Ottawa Sailing and Powerboating School

Kim Moffat gets paid to do what she loves -- sailing.

As director of the Ottawa Sailing and Powerboating School
(www.boattraining.com) for the past 14 years, Kim teaches sailing to adults and families, while also taking care of the administration of the school.

“I am very lucky -- I get to do my hobby for a living,” says Kim, who has sailed since her youth and also races recreationally in regattas.

Ottawa Sailing School offers sailing and powerboat training to adults and families in Ottawa as well as Kingston. There are a variety of training programs for both the novice and more experienced sailors and boaters. The school also runs a boat sharing and rental program so you don’t have to own your own sailboat to get out on the water and have fun.

Ottawa Sailing School also offers sailing holidays that combine travel with instruction, organize group sailing getaways led by an experienced skipper, and they also help people plan their own boating vacations. The school prides itself in providing the best in boating education and on-the-water adventures with professionally trained instructors, small class sizes for individual attention, and safe boats.

This commercial school, owned by Ron Schute, has been training sailing and boating enthusiasts since 1992. The school is based out of the Britannia Yacht Club and Nepean Sailing Club on the Ottawa River.

Ottawa Sailing and Powerboating School has used Allstream for a number of years as its phone provider.

“We have kept an eye on competitor prices over the past couple of years and Allstream is always substantially lower priced -- anywhere from 15% to 20% cheaper -- and that is why we have stayed with this provider.”

But recently, the company repackaged its services by purchasing an Allstream Small Business bundle. 

“An Allstream Small Business sales rep contacted us and said we have a package that can save you money each month -- so of course we said yes,” explains Kim.

Allstream Small Business combines local and long-distance service, or phone and Internet, together in bundles for ultimate convenience and affordability. The telecommunications solutions are tailored to individual company’s needs. If any specific phone/Internet/long distance features are required, you simply purchase it individually and add it to the bundle.

Furthermore, with an Allstream Bundle, your company’s telecommunications services are combined in one low monthly bill. You also have the choice of paying month-to-month or selecting a fixed term contract.

The Sailing School purchased a Phone 500 bundle that includes two phone lines, plus 500 free long distance minutes. They customized the package by adding a toll-free number.

“We are getting all the services we had before but we are paying $5 less a month,” says Kim. “That really adds up over the year.”

Kim also likes the fact that with Allstream Small Business she can add services to the bundle at any time, as the school’s needs change.

“We may add an additional line for our fax in the future,” she says.

The Sailing School has also benefited from Allstream Small Business’ great service and support. They offer reliable telecommunications, backed by a dedicated sales and service team that is available from 8 am to 8 pm in all time zones.

“We are in an old building and occasionally we have had a glitch in the line -- or one time water got in the building and caused some problems,” explains Kim. “So a couple times we have had to call Allstream Small Business about the service and they always dealt with the problem quickly and didn’t charge us for the service required. I like the fact that we aren’t nickeled and dimed on service.”

Overall, Kim says Allstream Small Business offers cost-effective and dependable telecommunications solutions to help their sailing school maintain its competitive edge and continue to grow and offer new services to the sailing community in Ottawa and Kingston.

“Allstream Small Business understands that every dollar saved is important for a small company,” she says. “I like that Allstream Small Business helps us keep an eye out on our bottom line.”