NOHFC Features Terrace Bay/Marathon Business as Success Story

Written by Ministry Northern Development Mines and Forests on 11 February 2012

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) has helped thousands of projects take root and grow in the North. They have published a collection of articles about businesses they have assisted on their site, among them the story of NOHFC’s investment in Terrace Bay (Northern Computers is also in Marathon) business Northern Computers & Communications. The investment resulted in the creation of three full-time position equivalents and the business expanding their services and client base. Northern Computers & Communications has entered the interactive whiteboard market featuring the Promethean ActiveClassroom products in Northwestern Ontario.

“Most want to do a pilot project just to make sure we are not selling snake oil – but once we are in the door, that’s when we are at our best...”

Northern Computers and Communications

TERRACE BAY, ON – Many of us have love/hate relationships with technology. On one hand, the newest smartphones and apps are “must-have” features of everyday life; on the other, a series of expensive new headaches that confuse and crash. Seeking out a professional guide for the torrent of new electronics entering the market could be just what the doctor ordered – and that’s where Brian Doig comes in. Shepherding Northwestern Ontario through the land of new technologies is what Doig, Operations Manager at Northern Computers and Communications, does best. “If it involves a keyboard, we have a tendency to do it,” Doig laughs.

System Startup

Northern Computers and Communications is an Information and Technology firm based out of Terrace Bay. Since its foundation in 1995, it has provided quality tech support for area health care facilities, mining companies and schools. The company is on the path to great success thanks, in part, to embracing a new line of interactive products and a successful application to the NOHFC’s Emerging Technology Program.

In 2008, Doig and his team were given a golden opportunity after witnessing a product demonstration from interactive learning giant Promethean .Doig and his colleagues immediately saw the economic potential and put together a robust business plan for utilizing Promethean’s products – and for support from the NOHFC. Doig says, “We basically said, here is what we can realistically do in the next five years, pending any major shake. With the support of the NOHFC, we were able to accomplish it a lot faster and move the company that much further forward and give it that much more stability.”

The Coolest Gadgets

With business plan in hand, Northern Computers and Communications used NOHFC funding to train staff and market their new services, which now included tech support for a broad range of Promethean’s interactive learning technology. As soon as Doig and his team gave their product demonstration, the interest and demand was there. “Most want to do a pilot project just to make sure we are not selling snake oil – but once we are in the door, that’s when we are at our best. Our experience to date has been they all love it,” said Doig.

One demonstration might feature a “smart board” slide presentation, where digital slides are modified collaboratively by both teachers and students using wireless pens. In another class, the students may have handheld texting devices to answer questions via a polling system that the teacher can then analyze with accompanying software – bringing the everyday classroom experience to a whole new level of collaboration.

What’s really inspiring for Doig and his colleagues is the “wow” factor these products bring – especially visible on the faces of children. “It feels like you’re bringing them into the 22nd century or something. They only see this stuff on shows like CSI usually,” says Doig.

Getting Schooled on an Information Highway

Taking all this at face value, you might think it’s a gimmick designed for kids and teens, but there is no age barrier to this technology.

According to Doig, institutions such as the Northern Ontario School of Medicine are interested tapping into their expertise to help run patient simulations. Medical students could go through different diagnosis scenarios in the comfort of a classroom setting, interacting with virtual patients and acting on audio and visual cues from virtual stethoscopes or reflex hammers, for example. Regional Fire Chiefs are also thinking of using the products for their training programs.

The possibilities seem endless and new opportunities arise daily for Northern Computers and Communications. According to Doig, it was the theory behind Promethean’s products that first attracted his company. “Many other companies said, here’s the (interactive) whiteboard. Learn it, love it and have a nice day. We felt Promethean’s approach suited our company and Northern Ontario better.”

Next Patch

The project has been a success for Northern Computers and Communications, creating the equivalent of three full-time positions and expanding their services and client base. Results have been so good for this particular project that Promethean has offered to license Doig’s team to carry products for all of Manitoba, a big step that Doig is considering, joking he could use the travel as an excuse to catch Jets’ hockey games.

When asked what advice he would give to other businesses just starting up or looking at expansions, Doig says his key to success is to “make sure you have a plan and stick to it as much as possible because that gives you your metre for success.”