OLS to setup shop at former StarTek location

It may have been the worst-kept secret in the city, but the former StarTek call centre in Victoriaville Mall is empty no longer.

Less than four months after the company abandoned the location, on Tuesday the city announced that P.E.I.-based On-Line Support has inked a deal to take over the vacant space, creating an initial 200 jobs.

Over time the 14-year-old company hopes to grow their ninth Canadian inbound call centre to as many as 400 employees, said OLS president and CEO Ross Beattie.

Beattie said Thunder Bay was chosen for a variety of reasons, but mostly because of the personality of the community. He said the company stationed several advance scouts in the city to observe its emotional state, and its happy-go-lucky attitude helped Thunder Bay beat out a number of other competing municipalities across the country.

"What it all came down to was the quality of the labour market and the leadership within the community," Beattie said. "Not all communities are providing support for organizations like ours. We were looking for a community where the leadership was willing to work with us in order for us to have a stable, long-term business in its area."

Having a ready-made workforce didn’t hurt, he said, adding they did plenty of research in that area too, holding job fairs and conducting interviews with potential employees.

Hiring has already started, he continued, noting that customer relations wages start at $10.40 an hour, with a $2 an hour premium paid to employees who are also fluent in French.

Beattie said a city like Thunder Bay, with a population hovering in the 110,000 range, is a perfect fit for an OLS centre. The company has three other Ontario centres, including two in Pembroke and one in Timmins.

"Being from Atlantic Canada, we always think there is no place like home. Well, I am here today to tell you I have come to this conclusion – I am home right now," said Beattie, who capped off his speech with a $5,000 donation to Shelter House.

"Thunder Bay encompasses all the values that we too hold so dear. The people, the family focus, the principles, the strong community spirit and the determination reminds us so much of home that beyond all of the business decisions, we just wanted to be here."

Steve Demmings, president of the Thunder Bay Economic Development Commission, said the city, which provided no financial incentive to attract OLS, began the groundwork the minute they learned StarTek was abandoning the Victoriaville site.

"When things like that happen, one person’s misfortune is another’s opportunity. And this is a great opportunity for all the stakeholders here. It’s a great opportunity for OLS, it’s a great opportunity for the City of Thunder Bay, but most importantly, it’s an absolutely wonderful opportunity for some hardworking people in Thunder Bay," Demmings said.

Mayor Lynn Peterson welcomed Beattie and his business partners with open arms, promising them they won’t regret investing in the city and saying they plan to be here for the long-term, unlike their predecessor who arrived with great fanfare only to disappear a couple of years later.

That it happened so fast is a testament to the CEDC, Peterson said.

"The CEDC took it on the same day, asking how do we make this available for another company. They did all of the work they needed to do, worked with all of the partners they had to work with and did this at lightning speed, quite frankly," Peterson said.

Beattie declined to name any of the companies the Thunder Bay location would represent, saying only that OLS represents big-name, marquee corporations.