Your business is officially off the ground, now it is time to focus on growing!
From businesses small to large, the city of Kitchener is the number one source for all your business needs! From networking opportunities to consultation services and financial incentives, we are available to work with your business to achieve your goals.
The following tools might prove useful in your search for answers and resources:
Medium to large-sized business looking to locate in Kitchener, please contact Fiona Su.
New businesses looking to start up in Kitchener, please refer to Starting Your Business.
If you are looking for inspiration or encouragement, check out some inspiring stories of Kitchener businesses below.
Success stories
Entrepreneurship excellence with Desire2Learn |
Desire2Learn was founded in 1999 by John Baker and Anil Sabharwal, both recent graduates from the University of Waterloo. What began in Kitchener as the brainchild of two bright students has grown into a leading edge e-learning solutions company whose software is used at more than 450 institutions around the world. Desire2Learn is considered one of the fastest growing tech companies in Canada and one of the Top 50 Small to Medium Size Employers for 2011. Now headquartered at the former Lang Tannery in Kitchener, they have staff in the US, the UK, and Australia. Check out Desire2Learn online for more information. |
Franchise fruition with Crabby Joes |
With experience in running a successful Crabby Joe's franchise in Woodstock, Chris and TJ were looking for a bigger opportunity for growth. When Crabby Joe's head office announced the search for a franchisee for the new proposed Crabby's in downtown Kitchener, these two knew the time was right. With downtown Kitchener undergoing a major re-energization, bringing a well-known franchise into the area presented enormous economic opportunity -- attracting the current downtown employees, residents, and visitors, as well as giving many others a new reason to explore the area. The popularity of Crabby Joe's was phenomenal from the first day they opened their doors at King St E and Frederick in June 2009. Customers were pleased to see a familiar chain restaurant in the heart of the city to "anchor the downtown". Overall, Chris and TJ are thoroughly satisfied with their choice to move and say, "The people are great, we made a good decision by coming to Kitchener". |
Manufacturing mastery with Christie Digital Systems Inc. |
Electrohome Projection Systems, a subsidiary of Canada's largest consumer electronics manufacturer, Electrohome Inc., was purchased by Japanese-owned Christie Digital Systems in 1999. Acquiring this international manufacturer of commercial projection systems allowed Christie to smoothly transition into the digital projection business and become the only single source provider of high performance digital projectors and visual solutions in North America. With its manufacturing headquartered in Kitchener, more than doubling the employees at the former Electrohome Projection facility and continually expanding, as well as locating a cutting-edge R&D division in The Tannery, Christie has impacted Kitchener in a big way. Christie has huge customers all over the world including NASA, Boeing, Cineplex Entertainment, NASDAQ, AT&T, BBC, and many many more. Learn more about Christie Digital Systems on their website. |