Business View - January 2015 107
When it comes to the neighbors, the environment is
more collaborative than combative, too.
Ebel said dealings with other business-seeking enti-
ties in Southern Alberta – defined as everything be-
tween Calgary and the U.S. border – typically lean clos-
er to “we’re all in this together” rather than “me versus
you.” And in the cases where a business does choose
to locate somewhere other than Lethbridge County, his
focus pivots to pursuit of other entities that can act as
a complement.
“We’re not so much focused on our immediate neigh-
bors or other jurisdictions in the province, we’re just
looking to do the best we can,” he said. “You can’t win
them all. It doesn’t mean that we don’t compete, but
it’s a very low-key, above-board competition. It’s not
one where there are long-standing grudges. In that
case, everyone is more like, ‘Well, it will benefit the
whole region, and at least it came close to home.’”
As for the future, Ebel said he expects to be in a “ramp-
ing-up” mode between now and 2020, meaning an
uptick on the population graph that falls somewhere
between the modest gains the county has seen since
the 2001 census and the “explosive” growth that the
city of Lethbridge has experienced.
He’s particularly optimistic about the attractiveness of
county industrial parks that have been situated near
road and rail tie-ins, and about a dedication to sustain-
able development that will pay off when companies
make long-term commitments to the county, rather
than arriving and exiting in five years.
“It’s not so much an emphasis on luring them here,”
he said. “We want to have businesses here 10, 20 and
30 years from now that are successful, prosperous
and growing. We’re trying to position what we offer to
support that. Not for the quick hit, but for the ones that
are going to be here, going to put down roots as a com-
pany and going to stay here because it is a great place
for them to be in business. I’d be very disappointed if
I didn’t see significant growth, because I think we’re
laying a good foundation and a good framework for it.”
