Touch Unwired Opens Third Location For
Thunder Bay
by Scott A. Sumner
When it comes to cellular phones and other forms of wireless communication you most likely had heard of T B Comm. Now the company has completed it’s rebranding to Touch Unwired and opened a third store location on Arthur Street. The goal with the new store is a familiar
one, to the company, to better serve their customers.
Bill Exell is the Manager and Co Owner operator of Touch Unwired along with his sister, Karen Bagdon and their dad Bill Sr. It was known as Thunder Bay Communications at the beginning when Bill Sr. started the company in 1973. It was then shortened to TB Comm and when they opened their mall kiosk three years ago at Intercity Shopping Centre a separate entity, Touch Unwired was created. The kiosk in the Intercity Shopping Centre is a destination for people especially from out of town who can take care of their cellular business when they are there. “ Now that we have opened a third store on Arthur Street, we have gone with the name Touch Unwired for all of our locations to keep it consistent as our brand and for advertising purposes,” said Bill Exell Jr. who started working in the company for his dad in the summers as a student. “ Bill Sr. started with 2 way radios and paging systems and grew into the business satellite, TV and security systems. We had 17 2-way radio sites throughout the region back then. Truckers used our equipment. My dad sold the business once, bought it back again and then 15 years later sold the 2 way radio division.”
Karen Bagdon was working for 94 FM as a radio announcer. “ My dad asked me work for him and I tried it for two weeks on my holidays and ended up staying and that was 25 years ago,” smiles Karen Bagdon. “ Now we are more specialized in consumer business with wireless
communication like cellular phones, paging systems, satellite phones and the business market. We serve large customers like the City of Thunder Bay and the Regional Hospital and have dedicated staff to take care of the large corporate clients. We have repeat customers who still come in and ask for us by name.”
Today Touch Unwired has 28 employees. “ We just opened the Arthur Street location at 540 W Arthur in September just to help customers have an easier location. We want to be as convenient and accessible as possible. Tom Jones and his company did a great job in getting the new location ready for us and it going along just fine,” said Bill Exell Jr. “ We now do all of Tbaytel services in all three locations. Cellular is the main one but we also do digital TV, home phone service and internet as well. It makes it easier for the customer to get to us and recognize the brand name we have been pushing for the last 3 years
now.”
Touch Unwired have been partners with Tbaytel since 1989 and have managed to become their biggest dealer. “ We have a strong relationship with them; they are a vital part of NW Ontario. Tbaytel rely on us to help maintain their image and give consistent service to their
customers. We are the ones who are taking face to face with their customers as the front line,” said Karen Bagdon. “ Tbaytel took over Rogers customers in NW Ontario and we use their
new HSPA 4 G network which gave the Rogers customers a large NW Ontario coverage. It had been a win win situation,” said Bill Exell Jr. “ They announced the new I Phone 4S and we hope to see that product in the next two weeks. In the past we might be a year away getting it.”
Technology is a big part of the Touch Unwired company and it has been an exciting time with new products and services.“ Now we have 25 or 30 phones to choose from. There are many positive things. We are right up there with any cellular technology you might see say in the US,” said Karen Bagdon. “ Texting is huge now. It used to be something the kids would do to communicate to each other and then with their families. Whether you are in town or down the street or driving across the city, you can send a quick note. We are also travelling a lot today and when you are free you can see the text. It is inexpensive and a good way you can control your monthly bills as you use less air time.”
Tablets are also an all-new category with the I Pad, Playbook and Samsung Galaxy. “ It is an add on to the business but works with your cell phone to make web browsing and reading your messages easier with a bigger keypad. It isn't meant to replace the PC on your desk but a
middle line between your phone and your computer with a bigger screen. You can put it in your handbag and is a media reader as well. It is add on to your wireless device. It will continue to grow and get better,” said Bill Exell.
What’s in the future for the brother and sister team at Touch Unwired? “ We will continue to service the community with our locations with Tbaytel as a partner. We hope to continue to bring new technologies to the region, to help explain them and make people comfortable with the new products. Customer service is very important.”
