Sarnia-Lambton
Call Centre Industry Trained Customer Service Labour Pool Plug & Play Real Estate Options Affordable Life Style
July 2012 Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership 1086 Modeland Road, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada www.sarnialambton.on.ca 519.332.1820 / 1.800.972.7642
Sarnia-Lambton Call Centre Industry
Location
The City of Sarnia is located in the County of Lambton in southern Ontario, and is the centre of commercial activities for the area. Sarnia-Lambton’s location at the border of Ontario and Michigan provides direct access to the USA.
Lambton County and the City of Sarnia are bisected by Highway 402, which runs eastward from the Michigan-Ontario border and joins Highway 401, which links Montreal and Detroit. To the west, Highway 402 connects with Michigan’s Interstate 94/69/75 network via the international Blue Water Bridge.
Sarnia is home to the Chris Hadfield Airport with direct flights from Sarnia to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. Within approximately one hour drive from Sarnia is the Detroit International Airport (Delta hub with access to all major U.S. cities and many International destinations) as well as London International Airport.
Sarnia-Lambton Call Centre Industry Sarnia is home to two existing call centres: • Marriott’s Worldwide Reservation inbound contact centres which employs approximately 450 full time employees. • Sun Media Corp inbound sales centre located in downtown Sarnia which employs approximately 150 staff. This location provides inbound customer service and sales for media advertising across Ontario. Two former call centres were also located in Sarnia: • NCO closed their customer service call centre with 500 agents (1300 agents at its peak) in June 2012. Located in the Western University Research Park, Sarnia-Lambton Campus, NCO processed inbound customer service calls for the telecommunications industry as well as service appointment scheduling for a consumer electronics retailer. • StarTek closed their downtown inbound customer service call centre in early 2011 which employed approximately 215 staff.
Available and Trained Labour Pool With recent call centre closures there are a number of highly qualified staff available for employment immediately. Many of these staff members are fully trained and many were enrolled in the Information Technology – Contact Centre Apprenticeship Program offered through the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. In addition to the call centre closures additional staff that are available from other industries such as the recent Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) Commission closure of their race track slots operation resulting in 90 full-time and 50 part-time staff being displaced. Sarnia is a great place to live and work with 86% of Lambton residents having lived in the community for 5 years or more resulting in a very stable and dedicated workforce. The last reported unemployment rate from March 2012 is 11.5%.
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Sarnia-Lambton Call Centre Industry Multiple Real Estate Options Within Sarnia there are multiple well serviced sites to meet the needs of potential call centres. With recent closures there are sites that are completely plug-and-play ready to be staffed as well as sites that can be easily tailored to the needs of specific call centres. The following are three potential sites that are representative of potential locations in this community:
Western University Research Park Sarnia-Lambton Campus – Former NCO Location The Research Park is located close to the main commercial area of Sarnia-Lambton and within minutes of Highway 402 with easy access to the US-Canada border. The site is a campus setting with five buildings that are interconnected on an 80 acre natural park setting. In addition to ample free parking, the site is serviced with regular bus routes as well as an on-site cafeteria with catering and a fully equipped conference centre that seats groups from 10 to 80. Features of this site include: • Common main office location and data centre. • Four separate call centre locations within the campus complex with dedicated training space to facilitate project specific training and segregation for client confidentiality. Segregated locker rooms and lunch rooms with each location. • Agent seating ranging from 128 to 264 agents plus supervisor workstations and support staff offices. (Total space for 732 agents or 78,279 sq.ft) • Onsite 600 kW generator with 4129 litres of fuel capacity. • Fibre data and telecommunications access.
Bayside Mall Call Centre – Former StarTek location The Bayside Mall is located in the heart of downtown Sarnia directly adjacent to the main telecommunication central office for Bell Canada as well as the main bus terminal for the City of Sarnia. Both underground and above ground parking are available as well as a food court and many other retail, restaurant, medical and government agencies. This former call centre site has many of the basic elements for a successful call centre and the flexibility to adapt to a client’s specific needs. The existing space occupies 28,000 sq. ft. within the mall with the potential to add additional space within this facility. Features of this site include: • Space for 272 agents (28,000 sq. ft.) • Management and HR office space with 3 training rooms and testing areas • Lunch and washroom facilities • Separate data centre with fire suppression and 500 kW generator • Secure access to underground parking as well as direct access to above ground parking lot. • Ready access to fibre data and telecommunications infrastructure
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Sarnia-Lambton Call Centre Industry
1330 Exmouth Street – Former Price Chopper Location This site, a former grocery store, is located in the heart of Sarnia’s commercial sector near Lambton Mall, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Wal-Mart and many other retail, service and restaurant locations. Within minutes of highway 402, access to the US-Canada border is only 5 miles away. The site has above ground parking and frequent bus routes service this area due to the proximity to major retail locations. Features of this site include: • Total of 41,000 sq. ft. with options to split into smaller units. • Additional space currently available within this location • Shared shipping and receiving facilities • Plenty of parking and frequent bus service • Close proximity to several retail locations including a major mall location. • Completely customizable space to client’s specific requirements.
