(Banff, AB): On April 4th, Economic Developers Alberta (EDA) presented its annual Awards of Excellence during its 2019 Annual Conference at the Banff Centre in Banff, Alberta.
These awards honour Alberta individuals for their contribution to the profession; as well as Alberta communities for excellence in: Business and Investment Attraction (BIA); Business Retention and Expansion (BRE); and Community Economic Development (CED).
The winning communities and organizations and the names of their initiatives are:
Business and Investment Attraction (BIA)
Large Community: Central Alberta Economic Partnership (CAEP) – Municipal Investment Attraction Readiness Training, Assessment & Coaching
Medium Community: City of Fort Saskatchewan – InvestFortSask.ca – Investment Website
Small Community: Town of Whitecourt – Downtown Business Incubator
Business Retention and Expansion (BRE)
Small Community: Town of Drumheller- Tourism Industry Business Retention and Expansion Pilot Drumheller
Community Economic Development (CED)
Large Community: City of Edmonton – One on One Small Business Support Program
Medium Community: City of Airdrie – Airdrie’s Economic Strategy
Small Community: Sturgeon County – Sturgeon County Bounty
The Alex Metcalfe Award recognizes the “best of the best” community project in each of the BIA, BRE and CED categories. The Alex Metcalfe Awards went to:
Business and Investment Attraction: Town of Whitecourt – Downtown Business Incubator
Business Retention and Expansion: Town of Drumheller- Tourism Industry Business Retention and Expansion Pilot Drumheller
Community Economic Development: Sturgeon County – Sturgeon County Bounty
The individuals recognized are:
The Economic Developer of the Year:
Trevor Lewington, CEO at Economic Development Lethbridge
The Outstanding Young Professional:
Sean McRitchie, Manager of Industrial Development at Strathcona County
The President’s Award recognizes an EDA member who has made a significant contribution to the organization. This year’s award was presented to:
Bev Thornton, Executive Director at Alberta SouthWest Regional Economic Development
ABOUT EDA
Economic Developers Alberta (EDA) is the only professional organization in Alberta dedicated to advancing the economic development profession by providing professional development, networking opportunities and information. It is a not-for-profit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors, who represent the interests of its membership as a whole. www.edaalberta.ca. @edaalberta (2019 Conference hashtag #EDA2019)
