Strong Start to 2018 - Feb 2018 News from St. Albert Economic Development

February 2018

This Month's Issue:
Strong Start to 2018

Strong Start to 2018

by Monty Killoh ( [email protected])

Landmark Cinemas, Jensen Lakes Crossing - Feb 2018

St. Albert's solid economic foundation and steady growth continue to make it an attractive place for investment and development. Here are some of the new and upcoming developments that will take centre stage in St. Albert for 2018:

Jensen Lakes Crossing

Anchored by the new Landmark Cinemas movie theatres that opened mid-February, Melcor Development's Jensen Lakes Crossing has announced plans to soon include St. Albert's second Canadian Brewhouse. Melcor also plans for the area to have over 104,000 sq. ft. of leasable commercial space; multiple commercial/retail units are already in the planning, and with Jensen Lakes expected to have a future population of over 5,000, this spot will no doubt be a future shopping hub.

New Hotels

St. Albert has approved a building permit for a new seven-story hotel in Campbell Park. With 140 suites and planned space for conventions, construction on the new Hotel between AGLC's new building and the existing Century Casino may soon begin.

South Riel

The Cape Group's Bellevue Village is starting to take shape: 2018 may be the year when the first building of the development will see its completion. The mixed residential/commercial development will have over 150,000 sq.ft. of retail space when fully completed, and will have prime access to Anthony Henday Drive.

Further south from Bellevue Village, in St. Albert's new Anthony Henday Business Park, a 98,000 sq.ft. recycling facility will be St. Albert's newest industrial development, and the first major development in the business park.

Ville Giroux

Located just off Ray Gibbon Drive and Giroux Road, this development already has occupied multi-family units, with more in the works. The commercial part of the development already has a liquor store, gas bar/convenience store and day care under construction, with plans to add additional commercial/retail units.

In This Issue

Strong Start to 2018

Innovative Solutions Canada Program

Perron District Morning Social

NABI Lunch and Learns

Business Spotlight On...Macarons & Goodies

New Businesses in St. Albert

Monthly Growth Stats

Join the Conversation!

Upcoming Events

NABI Lunch and Learn: Speed Up Your Bookkeeping

March 7

Perron District Morning Social

March 8

NABI Lunch and Learn: Understanding the Canada-Alberta Job Grant

March 21

Innovative Solutions Canada Program

by David Howe ( [email protected])

Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains unveiled a $100 million Procurement Program, asking Canadian small businesses to develop new products and services that will help solve some "persistent challenges." The program, funded by requiring a 1% research and development contribution from all department budgets, is modelled on the U.S. Small Business Innovation Research program, and is a cornerstone to the Government of Canada's plan to help small businesses.

The federal government hopes to use its position as the single-largest purchaser of Canadian goods and services to foster new business development in the country. The program aims to grow Canadian companies through direct funding to support early stage, pre-commercial research and development, late stage prototypes, and to accelerate commercialization of the subject products.

The process begins by the Government of Canada opening specific 'challenges' to the public, who are then asked to submit novel or innovative solutions to help resolve it. The challenges go into great detail about what exactly the problems are, what potential solutions have been explored in the past, and what the desired result would be. Application forms are included for each challenge, so that submissions are consistent. A prize of $150,000 will be awarded to ideas that are selected in support to develop a proof of concept, with a further $1 million available to subsequently develop a prototype should that be successful. Finally, if the innovation solves the initial challenge, the Government of Canada will be your first buyer.

To be eligible for the program, you must be for profit, incorporated in Canada, have 499 or fewer full time employees, preform research and development activities in Canada, and meet several employment criteria in the country. Examples of challenges currently open for submission include: Engineered Surfaces, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics for Advanced Autonomous Space Systems, 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Coatings and Materials for PPE, and "Beyond Line of Sight" Communications.

St. Albert's highly educated work force and strong entrepreneurial community creates a perfect breeding ground for innovative solutions to challenges such as these. If you believe you have a solution to one of these challenges, more information about the project, eligibility, challenges, and how to get started can be found by following these links.

