CALEB NICKERSON
MANSFIELD ET PONTEFRACT Nov. 28, 2018
A local building supply store was named the best in the county for its size at an industry gala earlier this month. BMR Matériaux JLS Mansfield-et-Pontefract won a national award for Best Building Supply or Home Centre over 15,000 square feet at a gala put on by industry lobbyist Hardlines in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Nov. 13.
“We’re absolutely over the moon about it,” said Connie Gutoskie LaSalle, who owns the business with her husband Jean-Guy. “To be in an area that is economically devastated but still be able to stand [out] … in the industry is a big deal.”

She explained that they were nominated by BMR and the judges graded them on a wide variety of metrics.
“The award is not just because the building’s pretty,” she explained. “It has to do with our community [involvement], our staff, our relationships with our suppliers, our finances. So it really was a completely encompassing document that they required.”
The judges were particularly impressed by the fact that Gutoskie LaSalle and her family had recently rebuilt the store following a devastating fire in 2015. They set up a temporary store within 36 hours of losing their old building and were able to make it through the reconstruction without having to lay off any employees.
“They really felt that we had something that was quite special here,” Gutoskie LaSalle said.
She added that they are currently fine-tuning the inventory at the new location and have had strong sales since they re-opened in March 2017. She said the people of Fort Coulonge and Mansfield were a major part of their success.
“We’re particularly proud to be in an area that has supported us through devastating times with the fire,” she said. “The outcome is due, in no [small part], to our community who has supported these undertakings.”