Calgary’s Premier Business Club Turns 75

The Calgary Petroleum Club has created a sense of belonging and community since it was founded in 1948. While membership has historically been comprised of energy executives, the Club has evolved and changed alongside the business landscape in the city. Today’s membership represents the business community it serves, with the CPC welcoming professionals from energy to services to technology and all businesses in between. It also attracts young professionals, both as members and Board Members.

“The Club has become an incubator of business collisions, and the ideas and new ventures that result from the networking of the diverse membership have the CPC to thank,” says Carey Arnett, President of the Board.

The CPC is a valuable place to network and extends members’ business reach in town, across the province, country, and the world through its reciprocal club network. The Club offers a private downtown venue whereby members can host business meetings, corporate events, or social functions with eleven spaces that members can choose from depending on their needs. Whether an AGM for 500 people or an intimate meeting for two, these spaces offer rich, comfortable decor, cutting-edge technology to support the A/V needs of today’s business meetings and access to world-class food and beverage options.

Members enjoy unique programming at the Club and are always ready to support more serious endeavours. The Club tackles the mental health issue with various seminars and helps with community initiatives, including toy, coat and food drives. The Club is also rallying around Ukrainian refugees, employing them at the Club and tapping the members to connect these newcomers with potential employers from their fields of work in Ukraine.

The members are committed to keeping the space current and relevant to keep pace with the changes in business and the social evolution of the Club. “The changes we have made had to be more than just changing the facade. It’s a cultural change that brought heavier focus on programming and a desire to become a club for the future,” says General Manager Toni-Marie Ion-Brown.

This means looking at what tomorrow’s business people need and implementing it today. It also meant redefining the concept of work to match today’s businesspeople as CPC has adapted to the city’s ever-evolving business environment. As more people participate in hybrid workplaces, the Club has cultivated a comfortable, convenient ‘WeWork’ style setting where members can set up remotely to work while enjoying the connection to others absent from their work-from-home days. The new second-floor Brew 319 coffee bar by day –prosecco bar by night - is a great place to be productive, with ample power for devices and space to spread out while grabbing a coffee or tea from the barista.

Club members and the public can listen from industry leaders from various backgrounds, with the recently launched CPC Back to Business podcast available every Monday at 7:00 am. The membership of the Club provides a wide range of exciting guests and subject matter, making each episode fresh and appealing.

The Calgary Petroleum Club has indeed become a home away from home for its approximately 3,000 members, and they feel a deep sense of ownership over the Club. They are proud of what the Club is and what it has accomplished within its walls over 75 years. The Club is an integral part of their work and family lives. It is also a significant nexus of thought leadership, where ideas that impact Calgary, Alberta, and Canada are discussed by business leaders, politicians, and others.

“It’s a multi-generational club, and we want them to celebrate its 100th year, its 125th, its 150th,” says IonBrown. With its 75-year foundation built on an incredible culture and engaging programming, Calgary Petroleum Club will have much to celebrate.

To learn more about becoming a member of the Club, contact memberships@calpeteclub.com or 403-260-6367.