and move and now we will be down staff.”
Now, London Transit provides bus service to the Wilton Grove Road area including Maple Leaf Foods, a few kilometers from the firm’s new home. Crook questioned how difficult it could be to tweak service to get a bus to Innovation Park.
Ward 5 Coun. Jerry Pribil, who sits on the London Transit Commission, agrees bus service must move faster.
“It’s a very serious matter. It’s our duty to provide transportation there. It’s a must. It doesn’t have to be 24-7 or 15-minute intervals, but we need to discuss service.”
The transit commission held a board meeting Wednesday night and Pribil said he would raise the issue. Transit officials didn’t respond to Free Press calls for comment.
The London Economic Development Corp. (LEDC) also has been working with Bosco and Roxy’s and London Transit to get service to the area and also has been told it will be in place by year end.
“We’ve been told it will not be immediate due to cost pressures,” said Kapil Lakhotia, LEDC’s chief executive. “We would have liked to see service faster. Employers are growing in that area.”
He’s concerned other businesses will find it difficult to attract and retain workers, without transit to the area.
The new factory will not only be home to production, but Bosco and Roxy’s has three warehouses in the city and they will consolidate on the new site, Crook said.
In business 13 years, the company is selling “tens of millions” of cookies annually, Crook said. The move to a new, larger home is needed as, in recent years, it has seen massive increase in demand, selling to Walmart, Costco, Kroger in stores in the U.S. as well as online and at independent pet food retailers across North America.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.