1. Sarnia-Lambton Contact Centre Overview
Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership

2. Why Sarnia is a great location for Contact
Centres?
n Skilled Available Workforce
n Marriott Virtualization / Restructuring April 2014
n NCO closure July 2012
n StarTek closure 2011
n Turn-key Real Estate
n Great Community
n Small enough to provide an affordable lifestyle and
big enough to supply a skilled workforce and
community assets.

3. n A large portion of Sarnia-
Lambton’s contact centre
workforce is located in an area
designated by Statistics
Canada as Sarnia CA. This
region is made up of Sarnia,
Point Edward, St. Clair
Township and the
Aamjiwnaang First Nation.
n Contact centre staff also come
from the areas surrounding
Sarnia as well as the northern
part of Chatham-Kent.
Contact Centre Labour Profile
136,385
10,185
36,665
89,535
635
14,515
2,030
72,355
Total Age
15 – 64
59,230Total
23,645Remainder of
Lambton County
89,540Total
6,665Chatham-Kent
(Wallaceburg)
430Aamjiwnaang
9,835St. Clair
1,310Point Edward
47,655Sarnia
Statistics Canada. 2012. Census Profile. 2011 Census.

4. Population Distribution
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
0to4years
5to9years
10to14years
15to19years
20to24years
25to29years
30to34years
35to39years
40to44years
45to49years
50to54years
55to59years
60to64years
65to69years
70to74years
75to79years
80to84years
85yearsandover
Sarnia (CA) Lambton (CD)
Statistics Canada. 2012. Census Profile. 2011 Census.

5. Workforce by Industry
Statistics Canada. 2013. National Household Survey (NHS) Profile. 2011, Released September 11, 2013.
Labour Force by Industry
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000
11 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
21 Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
22 Utilities
23 Construction
31-33 Manufacturing
41 Wholesale trade
44-45 Retail trade
48-49 Transportation and warehousing
51 Information and cultural industries
52 Finance and insurance
53 Real estate and rental and leasing
54 Professional, scientific and technical
55 Management of companies and enterprises
56 Administrative and support, waste
61 Educational services
62 Health care and social assistance
71 Arts, entertainment and recreation
72 Accommodation and food services
81 Other services (except public administration)
91 Public administration

6. n Only 1.07% of the Sarnia
(CA) workforce is
employed in the contact
centre industry
n Overall, Sarnia-Lambton
only has 0.76% of its
workforce employed in
contact centres.
Contact Centre Labour Concentration
N/A300Atelka Contact
Centre (Fall ’14)
1.07%Concentration
(Sarnia CA)
59,230Sarnia (CA)
0.76%
86
250
82,875
Age
15 – 64
$13.00
$11.50
Starting
Wage
Lambton County
Marriott Resv.
Centre (Apr. ‘14)
Concentration
(Lambton)
SunMedia Sales
Centre
Population: Statistics Canada. 2012. Census Profile. 2011 Census.
Employment Information: Employer Interviews and estimations

7. Educational Attainment
Statistics Canada. 2013. National Household Survey (NHS) Profile. 2011 National Household Survey. Released September 11, 2013.
n Sarnia has a higher High school, Apprenticeship and College
graduation percentage than the provincial average.
n 67% of Lambton’s population have a High School, Apprenticeship
or College diploma (vs. 54% in Ontario)
Total population aged 15 years and over by highest certificate;
diploma or degree 104,360 10,473,670
No certificate; diploma or degree 19,540 19% 1,954,520 19%
High school diploma or equivalent 33,130 32% 2,801,805 27%
Postsecondary certificate; diploma or degree 51,700 50% 5,717,340 55%
Apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma 11,655 11% 771,140 7%
College; CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma 24,905 24% 2,070,875 20%
University certificate or diploma below bachelor level 2,365 2% 427,150 4%
University certificate; diploma or degree at bachelor level or above 12,760 12% 2,448,175 23%
Bachelor's degree 8,255 8% 1,515,075 14%
University certificate; diploma or degree above bachelor level 4,510 4% 933,100 9%
OntarioLambton County

