Lethbridge, AB…Economic Development Lethbridge (EDL) will be celebrating Economic Development Week starting
Monday, May 6th through Friday, May 10th. The week-long celebration of economic development was started in 2016 by the International Economic Development Council to highlight the work of economic development organizations and
professionals worldwide. #EconDevWeek is meant to showcase some of the projects, practices and individuals who help make the profession and initiatives beneficial to their communities.

“Economic Development Lethbridge will be taking this week to spread the message about how and why economic
development is important to the growth and success of our region. I do think it is important to also take some time as a community to let EDL know, that with them working for the betterment of Lethbridge and area along with government partners and other economic development organizations, that we appreciate their hard work,” commented EDL Board Chair & President, Timothy Hachkowski. “The strategies and priorities laid out in the organization’s current business plan, which the Board of Directors helped craft, take time, effort, resources and passion, and the way EDL approaches this work and achieves results, should be celebrated this week and on an ongoing basis.”

Economic Development is the process of developing and maintaining suitable economic, social, cultural, learning,
environmental and political environments in which balanced growth may be realized, increasing the prosperity of the
community. EDL is focused on 4 outcomes:

• Lethbridge as an agri-food and manufacturing hub.
• Lethbridge as a transportation and logistics hub.
• Lethbridge as a centre for excellence for innovation in many sectors including health, education, technology, and
alternative energy.
• Lethbridge as a regional driver of the visitor and cultural economy.

With help from the City of Lethbridge, part of the Economic Development Week celebration will be the lighting of Lethbridge City Hall the evening of Wednesday, May 8th. The building will feature the Blue, Green and Red colours representing Economic Developers Alberta.

“Part of the excitement of economic development week is knowing that there are so many organizations out there
attempting to bring prosperity to their community, it’s not just a local Lethbridge undertaking,” says Economic Development Lethbridge, CEO, Trevor Lewington. “Celebrations like economic development week are a time to locally thank our partners and stakeholders, but also take a wider look and give recognition to those economic development organizations and professionals who are innovating and constantly thinking of ways they can have an impact on their communities.”

EDL is encouraging residents and other organizations to participate by using the #EconDevWeek hashtag on their social media channels next week. An economic development week crossword puzzle will be on the Choose Lethbridge website beginning Monday, May 6th and can be completed for a chance to win some prizes to local businesses.

For more information on International Economic Development Week click here.

For more information, contact:
Mark Neskar
Director, Marketing & Communications
Economic Development Lethbridge
mark@chooselethbridge.ca
403.393.637