Civil Municipal View Feb2023

16 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 Polar, and others, to build sports technology that went all over the world,” he recounts. “When we started the business, the town was about 10,000 people, and we were just a handful of people. Now the town has grown, and we’ve grown to almost 200 people here working for Garmin, who acquired us in 2006. We’ve also recently announced an expansion of our facility that will accommodate an additional 200 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs. This development lays the groundwork for even more significant growth that would have the potential of bringing several hundred additional STEM jobs to Cochrane.” With a focus on outdoor fitness products, Garmin takes advantage of Cochrane’s rich surroundings to assess its products, and this also extends to residents, who are able to interact with products before they go to market. “Every day, we have tens of people coming in from the community to help us test our products. They get to be part of the whole process. We’ve got a really engaged town and population out there Urban Systems Ltd. is an interdisciplinary team of consultants that are deeply passionate about building healthy, thriving communities. Since we were founded in 1975, we’ve worked alongside municipalities, governments, Indigenous communities, agencies, and private sector clients to make communities the best they can be. We have the benefit of drawing on our talented pool of more than 550 professionals to ensure our clients have access to industry-leading specialists to create the right fit for a community’s needs. The Urban Systems Foundation launched in 1999 and provided a new tool to redefine how we can collaborate with the communities we serve. We volunteer our time and financial resources to make a positive difference in people’s lives and our communities, with no expectation of business benefits to Urban Systems. It’s all about showing up for one another by volunteering our time, expertise, creativity, and passion. Last year alone, our volunteers contributed to 67 organizations in our own backyard and beyond. Urban Matters CCC evolved as a subsidiary company of Urban Systems in 2013. At Urban Matters, we are conveners, facilitators, and listeners. We break down barriers to meaningful social change by sharing our knowledge as social planners and community development consultants. We are one of Canada’s first Community Contribution Companies (CCC). We reinvest 60 percent of our profits to help generate positive social in communities. PROUD PARTNERS OF THE TOWN OF COCHRANE SINCE 1997