8. Knowledge of Official Languages
Characteristics Total Male Female Total Male Female
Total population 88,750 43,030 45,720 124,870 60,990 63,885
English only 82,330 40,250 42,080 116,850 57,530 59,320
French only 70 35 35 85 40 45
English and French 6,125 2,660 3,465 7,665 3,305 4,360
Neither English nor French 225 90 135 270 110 165
Sarnia (Census agglomeration) Lambton (Census division)
n Sarnia is also home to the following French language schools:
n École élémentaire Les Rapides
n École secondaire Franco-Jeunesse
n The Lambton Kent District School Board also offers French
immersion at a number of elementary and secondary schools
throughout the county.
Statistics Canada. 2012. Census Profile. 2011 Census.

9. Sarnia-Lambton Call Centre History
n Nordia opened in 1998 (Corunna), closed October 2006
n Employed 124 staff when it closed
n RMH/NCO Opened in April 2000 with 500 agents, closed June 2012
n Peaked at 1300 agents in 2002-2004
n 488 agents when the closure was announced in Jan 2012
n Marriott Worldwide Reservation Centre opened 2003 with 200 agents
n Peaked at 450 staff in 2007
n Employed 370 fulltime staff as of Oct. 2013 when they announced conversion of staff to
home based agent model.
n By April 2014 they are expected to close their call centre in Sarnia, but will continue to
employ approximately 250 home based agents in the area.
n StarTek opened in 2004 with 250 staff
n Peaked at 400 staff in 2008
n Closed January 2011 with 215 staff
n Sun Media Inbound Call Centre expanded in 2011 to current location
n Currently 86 staff (September 2013)
n Atelka Inbound Contact Centre, opening April 2014
n Expected to be a 300 agent contact centre when fully operational

10. Current Operating Call Centres - Marriott
n Marriott Worldwide Reservation Centre - Sarnia
n Opened 2003
n Inbound customer service for travel industry
n Employed 370 fulltime staff as of October 2013
n Announced in October 2013 conversion to home based agent model,
approximately 250 agents will be employed following the closure of the
physical contact centre (April 2014).
n 90 agents working as of March 2014 that will not be transitioned to
home agents
n Peak employment was 450 in 2007
n 24 hr operation since 2009
n Average starting wage is $11 to $11.50 with premiums for bilingual
agents
n Offer benefits, travel incentives, etc.
n Services the US Mid Atlantic region and all of Canada
n Was the 3rd largest call centre in the Marriott family, the last one in
Canada
n High customer satisfaction numbers, excellent employee retention

11. Current Operating Call Centres - SunMedia
n SunMedia Sarnia Sales Centre
n Consolidated several contact centres to Sarnia 2011
n 86 fulltime staff (September 2013)
n Peak employment was 112 staff
n 6am to 5pm
n Average starting wage is $13 plus commissions
n Offer benefits and commissions for sales and customer
retention
n Inbound advertising sales, customer service and support for
electronic publications for all English speaking Quebecor
papers across Canada
n High staff retention with low turnover

12. Current Operating Call Centres - Atelka
n Opening April 2014
n Operating in a portion of the former NCO
space.
n Expected to employ 300 agents when
fully operational
n Sales & Customer Service in the
telecommunications field

13. NCO Inbound Call Centre – Closed
n Opened April 2000, Closed June 2012
n January 2011 employed 488 staff when closure was announced
(225 fulltime staff at time of closing in June 2012)
n Average starting wage was $10.50 with $0.50 adherence bonus
n Benefits provided after 1 month
n Average Retention
n 4yr. Agents
n 8yr. Management
n Sales & Customer Service
n In 2011 3 major contracts, 2 in telecommunications and one in
retail consumer electronics
n Previously did utility billing and insurance work

14. StarTek Inbound Call Centre - Closed
n Opened February 2004 with 250 staff
n Peak Staff 400 in 2008
n Closed January 2011 with 215 staff
n Mobile phone activation and customer service
n Overall good staff retention, location closed and
consolidated to Kingston, work was also moved
off-shore
n Very few staff accepted incentives to transfer to
Kingston with the closure

