BACK IN BUSINESS-Two men step forward to pull glass plant back from the brink

 COLLINGWOOD — By all accounts, this plant was dead.

The company forced into receivership, an auctioneer poised to sell off the assets of former Barber Glass. Forty-five people having to look for new jobs.

However, two men — one, a local boy with more than his share of successful business start-ups under his belt, his investment partner a Caledon resident — stepped forward to outbid all others to buy up the equipment used to manufacture architectural glass, and plan to reopen the west-end plant within the next 30 days

It was a dramatic end to a story that could have played out much differently. It was late last fall that Barber Glass was pushed into receivership, three years after the plant's arrival in Collingwood was announced with much fanfare by municipal officials.

In February, its demise seemed all but certain after a judge ruled in favour of an application by the receiver to start auctioning off the company's assets, both here and in Guelph.

Officials with the Centre for Business and Economic Development weren't content to let that judgement lie, however. The organization's chair, Martin Oosterveld, its general manager Tillie MacDonald, retired industrialist and board member Mel Walker — along with town councillor Joe Gardhouse — formed an action group in an effort to find someone who would keep the plant viable, and in Collingwood.

They worked tirelessly to beat a February deadline in an effort to head off a judge-ordered auction, then continued to work with the auctioneer, Danbury Services, to try and put together a deal before the May 4 sell-off.

They worked with Johan Coenen of GMR Belgium, who was brought in by Danbury for his expertise in the glass business.

According to Oosterveld, Coenen described the plant as a "pearl," and recognized the value in keeping the plant intact rather than selling it off piecemeal.

Coenen worked with the 'action group' in an effort to find an investor willing to take the risk. Walker used his "extensive network" of contacts to find prospects, and several times it appeared an agreement was close, only to have it "dashed at the last minute by some complication," said Oosterveld.

Oosterveld says a final deal was completed just before the Easter weekend, only to "crash" a day before it was scheduled to close.

The auction date was set — though that didn't stop Oosterveld and his group. In a last-ditch effort, Wilson was approached — again, it seems, as he'd earlier been asked if he wanted to play a small part.

"It was an 11th hour and 59 minute-thing," said Wilson. "They had asked me to (be part of the deal) earlier, but I wasn't comfortable (playing a large role)."

But then Wilson spoke with one of the other individuals who had been approached as a possible investor, Gord Tozer of Caledon. It was enough to convince Wilson to take on a bigger role.

That, and the fact it would be a boost to his hometown. Wilson's construction company is based in Toronto, but he still lives in the Collingwood area; his dad was the Rev. Douglas Wilson, a long-time minister at the First Presbyterian Church. And he has a string of entrepreneurial ventures under his belt, from a bungee-jumping attraction in Wasaga Beach in early 1990s, to Kamikaze on First Street.

Wilson said a big part of the success of the plant can be attributed to its former owner, John Barber.

Wilson had been involved when Barber established the Collingwood facility, a state-of-the-art plant capable of manufacturing architectural glass to a size of 10-feet-by-20-feet; Wilson uses the glass in his business of building 'iconic' homes for an exclusive clientele.

There are only two other outlets in North America for the kind of glass Wilson needs; one plant is in New York, and there's another in Mexico. Otherwise, he says, he has to look to Europe.

"(Barber) is a great visionary, but unfortunately he just got caught up in a bad economic time," said Wilson. "But as for the concept, he had the right idea.

Oosterveld sees an opportunity for Collingwood much bigger than just a single plant. With this plant in the west end, and Pilkington — which manufactures automotive glass — in the east end, there's an opportunity for Collingwood to be a hub for glass manufacturing in North America.

Going through this process has also benefited the Centre for Business and Economic Development, said Oosterveld.

"We now have some strong links to venture capitalists as a result of this," he said.

Wilson anticipates a lease on the plant could be signed as early as Wednesday, and the plant could be operational within the next 30 days, with an initial workforce of 40-to-50 people. The federal government may also play a role in financing.

"We're just going at this one step at a time," said Wilson.