Submitted by Sturgeon County Kennels

Sturgeon County Kennels is a family run business established in 2005 as a small dog boarding kennel, since then we have become a flourishing and busy pet supply store with items for dogs, cats and even rabbits.

Small businesses in Sturgeon County and the Town of Morinville have a new resource to help enhance their online presence thanks to a new program offered in partnership with the University of Alberta School of Businesses: The Digital Economy Program (DEP). Through the DEP, small businesses have free access to resources that can help build or upgrade their online operations, including adding eCommerce capabilities, creating a social media plan, and other digital practices to help their business thrive.

In 2021, owners Jim and Kristina Craig decided to put their Stormy Vodka and Aurora Gin to the challenge and entered them in two prestigious competitions: the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the Sip Awards. 

Calahoo Waste Disposal is proud to be celebrating their 25th Anniversary in 2021. The future looks promising for this local business and they "weathered" the difficulties in operating a business and keeping their staff safe and healthy with the arrival of COVID. 

In August 2019, Sturgeon County Economic Development retained Vancouver-based MXD Development Strategists Ltd. (MXD) to prepare a Commercial Development Analysis. Work was completed in early 2020.

The study had three primary objectives:

1. Gain an understanding of the opportunities for commercial development in Sturgeon County from a market, planning and infrastructure perspective.
2. Identify immediate and medium-term opportunities for commercial development in Sturgeon County and the optimal mix and positioning of land uses for these priority sites.
3. Identify infrastructure and zoning deficiencies that could challenge the viability of the commercial development areas as well as recommendations to overcome the identified deficiencies.

The Commercial Development Analysis highlights eight priority areas for immediate and medium-term commercial development while considering market, economic, and planning conditions. 

• Priority Area 1 is imagined as an upscale, boutique retail node with a focus on experiential food and beverage and shopping concepts, personal services, health and wellness and small-scale medical offices.
• Priority Area 2 aims to continue development momentum in Sturgeon Industrial Park by building upon the existing critical mass of medium industrial product.
• Priority Area 3 is focused on a build out of light industrial product in the area of Sturgeon Industrial Park located south of Highway 825. This priority area would also include a retail and service node located at the intersection of Highways 15, 37 and 825.
• Priority Area 4, the “Highway 28 Retail Service Node” will be strategically located at the intersection of Highway 28 and Sturgeon Road to capture vehicle traffic coming to and from Sturgeon Valley, CFB Edmonton and northern Alberta.
• Priority Area 5 will be a light industrial and aviation related employment node at and around Villeneuve Airport.
• Priority Area 6 is positioned as a light industrial employment node that could include warehousing, logistics, flex industrial and manufacturing activities.
• Priority Area 7 leverages connectivity to the Anthony Henday via 127 Street Northwest to create a strategic light industrial employment pocket that can support a diversity of activities such as logistics, warehousing, flex industrial and manufacturing.
• Priority Area 8 represents another opportunity to create a light industrial employment node along Highway 28 that supports logistics, warehousing, flex industrial and manufacturing activities

Sturgeon County Economic Development is excited about the multitude of commercial development opportunities our community provides. Contact us today with questions about the Commercial Development Analysis and learn more about how you can #StartinSturgeon!