Perron District Morning Social

NABI Lunch and Learns

NABI is a St. Albert-based business incubator that provides business planning programs, office space in a shared building with other entrepreneurs, as well as networking events including everything from workshops on marketing strategies to general BBQ dinners for local businesses. In March, they are offering two Lunch and Learns.

Lunch & Learn: Speed Up Your Bookkeeping

Wednesday, March 7, 2018
12 - 1 pm

Bookkeeping and innovation may not seem like synonymous terms - but they are! At this session you will learn the different options available to do your own bookkeeping as The Bookkeeping Guru demonstrates Quickbooks Online and Wave Accounting.

Tickets are $15.00 and include lunch.

Lunch & Learn: Understanding the Canada-Alberta Job Grant

Wednesday, March 21, 2018
12 - 1 pm

Do you struggle to find and keep qualified employees? The Canada-Alberta Job Grant (CAJG) is here to help! The CAJG is an employer driven training program where employers and the Government share the cost of training new and existing employees to meet the needs of your business.

Tickets are $15.00 and include lunch.

Business Spotlight On... Macarons & Goodies

by Nicole Pearson ([email protected])

Fadoua Derbel and Akram Hasni are no strangers to pastry. Originally from Tunisia, the husband and wife spent 10 years living in Dubai where Akram was the executive chef with Fauchon Paris and Fadoua was the Pastry Production Manager for eight shops for Paul France, before immigrating to Canada seven years ago.

While working in Dubai, they dreamed of owning their own business. After gaining experience in the Canadian market, they realized their dream. On November 29, 2016 the couple opened Macarons & Goodies in downtown Edmonton. They chose the location because it was close to Rogers Place where Chef Hasni works as executive pastry chef, making it easier for him to split his time between his position and the bakery.

This month they opened their second location, in St. Albert on St. Thomas Street. When asked why they chose St. Albert, Chef Derbel said, "lots of our customers who live in St. Albert asked us to open a location here. They worked in corporate offices in downtown Edmonton and would come in on Fridays to stock up for the weekend. They kept asking us to open a location in St. Albert".

Knowing they already had customers interested in a St. Albert location, they researched the area and were surprised to find that there were no French bakeries. They decided that St. Albert would be the perfect location for their second bakery and applied for permits just before Christmas 2017. In just over six weeks they were able to get all the permits they needed, renovate their new location and open their doors.

As the name suggestions, macarons are a specialty of Macarons & Goodies, and are offered in a variety of flavours including Lolipop Macarons.

The "& Goodies" of Macarons & Goodies covers a whole French bakery's worth of options: cookies, truffles, eclairs, cakes, tarts, brownies, and pies, among others. They also have a full breakfast menu including a Canadian, Continental and Le Parisien Breakfast, along with a full lunch menu that includes everything from salads to sandwiches to crepes.

"I was surprised that the first week we opened we had calls for catering from businesses in the area", Chef Derbel said excitedly. "We did a soft opening on Friday, February 2 and thought that we would just have family and friends on our first day but we were lined up until close. The support we have received from the St. Albert community has been wonderful; thank you to St. Albert for all their support".

Macarons & Goodies

103 - 50 St. Thomas Street

587-290-0505

macaronsgoodies.com

facebook.com/Macarons-Goodies-1645647405690339/

Store Hours:

Monday to Friday - 9 am to 6 pm

Saturday - 10 am to 5 pm

The Spotlight on Business is a monthly feature wherein we highlight a local business and learn more about what they do and how they positively contribute to the identity and economy of St. Albert. If you, or someone you know, would like to be featured in a future issue, please contact [email protected] with a brief description of the organization.

New Businesses in St. Albert

Find local companies in our St. Albert Business Directory

Commercial/Industrial Businesses

Alliance Respiratory Consultants 587-290-4447

201-225 Carleton Drive

Medical Office

http://www.alliancerespiratoryconsultants.com/

Bittersweet Luxury 780-868-8877

43 St Thomas

Curated Consignment