Kent Rupert, team leader of Airdrie Economic Development at the City of Airdrie, said two recent accolades show Airdrie is a great place for investment and entrepreneurship.
The City of Airdrie has been ranked at the top of the list by the Real Estate Investment Network (REIN) as the Top Investment Town in Alberta and as one of Canada’s Top Entrepreneurial Communities by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
The REIN ranking was announced on Nov. 6.
“We have a young growing community. We bring in about 15 people a day and that’s a really good market for any business,” Rupert said. “We have a really young (population) who are in their spending patterns and that also contributes to (great opportunities for entrepreneurs) as well.”
Five categories were measured in Alberta communities by REIN including economic risk, investors’ insights and yield growth potential, with Airdrie coming out on top.
REIN conducts research and provides education to real estate investors and homeowners across North America.
This is not the first time Airdrie has ranked highly for investment and entrepreneurship, according to Rupert.
“Airdrie and Rocky View – the north Calgary region – has ranked high for the last three years (on the CFIB rankings),” he said.
“For REIN, we’ve ranked quite high for the last four or five years and it is because we are such a growing community. Our housing is a little bit more affordable than Calgary so people are coming out here and buying some of our new condos and townhouses and using them as rental properties.”
As reported in the Oct. 24 edition of the Airdrie City View, the CFIB released a report in October that showed Airdrie is one of Canada’s most entrepreneurial cities. The CFIB report is released annually and uses 14 indicators to rank communities across Canada on things like opportunities for growth in business ownership, optimism within the community and business taxation and regulations.
The Airdrie region was ranked number one for communities with a population of more than 150,000.
“The reports says the communities outside larger urban centres are ‘more conducive’ to the structure and cost of doing business,” Rupert said.
“We certainly find that businesses are attracted to Airdrie because we don’t have a business tax here and our environment is just a little bit smaller and less overwhelming to get your feet wet in starting a business.”
Rupert said Airdrie’s high ranking by these types of organizations is important not only to the business community but also to residents.
“It gets us provincial and national exposure,” he said.
“It also helps to build community pride. People want to know they’re in a city that’s known to do things well and to be recognized for it, so I think the whole community can share these types of recognition.”
For more information or to view the reports, visit reincanada.com and cfib-fcei.ca
