Schaun Goodeve says he asked the same question every investor would ask when he thought about setting up shop in Morinville: why Morinville?
After just a month in his new job as the town’s economic development co-ordinator, he says he’s found part of the answer: low taxes, high population growth, and places to build. “Why Morinville? We actually have some opportunity here.”
Goodeve spoke to the town’s business elite on Nov. 6 at a lunch meeting of the Morinville and District Chamber of Commerce.
He also announced that he planned to launch a town-wide business survey this month to get a read on the town’s economic situation.
The former head of Kimberley, B.C.’s chamber of commerce, Goodeve is the founder of Green Dimensions Consulting, which specializes in rural communities and tourism, and has 15 years of experience in the economic development industry. He also, reportedly, once owned a bar in Egypt.
Kimberley (pop. 6,723) faced a lot of the same challenges as Morinville, Goodeve said in an interview, as it was also just 20 minutes away from a major urban centre (Cranbrook). “It’s the challenges of any small community.” It also had a strong relationship between its council and chamber of commerce.
“Morinville is way ahead of other communities because we have really solid plans now in place that will guide how we responsibly grow,” Goodeve said, such as the Hwy. 642 functional planning study and the municipal sustainability plan. “This town knows what it’s doing and knows what direction it wants to head in.” These documents would serve as his game plan as he worked to draw more businesses to the community.
Morinville has a lot going for it business-wise, Goodeve said, based on his initial research. It’s close to big cities like St. Albert and Edmonton (with some 98,000 potential customers just 20 minutes away), linked to the oilsands and Fort McMurray, and has access to an airport. It also underwent a 27 per cent jump in population from 2006 to 2011.
It also has a non-residential mill rate of just 6.59 per cent, he noted – that’s less than that of Gibbons (10.15), Redwater (11.62) and Fort Saskatchewan (8.53). That means a small business could save about $800 a year by coming to Morinville instead of Gibbons. “It’s significant, and it’s also our competitive advantage.”
Morinville had a roughly 87-13 residential/non-residential tax split, Goodeve said, and, judging from recent growth figures, was on track to reach it goal of 80-20 by 2035. “The town’s been performing very well,” he said, and needed to do more to promote its strengths.
Goodeve said he planned to do a Morinville Biz Pulse survey this month to get a complete picture of the state of business in town. “I’m going door to door to every business,” he said, asking owners seven questions he’ll use to create an economic development strategy. He hoped to have the survey results by January.
Chamber president Simon Boersma urged local business owners to work with Goodeve. “We want to make this community the best place we can work, play and live.”
Boersma said he was glad the town brought in Goodeve after it did the Hwy. 642 functional plan, as that plan removed major obstacles to downtown development. “What do you develop when you can’t build something on (Hwy.) 642?” he said. “Now, we’ve got something to work with.”
Goodeve seemed to have a good grasp of the community, Boersma said, and was willing to work with local organizations. He hoped Goodeve would work closely with the town’s chamber of commerce and festival groups to build culture and business in town.
Questions on the survey should go to Goodeve at 780-939-4361.
