Tag: Eastern

Before today’s vibrant grocery-anchored shopping destination with a variety of notable retailers, Loblaws Plaza in Ottawa had a limited number of retail tenants. Before FCR took ownership, there was one primary reason community members would commute to the intersection of Baseline Road and Merivale Road: to dance. This ritual continues today, thanks to the Greta Leeming Studio of Dance (GLS), a world-renowned institution that has been serving the community for 61 years and counting.

Dance for Tami-Lynn, the current owner of Greta Leeming, is as essential as breathing. Her career began when she was just 4 years old, and given her family’s legacy, she might have always been destined to own her own studio.

Only, Tami-Lynn didn’t anticipate she would run a studio as established as Greta Leeming Studio of Dance.

Her mother was a dance teacher, who opened her own studio called the Bonnie Lynn Armstrong School of Dance, and later her cousin opening the Holtz Studio of Dance, where she did her training.  Tami-Lynn began  teaching when she was 14 years old and has never stopped.

At the age of 17, Tami-Lynn joined the CFL as a cheerleader for Ottawa Rough Riders and continued working in the dance community with as a teacher and choreographer with local theatre companies. When a friend recommended her to Greta Robinson to take over as a dance teacher at her studio, the rest, for Tami-Lynn, is history.

Dancing Their Way to the Top 

Greta Leeming was the place to go for ballet training in the 60s, and through the years to provide premiere dance training in a multitude of disciplines including tap, jazz, hip hop and contemporary dance. Tami-Lynn recalls that Greta was always focused on getting the best talent and staff to provide the highest quality of training to expand in each discipline and often source staff and talent internationally.

Tami-Lynn observed the studio over the years as it modernized and grew under Greta’s ownership and became a pillar of the community, where Tami-Lynn eventually took over in 2011.

She also explains that the majority of the staff that currently work at Greta Leeming in fact were Greta Leeming students, Tami-Lynn claims the staff hold themselves to a high level of excellence “(they) understand the quality of training that is expected from experience, whether you are two years old or an adult, you are going to get quality training”.

Tami-Lynn continued to evolve her dance career while working at Greta Leeming, and she supported Greta as the studio grew, which led to Greta offering her more responsibilities. Tami-Lynn eventually approached her and asked if she could take over the studio, and once Greta was ready to retire, she happily handed over the keys to the kingdom. She worked closely with Greta during this transition to ensure the studio would continue under the same principles.

The GLS Community & Importance of Mentorship 

Dozens and dozens of dancers have moved on from Greta Leeming to professional jobs whether it be opening their own dance studios, to performing on Broadway, TV and movie sets. Some notable movies and shows include The Radio City Rockettes, The Music Man, Jersey Boys, and Hairspray.

Tami-Lynn believes at her core what sets this studio apart from the rest is her dedicated staff, and their expertise for each area of dance “There are no generalists here, only experts that specialize in every lane of dance.” When Tami-Lynn gained ownership there were 18 staff, and she had to immediately carry the dance studio as well as the competitive program, while learning to navigate those relationships and keep the community strong around her.

“Kids need life skills more than anything to learn how to collaborate and build their confidence.” She notes on the mentorship her studio provides for young children, citing that Greta Leeming teaches “…life skills just as much as dance”.

Today, they host approximately 130 dance classes every week, with 500+ dancers registered. Not all these dancers are children, there are over 100 adults registered at her studio and Tami-Lynn has introduced adult intensives and bootcamps for beginners, intermediates, and advanced dancers.

Dance is a special community outside your everyday life, and Tami-Lynn has witnessed an endless number of life-long friendships and bonds formed at Greta Leeming. If there’s one thing she can’t emphasize enough, it’s that dance can benefit everyone.

Location and Community Is Everything  

Tami-Lynn is extremely grateful for everything First Capital has done for the surrounding neighbourhood, bringing some amazing retail tenants and neighbours.

Tami-Lynn loves the diversity of the tenants and feels that the surrounding stores give her great exposure to potential new customers and vice versa.

What’s next, you might ask? She is looking forward to evolving in the space they are currently in and expanding their classes offerings even further.

Since its inception, GLS has helped thousands of young dancers reach their full potential, with many moving on to become company dancers, entertainers, as well as dance education professionals. If you’ve always been curious to take up dancing, this might be your sign to start. For those who live in and around Ottawa, stop by Greta Leeming Studio of Dance located in Loblaws Plaza.

To learn more about the studio, head to their website linked here and follow them on Instagram linked here.

Centre Médical Mieux-Être , Montreal’s top tier medical clinic, is revolutionizing the dated approach to doctor visits and patient care. Tired of wasting time sitting at your local walk-in clinic and waiting weeks to receive your test results? This state-of-the-art medical concept works to alleviate some of our medical system’s burdens with their efficient waiting room policies, a hub of services that provides patients the utmost accessibility, a streamlined communication and patient coordination system, and so much more. Centre Médical Mieux-Être is a one-stop-shop for all your medical needs, all while providing the highest quality of service.  

