As proud supporters of Canadian business, TELUS is on a mission to empower owners

By Navin Arora, Executive Vice-president, TELUS and President, TELUS Business Solutions

Local businesses are the heart of our communities and help create a strong and diverse economy for Canada. Although we may not always realize it, we rely on so many of these businesses every day. From the local place where we grab our coffee, or a neighbourhood restaurant or shop that provides a first job for our kids, small business plays a significant role in supporting and sustaining the economic and social fabric of our communities.

I feel incredibly lucky to have grown up in Alberta and to have raised my family here in Calgary. In my (much) younger days, my experiences working at local businesses, and seeing my daughters get involved with organizations around the city has been nothing short of inspiring. We know how vital they are to our neighbourhoods, and I feel very proud to lead a team that shares this sentiment.

At TELUS Business, we’ve always believed it’s important to champion businesses and help them thrive. It’s why we committed more than $2.5M over the past three years to #StandWithOwners. It’s why we work tirelessly to provide them technology to do what they do best - run and grow their businesses. And it’s why we recently launched ShopWithOwners.ca.

ShopWithOwners.ca is giving Canadians the opportunity to shop local by connecting them to local businesses and online shops, and at the same time, it gives dozens of small businesses the opportunity, at no cost, to showcase their products and reach new customers who want to shop local.

What I love about ShopWithOwners.ca and #StandWithOwners is the very real difference it’s making in the lives of people running these great businesses. In 2022 alone, as part our #StandWithOwners commitment, we’ve proudly celebrated 30 local businesses across the country who each received over $25,000 in funding, advertising, and world-leading technology from TELUS and our partners.

Each winner had incredible stories of community impact and how technology is helping to transform their businesses, including two great businesses right here in Calgary:

• SHIFT Accessibility - Co-owned by Josh Peill and Griffin Simony, they specialize in creating and modifying homes and businesses to make them more accessible to people with disabilities, and for seniors looking to age-in-place.
• Calgary Heritage Roasting Co. - Co-owned by Jamie Parker and Mike Wenzlawe, they run an eco-conscious organic coffee roastery and outdoor lifestyle brand who believe in active collaboration and giving back to our environment.

This year, TELUS leaders across the country had the opportunity to get out into our own communities and meet our #StandWithOwner winners in person. For my part, I was really excited to meet Josh and Griffin from SHIFT Accessibility. To see first hand how resilient they are, their passionate commitment to the community, and to learn more about how they’re embracing technology to do more for their business, was very inspiring.

We may be a technology company, but first and foremost, we’re a company that takes great pride in doing everything we can to support our customers. It’s our greatest hope that these programs and our ongoing commitment shows owners and small businesses they can count on us to help them thrive in a digital world, and we will continue to live up to our promise that they can expect more from TELUS.

To learn more about ShopWithOwners.ca, this year’s #StandWithOwners winners, or amazing offers for business owners, visit telus.com/StandWithOwners.