About EDA
The EDA
The vision of the EDA is to ensure that everyone is aware that Southeast Alberta is the most prosperous "centre of choice" which retains and attracts investment by businesses and families, supporting a high quality of life.
The EDA is focused on its mission to establish Southeast Alberta as the hub for regional economic development through collaborative partnerships, stimulating growth and wealth for the region.
The EDA Board
The Economic Development Alliance of Southeast Alberta (EDA) is directed by a volunteer board that is driven by its objective to increase wealth throughout the region it serves. The 2012 - 2013 Board of Directors includes:
- Randy Lehr, Chair, Cypress County
http://cypress.ab.ca/ - Bruce Corraini, Vice-Chair, Town of Bow Island
www.bowisland.com/ - Ron Harty, Secretary, County of Forty Mile
http://40mile.ca/ - Wayne Craven, Treasurer, City of Medicine Hat
http://www.medicinehat.ca/ - Ron Edwards, Director, Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede
http://www.mhstampede.com/ - Les Postnikoff, Director, Medicine Hat Chamber of Commerce
www.medicinehatchamber.com/ - Jacquelyn Penner, Director, Medicine Hat College
www.mhc.ab.ca/ - Janet Vas, Director, Alberta Health Services
http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/ - Jim Steinke, Director, Town of Redcliff
www.town.redcliff.ab.ca/ - Wendy Blackwell, Executive Director
The EDA Board strongly values working collaboratively to achieve sustainable economic growth, while also maximizing the value of resources within the region. This will be achieved by attracting new business to our region, and working with region's businesses that are ready for growth.
With this direction in mind, the EDA then focuses on six key sectors including:
- Alternative Energy
- Oil & Gas
- Value-Added Agriculture
- Technology
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Tourism
The EDA Staff
- Wendy Blackwell, Executive Director
- Tracy Heebner, Associate Director
- Natasha Ruskowski, Executive Assistant
- Kendra Borgen, Marketing and Communications Specialist
- Alison Pfeifer, Business Development Officer
The Economic Development Alliance of Southeast Alberta (EDA) is a non-profit organization funded by the City of Medicine Hat, the Towns of Bow Island and Redcliff and the Counties of Cypress and Forty Mile. The EDA provides relevant industry knowledge and support to six key sectors: alternative energy, oil and gas, agriculture, technology and advanced manufacturing. Our goal is to position Southeast Alberta as the centre for regional economic growth through collaborative partnerships, industry growth and diversification and increasing the awareness of opportunities in our region.