When does a place become a business?
In an interview with Technology Centre and Softext Publishing owner, Terry Welton, we see how a business idea develops over time and the impact of changing technology.
The Technology Centre, located in the centre of Owen Sound, is both a business and a location. Opened in 2000, the building houses parent company Softext Publishing Inc. and has been home to a variety of businesses over the last decade.
The initial plan was to create a “home-base” for technical and creative business people that would benefit from the association with other complementary services. For customers, it is beneficial to come to a single location and work with a group of specialists that can team up or work individually with a client. The primary services of the The Technology Centre focused on computer programming, data analysis & management, web & graphic design, public relations and marketing consulting.
Within months of opening the doors, it was apparent to Softext Publishing Inc. President and Owner, Terry Welton, that there was a demand for a variety of technical services not being offered by other businesses in the area. It is a typical case of seeing a need and offering a solution. This resulted in the creation of the business, also called The Technology Centre.
People came to the building in search of these services so it made sense to use the same name on the business to limit confusion and leverage the awareness that we were already creating.
In 2000, few commercial printers were using digital printing technology. These machines and process significantly reduce the time to prepare a job for print and allows full-colour work to be printed cost effectively in small quantities. The Technology Centre saw the benefits early became an expert in the process.
Digital printing has greatly reduced the production time and cost of professional-looking, full-colour printed work that meet the standards of traditional printing presses.
The Technology Centre rounded out it services to small business with the daily/weekly rental of audio/visual equipment, portable computers and peripherals.
We had a lot of this equipment that we used in our other business which was very expensive in the early days. People approached us about borrowing or renting it and we quickly realized there was a need for the service.
Even though the price of some of these items has dropped significantly, like most computer-related equipment, there is still a demand where a business only needs it a few days in a year.
With the push to “go digital” and the “paperless office”, The Technology Centre extended their business services to include document scanning and media conversions. Document scanning converts paper documents into digital images, which can be viewed on computers, easily shared and stored on a variety of media.
With the need to share documents quickly and the need to reduce the cost of storing documents, more businesses are moving to digital formats. High-speed scanning equipment has reduced the conversion costs to pennies a page.
After a decade in operation, The Technology Centre has lived up to its name by consistently adapting to and implementing technology into the services it offers and the way it operates its business.
– Mel Jaune –
