New RBC Royal Bank Branch For Thunder Bay
by Scott A. Sumner
The face of Thunder Bay continues to change. When you drive down Arthur Street in the Southward area of Thunder Bay you will now see a large, impressive new 10,000 square feet state of the art RBC location ready to serve us.
“ We relocated our Edward and Victoriaville branches here. This new location afforded us the opportunity to get onto Arthur Street. The two branches have served Thunder Bay well but we saw an opportunity with our lease coming up in Victoriaville. Also the Redwood branch didn’t
allow us the size to expand and we basically out grew it so it gave us an opportunity to build a brand new state of the art facility for Thunder Bay,” said Murray Walberg, Regional Vice President Northwestern Ontario. “ This is the new style, the new design for RBC and is set up
so we can continue to grow for the next 100 years here in the Fort William part of Thunder Bay. It also allowed us the space to have all the role families here with account managers that give great advice to families. We also have a small business role that can locate here and
help small business start up and expand and grow. We have mortgage specialists and financial planning people here so it gave us the complete array of advice we offer to our clients. It is one stop shopping where our clients can come here whether they are buying a cottage, starting a business or planning for retirement. They can have complete advice right here at Arthur and Ford Street.”
“ We brought both staffs together. Convenience is one of the biggest things here with a residential feel in our area on the brink of Arthur Street. It has been wonderful here today on our 2nd day of opening. The client’s eyes just light up when they walk in and they are excited. I
love sitting in the front desk and seeing the people walk in being impressed. We have had many new clients walk in and we provide the one stop shop,” said Michael Nitz, Branch Manager RBC Royal Bank Arthur & Ford Street.
The new RBC branch has been about 18 months in the planning, finding the right site and contractor. “ It takes a lot to get the capital form the organization so we can have the best facilities in NW Ontario. The bank made a $3.5 million investment here right in this branch. Thunder Bay and NW Ontario have been good to RBC. We have a good business here and continue to grow despite the economy over the last decade. Also two short years ago we made a big investment in our Memorial at John branch,” said Walberg. “ We found a developer, Bruno’s contracting, that had a good site for us. We worked with them on the design with
our corporate real estate people and myself to get the design we wanted based on the property. The general contractor built the building and then we had a number of small contractors working through Rossdale Renovations on the interior of the branch. Sometimes we own the
building and in this situation the best opportunity was to lease back the building.
RBC has 6 branches in Thunder Bay plus their regional office hub that includes wealth management and commercial banking.
“ The outlook here in Thunder Bay is quite exciting. In my past role with SHIFT we have seen a large of number young people come back here to work and raise their families. I was fortunate to find an employer that would allow me to volunteer here and become involved in
organizations. RBC encourages their staff to be involved in the community and likes to give back to the community" said Michael Nitz who also has the role of Chairman of Thunder Bay Chamber. ” When you are a small business owner your bank is a key partner. We have great
infrastructure here with the Innovation Centre, the CEDC, and Chamber of Commerce. We have a good structure to help small business here. Our business staff helps on both your business and personal needs. We also have a linking to the RBC Alloy business centre.”
“ The economy in Thunder Bay has really turned a corner. You don’t flip a switch and we are booming but it has been gradual over the last 3 years where we are slowly building on the economy. The health and education sectors are growing. Mining has good signs that we might see some full-fledged mines starting up. Housing prices are increasing and the number of flights coming to Thunder Bay are increasing.” said Walberg. “ We are really excited about this location. I feel it will be a tremendous branch for us. We have a great team here that give great
advice and are ready to help clients. Branch banking is very important to RBC. Internet and telephone banking are convenient for people but we need the branch network. It is 65% of all of our RBC profits including all our divisions. It is growing and providing the bulk of the return
for our shareholders. As our customers continue to reward us with their business we will continue to invest in our infrastructure and our people. ”
When you walk into the new RBC at Ford and Arthur I am sure you will be impressed with its modern and spacious feel. It is certainly a great addition to the Thunder Bay community.
