Ron Buist joined Tim Hortons in 1977 and embarked on a 24-year journey of creative genius and marketing success. Although he retired in 2001, his influence can still be felt in many aspects of the Tim  Hortons marketing campaigns. As the company’s long-term director of marketing, he designed and developed the campaigns that helped drive Tim Hortons to its position as industry leader. An avid believer in the influence of television, Buist produced over 100 commercials, including the now famous “True Stories” commercials such as “Lillian,” the elderly woman who walks up the steep hills of Lunenburg every morning for her Tim Hortons coffee, and “Coach,” who inspires his Timbits hockey players before their big game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Buist also coined slogans, designed the first Tim travel mug (a trademark for the chain), developed print advertising campaigns, and invented the highly successful “Roll Up the Rim to Win” contest. First introduced in 1986, “Roll Up the Rim to Win” is one of the most successful contests of its kind in North America — so successful that it has since become a part of Canadian cultural history. Ron Buist attended Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Ryerson University) where he graduated from the Radio and Television Arts program. He worked in radio and television in Oakville, Ottawa, and Toronto before becoming advertising manager for Black’s Camera Stores. There, he was in charge of marketing Black’s Bigger Prints, a change in process that that revolutionized photo finishing in Canada. His 13-year experience with Black’s helped him land a job with Tim Hortons in 1977. Nowadays, Buist is a retail and franchise marketing consultant and professional speaker. He and his wife Mary Ann live in Oakville, Ontario, and have two adult children, Kevin and Suzanne.