The Calgary Chamber exists to help businesses thrive. As the convenor and catalyst for a vibrant, inclusive and prosperous business community, the Chamber works to build strength and resilience among its members and position Calgary as a magnet for talent, diversification, and opportunity. As an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization, we build on our 131year history to serve and advocate for businesses of all sizes, in all sectors and across the city.
Calgary is starting something exciting – and it’s turning heads everywhere
C
algary has always been a city that’s been good at starting something. As we come out of seven lean years brought on by a collapse in oil prices followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many signs that we are starting something. Again.
ing group report, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce hosted a breakfast to talk about Calgary, with Jobs Minister Doug Schweitzer, Mayor Jyoti Gondek and Brett Colvin, co-founder of legal services startup, Goodlawyer.
Whether it’s the fact other cities around the world are paying attention to office conversion plans underway, or that community leaders have spearheaded the largest ever reinvestment in Calgary’s arts infrastructure, exciting things are happening. And that’s before adding up all the investment flowing into Calgary-based start-ups supporting our economic diversification or the prospect of new real estate developments proposed for downtown.
Alex Sarian, president and CEO of Arts Commons, best summed up the conversation. A newcomer to Calgary, he says he has been selling Calgary to Calgarians since his pre-COVID arrival. But now, Sarian has another observation, and it’s telling: we are no longer comparing ourselves to other cities, but forging our own path, which is being noticed.
This past spring, the provincial government released its Calgary Office Revitalization and Expansion work-
We are not trying to be the next Austin, Denver, Detroit or Pittsburgh. We are becoming a new and improved version of Calgary, incorporating some of the elements
BUSINESSINCALGARY.COM // BUSINESS IN CALGARY // AUGUST 2022
43