15. Sarnia-Lambton Call Centre Employment
early 2008
n NCO Customer Management – 1000
n StarTek – 400
n Marriott Worldwide Reservations – 450
n Osprey Group – 35
n Total Employment in Sector (2008) – 1,885
n Total Employment in Sector (expected Fall 2014) - 636

16. Other Labour Pool Information
n OLG Slots at Hiawatha Race Track closed April 30th, 2012 - 140 full time staff
affected
n Sarnia Zellers location closed March 2013 – 100 employees affected
n Waterville TG in Petrolia added 80 employees to staff of 420 employees
n Lowe’s Home Improvement store opened January 2012 – 135 employees
n Michaels’ Crafts opens in Sarnia in August 2011 – 69 employees
n Major renovations completed at Lambton Mall and Cineplex movie theatre
expansion
n BioAmber started construction of $110 million biosuccinic acid plant in Sarnia – 60
full time positions
n St. Clair solar farm construction complete in addition to the second largest
photovoltaic power station in the world already in operation
n 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 UWO Research Park.
n Provident Energy completed new $10 million rail loading facility
n $12 Million Fiddick’s nursing home expansion complete
n Enbridge Sarnia pipeline expansion planned
n Entropex, plastics recycling plant, receives $4 million investment from Province of
Ontario
n New medical centre and large addition to Vision Nursing home

17. Regional Educational Facilities
Michigan, USA
n Baker College
n St. Clair College
n Michigan State
n Wayne State University
Ontario, Canada:
n Lambton College (Sarnia)
n University of Western Ontario
n Fanshawe College
n University of Guelph
Ridgetown College - (branch
campus)
n University of Windsor
n University of Waterloo
n Wilfred Laurier University

18. Lambton College - Sarnia
n With just over 3,000 full-time students, Lambton College is a great
place for students who want a more personal post-secondary
educational experience.
n Full-time, part-time and co-op programs
n Programs include Business Administration, Information Technology
Professional Program (ITP), Nursing, Personal Support Worker,
Early Childhood Education, Fire Science Technology, Alternative
Energy Technologist, Chemical Production & Power Engineering
Technologist, Construction Carpentry Techniques, Massage, etc.
n International campuses located in China, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria

19. Sarnia-Lambton’s competitive housing
costs
Photo – waterfront condominiums, Village of
Point Edward
n Sarnia housing prices are very affordable
n 2 bedroom rental $792 (CMHC April
2012)
n Average residential sale price: $204,400
(Sarnia-Lambton Real Estate Board
August 2013)
n Houses, condos, and apartments are
available on the St. Clair River and Lake
Huron waterfronts
n Sarnia-Lambton’s picturesque rural areas
provide room for hobby farms as well as
large agricultural operations

20. Sarnia-Lambton’s Amenities
§ Sarnia-Lambton a great place to
live and play with all the
amenities of big city living with
small town friendliness
§ Over 40 miles of beautiful
freshwater beaches
§ 60 recreational parks and
conservation areas as well as
the 6,000 ac. Pinery Provincial
Park
§ The best recreational boating
experiences on Lake Huron and
the St. Clair river.

21. Sarnia-Lambton’s Entertainment Opportunities
§ RBC Centre – 4,500 seat sports and
entertainment complex, home of the
Sarnia Sting OHL team.
§ Home to many festivals and events,
historically Sarnia hosted the Rogers
Sarnia Bayfest which was voted Best
Tourism Event in 2009 & 2011 and
Top Festival in Ontario for 2011
§ OLG Casino Point Edward and
Hiawatha Horse Park and
Entertainment Centre
§ Local live theatre venues include the
Imperial Theatre and Victoria
Playhouse
§ New home to the Judith & Norman
ALIX Art Gallery

