Fighting weekend traffic on Highway 11 up to North Bay just isn't going to cut it anymore for Jim Greig.
The 34-year-old mining development consultant has decided to make the break from Toronto and return to his North Bay roots.
"I spent every weekend in North Bay this past summer," sitting at least four to six hours behind the wheel, "and I thought, 'Why am I doing this
when I could live in North Bay and start my own company?'" says Greig.
By early November, he will be doing just that, with Northern Management Consultants, an Algonquin Avenue firm designed to serve the needs of small- to medium-sized startup businesses and companies looking to expand.
Joining him in this venture are some friends and business colleagues: B.C. native Toby Pierce (business development), local Ken Chirico (the IT expert), and his brother Alistair Greig (human resources).
Greig first began working in the West Coast mining sector on the geological and technical side for several junior exploration companies searching for base and precious metals in Canada and Mexico.
He later turned to the business end of the industry, completing an MBA from the University of Calgary, before heading for Toronto, where he did consulting work for two juniors, Lateegra Resources and Breakwater Resources Ltd.
But the North began calling him home.
"I spent quite a few years in bigger cities and now appreciate the advantages of being in Northern Ontario," says Greig.
It is not just in terms of being closer to family and friends, he says, but enjoying a more laid-back and affordable lifestyle.
"Being in Vancouver and Toronto, you tend to put in longer hours of work and don't appreciate the better side of life, which is everything outside of work. And it's harder to enjoy that in a bigger city."
Initially, he plans to assist startup companies in their marketing and business planning and building up partnerships and his clientbase across Northern Ontario.
In the long term, he sees his company concentrating on his past strengths in project management, strategizing and financing in resource-based industries.
As a repatriated northerner of sorts, he understands the region's economic swings, as well as the logistical, geographical and operational complexities of running a business here.
But he also sees the area's great pool of skilled talent.
"There's huge potential with some great businesses in the North with intelligent and qualified people. Sometimes, those businesses just need a third eye or another perspective to expand their business."
