The 2024 Airdrie Business Breakfast and Economic Update took place on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at the Town and Country Centre. Despite a snowy Alberta morning, more than 130 attendees from the Airdrie business community attended. Attendees enjoyed a hot breakfast while networking, catching up with peers and gaining economic insight into the past year and what’s to come in 2025.
The morning was kicked off with a welcome from Airdrie City Manager, Horacio Galanti who spoke about both the opportunities and challenges brought on by the population growth in Airdrie.
Horacio discussed a 10-year capital program to assist in managing challenges for our city budget, infrastructure and environmental resources and the pressure these challenges put on our elected officials and city staff.
Following Horacio was an economic update provided by Sara Chamberlain, Airdrie Economic Development Team Lead.
Sara took us through a 2024 year-in-review, which included highlights from our growth and investment successes:
Sara also celebrated the Economic Development team’s dedication to supporting our business community with the success of multiple programs and workshops including Right for Your Business, Mentor Meetups, the launch of The Cashflow Canvas for 2025 and much more.
Next up was Rob Roach, Deputy Chief Economist and Managing Director, ATB Financial who took to the podium to provide a provincial economic outlook for the year ahead.
Some key highlights from Rob included:
Inflation is under control and interest rates are predicted to lower
In summary, Alberta’s economy is turning a positive corner with the lowering of inflation and interest rates and receiving a boost from oil, population growth and emerging sectors.
Next in the speaker lineup was Airdrie Mayor, Peter Brown. Mayor Brown expressed gratitude and appreciation for the business community and their dedication to our city. He spoke of new and exciting infrastructure coming to Airdrie with the development of the North East Regional Park, the complete artificial turf project and Inspire – Airdrie’s new library and multi-use facility. Mayor Brown also encouraged attendees to share their ideas, innovation and input on important topics including budget, affordable housing, growth and downtown revitalization.
Our final speaker of the day was Jay McNeil, President and former offensive lineman for the Calgary Stampeders. He took us through his journey from high school football player to playing for the Calgary Stampeders from 1994 to 2007, to his career path off the field. Jay spoke about his champion mentality that motivated him throughout his professional and personal life, pushing him through challenges, overcoming adversity and finding success.
The attendees were left with five key components to becoming a real-life champion:
Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend, our speakers from sharing their knowledge, insight and enthusiasm!