Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce

On August 16th, the Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce was hosted by BHE Canada for an overview of both wind and natural gas power generation. 🍃 We had a briefing on the operations, followed by a tour of the 130 MW Rattlesnake Ridge Windfarm near Whitla. After breaking ground 2020, the windfarm was fully commissioned in 2022 and has now been in service for two years. Each of the 26 turbines generates up to 5MW of power with each 71 m blade weighing in at 26 tonnes 😮. For those wondering, an average home would use about 600kWh of power per month with the turbines on this windfarm generating enough energy to supply 78,000 homes. The turbines can generate power with winds as low as three metres per second (about 10 km/h), coming a long way since the first turbines were first built in Alberta in the early 90s. The excellence demonstrated at this facility has made the Rattlesnake Ridge Windfarm a training site for the manufacturer Siemens, bringing trainees and further economic impact to the region. ⚡ Following the windfarm tour, we travelled to the NAT-1 Gas Plant to see BHE Canada’s 20 MW Peaker Plant, which was built in 2016. The plant contains ten 2-MW Cummins engines, capable of coming online when the demand for electricity is high, to help provide reliable energy quickly and seamlessly. 💡 We were pleased to learn about power production and how energy producers work within the Alberta pooled energy market to get power onto the grid and into our homes and businesses. You can find out more about the current supply-demand in Alberta here: https://lnkd.in/dJXAcyt along with the AESO Transmission Capability map here: https://lnkd.in/gZuwjQ7a Find out more about BHE Canada and their presence in Southeast Alberta here: https://lnkd.in/guWDrcG4

Shout out to our amazing students today on National Intern Day! 👏 ✏ We are lucky to have Kendra, Alexander and Victor with us this summer. Work integrated learning opportunities provides individuals with experience and skills, and provides us with a little extra support. It connects local businesses with local talent and drives growth... learn more about it on our website: https://lnkd.in/gTYPcvYa #chamber #internday #summerstudents #chamberofcommerce #artanddesign #business #interns #integratedlearning

😮 67 meetings with Government since September!! Listen, we know that much of our advocacy work happens behind the scenes and that our business community isn't always aware of the day-to-day activities we're up to... HOWEVER we wanted to highlight that since September, we've had 67 meetings with Government at all levels - from local, provincial to federal meetings on issues that concern our local business community. Whether that's... - municipal finances and procurement, - looking to create a business-friendly regulatory environment, - the safety of our businesses and community, - discussion on future growth plans and opportunities, and - priorities in agriculture. We cover off a wide-range of issues that impact our business community and hear the concerns of our members, taking action to elevate these concerns so that your voice is heard. 💬 💕 An investment in your local Chamber is an investment in your community because we're working hard for you even when you don't see us.

Thank you to the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Alberta for hosting the 2024 Professional Development Summit in Rocky Mountain House. 🙂 There was great information presented and we appreciate the opportunity for Lisa Dressler to present on two of the panels!

Thank you to CFB Suffield Command Team, Lieutenant-Colonel Joe Andrechek and Chief Warrant Officer Phil Paquette, for the briefing to the Chamber yesterday! We have always valued our relationship with CFB Suffield and are pleased to hear the long-term sustainability plans for the Base.

💥 Battle of the Businesses was a BLAST!! When you have a good team that you can work with, sometimes it makes work feel a little less like work. 💪 Though we lost (terribly), we had a great time competing against other teams while raising money for HALO Air Ambulance. Thank you to Darlene Jenkins JUST BE TC and all the other sponsors. Will we see you at BOTB 2025?? #botb #botb2024 #chamber #chamberteam #chamberofcommerce #halorescue #fundraiser #battle #businesses #teamwork #halo #sunnyday

Grand Openings galore! There have been MANY ribbon cuttings in our community lately for things like grand openings, expansions, relocations, anniversaries and ground-breaking ceremonies!   What a reason to celebrate! Now why attend these grand opening events? Let us give you a couple reasons...   ✂ Giant scissors are cool, what can we say.   👩💼 Networking! You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again; get out there and show your face to the people! Connections can form in the most unlikely (or likely) places. Grow your network at grand openings and connect with fellow business owners/ potential customers.   💕 Support. Be there for your community and it's milestones! Opening a business, and keeping it running year after year is no easy task, so these milestones deserve to be celebrated and supported. And remember what goes around, comes around 😉 ☕ We'll say it... Free food and giveaways. What more do we add to that? Get a drink and a snack to go alongside your new connections. You may even find your new favourite business! ⏰ It doesn't take a lot of time. Showing up for just a few minutes can mean the world. Your presence matters!🌍 📅 https://lnkd.in/g88m-Rfx

We've noticed some construction 🚧 in our downtown neighbourhood in #MedHat. If you can, continue to choose to support the local businesses in your community. Small businesses are important to the economy and serve as a source of innovation 💡, job creation, and community development. Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce

Congratulations to Nichole Neubauer (Neubauer Farms) on her Honorary Applied Baccalaureate Degree from the Medicine Hat College. 👩🌾 Nichole has deep roots in this region and a long list of accomplishments underscored as a passionate advocate for agriculture and education in our region. Nichole was part of forming our inaugural Agricultural Committee at the Chamber of Commerce in 2017, with agriculture becoming part of our six key advocacy focus areas! Nichole is an inspirational and action-motivated leader in our region and we thank her for her countless contributions to Southeast Alberta. 👏 🎓 Congrats as well to all the graduates of 2024 here and everywhere! You worked hard, and it's paid off. Remember; if you're looking to start a business, feel free to reach out :) Group photo left to right: Honourable Robert Wanner, Danielle Beach, Nichole Neubauer, Dr. Reagan Weeks, and Lisa Dressler