RONA’s Vermilion location celebrated their Grand Re-opening from May 10 - 12, including a ribbon-cutting ceremony, barbeque and refreshments. On May 10, Town representatives met at RONA to congratulate new owners, Jim and Patrick Willis during their ribbon cutting ceremony. Mary Lee Prior, Economic Development Coordinator, presented them with a plaque and said, “We are thrilled that RONA is staying in our community and that we have local entrepreneurs that were willing to take on a business and keep them thriving in our community. These business owners have a lot of previous experience in hardware and construction; I think they’ll do a great job running the RONA store.” The father and son duo took over RONA on January 2. Jim previously worked with the Co-operative retailing system for 36 years, and Patrick ran a building and contracting business for the past nine years. The family has lived in the area since 1983 and said that the people are the number one thing they love about the community. “Vermilion is one of the friendliest communities I’ve ever resided. We like that it is family oriented with parks and ongoing sports events. It was important to us to have someone local take the business over. We look forward to serving the community with all of their building needs. We’ve kept all of the existing staff who have a lot experience in the building materials area and can definitely provide the best customer service ever!” said Jim Willis. Visitors continued to enjoy coffee and doughnuts throughout the day. On May 11, the celebrations continued with barbequed hamburgers and soft drinks. Each $3 donation went towards supporting Darren Bratrud’s Ride To Conquer Cancer.
