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WOW 2017: Learn the hard lessons early and know your customers

Young mother can relate to the needs of Westshore Town Centre’s patrons
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Elyse Norgaard-Kituri, Westshore Town Centre’s general manager learned some tough lessons about business at a young age. Katherine Engqvist/News Gazette staff

Westshore Town Centre general manager Elyse Norgaard-Kituri knows just how much can be riding on the success of a business.

Originally from Merritt, B.C., she’s spent a number of years working with her family. “I have been involved in entrepreneurship for as long as I can remember.” When she was little, Norgaard-Kituri and her cousins would pick strawberries for 10 cents a pound on her grandparents’ farm. They would then use the money they earned to buy pop to sell at music festivals. Unfortunately, they were unable to make their margins and lost all of their money doing that. “It was a good lesson in failure,” Norgaard-Kituri said with a laugh. “It’s better to fail early and small.”

Later on, she spent several years working for a construction company her grandfather had started and was the third generation in the family to do so. “I feel so fortunate I had that experience … There’s no better way to learn the value of hard work when your entire family depends on it.”

It’s an attitude she took with her through her post-secondary journey. While taking biology courses at the University of Victoria and working on a bachelor of science degree, Norgaard-Kituri added a few business classes to the mix and that eventually led her on a path to her Masters of Business Administration.

While in school she started working in retail and eventually landed at Westshore Town Centre. Now, she’s been the GM for roughly three years and has experienced a number of changes at the shopping centre.

“We’ve seen a broadening of the demographic here,” she noted. “That’s the main shift we’ve seen.”

There has also been a resurgence in local entrepreneurs looking for space. Norgaard-Kituri also noted they’re seeing a lot of family-run businesses and roughly 60 per cent of the centre’s tenant businesses are owned or managed by women. “The industry overall has been really strong … Things are looking very positive.”

With all of the growth in Langford and on the West Shore, a lot more young families are finding homes in the community and are utilizing the shopping centre more. To help cater to their needs, Norgaard-Kituri noted there has been a number of changes geared towards families such as the children play area and special programming including the Family Festival that celebrated its third year back in February. New washroom facilities that recently opened also feature a dedicated family restroom.

That was something clients were really asking for, Norgaard-Kituri noted. And recognizing the unique needs of young families is something she’s a lot more familiar with lately as she has her own one-year-old daughter at home.

“It’s let me understand my customers a bit more,” she said with a laugh.

Juggling a new addition to the family and her career has been a learning experience. Norgaard-Kituri decided to split her leave with her husband so she only took 20 weeks. “It was tougher than I thought,” she said, adding it also gave her husband a better understanding as well.

But after coming back to work, he was able to bring in their daughter for her lunch break while he was on leave. That was a nice break in her day, she noted, and allowed them to spend more time together.

katie@goldstreamgazette.com



Katherine Engqvist

About the Author: Katherine Engqvist

I took on the role of Bureau Chief when we created the Greater Victoria editorial hub in 2018.
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