For Joel Provencal, founder and CEO of TBD Edmonton, creating his business was a lifelong dream. “There’s a need in the community for this.”
That dream in question was to create a middle ground between hobbyists and creators and the inaccessibility of tools and resources for creative projects. “The goal is to break down the barriers between product design and then actual production.”
TBD Edmonton is a space located just off Fort Road on the Northside, close to the Yellowhead. At the moment, the space has desk spaces, labs, classrooms, lounge areas, private rental offices, pods, and studios. In the next phase, Provencal hopes to expand this space with more tools, such as 3D printers, laser cutters and other high-end tools and equipment. “We would like some corporate sponsors in order to make this service affordable to everyone,” Provencal explained.
TBD Edmonton runs on a subscription service. There are three levels: the basic service gets you in the door. The middle level gives access to a locker to store projects. The last level includes a large storage shed with a roll-up door. All three levels have different pricing.
Provencal is a NAIT alumnus, specifically from the Millwright program. He says that this idea came to him after realizing how special NAIT’s hands-on learning is. “We go to NAIT, and it’s beautiful there. We have tens of millions of dollars of equipment, then we leave and it’s like now what?”
For Provencal, the goal is clear: “To create [a] community where we eliminate the barriers of cost, or knowledge or equipment.”
Cover Photo by TBD Inc.
