Get involved and take ownership — that was the take-away message Mountain View County reeve Bruce Beattie heard from the guest speaker at the Sundre Business Awards.
Get involved and take ownership — that was the take-away message Mountain View County reeve Bruce Beattie heard from the guest speaker at the Sundre Business Awards.
Addressing a largely full house at the Sundre Performing Arts Centre during the annual event held Friday, Oct. 21 was Steven Muth, president of the High River Chamber of Commerce.
"We've done — I call it a blitzkrieg, is probably what we did to our downtown — a lot of redesign, specifically around pedestrian and traffic flow," he said, well aware of Sundre's similar situation in terms of the community's desire to encourage more pedestrian traffic along Main Avenue.
"We took the opportunity — some people say it's a mistake, but I think long-term it will be awesome — not take the cars out of downtown, but make it so people can get around (on foot)."
The pilot project proposed by Alberta Transportation for Sundre's Main Avenue represents a major benefit for downtown as well as local retailers, he said.
Offering some insight regarding redesign plans in High River's core following the 2013 flood, he said the width of sidewalks was roughly tripled and that angle parking had been eliminated in favour of parallel parking or none at all, with the exception of handicap spaces where required.
Because High River only had 45 days to come up with a plan from the time it was awarded funding from the provincial government, there was little time for extensive consultations with the chamber or businesses, he said.
"Is (High River's redesign) perfect? No — not even close to perfect," he said frankly.
"But seven years from now, that downtown of High River is going to be absolutely amazing. And I think your downtown has this opportunity."
However, for that potential to become reality, local businesses, residents and chamber members have to "own it. It's yours," he said.
"You just got to take almost everything you know about business and throw it out the window."
Enticing patrons to step through a business's doors is what it's all about. Of course that's easier said than done. But that's where the municipal council can play an important role, he said.
"We, as chamber, put a lot of pressure on our council."
There will always be a learning curve when a community rebrands itself or makes changes to its downtown core, he said.
"If you're talking with your customers, they'll talk about a positive experience and share it with their friends. People will find you if you give them a reason to find you."
While the municipal council certainly plays a role in planning the redesign and getting people into Sundre, getting customers to walk into individual businesses is the responsibility of the owners, he said.
The local chamber can help lobby for governing assistance to establish, for example, parking areas as well as provide a flow of communication, "but it's your responsibility to get people coming in your door," he told business owners.
"You have to be open when people are here — especially retail."
Some business owners in High River made the mistake of assuming people would automatically return after the flood, and Muth urged Sundre's business community to always think of ways to draw in new customers.
Also attending the event were MLA Jason Nixon, Sundre mayor Terry Leslie, local chamber president Mike Beukeboom, as well as staff from new partners that got involved in supporting the business awards this year.
"It's so important to have all three local financial institutions as part of this," said Beukeboom.
"It really, truly does for me feel like we have all the partners who should be here."
The introduction of the new Young Entrepreneur Award was the result of a suggestion from Nixon following last year's event, he said, later welcoming the MLA on the stage to present the plaque to the winner.
"Never ceases to amaze me how great the talent of the generation that is coming behind me is — it really inspires me," said Nixon.
The award's first recipient was Sundre resident Cody de Graaf, who runs a construction company that employs three people.
"For a 26-year-old, that's impressive," Beukeboom told the Round Up.
"We're proud of Cody and all the entrepreneurs in the area."
The following is a list of this year's winners:
2016 Sundre Business Awards
Small Business 1-10 employees
First — Fountain Tire
Tie for second — Little Country Cappuccino and Maria's Dental Hygiene
Medium Business 11-20 employees
First — Ace Hardware
Second — Original T's
Third — Integra Tire
Large Business 21-plus employees
First — IGA
Second — Home Hardware
Third — West Fraser
Community Leadership through Business
First — IGA, Tom and Marty Mennear
Second — Fountain Tire, Todd Dalke
Third — Original T's, Chris Vardas
Employee of the Year
First — Tory Peppler, Little Country Cappuccino
Second — Sandy, the Old Hotel
Four-way tie for third — Brendon Loader, Wildrose Glass; Chris Aignsworth, Sundre Community Drug Mart; Jeff Wourms, Fountain Tire; Annalise Fricker, ATB
Farm Family of the Year
First — Overguard family
Second — Joe and Joanne Jackson
Third — Jim and Nola Bowhay
Youth Entrepreneur of the Year
First — Cody de Graaf
Two-way tie for second — Nolen and Nina Spurrier, Adam Beukeboom
The Presidents Award
Best Western and The Sundre Golf Club
