YOU are the brand of your business! How you behave, how you talk, and how you are perceived by others ultimately will impact the nature of the relationships you have both within and outside of your business. Although you may have a service or a product to sell, will they decide to buy “you”? This session will focus on the importance of building your own personal brand and the easy to use ‘branding’ tools…so that can help shape success both personally and professionally. Personal brand shapes the brand of your business!

Most company/business leaders understand a strategic plan can help leverage a successful path forward. What is often not considered is that “people” are needed to implement that plan. This session will focus on why and how to engage your employees in planning strategically with a focus on people success first, business success second. Support the growth of your people means they WILL support the growth of your business!

You’re not just running a business—you’re building a community.
You’re not just trying to make a buck—you’re trying to make a future.
A place where your kids might stick around. A town where neighbours still know your name. A main street that isn’t just boarded up memories.

And that? That takes guts.
It takes courage.
It takes the kind of grit you can’t Google, and you can’t fake.

So, if no one’s told you lately, let me be the one to say it loud and proud:

You are the economic engine, the cultural spark, and the social glue.

You’re not just business owners—
You’re builders of dreams, holders of history, and leaders without the luxury of waiting for permission.
 

Join Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Senior Economist at ATB Financial, for a presentation that cuts through the economic noise. He'll deliver the latest insights on the outlook for interest rates, dissect the impacts of ongoing trade tensions, and provide an in-depth look at Alberta's housing and labour markets. Don't miss this opportunity to gain critical foresight into the economic forces shaping our future.

This session will explore why and how to create ‘safe’ and collaborative workplaces so that your staff can thrive and how you as a leader can leverage the collective ability of your staff. It will focus on the leadership skills required to create sustainability, interest, engagement and succession within your business. You will learn how to elevate your workplace culture side by side and elbow to elbow with your employees.

This presentation explores how our client relationships are not just transactions, but dynamic partnerships that actively shape our business evolution. Discover how we integrate client insights to refine our strategies, innovate our offerings, and drive mutual success. We believe true leadership emerges from continuous learning, directly informed by those we serve.

Discover how agritourism is transforming rural Alberta. This session explores how farms and food producers can diversify income, attract visitors, and build stronger community connections by opening their gates to the public. Drawing from real-world examples and recent workshops across Alberta, including Lac La Biche County, this presentation offers practical insights on how agritourism supports economic development while celebrating rural heritage.

The presentation will discuss how a strategic onboarding program can directly improve employee engagement, satisfaction, and long-term retention. We’ll cover best practices from the recruitment process and the first 90 days, focusing on clear communication, cultural integration, and early support. We will also explore ways to address common HR challenges early, creating a smooth transition and stronger connection for new hires

​Hiring and retaining employees is a huge challenge and employers know that they need to do more than just hang a “hiring now” sign in the window. Many employes have relied on employees from other countries to keep their businesses operating. This means that not only paperwork and processes have to be followed to attract the employee to your workplace, but those employees also must settle (sometimes with their families) into a new country and a new community. This session will speak about the changes in the rules, the process and share best practises so that your employees find success in your business and in our communities. Tara Shirtliffe from CLS Consulting ltd. will walk you through what it takes to find and keep an employee from out of country, Sukhan Bajaj from Smoky Lake FCSS, will share his experience form a community lens on supporting and integrating newcomers and immigrant employers.

In this session you will learn a quick and simple method to keep your finger on the pulse of your business without a myriad of calculations.A holistic monthly business review encompasses various aspects of a company's operations, performance, and strategic direction. However, it does not need to be time-consuming and cumbersome. By concentrating on key elements and indicators, you can quickly understand where your business stands, how it is changing and where it is headed. This will allow you to spot opportunities early and see pitfalls before you stumble into them. This session will provide you with an easy to use review format. Using it will ensure you are knowledgeable about your business’ position and help instill confidence in your decision making.

FACT:  Organizations/businesses today are experiencing labor shortages and high turnover rates! 
Consequently, leaders must learn and implement different strategies to help capture the attention of new talent in the recruitment process; and that will ensure a work environment that secures and retains the ongoing interest, engagement, and motivation of that talent.   Your ongoing work environment and culture is your brand.   Is your brand what people want to ‘buy’?   Complacency and hope are not a strategy, nor is it a brand they want to be a part of.

Learning Objectives:
•    Changing organizational demographics and dynamics – what they mean moving forward 
•    Creative recruitment processes & techniques.
•    Culture eats strategy for breakfast – how to create a brand people want to buy leading to improved retention.

Every business or organization depends on people and finding new staff or volunteers is only the first step.The challenge is that keeping them is more difficult than we anticipate.Join this webinar to hear real life suggestions on how to create and manage a positive environment so that your business or organization is the place that people want to be.