Opportunities for St. Albert Businesses

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June 2021 Issue:

St. Albert Business Opportunities

Business Resiliency Grant Program

by Nicole Pearson - npearson@stalbert.ca

Over forty businesses have applied for a grant through the new Business Resiliency Program that was established last month to support local COVID-19 recovery efforts. The majority of the applications have been received for the Digital Transformation Grant that helps local businesses identify their digital strengths and weaknesses and help them to develop a plan to improve these areas. A handful of applications have also been received for the Marketing Grant that helps local businesses in the development of a marketing plan and/or marketing material.

Grant applications are being reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, and the program is being offered until the total funding pot has been spent or September 30,2021, whichever comes first. Just over 40% of the funding pot has been spoken for to date.

If your business has a valid St. Albert In-Town Business License, has a minimum of one full-time employee and a maximum of 50 employees, and has been in business for a minimum of six months, then you are eligible to apply for a grant.

To learn more about the program and to apply, please visit

https://stalbert.ca/dev/business/support/resiliency/

St. Albert Business Directory

by Amanda MacDonald- amacdonald@stalbert.ca

St. Albert is home to thousands of businesses and services. A new feature on our City of St. Albert website now allows residents, businesses and visitors to explore the St. Albert Business Directory and browse local shops and providers for the products or services they may need.

Please ensure that your business information listed is accurate and up to date. For any changes and updates contact our business licensing team at licensing@stalbert.ca.

Explore St. Albert - Things to Do & See in St. Albert

by Amanda MacDonald- amacdonald@stalbert.ca

Our City of St. Albert tourism landing page Explore St. Albert has been given a new look and revamped to include some exciting new content that promotes local businesses. Check out the Explorations blog, where we provide itinerary suggestions of local businesses and restaurants to visit while in St. Albert. Stay tuned for upcoming feature stories like “Ask a Local” where we interview community residents and champions in St. Albert to find out and share their favorite local hot spots.

Our Things to Do & See include a variety of different adventures to choose from in St. Albert that residents and visitors can explore and receive all the information needed to plan their next weekend journey. Create your own summer bucket list from the list of ideas, and watch for more upcoming itineraries of things to see & do in St. Albert.

Upcoming Webinar:

Defence Procurement - Opportunities for Western Canadian SME's

by Amanda MacDonald- amacdonald@stalbert.ca

Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) and Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), is pleased to present this Webinar in collaboration with Manitoba Aerospace Inc. (MAI).

This webinar will cover how to access defence procurement opportunities with key tips for SME’s, including information to help you identify defence procurement-related opportunities, and resources to assist you to become a potential supplier. You will get an overview of Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Contract Security Program and the process that Canadian suppliers must follow to obtain a security clearance.

The presentation will also include an overview of key upcoming defence procurement projects. You will hear a case study from a Manitoba-based aerospace SME on how they successfully entered the defence market and the lessons learned on their experience.

Riverside Landing - A Growing Opportunity!

by Patricia Nicol - pnicol@stalbert.ca

On April 6, 2021, Council approved amendments to the Land Use Bylaw in relation to Genstar’s application for a new subdivision off Rankin Drive in Riverside. The recent neighbourhood rezoning approval will now provide opportunities for townhomes and duplex options in addition to single-family homes. Affordability and housing size are integral to the growth and diversity in St. Albert, as is the City’s continued goal to increase energy efficient dwellings with green builds, as highlighted in the newly adopted Municipal Development Plan “Flourish”.

Genstar’s focus on sustainability and LEED built homes further complements the City’s green mandate with their modern urban development in Riverside. The Riverside community features countless walking trails as well as the Grey Nuns White Spruce Forest, an ecologically and historically significant area located just east of Ray Gibbon Drive. This designated Municipal Historic Resource is the home of many trees that are well over 100 years old, and a habitat for a variety of birds, mammals, plants, and amphibians. Riverside is also just minutes away from Big Lake and Lois Hole Provincial Park; you’ll find everything you need within walking distance, from retail shops to restaurants – or simply take an evening stroll to bring you closer to nature.

'Right Here in St. Albert' Video Series

by Nicole Pearson - npearson@stalbert.ca

The City of St. Albert has launched an eight-part video series showcasing a variety of local businesses that operate in St. Albert.

The campaign profiles the innovative St. Albert business community and shares the success stories from local entrepreneurs to inspire others in the community to chase their dreams and know that they can find success – “Right here in St. Albert’.

From the service industry and food manufacturing to precast concrete and chemical engineering, the videos profile the diversity and innovation of the St. Albert business community and will help to educate the region about our businesses.

The first four videos will be released every Monday during the month of June on the City’s social media channels and at stalbert.ca/righthere. They will give a behind the scenes look at the operations of Orion Plastics Inc., Quantum Chemical, Endeavour Brewing and Oil City Signs.

The second set of videos are anticipated to be released in the fall once filming is complete (which was put on hold due to current provincial public health measures).

Business Spotlight On... Pop's Ice Cream Shoppe

by Monty Killoh- mkilloh@stalbert.ca

Pop’s Ice Cream Shoppe is St. Albert’s newest destination for cool treats, unique flavors and happy vibes. The business not only offers over 22 different flavours of hard ice cream – one of the few businesses in St. Albert with such a selection - but also soft-serve, milkshakes, coffee-based drinks, and in-house made ice cream cakes. Custom in-house ice cream flavours are also made, with up to 4 unique flavours being created each month. Some of these unique ice cream flavours have already become well-known in the community, with the flavour “moonmist” (a mix of grape, banana and bubblegum) in particular being a hit.

Pop’s Ice Cream Shoppe began as a hobby for the two owners; what started as a summer activity of selling cool treats in Edmonton’s MillCreek Ravine grew into a bigger passion with the opening of the storefront location in St. Albert. As both owners’ are fathers, the name “Pop’s Ice Cream Shoppe” came naturally, as they are both 'pops'. With St. Albert being a tight-knit, family-orientated community, it was a perfect fit for their concept of a family friendly, happy-vibes setting. In taking over the space that operated as an ice cream parlour for 15 years, the owners decided to lighten up the space into a family-friendly environment with retro-style colours, including a cotton-candy wall and a restored antique hutch to display products.

In addition to the massive selection of ice cream, the business also offers home-made custom ice cream cakes, as well as pints of their popular ice cream flavours. One of their more popular and unique offerings is their coffee-based products; the business has exclusive sales rights to a brand of wood-roasted organic coffee, with the end result being fabulously tasty expresso, macchiato and Americano drinks that also get mixed into ice cream flavours.

The business also collaborates with local businesses and artisans to display and sell their products in the store; for example, a local baker and dessert shop will be featuring their products in time for Father’s Day. The business is also looking at expanding their own dessert offerings with an in-house chef working on cheesecakes and cinnamon buns, in addition to building their own mobile unit to do pop-up events around St. Albert and Edmonton.

Pop’s Ice Cream Shoppe

315 – 140 St. Albert Trail

780-710-4262

hello@popsicecreamshoppe.com

https://www.popsicecreamshoppe.com

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 npearson@stalbert.ca with a brief description of the organization.