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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, May 21, 2015 | 18 The Running Room founder sets the standard by Iain Colpitts Metroland Media John Stanton remembers one night in the spring of 1988 when he reached into his pocket to find $5.76. That was all he had after he put everything into his business, including mortgaging his house and maxing out his credit cards to stay afloat. At that point, his wife set him straight. "She said you have to quit feeling sorry about yourself, get a clear plan and start doing something -- that's what you've always done," said Stanton. "That was a very pivotal point in which we did make the cash flow. It made me realize two things: You must stay focused and confident in what you're doing and that she was a keeper. After 48 years, we're still together." Stanton will be the keynote speaker in the Ontario Entrepreneur Week breakfast speaker series, presented by Metroland Media, from June 8-19. He'll speak in Burlington June 19. Stanton founded the Running Room in 1984 and turned it from a shoe shop in the living room of an old house in Edmonton where space was shared with a hair salon, to a retail chain with more than 120 stores across Canada and parts of the United States. Like any entrepreneur, Stanton went through hard times in the startup phase and came to a point where it was time to sink or swim. Stanton broke out of his poor lifestyle habits in 1981 when his sons challenged him to do a three-kilometre fun run with them. He got hooked on running. That passion allows him to draw parallels between running a race and running a business. In both areas, he says staying focused on your goals is crucial. "For entrepreneurs, something we learn very early on is that you do what you do well and try to continue to do it better," he said. "Sometimes John Stanton what happens with entrepreneurs when you grow out of one location, they try to do multiple things for multiple customers rather than continue doing what made them successful." Stanton has been fortunate enough to be surrounded by loyal workers in a retail industry that traditionally has high in turnover. He says many full-timers have been with the company for more than 20 years. Throughout the past few decades, Stanton has seen running shift from being a fringe sport to a social activity. "We like to think we've been part of this progress, but if you take a look at the Ottawa Marathon that has 40,000 people in it today, in 1985, it probably had 4,000 or 5,000 people at best," he said. "If you look at the elite people, average finishing times are around the same, with people having a go-hard or go-home attitude just to make it under three hours, whereas today, people are running for completion and there are thousands more running it." Consumer habits have changed drastically too. The Running Room treats each customer as if they're coming in for prescription glasses and makes sure every contour of a shoe fits each runner's needs. "The shoe companies have also upped the technology," he said. "Some of the shoes we had in the mid-'80s you wouldn't go bowling in today." For tickets to a Breakfast Speaker Series, visit https://ontarioentrepreneurweek.com. Other Breakfast Speaker Series stops · June 8, Niagara · June 9. Markham · June 10, Oshawa · June 11, Barrie · June 12, Hamilton · June 15, Ottawa · June 16, London · June 17, Kitchener · June 18, Mississauga · June 19, Burlington Get Involved, Share Your Ideas Deadline Extended! Halton Region has extended the deadline for residents to apply for a citizen position on the Regional Waterfront Parks Advisory Committee. If you applied to this Committee before May 1, please contact the Office of the Regional Clerk to ensure that your application was received. Details of this opportunity and application forms are available on our website halton.ca/advisorycommittees, by e-mail to regionalclerk@halton.ca or from the Office of the Regional Clerk, Halton Region, 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Completed applications must be received by the Office of the Regional Clerk no later than Friday, June 5, 2015 at 4:30 p.m., and may be submitted online, by mail or by fax to 905-825-8838. Karyn Bennett Regional Clerk Van Beek's Garden Supplies. GARDEN SUPPLIES VAN BEEK'S Serving GTA & surrounding areas FRESH SOD DAILY 2015 Halton Rain Barrel Sales On Saturday, May 30, Halton Region will host the second of four rain barrel truckload sales events at the Milton Go Train Station to help encourage wise outdoor water use. Residents can purchase a rain barrel at a cost of $40 at any of the remaining sales events. All sales events run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Residents also have the option to pre-pay online directly through the rain barrel supplier, and either pick up at the truckload sale or purchase home delivery for $20. For details including online ordering options, please visit halton.ca/rainbarrels or dial 311. Meetings at Halton Region, 1151 Bronte Rd., Oakville, L6M 3L1 Visit halton.ca/meetings for full schedule. Get quality mulch, premium triple mix soil & landscape supplies from Van Beek's Garden Centre. Landscapers and homeowners have chosen our products ­ such as our premium soil ­ since 1962. All you have to do is order it and we'll deliver. Van Beek'S Premium mixed Soil | ToP dreSSinG Premium Soil Gary Carr Regional Chair GraSS Seed naTural STone inTerlock PaVerS SPecialTy mulcheS armour STone | FlaGSTone | Pond SuPPlieS | Firewood and much more If you're looking for quality products to help you make the most of an outdoor space, visit Van Beek's Garden Supplies at either of our two locations in Mississauga or Oakville: Oakville - Burlington - Milton Mississauga-Oakville-Etobicoke 2410 Lower Base Line Rd., Oakville 758 Southdown Rd., Mississauga June 10 1:30 p.m. Administration & Finance Cttee. May 27 9:30 a.m. Regional Council June 10 9:30 a.m. Planning & Public Works Cttee. June 11 9:30 a.m. Health & Social Services Cttee. Please contact us, as soon as possible, if you have any accessibility needs at Halton Region events or meetings. 210515 1-866-778-5824 www.vanbeeks.com