ELORA – Stirling Marathon has completed construction of the 50,000 square-foot addition it added to its manufacturing plant in Elora and expects to have it fully operational within the year.
And when that happens, the family-owned business, which manufactures fridges, freezers, stoves and other appliances, will be ready to hire.
Vice president Phil Greenway said in an interview the company expects to hire 50 more employees over the next four or five years, adding to its 20-some current employees.
“It will be a refrigerator factory to start, fully automated,” Greenway said.
“Over time we’ll add to that, making different products in Elora.”
With the shell of the building complete, Greenway said officials are now concentrating on installing equipment and machinery needed to build high-end refrigerators at the site.
Stirling Marathon opened in 2016 in Guelph with Greenway’s father Doug Greenway and grandfather Phil Greenway at the helm. They both had worked for Danby Appliances for decades and started their own business, Greenway Home Products, in 2001.
They sold that business in 2013, started Stirling Marathon in 2016, and bought the property in Elora in 2019.
The interior walls, floors and ceiling are painted white to make the facility bright and clean. Submitted photo
The company designs, manufactures, and sells appliances under the Marathon, Stirling and Epic brands.
Most of its appliances are manufactured in China, imported here and distributed to retailers across the country.
But during COVID-19 the company ran into supply chain issues and decided it would be wise to do some manufacturing here and have more control over that end of the business.
“There is no other residential appliance factory in Canada – and that’s crazy,” Greenway said.
During the initial lockdowns of the pandemic, freezer sales went through the roof, he said.
“It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. I don’t know what people were doing with all those freezers.”
Since then, sales of 24-inch-wide electric ranges and fridges have been hot sellers – he assumes because people have been renovating.
Stirling Marathon received $1.5 million from the province in 2022 through its regional development program.
Also in 2022, Centre Wellington council agreed to defer development charges to help the company with cash flow. It will pay the development charges, but over time with an agreed-upon payment schedule.
Although the project cost about $10 million, Greenway said the investment from the province and the assistance from the township made it possible.
“We’re grateful for that funding. We couldn’t have done it without the support,” Greenway said. “Elora has really been so great.”
Greenway said when the equipment is installed and the company is ready to hire, it will be posted on the company’s website.
The company is also considering holding a job fair, but it’s too early, at this stage, to say for sure.
