Lethbridge, AB… Economic Development Lethbridge held its Annual General Meeting last night at the Coast
Hotel and Conference Centre. The evening was a chance for the organization to look back and celebrate a
successful 2024 and discuss some of the projects and obstacles facing the organization in 2025 and into
the future.
“As EDL Board Chair and President this past year, I’m proud of our progress in integrating new technologies
and fostering governance innovation,” states Timothy Hachkowski, Co-Founder of Blueprint Partnership
Consulting and 2024 EDL President. “The adoption of AI tools and enhanced automation will be crucial for
EDL’s success in driving investment and creating jobs in our city and region. We’ve also begun a focused
effort to identify and leverage the diverse skills of our Board of Directors, a practice we will continue into 2025
to further strengthen our initiatives.”
The Annual General Meeting also helped usher in two new community members to the EDL Board and a new
Board Chair and President.
New Board members and roles include:
- Charlene Scheffelmair, Board Chair and President, and Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce
representative. - Alan Stocker, Seniors sector, taking over for Keith Sumner.
- Jack Martin, Young Entrepreneur sector, taking over for Timothy Hachkowski who will remain on the
Board for one more year as Past President.
“Stepping into the role of Board Chair and President for Economic Development Lethbridge this year is an
exciting opportunity to help drive meaningful progress. We’re in a time of change and uncertainty, but with
such a passionate and committed Board of Directors and team at EDL, there’s no doubt that we’ll be able to
continue making an impact,” mentions Charlene Scheffelmair, partner with Davidson & Williams LLP and
incoming EDL Board Chair and President. “There’s important work ahead, including collaborating with the City
of Lethbridge on the EDL review and helping businesses navigate trade talks and tariffs, and I’m confident we
have the right people at the table to tackle these projects. Lethbridge is full of incredible opportunities, and I’m
looking forward to working alongside this group to support and strengthen our business community in 2025.”
The evening also included guest speakers discussing many of the portfolios included in the EDL scope of
work. Anna Flies and Jolene Schalper from the Great Falls Development Alliance spoke on how tariff talks are
affecting businesses in the Great Falls, Montana region and what their organization is doing with US
manufactures and exporters and Eyren Uggenti and Muhammad Khan from Advancerite Technologies spoke
about end-to-end solutions for entrepreneurs.
One of the highlights of the evening was the announcement of the establishment of a supercomputing hub at
Tecconnect by Staque, a cutting-edge quantum computing and AI company based in Canada and the UAE.
The Super Hub will enable modeling, computing and solving complex research and industry problems using
high-performance and quantum computing. This will be achieved through Staque’s cloud based Super platform
that is being leveraged by experts in diverse fields like life sciences, supply chain, robotics and transportation.
“Lethbridge sits at the epicenter of Canada’s Western Gateway and Canada’s Premiere Food Corridor. We
see Economic Development Lethbridge’s Tecconnect facility as the strategic access point for researchers,
innovators and entrepreneurs in Southern Alberta to leverage Super to optimize supply chain, logistics,
scientific and manufacturing operations related to these initiatives.” said Dr. Muhammad Khan, Founder and
CEO of Staque. “Quantum computing is a “today” technology. Our Super platform has enabled
commercialization of quantum computing in customer-facing products. The Super Hub at Tecconnect will be
our first Canadian quantum computing hub to provide wider access to its capabilities.”
Upskilling human resources is a critical component of enabling this innovation. Advancerite Technologies
enables this through its training, acceleration and recruitment programs. Advancerite recently ran a technology
accelerator for entrepreneurs in Lethbridge and Wood Buffalo that, based on cohort feedback, “cut down time
for AI and advanced tech implementation from several months to weeks”. “AI tools such as ChatGPT, are just
the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Quantum Computing and
Robotics & Automation are going to revolutionize the world of work,” said Eyren Uggenti, Chief Operating
Officer, Advancerite Technologies. “Our tech accelerator will give entrepreneurs the tools, ideas and solutions
all in one place, all through one service, leading them to becoming a driving force not just in the Lethbridge
economy, but across the globe. We will provide the necessary training programs to maximize the impact of
Staque’s Super Hub at Tecconnect for individuals and organizations.”
The AGM also saw the Board of Directors approve the organizations 2024 financials, updates on EDL’s 6 key
business pillars via their 2024 Year in Review and some discussion about work being done as part of the
Lethbridge Region Economic Resilience Task Force.
Click here for more information about the Economic Development Board of Directors
To access the EDL 2024 Year in Review, Please Click Here
For more information, contact:
Mark Neskar
Director, Marketing & Communications
Economic Development Lethbridge
403-393-6376
mark@chooselethbridge.ca
