The City of St. Albert failed to make the 2010 list of Alberta Venture’s top 10 communities for business but did make a list of five communities to watch because of developments that are on the horizon. Also on that list are Edmonton, Medicine Hat and Okotoks.
The main element that makes St. Albert worth watching is an improvement in its environmental initiatives, according to the magazine. Its writer noted St. Albert’s anti-idling bylaw, which came into effect in 2008, and a revision of the environmental initiatives grant program, which funds local green efforts. The city also revised its environmental master plan earlier this year.
The rankings are based on information packages provided by municipalities, said editor Paul Marck. In cases where the races are tight, the magazine also calls on local business leaders for opinions, he said.
He stressed the communities to watch list isn’t a consolation prize for cities and towns that didn’t make the top 10.
“We wanted to capture the attributes of communities that have other things to offer as well,” he said.
It’s the third year the business magazine has compiled the ranking for business friendliness. St. Albert placed seventh in 2008 but fell out of the top 10 last year.
This year, Alberta’s International Region (the area around the Edmonton International Airport), Calgary and Drumheller topped the list.
More information is available at: http://albertaventure.com.
A St. Albert-based financial planning educator earned a spot on PROFIT Magazine’s top 100 fastest growing companies.
The Fast Track Group snagged the 67th spot on the entrepreneurship magazine’s 22nd annual ranking.
“Feels pretty good. It’s a pretty big honour, I guess,” said Fast Track founder and CEO Darren Weeks.
The ranking compares Canada’s fastest-growing companies by five-year revenue growth. It’s published in the June issue of PROFIT and online at PROFIT100.com.
Fast Track increased its revenue by 929 per cent between 2004 and 2009. Weeks said one key decision was spending more on marketing and hiring during the recession when many businesses were doing the opposite.
“I think it’s just pure recognition to say all the hard work that the entire staff has put forward the last nine years is paying off,” he said.
