Municipal Matters: Investment attraction is a team sport

By Selena McLean-Moore on October 24, 2024.

When Michael Jordan said, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships,” he was talking basketball, but he could have easily been referring to investment attraction.

The art of investment attraction is a long-sum game; it takes grit, patience and determination. As a municipality, competing with other jurisdictions from all over the world, how we align ourselves with others matters. The world is a big place, and international investors are not always familiar with Alberta, let alone Medicine Hat. To stand out on the global stage, we need to leverage our connections.

In 2023, the Business Council of Alberta report Define the Decade recommended key areas of Alberta collaborate to make a mega-region branding themselves as an optimal place to do business. Forming a partnership between Calgary and Edmonton, Central Alberta, and the four corners of Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat allows us to compete with regions such as Toronto-Waterloo, Silicon Valley, Cascadia Corridor and others.

Whether this concept comes to fruition remains to be seen; however, bottom line, the future of investment attraction is all about collaboration. With this in mind, we collaborate with municipalities and regional economic development organizations across southeast Alberta. We take great pride in the work we do with Palliser Economic Partnership, Cypress County, County of 40 Mile, Towns of Redcliff and Bow Island and the Village of Foremost.

Al Sharma, who joined our team in July, will lead investment attraction for the city. He joins us from the Ministry of Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation where he led investment attraction efforts. Al’s first order of business was to develop key relationships that we could leverage when selling our city and region. Making sure we didn’t put the cart before the horse, we focused on selling Medicine Hat to those who would be vocal supporters to investors abroad. Our OpporTOURnity Medicine Hat event was the tool we used to achieve this.

On Oct. 9 and 10, Medicine Hat Economic Development hosted 23 investment attraction professionals from various agencies and government departments across the province. Our intent was to showcase the city’s value proposition and growth potential, raising our profile within the investment community.

The tour included several activities which gave the delegates a taste of our local business landscape. We included an evening social mixer, breakfast and city tour on the Sunshine Trolly, as well as a presentation from city staff on Medicine Hat’s value proposition.

Our lunch with Premier Danielle Smith was a highlight and was attended by municipal and elected officials from southeast Alberta. The premier referenced Medicine Hat Economic Development and identified our team as one of the best in the province. She had high praises for the city and considers it an ideal investment destination.

We rounded out our afternoon with an industry tour, showcasing the city’s strengths in petrochemical manufacturing and drone technology.

By all measurable statistics, the event was a resounding success. We clearly left the impression that Medicine Hat is a great investment opportunity wrapped with resources and support to help businesses succeed.

Once coined the “Forgotten Corner,” with teamwork and intelligence, we will become the “Corner of Opportunity.” Medicine Hat Economic Development is ready to get back into the game!

Selena McLean-Moore, director of Economic Development, City of Medicine Hat

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