Alberta Cattle Numbers Down

The beef and dairy cattle industry has experienced a downturn in numbers once again, according Statistics Canada. Alberta's cattle inventory as of January 1, 2010 was down 230,000 from the same time last year and down 410,000 from January 1, 2008. The drop in cattle has been attributed to increased feed costs due to an increased demand for ethanol and a high Canadian dollar. The Daily report from Statistics Canada also indicated that the introduction of COOL (Country of Origin Labelling) regulations reduced the competitiveness of the Canadian export market. The combination of these events over the last decade has affected profit margins in the cattle industry.

Dwindling herd numbers in a region can have a devasting effect on the local economy. Community businesses dependant on the agriculture sector will feel the crunch as more and more farmers disperse their cattle herds and move onto greener pastures.

2nd Annual Barrhead Green Expo

2010greenexpo GROWTH Alberta is proud to support the 2nd Annual Barrhead Green Expo and Trade Show, to be held at the Barrhead Agrena on April 23rd and 24th, 2010.

Now Accepting 2010 Award Nominations

Jubilee_Farms GROWTH Alberta is looking for businesses within the region to recognize at next years Gala.

Nominate a deserving business today and let's get them front and center at the 6th Annual Business Awards Gala!

Deadline for nominations: March 31, 2010

Town of Westlock Votes Yes for Spirit Centre

Yes_copy The Westlock News has reported that the residents have overwhelmingly said 'yes' to the Spirit Centre, with 76 per cent of voters from the Feb. 2 plebiscite in favour of the municipality taking out a $4-million loan to build the facility.

Mayor Bruce Lennon noted in the online article, that the Spirit of Westlock Foundation deserves credit for not only crafting the Spirit Centre plan, but for rallying the masses.

The town will borrow $4 million to contribute to the $13-million facility's construction price tag, with the rest coming from provincial and federal grants, reserve funds and community fundraising.

The 54,000 square-foot complex will include a fieldhouse, arena, walking track, additional concession space, childcare area and multi-purpose rooms.

For more information on the Westlock Spirit Centre, click here for a copy of the Final Report - Feasibility Study and Business Plan.

5th Annual Business Awards

Inspired_Ingenuity On January 23rd, 2010 GROWTH Alberta hosted the Fifth Annual GROWTH Alberta Business Awards Gala! The event was well attended with sixteen businesses being recognized for excellence.

GROWTH Alberta extends congratulations to our 2009 Business Excellence Award Winners, recently recognized at our Business Awards Gala at the Westlock and District Community Hall on January 23rd, 2010.

The Gala was a wonderful evening of celebration, with nearly 260 people present to recognize this year's award winners.

Guests were welcomed with warm and encouraging remarks from GROWTH Alberta Chair, Pamela Marriott (also Mayor of the Town of Swan Hills), and Master of Ceremonies, Clayton Jespersen (Chairman of Pembina Hills Regional School Division) provided direction and humour for the evening.

Following a delicious buffet dinner and enjoying the ambiance only live music provides, guests at the Gala had the chance to watch video profiles of all sixteen Business Awards winners. After each video, winners were presented with a plaque commemorating their award, and a congratulatory scroll from the Honourable Ken Kowalski, MLA for Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock.

Another highlight of the evening was the presentation of five special awards.
GROWTH Alberta would like to extend a very special congratulations to:

Erdmann's Gardens and Greenhouses who were named Business of the Year for their continued growth and success in the region.
Jubilee Farms was presented with the Economic Contribution Award recognizing the number of jobs the farm provides locally, the economic impact of the farm in the region and being good corporate citizens.
Assiniboine Valley Oilfield was recognized for all of the community projects the family has been actively involved with over the years with the Community Service Award.
The Inspired Ingenuity Award was given out this year to three deserving owner/managers of Westlock car dealerships because of their unique approach to marketing and cooperative participation in local fundraising. Brown's Chrysler, Westlock Ford and Westlock Motors received special recognition.
The Flower Shoppe in Barrhead was selected by the audience attending the Gala as their Audience Favourite for the year!

GROWTH Alberta would like to thank everyone who attended the Gala on January 23rd, and the great number of behind-the-scenes people who helped to make the 2009 Awards Program a success. Look forward to the video postings soon!

