Selena McLean-Moore has been hired as the City of Medicine Hat's new director of economic development.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
The city has hired a well-known economic development figure in southeast Albert as its new director of economic development.
Selena McLean-Moore, who worked for almost two decades as a regional co-ordinator for various provincial ministries overseeing jobs, innovation and industry development, will take over the post next week.
The hiring comes almost exactly one year since most senior posts in the Invest Medicine Hat office were left vacant.
Three months ago new city manager Ann Mitchell announced that restaffing the office, which oversees some business operations but also industry attraction and development, was a priority.
On Thursday, Mitchell was quoted in a release stating that the hiring “marks a significant milestone in the formulation of our city’s new economic development strategy.
“By filling this crucial role, we are now in a position to build a strong economic development department that will facilitate collaboration with regional partners and harness opportunities for the advancement of our industries and community,” stated Mitchell.
McLean-Moore began working on industry projects for the Alberta government in southeast Alberta in 2004, and was manager of economic development for the region from 2014 to June 2022, when she was hired by the city as a “business transformation specialist.”
McLean-Moore said she was excited to work on council’s strategic priorities, which at times have eluded to a more regional and co-operative approach than in the past.
“We have many key assets in our region and opportunity for growth in sectors like defence and aerospace, petrochemical and agri-food,” McLean-Moore stated in the release. “I look forward to building a team to develop strategies to attract and retain business for economic prosperity.”
Invest Medicine Hat was created as a Hat-focused economic development entity by city council eight years ago after the city parted ways with the Economic Development Association of Alberta. That group carried on serving Cypress and Forty Mile counties as well as Redcliff and Bow Island as “Verge Economic Development.”
Invest activities were contracted out to the private sector provider at its creation, then brought in-house at city hall in 2019 with the explanation that council and administrators supported the current provider and staff and wanted to expand the office without re-tendering the contract.
Eventually, duties of the land department were added, but all senior level staff left in 2021 or 2022 after the city launched then pulled back from an process to see the service contracted out again.
The city is still in the hiring process for a managing director for Invest, who would be the highest ranking manager in the department.
Mayor Linnsie Clark has said the length of vacancies in the office has been regrettable, but finding a permanent replacement for city manager was the top priority in 2022, and that person should have control in developing an industry strategy.
Clark also campaigned on having the city fully engage on a business retention, expansion and workforce development effort launched several years ago, known as BREWD. Mitchell has also backed that strategy.
McLean-Moore said her top priority is to “re-engage with business and industry, community partners and municipalities in the region to create a strong economic development strategy.”
