Peng-Sang Cau, president and CEO of Transformix Engineering Inc., a developer of automated assembly systems, has been a prominent voice in the Kingston business community for over two decades. “Founding a company here was the best decision I ever made,” she says.

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While she is looked upon by many as a role model for women in business, Cau makes a point of championing the efforts of all entrepreneurs that have established themselves in the city.

The one advantage she will acknowledge for a woman in business is the lifestyle Kingston offers. “The size is perfect for families and professionals. It’s big enough to offer the culture and infrastructure of a larger city, but also has easy access to any location within the city in under 20 minutes so you’re not spending hours of your time on the road.”

The universities and colleges also provide a broad range of highly skilled engineering talent. And because 95 per cent of her company’s business is exports, the proximity to U.S. markets is an extremely important benefit.

“We stay in Kingston not because our customers are here, but because it is central to everything we need. Being strategically located between Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Syracuse has been critical to our success over the years.”

Melissa Eapen and her business partner relocated to Kingston from the Kitchener-Waterloo area to found Improbable Escapes Inc. in 2015. Unlike Dinelle and Cau, she says they had never been to Kingston before.

“All we knew at the time was that Queen’s University was there. But when we visited, we realized it was the perfect place to open our first location.”

Kingston offered a number of key advantages, including affordable real estate in the downtown area and a large and diverse student population. “Students represent a significant customer base for our business, so we mainly looked at cities that had a strong university or college presence. Kingston was ideal because the military college added another level of potential customers.”

They now have two permanent locations within the city. “The small business climate in Kingston has allowed me to make great connections,” Eapen says. “We’ve developed some really great relationships with the Department of National Defense, Parks Canada, St. Lawrence Parks Commission, and several museums.”

Even though they will be looking to set up other locations in other cities, Eapen says, “Kingston will always be our headquarters because it’s such a fantastic and welcoming city.”

Kingston Economic Development Corporation: https://www.kingstonecdev.com

This article is sponsored by Kingston Economic Development Corporation and this story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of the Kingston Economic Development Corporation.

https://nationalpost.com/sponsored/business-sponsored/kingston-the-community-of-choice-for-women-business-leaders

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