A St. Albert man has been named the economic developer of the year by a provincial organization.
St. Albert resident Schaun Goodeve was named the economic developer of the year last week by Economic Developers Alberta at the group's annual conference in Banff. The EDA is a non-profit group that promotes the economic development profession.
Goodeve is the Town of Morinville's first economic development officer and current chair of the Greater Edmonton Economic Development Team. He is also the past head of the Kimberley, B.C. chamber of commerce and the founder of Green Dimensions Consulting.
The EDA gave him this award in recognition of his professional experience and contributions to the development industry, said awards chair Adena Malyk.
"He's really passionate about regional collaboration and being able to work together and really leverage the Edmonton region as a great place for businesses to be," she said.
"He really stood out amongst the applicants as someone that was truly deserving of the award."
Goodeve said he knew he'd been nominated for the award but was still thrilled when he learned he had received it.
"I was pretty over the top when they announced my name."
Goodeve said the secret to small town economic success was to think local, as successful local businesses help you draw new, complementary ones to your community.
"It's much more effective to focus on what you have locally and help them grow ... than it is to spend resources on attracting new stuff."
Goodeve said he visits two to three town businesses a week to keep tabs on what they need and then creates town initiatives to address those needs. Past projects include studies on regional marketing, broadband and business retention, a plethora of promotional products (including a music video), an annual business survey and a successful drive to bring a new medical clinic to town.
Goodeve said town has seen a roughly 10 per cent growth in business licenses annually since he started with the town in 2013, and has had about 10 new businesses licensed this year already.
"We've got a lot of exciting things in the pipeline," he said, including "a very significant business" that would be coming to town later this year.
"Morinville is in just a phenomenal position."
Other winners
The EDA also gave a community economic development award to the Town of Bon Accord for its Equinox Festival, which is a free annual event that celebrates astronomy.
Last year's festival celebrated the fact that the town had become Canada's first International Dark Sky Community, a status chief administrative officer Steve Madden said helps the town stand out from the crowd and draw tourists. Some 3,500 tourists came to the town of 1,529 for the event (which featured Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield), resulting in brisk business at local food outlets.
Madden thanked the 100-some volunteers that helped make the festival happen, and said, "That award is for those folks."
St. Albert received an award in the business and investment attraction category for its drone project.
The city bought a drone in 2015 to take aerial photos of the community, said city marketing specialist Harold Pacheco. The $1,500 drone lets them take shots that would otherwise require a $6,000 helicopter rental. While the drone has mainly been used for marketing purposes so far, it could be used for tourism or road inspection in the future.
Visit www.edaalberta.ca for more on the awards.
