January 13, 2005 Grand Falls, New Brunswick Northwest Cedar Mills Ltd., a manufacturer of cedar shingles, today held an open house that unveiled their new modern facility and equipment. The project included the construction of a new building and the purchase of a dust collector. The company re-built on the same location by demolishing an existing steel rounded building which had outlived its use. All of this allows the company to increase their overall production and drastically improve the working environment for employees. A total of $120,000 in repayable funding through ACOA's Business Development Program was announced on site at Northwest Cedar Mills by Andy Savoy, MP for Tobique- Mactaquac, on behalf of the Honourable Joseph McGuire, Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). "The Government of Canada, through ACOA, is proud to invest in a company that strives to improve its productivity and overall competitiveness while improving working conditions for its employees," said Mr. Savoy. "It is projects like these that are vital to the growth and sustainability of our region. As a producer of cedar shingles, Northwest Cedar Mills presently produces approximately 20,000 squares of shingles a year destined for the U.S. market. The company also employs more than 40 employees from the Grand Falls and surrounding area. "This modernization of our facility has been key to our continued development," remarked Mr. Réjean Bonenfant, owner, Northwest Cedar Mills. "We are pleased that with the help of ACOA and Enterprise Grand Falls, we have been able to expand and meet new business opportunities." ACOA's Business Development Program was created to provide repayable financial assistance to small- and medium-sized enterprises to establish, expand and modernize operations. For more information on ACOA's programs, visit our Web site at:www.acoa-apeca.gc.ca. - 30 - Valérie Poulin Director of Communications Office of the Honourable Joseph McGuire Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (613) 941-7241 Stephanie Bilodeau Senior Communications Officer ACOA NB (506) 452-3304 Mr. Réjean Bonenfant Co-owner Northwest Cedar Mills (506) 475-9900
