The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
As an organization dedicated to helping the business community, the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce hopes to see more people like Ted Ohlsen. The blind Flin Flon entrepreneur has helped come up with a simple yet ingenious device for boaters that he wants to continue to produce locally, creating new jobs and a greater sense of community pride. It's called the Boat Seat Bracket. Bolted to the bottom of swivel chairs, tackle boxes and even sail masts, the bracket allows outdoor enthusiasts to firmly clamp down those items Ñ and many others Ñ to their boat seats. The bracket's key feature is its retractable arm, which allows it to forcefully hug both sides of a boat seat. When it comes time to remove the bracket, a simple tug is all that's required. As the name suggests, the original concept of the bracket was to provide boaters with a moveable chair. But it soon became apparent there were many other uses. At yesterday's chamber meeting at the Friendship Centre Restaurant, Ohlsen, who developed the bracket with business partner Fred Highfield, demonstrated how the device works and shared the rationale for inventing it. "I never really liked that you, the person, had to go to the boat seat," he told the 17 people on hand. "When you go to the kitchen table, you can take the seat, you can move it wherever you want to. But in the boat, they seem to screw down the seats and you have to go to the seat, and I didn't like that." See 'Brochures' P.# Con't from P.# The glossy black brackets are 100 per cent locally-made, with Frontier Industries looking after the welding, Creighton resident Wayne Willetts the painting, and Ohlsen the assembly. Ohlsen told the chamber he wants to keep production local, hoping it will employ residents and encourage other inventors to follow his lead. "I hope that we can become known other than just a mining town, or perhaps just a hockey town. Let's add another thing to it," he said. "And I believe it is better for our young people to stay in this town to produce a Canadian product rather than the products coming from China, Japan, or the United States." Interestingly, Ohlsen believes his blindness helped him develop the bracket. "I believe that when you are blind, you really use your imagination," he said. President Doug O'Brien commended Ohlsen for his desire to keep the production local and presented him with a chamber lapel pin. Brochures Flin Flon historian Gerry Clark also attended the meeting, asking that the chamber consider printing revised brochures that outline self-guided tours of the community. Copies of such a brochure were printed about eight years ago, and Clark, who was involved in the development, said the well is running dry. The historian commented that it seemed "like a natural fit" to ask the chamber to print new copies. He said the brochures help residents and visitors learn about the community and its history in an enjoyable way. "It allows somebody to head off on their own and appreciate what's here," he said. The brochure features a map of Flin Flon with various points of interest labeled. It also includes informative write-ups, penned by Clark, about those points. If the brochure is reprinted, Clark said, changes will have to be made. The Company cottages referenced in the current edition, for instance, no longer stand. And newer points of interest not around for the original printing may be included. President O'Brien told Clark the chamber will discuss the request and provide him with an answer shortly. Other matters In another matter at the meeting, the members agreed to think about a request from another chamber to formally oppose the forthcoming indoor public smoking ban across Manitoba. The Neepawa and District Chamber of Commerce wrote to their Flin Flon counterpart requesting support against the ban, set to take effect October 1. The matter will be brought back at a future meeting for discussion. Also, the final sketch for the Flinty's Fried Chicken to be made available at Creighton's Pizza was passed around. The sketch depicts Flinty holding a bucket of chicken under one arm while enjoying a drum stick with his other hand. The chamber had previously given the restaurant its blessing to use Flinty's name and likeness for its fried chicken. As well, O'Brien mentioned that the chamber will be part of the Greenstone Community Futures Development Corporation booth at this weekend's Trade and Leisure Show at the Creighton Sportex. The chamber will sell postcards, Flin Flon coins, and raffle tickets on a colourful framed cross-stitch depicting loons. In addition, motions passed to renew the chamber's membership with the Grass River Corridor Association and the Hudson Bay Route Association.
