July 2018

184 185 AIRDRIE, ALBERTA ENTREPRENEURIAL EXCELLENCE L ocated just minutes north of Calgary in the Calgary-Edmonton corridor, the City of Airdrie,Alberta is ideally positioned for growth. In fact, it’s been listed as one of the fastest growing communities in Canada for the last 10 years. Entrepreneurial spirit abounds, with almost two-thirds of businesses classed as self-employed.Airdrie’s population of 68,090 is comprised of a young demographic with an aver- age age around 32 years, and almost 1,500 of its residents run home-based businesses. With a regional market of almost 1.5 million people,Airdrie is an important hub for industrial, commercial, and service operations with close ties to the Calgary region marketplace.More than 90,000 vehicles pass by daily, via the QEII high- way, and the Calgary International Airport is a mere 15 minutes away. Kent Rupert,Team Leader of Airdrie Economic Development, notes,“Over the last fewyears, we’ve seen a real uptake on transportation and logistics,manufacturing, and professional ser- vices.Those are three of the key economic driv- ers we’ve been focusing on.”Major employers include: Propak (an oil and gas manufacturing company),Alta Injection Molding, and TransCan- AT A GLANCE AIRDRIE, ALBERTA WHAT: City in Western Canada, population 65,000 WHERE: Just north of Calgary, Alberta WEBSITE: www.airdrie.ca