Ron Joyce - Always Fresh: The Untold Story of Tim Hortons by the Man Who Created an Empire

For Amazing Grace

I t is hard to go anywhere within Canada without seeing a Tim Hortons. They dot the Canadian landscape from St. Johns to Victoria. Millions of Canadians head to Tim Hortons to jump start their day each and every morning, regardless of whether it is a hot summer day in July, or deep with snow in February. The chain now employs more than 70,000 Canadians.

In truth, the success of Tim Hortons is, in many ways, a testament to the vision and spirit of Ron Joyce, one of Canadas most legendary and successful businessmen. Even when Ron and his partner Tim Horton had nothing more than a simple store in an area just outside downtown Hamilton, Ron had bigger plans in mind.

Despite a success that has touched almost every Canadian who has been tempted by a Timbit, nothing came easily to Ron. As he clearly demonstrates in Tims, Ron rose beyond a humble upbringing and after serving the public for more than a decade in the Canadian Navy and Hamilton Police Force, he became involved in the food services industry. In 1962, during a time when he was sometimes working three jobs to support his family, the notion that one day he would lead the countrys largest restaurant chain seemed laughable. But success was right around the cornerquite literally, as it turned out.

To many who see Tim Hortons restaurants scattered throughout Canada and the Northern U.S., the chain seems almost ubiquitous. The truth is that when Ron started with Tim Hortons it was far from a definite success. In fact, the double-double you drink today from Tims may not have been available without the dogged persistence of Ron. There were many times in the early years of the chain when it might have failed altogether were it not for the hard work and sacrifices Ron, along with the many pioneers who owned the earliest Tim Hortons franchises, were willing to endure.

In many ways Rons story is more than just the saga of the creation of a restaurant chain. It is the tale of one mans entrepreneurial passion and strong convictions, often under substantial financial strain. Even when the restaurant became a success in Ontario, Ron was not satisfied. Despite the death of his friend and partner, Tim Horton, Ron pushed forward with a strategy to make Tim Hortons the biggest and best food services business in the country. Thats not to say it wasnt without its challenges. He competed aggressively with rivals and survived several general economic downturns in the economy. He silenced naysayers who told him the chain would never work outside of Ontario when he successfully launched Tim Hortons in Atlantic and Western Canada.

Beyond business, Ron has also been one of Canadas most benevolent leaders. He used his good fortune at Tim Hortons to help millions of underprivileged children throughout Canada and the United States. For more than three decades hes been one of Canadas top philanthropists, and his creation of the Tim Hortons Memorial Camp in 1975, followed by the establishment of the Tim Horton Childrens Foundation, are indicative of the deep passion he has for helping those less fortunate. As this book documents so well, maybe even more than Tim Hortons, the foundation is Rons legacy to Canada.

As noted in the documentation, Ron has been honoured many times as a successful businessman and humanitarian. I have had the pleasure of being with Ron at several of these functions and what never ceases to amaze me is the number of individuals and organizations who have benefited from Rons dedication and commitment. One leaves the room with pride and compassion upon hearing the many tributes directed his way.

Ron loves life and lives it to the fullest. Everything he does, he does with vigour. Some people have dreams. Ron has spent his life chasing and living his dreams from the development of Tim Hortons, to the establishment of the foundation, to his more recent development of his magnificent resort, Fox Harbr in his beloved native province of Nova Scotia. Perhaps one of his most enduring qualities is that given his renowned success, he is still the very down-to-earth, straight-talking, pragmatic individual everyone has always known.

In the end, a great deal of Rons success comes down to his ability to focus on tasks and challenges that may seem simple to many. The truth is that his competitors could never rival his strong notions of what Tim Hortons should be and exactly how it should be run. As this book clearly shows, Ron Joyce has set an example for every Canadian who has ever wanted to follow their passion and try their hand in the difficult world of business. As we see repeatedly in the forthcoming pages, there is still room in the world for a good idea, and for people who are willing to work hard to make that idea a success. The truth be told, if our countrys future involved the development of more men and women like Ron, Canadas economic future is secure. And more important, if every friend would be the same as Ron Joyce, life would be much more enjoyable.

The Honourable Ed Lumley

T o the people who crowded around a brilliant new building on August 2, 1995, the significance of the event must have seemed obvious. On this windy day in Ancaster, Ontario, Tim Hortons, the company I grew from obscurity to become the dominant Canadian restaurant chain, was preparing to open its 1,000th store. It was a major milestone, and the approximately 300 people who attended the grand opening seemed to be aware that they were participating in part of business history.

Thirty years earlier, Tim Hortons had started in Hamilton, only a short drive down the escarpment on the highway from the new restaurant in Ancaster. At that time there was only a single location on Ottawa Street, just outside the citys downtown core. Over the next three decades, it would grow into the countrys largest domestic food-service business. Canadians had grown up on Tim Hortons: they had eaten our crullers after dunking them in a steaming double-double; taken home boxes of Timbits for their families; and kick-started their workday by stopping at one of our stores to buy a coffee and a muffin. They identified with the grassroots appeal of the chain and embraced it in a way unlike any other restaurant north of the 49th parallel. In many places in Canada, Tim Hortons was a pub without alcohol. It was a place where people would go to slip away from work, socialize, read newspapers and catch up with their friends. It was a meeting place beloved by millions of Canadians across the country.

Though the company still shared its name with my friend, Tim Horton, it had long since outgrown its link to the late hockey great who helped found it. From its humble beginnings in an old service station, Tim Hortons had come to employ thousands in its stores, warehouses and offices and had become part of Canadian culture. The opening of the 1,000th store demonstrated just how far the business had come from its struggles to keep afloat in its nascent years, when drinking coffee and eating donuts was a foreign concept to many Canadians.

While those in attendance in the mid-afternoon sun awaited the celebration that a corporate milestone typically entails, they were unaware of the true significance of the event. Behind the smiles and handshakes of executives from TDL, the parent company of Tim Hortons, and Wendys, who were partnering with us to open their 4,500th store, something was brewing that would fundamentally alter one of the greatest businesses ever developed in Canada.

If the facial expressions of any of the executives of Tim Hortons in attendance gave anything away, it would likely have been lost on those who came to shake the hand of Dave Thomas, Wendys friendly faced founder and pitch man, who had flown in for the ceremony. Thomas, who started Wendys in 1969, had become a celebrity with a profile that rivalled that of a Hollywood actor, having appeared in hundreds of television commercials for the company.