Roots:

Honouring an Aylmer entrepreneur: George Ayoub

Leigh Anne Williams

Entrepreneur George Ayoub, 88, was recently honoured for his work as a community builder at a celebration in Galeries Aylmer.

Ayoub, who came to Canada in the 1960s from Lebanon, first opened The Glenwood restaurant with his brother Joseph in Glenwood Plaza. Later, in the mid-1980s, he and his brother Michael co-founded Bena Construction, which built many neighbourhood developments in Aylmer and employed innumerable local residents along the way.

“He’s been a pillar of the community,” said Raghida Abboud, co-owner of the former Resto-bar Marina. While raising his own family of four children, Ayoub helped many newcomers to Canada get established in Aylmer, she told the Bulletin, adding that he would respond to anyone who asked for help. At the event, MNA André Fortin spoke of Ayoub’s contributions to Aylmer, noting he is an example of how a community grows with devoted people such as George Ayoub.

During the Aylmer Bulletin’s annual Best of Aylmer Readers’ Choice Gala, George Ayoub received a standing ovation for his contributions to the development of Aylmer, April 24.

Mohamad Alnajjar, owner of Luxeman Barbier, who organized and hosted the recent party, said he was inspired by Ayoub’s entrepreneurial and charitable community spirit.