22. The Sarnia-Lambton Approach
n We take a business approach to development
n We value long-term relationships
n We welcome you to our community
Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership
The Research Park, Sarnia Lambton
1086 Modeland Rd., Building 1050, Suite 100
Sarnia ON Canada N7S 6L2
519-332-1820 Toll free NA 1-800-972-7642
www.sarnialambton.on.ca
info@sarnialambton.on.ca

23. Contacts:
Geoff Greening
Market Development Consultant
geoff@sarnialambton.on.ca
George Mallay
General Manager
mallay@sarnialambton.on.ca
1-800-972-7642
www.sarnialambton.on.ca

24. Potential Call Centre Site Overviews

25. § Downtown location directly adjacent to
the main telecommunication central
office for Bell Canada as well as the
main bus terminal for the City of
Sarnia.
§ Several units available within the mall
§ Both underground and above ground
parking are available as well as a food
court and many other retail,
restaurant, medical and government
agencies.
§ Active arts community including the
new Judith & Norman ALIX Art
Gallery, private art galleries, museum
and theatre.
Bayside Mall

26. Bayside Mall – Former StarTek site
272 Positions – 28,000 sq.ft. (optional additional space)
n Management & HR
office space
n 3 training rooms
n Testing room
n Lunch room
n Washrooms
n Data centre with fire
suppression
n 500 KW DaeWoo
Generator
n Additional units
available
n Available immediately

27. 1337 London Road – Former Marriott Contact Centre
16,170 sqft.
n Available April 2014
n Formerly used as a contact centre by Marriott.
n 174 seat facility (used to operate 400 agent
24hrs. centre)
n 2 training rooms (14 seats/room)
n Reception, administration offices, lunch room,
and telecom room.
n In main commercial district.
n Onsite and offsite parking available as well as on
major bus route.

28. § Former White Rose / Discount Retailer
§23,000 sq.ft.
§ Former Price Check grocery store
§41,000 sq.ft. (can be subdivided)
§ Former Zellers department store location
§128,000 sq.ft. (can be subdivided)
§ Former Sport Check sporting goods store
§18,982 sq.ft.
§ Former Cineplex Odeon Location
§39,000 sq.ft.
Additional Development Opportunities

29. 1500 London Road – Former White Rose
Aprox. 23,000 sqft.
n Former White Rose location, recently
used as a discount retailer.
n In main commercial section near
Lambton College and mall.
n Highway exposure, near 402 highway.
n Plenty of parking

30. 1330 Exmouth St. – Former Price Chopper
n Former grocery store in
commercial area.
n Across from Lambton Mall
n Bus access
n Shared parking lot with
McDonalds and other
retailers.
n Available immediately

31. 1330 Exmouth St. – Former Price Chopper site
41,000 sq.ft. (optional split into 2 units)
n Former grocery store
n Shared shipping and
receiving facilities
n Vendor willing to split
into smaller units.
n Additional adjacent
space available.

32. 1249 London Rd. – Zellers Site
n Current Zellers location to be
available in spring 2013
n In main commercial area
near Lambton Mall
n Bus access
n Shared site with McDonalds
and other retailers /
restaurant / bar as well as
Goodwill Career centre.
n Closed Spring 2013

33. 1249 London Rd. – Zellers site
128,000 sq.ft. (optional to portion into multiple units)
n Currently department store
with restaurant.
n Vendor willing to split into
smaller units.
n 16’ ceilings
n 700 parking spots
n Additional separate 25,000
sq.ft. unit on same site to
be re-developed.

34. 595 Murphy Road – SportChek Site
18,495 sqft.
n Former SportChek
location.
n In main commercial area
across from major grocery
store.
n Bus terminal located
directly across street.
n Shared site with other
services (CAA) /
restaurants (Arby’s,
Sushi).
n Separate loading dock
n 100 parking spots

35. 1446 London Road – Cineplex Odeon
Aprox. 39,000 sqft.
n Current Cineplex Odeon theatre location
to be available in summer 2013.
n In main commercial beside Lambton
Mall.
n Lambton College across street.
n Shared site with other roadhouse
restaurant.
n Plenty of parking