Andrea Novoa says she’d have had a hard time opening the World Dance Centre last October without the help of the Thunder Bay and District Entrepreneur Centre.
That was under its old way of doing business.
Novoa on Thursday said seeing the centre rebrand itself to help meet the modern needs of new and existing businesses is exciting and should foster even more entrepreneurial spirit throughout the city.
“It’s fantastic. I think it looks very modern. It’s very appealing and I think they will get their message out there to a lot of people who don’t even know these services exist,” said Novoa, a Colombian import who arrived in Thunder Bay just two years ago.
“It’s fresh, it’s young, it’s interesting, so I think people will feel a little more comfortable with approaching the service. You don’t have to be a traditional business person or know exactly what you’re doing. You just have to have a good idea and be willing to put work into it.”
With the help of local consulting firm Firedog Communications, the TBDEC, an offshoot of the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Corporation, on Thursday unveiled a new logo and slogan – Imagine, plan, execute.
CEDC development officer Ron Humphreys said modernizing what they do can only help business thrive in the city.
The old logo, a building, was built around the concept of building businesses, which Humphreys labeled an outdated concept in 2012.
“We have to actually embrace the changes of entrepreneurs coming into use our services. We’re not just bricks and mortar, it’s actually about innovation – imagining, planning and executing the ideas as they come – and actually opening up our diverse services that we offer.”
Humphreys said the TBDEC is all about eliminating the cookie-cutter, one-service-fits-all style of operations they’ve used in the past.
“It’s more catering to the actual client itself, finding out exactly what they need. Each client is going to be different that we provide to now. You have to sit down, find out what their story is, what kind of help they need and actually work along with their business,” Humphreys said.
“When they are open, we have to continue to help them out,” he said.
Before the new look was unveiled, Humphreys said the TBDEC would typically assist about 150 businesses a year.
His target is much higher now.
“We’re looking, within two years, to double those numbers,” he said.
That’s good news for the local business community said entrepreneur Kim Tang, who opened Imerly Boutique in December 2011.
“There are a lot of people in the area who have big dreams and great ideas, but just aren’t sure how to move them forward. The centre helped me to develop my business plan, keep me organized and ultimately make my business idea a reality,” Tang said.
