July / August 2025 Newsletter

Executive Director's Report

The First 30 Days

It's been just over a month since I took on the role of Executive Director of CAEP. To say it's been a whirlwind would be an understatement!

One of our biggest goals at CAEP is to increase the level of communication with our members and underscore the value that CAEP brings to the region.

Here are a few of the things CAEP will be working on in the coming months:

RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING

We strongly believe in creating opportunities for connection between members, industry contacts, and others within the Economic Development space. I invite each of you to contact me directly to talk about what matters most to you and your community. I love in-person meetings! I'm eager to see you in your community with a great cup of local coffee or lunch at your favorite restaurant. Email me anytime to arrange a meeting.

PROMOTING THE REGION

We’re very excited to host the Central Alberta SiteLink Forum on September 3–5, 2025, in Red Deer, Alberta. Please join us at this marquee event, which will bring together international site selectors and industry leaders in economic development, construction, architecture, engineering, and real estate to network, learn, and share expertise. Participants will gain insights on the latest trends and best practices in investment attraction, providing you with information you need to make informed decisions about your economic development efforts.

The best part is, CAEP is sponsoring a free registration for each of our CAEP member organizations—a value of $1200 USD per registration!

I will reach out to members directly with more details.

LEARN MORE

ENSURING FUTURE SUCCESS THROUGH INVESTMENT READINESS

One of our priorities at CAEP is to ensure municipalities get great value for their membership. This includes tapping my shoulder for questions about economic development, whether it's to ask advice or an opinion to help your team move forward. Reach out to me anytime!

We’ll continue to offer a range of courses, lunch and learn sessions and other events, such as the Performance Measurement in Economic Development Course held in Red Deer on June 27, 2025.

COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY PROFILES

CAEP members are participating in a program to generate Community Profiles that will support investment readiness efforts and future investment decisions. CAEP has partnered with the Northern and Regional Economic Development (NRED) Program on this project. Participating communities pay 50% of the sticker price - saving about $10,000 per report. The program is fully subscribed, but stay tuned for future opportunities to leverage your membership dollars!

COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SHARING

We are working hard to make sure that you are in the loop about what's happening in the region. I always say that communication is a two-way street. We all benefit when we can hear from you about what’s happening in your community, and at the same time, keep you updated on all the action at CAEP.

You can do this by sending us an email, or calling me, or connecting us to the best sources of information in your communities. Please check out our contact information below. We’re very active on LinkedIn, and invite you to like, share and comment on our posts to amplify messages.

We also have a great new website that offers a range of information and statistics about the region, but we’d like to do better by featuring more regional images and content. Help us build a regional photobank for CAEP with some great photos from your community, by emailing your images to psalvatore@investcentralalberta.ca

THRIVING IN THE FACE OF CHALLENGE

The CAEP region has faced a number of recent challenges—including changes to provincial government funding and navigating volatile economic conditions—but we’re all in this together.

One of our new initiatives is a "Team Central Alberta" program that will expand CAEP’s corporate partnerships and engage corporate leaders more fully in the economic development work that benefits us all. Stay tuned for more details!

In closing, it’s an honour and a privilege to work with CAEP’s Board of Directors and our members to support the economic development aspirations of Central Alberta communities. We believe in the power of creating many "win-win" scenarios for our members as we grow our capacity as Alberta's most dynamic rural and urban region.

I look forward to connecting with all of you soon!

Paul Salvatore, BA, ALUP, CLGM

Executive Director