Sarnia-Lambton Demographic Information Population The latest 2011 Census data states the population of Sarnia-Lambton is 126,200, and Sarnia census conglomerate (including Sarnia, Point Edward, St. Clair Township and the Sarnia Reserve) has a population of 89,555. There are 58,243 private dwellings in the County of Lambton. According to the 2006 cenus there are 2,805 residents of Lambton County who’s mother tongue is French and 8,400 (6.6%) residents that know French and English. 12000
Sarnia-Lambton’s population is augmented by surrounding communities such as Wallaceburg, population 10,163, and Chatham population 44,074, located in the Municipality of ChathamKent (103,671) to the south. Strathroy, located to the east in neighbouring Middlesex County (439,151) has a population of 14,221.
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0 0-4
5-9
10 14
15 19
20 24
25 29
30 34
35 39
40 44
45 49
50 54
55 59
60 64
65 69
70 74
75 79
80 84
85 and over
Lambton
6375
6430
6870
8390
7925
6850
6455
6595
7325
9300
10625 10175
9235
7115
5375
4545
3545
3070
Sarnia (CA)
4515
4350
4775
5920
5860
5140
4705
4760
5240
6575
7480
6395
4870
3745
3250
2590
2235
7155
Source – Statistics Canada, 2011 Census
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Sarnia-Lambton Call Centre Industry Education Attainment Sarnia has a highly skilled work force with many industries requiring individuals with engineering and technical backgrounds. Lambton College is located in Sarnia, but other educational institutions are within close proximity to the community including Western University, University of Windsor and Waterloo University. Characteristics Total population 15 years and over No certificate; diploma or degree High school certificate or equivalent Apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma College; CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma University certificate or diploma below the bachelor level University certificate; diploma or degree
Sarnia (Census agglomeration) Total Male Female 73,075 35,180 37,895
Lambton (Census division) Total Male Female 104,830 50,840 53,990
15,205
6,925
8,275
23,750
11,310
12,440
21,815
9,500
12,310
30,385
13,580
16,800
8,945
6,595
2,355
12,760
9,320
3,435
16,760
7,180
9,575
24,085
10,135
13,950
1,830
770
1,060
2,605
1,105
1,500
8,520
4,200
4,315
11,250
5,385
5,860
Source – Statistics Canada, 2006 Census (most recent detailed data currently available.
Economic Activity Major Employers Petrochemical and refining industries make up Sarnia-Lambton’s main industrial sector, followed by agriculture and tourism. The City of Sarnia and St. Clair Township are home to many international companies including Imperial Oil (Exxon), LANXESS, NOVA, Suncor, and Shell. Sarnia-Lambton is gaining recognition world-wide as a centre for bio-based manufacturing and research and development. The community has been working cohesively for a number of years to create the right environment for bio (organic) based manufacturing. Companies such as BioAmber, Solutions4C02, PlantForm, and Methes Energy have chosen Sarnia-Lambton for manufacturing, research and development, or pilot plant facilities; joining the area’s growing Sarnia-Lambton Biohybrid Chemistry Cluster. Recent Investments BioAmber starts construction of an $80 million biosuccinic acid plant in Sarnia Solutions4C02 announces pilot plant for Sarnia and establishment of Global Operations and R&D Headquarters at the Bluewater Energy Park in Sarnia St. Clair solar farm construction complete in addition to the second largest photovoltaic power station in the world already in operation NOVA Chemicals investing $250 million to allow use of ethane feedstock at its Corunna plant and relocated their Information Technology Group and Global Accounting Services to the Western Research Park. Biotech firm PlantForm Corporation opens office at Western Research Park Provident Energy completed new $10 million rail loading facility Major renovations completed at Lambton Mall and Cineplex movie theatre expansion announced New Lowes home improvement store officially opens $12 Million Fiddick’s nursing home expansion on schedule Enbridge Sarnia pipeline expansion planned Entropex, plastics recycling plant, receives $4 million investment from Province of Ontario New medical centre and large addition to Vision Nursing home LANXESS invests $17 million in Gevo Inc. – discussions ongoing to locate production plant in Sarnia Michaels’ Crafts opens in Sarnia
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Sarnia-Lambton Call Centre Industry
Lifestyle Sarnia-Lambton is a great place to live, with an appealing mix of big city amenities and small town friendliness. Sarnia-Lambton offers very affordable housing o 3 bedroom home $148,000 to $199,000 o apartment rental rates $625 to $895 40 miles of beautiful freshwater beaches 60 recreational parks and conservation areas Excellent health care system (with a new state-of-the-art hospital) Wide variety of sports teams for all ages and abilities, 20 golf courses, sailing, scuba diving, fishing, wake boarding Theatres, RBC Sports and Entertainment complex, new downtown art gallery Host to many summer entertainment festivals including the annual Roger’s Bayfest concert series voted Best Tourism Event in 2009 & 2011 and Top Festival in Ontario for 2011 Sarnia-Lambton is family-friendly and affordable.
The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership
The staff of the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership are ready and eager to assist with site location services such as accessing any eligible training incentives, assistance with any needed permitting, temporary head office space, and any other location assistance needed. The community has a Job Fair Team that is ready to assist with staff recruitment, including screening applications and determining eligibility for any applicable training incentives, testing, and hosting job fairs.
At the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership we are here to work with you in every way we can to make your site selection process as easy as possible.
Contact: Geoff Greening geoff@sarnialambton.on.ca The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership Western University Research Park, Sarnia-Lambton Campus Building 1050, Suite 100 1086 Modeland Road Sarnia ON Canada N7S 6L2 www.sarnialambton.on.ca 519-332-1820 / 1-800-972-7642
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