Building a Brighter Community. Together.
Jun 18, 2018
At Economic Development Lethbridge, we are in the business of building community. Together with our 25-member volunteer Board of Directors, we serve as stewards of the economic strategy for the city and work to support both the vision of our board as well as Lethbridge City Council’s strategic plan.
Over the next six months, we will be working to wrap up many of the projects set out in our 2015-2018 business plan while gathering input from our stakeholders to define our path forward for the next four years.
While business development remains at the core of our work, we’re continually looking for new and innovative ways to support the people and businesses that strengthen the local economy. New business investment. Local business growth. Entrepreneur support. Community brand building. These are just a few of the priorities that guide us forward.
We respond to all types of business and economic inquiries throughout the year and are happy to report that in 2017, we helped seven new businesses choose Lethbridge as their location. Building permit values remain strong at $313.5 million (the second highest on record) which is both the result of new investment and local re-investment in the community.
From an entrepreneurship perspective, our Tecconnect centre for entrepreneurship and innovation continues to be a hub for training, support and networking within the region. Since opening in 2011, the companies located in the centre have created 165 new jobs. Of those, 57 per cent are graduates of one of Lethbridge’s post-secondary institutions. Ensuring opportunities for talented millennials to stay and work in Lethbridge after graduation adds vitality to the community and helps our city grow.
Community growth is important to the work we do, but so too is understanding this place we call home. Through research that involved surveys, focus groups, hands-on engagement sessions and in-person feedback, we have been uncovering and defining a community-based brand with the help of more than 5,100 people.
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to share highlights like this with City Council while discussing our future direction. Although Economic Development Lethbridge is an arms-length, not-for-profit society, aligning our priorities with those of the city–one of our key stakeholder groups–is important to ensure that continue to serve the needs of our community.
We will remain focused on core areas of economic development while recognizing the importance of collaboration that supports and creates the framework to build an even brighter community. Together.
Over the next six months, we will be working to wrap up many of the projects set out in our 2015-2018 business plan while gathering input from our stakeholders to define our path forward for the next four years.
While business development remains at the core of our work, we’re continually looking for new and innovative ways to support the people and businesses that strengthen the local economy. New business investment. Local business growth. Entrepreneur support. Community brand building. These are just a few of the priorities that guide us forward.
We respond to all types of business and economic inquiries throughout the year and are happy to report that in 2017, we helped seven new businesses choose Lethbridge as their location. Building permit values remain strong at $313.5 million (the second highest on record) which is both the result of new investment and local re-investment in the community.
From an entrepreneurship perspective, our Tecconnect centre for entrepreneurship and innovation continues to be a hub for training, support and networking within the region. Since opening in 2011, the companies located in the centre have created 165 new jobs. Of those, 57 per cent are graduates of one of Lethbridge’s post-secondary institutions. Ensuring opportunities for talented millennials to stay and work in Lethbridge after graduation adds vitality to the community and helps our city grow.
Community growth is important to the work we do, but so too is understanding this place we call home. Through research that involved surveys, focus groups, hands-on engagement sessions and in-person feedback, we have been uncovering and defining a community-based brand with the help of more than 5,100 people.
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to share highlights like this with City Council while discussing our future direction. Although Economic Development Lethbridge is an arms-length, not-for-profit society, aligning our priorities with those of the city–one of our key stakeholder groups–is important to ensure that continue to serve the needs of our community.
We will remain focused on core areas of economic development while recognizing the importance of collaboration that supports and creates the framework to build an even brighter community. Together.