Haldimand Motors: A Cayuga success story

John Edelman and his wife Arda work to make Cayuga a sustainable community

John Edelman

By Jillian Zynomirski

The Haldimand Press

CAYUGA—What started out as a small business venture for John Edelman and his wife Arda has grown into so much more for the town of Cayuga.

John and Arda started Haldimand Motors in 1984 on an acre of land that formerly held Fina Gas Station.

“We were very focused on the car business at that time and never dreamt that we would get into real estate,” said John. “The dream that we had when we bought our first commercial property was that we could sell 40 cars in a month. We have single days that we sell that much now.”

While it wasn’t in his “long-term plan”, John and Arda did eventually start buying more land, first to expand Haldimand Motors, then to build new developments. Over the years, John and Arda have purchased a great deal of commercial real estate, most of which are two to three acres.

First, they built the Home Hardware building. Then, the buildings that house Caruso’s Family Restaurant and First Ontario Credit Union. Most recently, in 2018, they built a new building where Mac’s Milk used to be, that now houses Subway and Shoes on the Grand.

“My goal is to create an environment so a person who wants to go into business has the right facility,” said John.

In addition, they have built a 34,000-square-foot facility next to Haldimand Motors for TruNorth Tire, a tire distributor. John hopes to build buildings of a similar size on his two other three-acre properties in that area. TruNorth and Cayuga Displays, who currently sits adjacent to the property, will each have the first chance to expand into one of the properties.

“Our whole goal is to build buildings that will create jobs for the community,” said John. “Our goal is not to build something that employs just one person, but to sustain a small community.”

In addition to creating employment, John said commercial businesses increase the tax base.

“The taxes (of a commercial facility) are equivalent to about 20 to 25 houses and use the equivalent water supply of one house,” he said. On top of that, those employed by these businesses may benefit the town by frequenting the other businesses. John said donating to the community in this way is a much more sustainable model than donating financially.

Not only have John and Arda given a car business and real estate a go, they have also tried their hand at the furniture store with Blue Barn Furnishings.

“Our goal was to create a marketing strategy for the Blue Barn and build it up, and it was a homerun,” said John. “It’s like the dream business that you could have, with how well it did.”

Now their daughter and her husband own the business. “They are doing very well with it,” said John, adding that it’s nice to keep a young couple in the community.

John’s four kids all have a bit of his and Arda’s business blood in them. One is an entrepreneur with her own business, and their son and eldest daughter are department managers at Haldimand Motors.