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In a decade John Carmen, president ot Conn-n Custom Electronics Corp. has guided the company from a part-time basement operation to one with $2.5 million in sales last year. Only 28 members of apprirximateiy 1,000 responded to the four question survey included in the November/De. cember newsletter. PAGE to-6ATERuNtCe0ttttetE_E$tttAYdAMuA'N8tt."" Ian Kirkby Chronicle Staff Results of a Waterloo Chamber of Commerce survey on a ward system for the city were inconclusive, so the group will "educate" its members on the issue and re-poll them, said Jim Harper, chamber president. "It didn't have much meaning for us,' said Harper. "We sensed that the business community didn't see it as an issue that affected them." Chamber to 'educate' members ormrttuat _ o loch! 2 WEEKS ONLY WAREHOUSE iicir-der 48 King St. F,Yfttterioo -------Crrd at 'iit.!t.t,...t.E. RIG You In.” Van "eePa6htqhoettaodttear an} tartturtttytthoto Corman has come a long way Ian Klrkhy Chronicle Staff Corman Custom Electronics Corp. is just beginning to enjoy the fruits of a decade's hard work. It opened a new plant with spacious offices, on Bathurst Drive in 1986. In December, a sales and warehousing office opened in Atlanta, Georgia. In fact, due to its success on the international market, the company will be changing its name in February to Corman Technologies Inc. The Bathurst Dr. factory which employs 26 people had sales of $2.5 million in 1987. It's come a long way from Originally, the company did strictly custom work - designing and manufacturing computer hardware and software for other companies. "I didn't have the foggieat idea about what would do well on the market," said German. "I had no idea about marketing and little about sales. So I did the things I knew beat and over the years taught myself the things I didn't (know)". There were other attractions, with custom work, too. "Custom work is very interesting because you don't know what's coming through the door next," said German. "On the other hand, it is very diineult to make a business plan because you don't know what's coming next. So we branched into our own products." Today, says German, the company still does some custom work. "Quite frankly, I enjoy it. But our own 1978 when President John Corman and his -wire%ndy wqued pen-time out of their basement. The chamber executive disagrees. "We believe it is an issue for the business community. (Government Affairs Chairperson) Neil Richardson is drafting an information sheet on what we think the issues are. Then we are going to re-survey the business community." Former government affairs chairperson Hilde English thinks "the numbers are terrible. It's retilly inconclusive. Either the chamber members aren't interested or they like the status quo. "Of the few ire did get returned, there is a strong feeling they don't want to see a ward system”. English éaid a dormal return rate or/chamber surveys 21tyiigit.tt.atrtittrt1tgiiWAf "yiiW:'fhi:.sy.?th%hk1WilFg'-.9) "For the widest selection ef greeting cards in K- W' Valentine Cards & Gifts from Recycled Paper Products, Inc. 40 King St. South Uptown Watodoo across from Pier 1 Imports Available at Meeting tho future sothrv Ctr, flu I/jt,it s,iif,,,iif.9ij', ant” 4 Km IT. 8. AT Ell. mmoo - 7m iijiiiiliiiaii,iii'i,iii'_._,'j SAVE sharing. Corman sells two versions - one 'tor original equipment manufacturers such as Waterloo Microsys- tems Inc and one sold directly to distributors, for use with other software. Another product is the X25, a telecommunications system which is hardware and tsoftware product for IBM personal computers. A computerized LED sign system for large factories is another product. Aimed at manufacturers such as car assembly plants, the signs display the cause of interrup tion or other problem experienced on the line "rather than having service people running up and down..0ur sign computer can sort out what the most important thing is that went wrong and display it," said Corman. prgtjqcts mount the l_arger share of PT informs." With their own products now sold in four or five European nations and the United States, Corman thinks a name change is in order to emphasize the high-technology aspect of the company. The company makes three different lines of products. One product is the Local Area Network (LAN), a method of linking computers within a building for {information Coiman attributes the success to "a lot of hard work by a Lot of good poople god Taybe a small dogree of luck." The company's products have been well received, said Corman. The result has been that "for three of the last four years we've doubled our sales." For Cdrmari hihmelf "the/e was a period-where 75 to 80 hour weeks were typical. We're now at 50 to 55 hours." is "over 10 per cent." Of those who did respond, 15 said they favored the current system. in which eight councillors are elected in a city-wide vote. Six favored.a ward system. When asked to choose which kind of ward system they would prefer, three favored a pure ward system, and 21 opposed it. A mixed system, in which some members would be elected at-large was opposed by 15, and favored by four. 'Of those who liked a mixed system, three favored having 75 per cent of council elected by ward and 25 per cent at large, and two favored a 50-50 split. trat.Btnrtn,tee,.23 ' OUR ALREADY " DISCOUNTED PRICES ON ', FOR owes, aeosmuos Mo UPHOLSTERY Choose iron on! 400 bolts of the Us! putt-mo ALL lN-STOCK WALLCOVERINGS $700 w Mark OFF DESIGNER FABRICS GAIL SILLS