New Session! Workshop Series - " Are you ready for the Realtor?"

CFTW Community Futures Tawatinaw Region (CFTR) has embarked on a new project called the Business Retention Program. The program will ultimately match retiring small business owners with qualified buyers.

According to studies, it is estimated that 71 % of small business owners will retire within the next 10 years, but only 10% of those owners have an exit plan in place.

Part of CFTR's program is a new Workshop Series designed to address the issue of succession planning and assist small business owners with their exit planning process. "Are You Ready for the Realter?" will be delivered over three sessions to include some of the following topics:

Taking Stock
Creating a Plan
What is my Business worth?
Assembling the Exit Team, and so much more.

Plan to attend the series and create a plan that can help protect your business equity.
Research shows that it can take over 2 years to sell a business. Beginning the process now and having an up to date plan will provide you with tools needed to complete your retirement goals.

Register now for the following dates:
Thursday, March 11 at 6- 9 pm
Saturday, March 13 at 10 am - 4 pm
Thursday, March 18 at 6-9 pm

All of the sessions will be held at the CFTR office Westlock (10611-100 Avenue)
A fee of $75 includes course materials and lunch on Saturday
For more information and to register, contact CFTR:
(780) 349-2903
toll free (888) 349-2903
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

New Regional Tourism Website!

WILD_Aberta_logo Visit www.WILDAlberta.com to register your business for our soon-to-be-launched new regional tourism website.

Growing Rural Tourism Conference

mural2 Join rural Alberta community leaders and small business owners at the annual Growing Rural Tourism Conference, "A Decade of Growing Rural Tourism, the Perfect Ten".

April 12-14, 2010 in Camrose, Alberta at the Camrose Regional Exhibition

This year's conference includes inspiring keynote presentations, concurrent sessions, presentation of the Rural Tourism Champion Award and an opportunity to network with fellow tourism industry representatives and operators.

"The Perfect Ten" will focus on people, product experiences, and promotion. Plan to attend this years session topics which include:

Customer Service
Leadership
Success Stories
Product Development
Economic Growth
Promotion

Early Bird Registration deadline: March 5, 2010
Registration deadline: April 4, 2010
www.GrowingRuralTourism.ca

National Buyer/Seller Forum - March 23-25, 2010

Oil_Man

Alberta's annual National/Buyer/Seller Forum Online Registration is NOW OPEN!

For 10 years, the National Buyer Seller Forum (NBSF) has been keeping you on top of changes, trends and issues within the Oil Sands Industry. NBSF 2010 will be the ultimate place to familiarize yourself with the "Maturing of the Oil Sands" and get exposure to major projects, people and trends that shape the oil sands industry.

This exciting event brings together buyers and sellers from across Canada and the USA.

Be sure to mark March 23-25, 2010 on your calendar and plan to attend this event at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, AB. The forum will include feature presentations on:

The new economic reality in the oil sands
How project owners are optimizing and redefining their supply chain
New technologies used in the oil sands
Government initiatives in the energy sector
Special keynote luncheon speaker, Peter Tertzakian, International Energy Expert

Register today to take advantage of the Special Early Bird pricing ($720 + GST) available until January 15, 2010. After this deadline date of January 15, registration will be $795 plus GST.

For more information or to register on-line, please visit their website at www.nationalbuyersellerforum.ca .

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Upcoming Events

March 2010 GROWTH Alberta Board Meeting
March 12, 2010 (10:00 AM)
Regular Board meeting of the Grizzly Regional Economic Alliance Society. We are open to the public, so please feel free to attend a meeting in your area! Host Member: Town of Barrhead Location: Town of Barrhead Council Chambers. Please note that this...
23rd Annual Rural Women's Conference - Thorhild
March 12, 2010 (5:00 PM)
"Girls Still Want to Have Fun" is the theme of the Conference this year and sets the stage for the evening! The Conference will be held Friday, March 12 at the Newbrook Community Centre Fee: $30 and bring your own cup! Events include: Women's...
Barrhead Women's Conference
March 13, 2010 (9:00 AM)
Sponsored by Barrhead Farm Women's Day Committee. The Conference will be held at the Barrhead United Church. Tickets are available at the County of Barrhead for $20 each. No tickets will be available at the door.

View Full Calendar