Business View Magazine | January 2020

222 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JANUARY 2020 AT A GLANCE INGERSOLL, ONTARIO WHAT: Historic ‘Festival Town,’ population 13,000 WHERE: Oxford County in southwestern Ontario WEBSITE: www.ingersoll.ca www.movetoingersoll.ca L ocated in the heart of southwestern Ontario, the Town of Ingersoll offers a unique blend of business opportunities and fun, family-focused living in scenic Oxford County. What began as a small farming community on the banks of the historic Thames River is now a welcoming, vibrant town of over 13,000 people, rich in heritage and culture. Dubbed as Festival Town Ontario, Ingersoll hosts a variety of seasonal events, including the Canterbury Folk Festival, Harvest Festival, Santa’s Festival Village, and the Festival of Lights. The Ingersoll area was first settled in the 1790s by families from New England, became famous for home-made cheese production before the War of 1812, and was home to the first cheese factories in Canada. Fast forward to the 21st century – heavy manufacturing is Ingersoll’s largest industry, most notably CAMI Automotive. Situated within easy driving distance to London and Woodstock, Ingersoll is close to city amenities, but tucked away from the hustle and bustle. Best of all, Ingersoll has space to grow; where you can buy a new home in desirable surroundings and get more space, more style, and more property for your dollar. Recently, Business View Magazine spoke with Ingersoll Mayor Ted Comiskey and Deputy Mayor Fred Freeman about their thriving community and the reasons it is poised for significant growth in the near-term future. The following is an edited transcript of that conversation. BVM: Can you give us an overview of current development in the town? Comiskey: “With respect to ongoing projects, we have an arena recreational center project that we’ve been planning for the last 10 years. The architectural drawings and layout are now underway and, hopefully, it will be able to move forward through federal and provincial Our heritage, your future