Owned and created by certified occupational therapist and serial entrepreneur Remi Boulila. Remi has grown his business into a fully realized network of medical centres that provide diversified and accessible health care throughout the Montreal region. He opened his first location in 2019 at First Capital’s Place Viau leasing 5,000 sf and has since expanded his footprint twice, almost tripling in size. Not only has he opened three additional locations, but he was also at the forefront of medical support and hospital relief efforts throughout the pandemic – a testament to his success and entrepreneurial spirit. 

Humble Beginnings 

Remi Boulila, a Montreal native, grew up surrounded by all things medical. Several of his family members are physiotherapists so naturally he followed in their footsteps. He attended the University of Montreal achieving his bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy and went on to graduate with a Master of Science in the same field. Following his passion further, he began his career as an occupational therapist and worked at a local Montreal hospital. During his time there, he always appreciated the convenience of having all health services from testing stations like radiology and screening to having almost every kind of medical specialist on staff, all in one place. 

While he always wanted to open his own medical business outside of the hospital one day, he knew he’d be faced with the inefficiency and slow flow of the clinic style medical system. He then asked himself if there was a better way and wondered why we couldn’t offer the same hospital level quality and efficiency, outside the hospital. From there, his “Hub of Services” concept was born as his main goal was to revolutionize doctor visits and patient care. Like all great entrepreneurs, he had found the solution to a problem. 

By this time, Remi began bringing his concept to life.  

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Revolutionary Business Model 

When you step inside Centre Médical Mieux-Être, you will never wait longer than 15 minutes to see a clinician, nurse, or doctor. No longer will patients need to sit around in waiting rooms anticipating their follow ups. The same goes for receiving test results; with almost every kind of medical practitioner on staff and in one place, your results from one test will be sent to your specialist and shared with you almost immediately. In fact, Remi’s second expansion at Place Viau included a brand-new radiology screening and x-ray facility so patients wouldn’t need to go elsewhere – accessibility at its finest. 

His “Hub of Services” business model is truly a modern convenience. Patients can have minor surgery, see their family doctor, and have a full prenatal follow-up, all under the same roof. Here are the types of services and specialists they have on site: 

Family Medicine	Laboratories
Family Medicine Group (GMF)	On-site laboratory services
General Practitioners	Blood Tests
Emergency Medicine (minor)

Specialist Doctors	Rehabilitation
Urology	Physiotherapy
General Surgery	Occupational Therapy
Psychiatry	Message Therapy/Orthopedics
Gastroenterology	Acupuncture
Gynecology	Nutrition Care and Education
Otorhinolaryngology	Kinesiology
Internal Medicine
Social Work
COVID-19 Relief Staff

Reliability, equality, and professionalism are at the heart of Centre Médical Mieux-Être’s working method while maintaining high standards of quality medical care. Their consistent patient satisfaction is reflective of their doctors, nurses, and support staff’s excellent care and attention to detail. Rest assured, your health is their priority. 

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COVID-19 Relief Efforts 

Only a few short months after opening his first location at Place Viau, Remi was faced with combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the virus’s spread in North America, Remi and his physicians kept a close eye on how the virus was spreading and were able to predict and prepare for escalating cases in Canada – they saw it coming.  

Immediately, they prepared themselves for what was coming by stocking up on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and testing kits, setting up strict protocols to ensure the safety of both their patients and staff, and readying their facilities to properly triage and care for incoming COVID patients. 

In fact, they became one of the first government designated COVID-19 testing and triage centres in Quebec. While everything was locked down around them, they were seeing upwards of 100 COVID-19 patients a day, totalling over 150,000 to date.  

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It is success stories like these that help shape the neighbourhoods in which we operate. It is evident that Remi and his outstanding team put the health of their community first and were key supporters during unprecedented times.  

From COVID-19 relief efforts, to providing diversified, top notch, efficient, and accessible healthcare for everyone, Centre Médical Mieux-Être has become the first-choice healthcare provider for the Montreal community.  

Now in its fourth year at Place Viau, First Capital couldn’t be prouder of Centre Médical Mieux-Être’s well-earned success. Remi’s entrepreneurial mindset not only garnered him his own practice but has single-headedly revolutionized his patient’s doctor visits and patient care for the better. His state-of-the-art concept and innovative approach to medicine is a positive change.   

Going forward, Remi plans to expand Centre Médical Mieux-Être and open 10 more clinics across Montreal in the next 5 – 7 years and we look forward to watching them grow and thrive. 

Keep an eye out for updates and announcements by following them on Instagram here and Linkedin here.