Heather Douglas, president, Calgary Chamber of Commerce
By Markham Hislop, editor

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce is spreading its tent, according to President Heather Douglas, after the business organization held its first event in the southeast Wednesday morning after several year’s absence.  Douglas used the packed gathering at the Glenmore Inn to explain the benefits of Chamber membership and provide her critique of the recent Alberta government budget. Continue Reading

Lowe's will be opening a new store in the Shepard Business Park

Elizabeth Sande, student-reporter

Lowe’s is coming to Calgary and one of its new home improvement stores will be located in the Shepard Business Park near 130 Avenue S.E.. As part of the company’s previously announced plans to open 35 to 45 stores in North America in fiscal 2010, Lowe’s is opening  three stores in the Calgary region, CrossIron Mills, the Sunridge Indusrtrial Area and the Shepard industrial area near McKenzie Towne.  Construction on all three stores will start in the new year. Continue Reading

Kim Page Gluckie, owner of MPowered Marketing

Every business needs to market its products and services, but women-owned businesses have their own unique marketing challenges, according to consultant and trainer Kim Page Gluckie.  Her company, MPowered Marketing, conducts seminars in southeast Calgary for women entrepreneurs.  The next seminar, the first in a series of four, begins September 9 at the Copperfield Community Hall. Continue Reading

Artist's rendering of the Calgary Co-operative store currently under construction

Situated on the side of an old gravel quarry, the new community of Quarry Park is on its way to injecting jobs and liveliness into a formerly desolate corner of the quadrant. 
By the time the project is complete around 2012, Quarry Park will be a European-style community where home, work and play all fall within a short distance of each other.   Located between Riverbend and Douglas Glen Estates, the project will include single and multi-family homes along with office and retail space. Continue Reading

The Ronda Store opened for business Saturday

“Easy wear, easy care” is the rallying cry for today’s women who want to be fashionable, but because of the demands of work and home don’t have time for haute couture.  The same holds true for home decor as well, says Ronda Bertram, a southeast Calgary fashion designer who Saturday opened her first store specializing in her own designs for real women.  The Ronda Store is located at located in the Heritage Mall at 7640 Blackfoot Trail S.E. and had shoppers lined up when it opened its doors for the first time. Continue Reading

Michelle Gabriel explains social media marketing to Markham Hislop

Social media is all the rage these days, especially Facebook and Twitter, with everyone trying to figure out how make money from the latest technology phenomenon.  Michelle Gabriel has managed the feat.  She describes herself as a “solo-preneur,” a business of one, who specializes in making connections between people who are passionate about living their dreams.  A business’ passion is key to making social media work as a marketing tool. Continue Reading

A little rain and the road under construction in front of Dog City becomes a mud pie

Customers can be seen gingerly picking their way through the mud as they walk across the road under construction outside Dog City.  There is another path around back, but it’s not well marked, and while the regulars may avoid the goo out front, many people still end up with muck on their boots.  No wonder owner Steve Saretsky says business is down by a third over the past year. Continue Reading

Doug Hayden, SE Calgary realtor

MLS® sales activity of single family Calgary metro homes was 1,584 in the month of May 2009, showing an increase of 23 per cent from 1,290 sales in April 2009, according to figures released by the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB®). Continue Reading

As if Race City didn’t have enough going against it this racing season, the City of Calgary has closed 68 Street SE and cut off access from that road to the track’s parking lot, as well as Varsity Park, the location of the kart track.  Continue Reading

ABC/A Box Company was started by 14 high school students

Becoming a successful business owner is never easy and having a little training and experience comes in handy.  With ABC/A Box Company, high school students from across Calgary, including Centennial High in the southeast quadrant, learned some valuable lessons as part of the Junior Achievement program.

The business began in October, 2008.  A group of 14 students joined the Junior Achievement after school program.  Their first task was to participate in a business planning process with their professional advisors from Fluor Canada, Gorana Radvic and Andrew Cheung, both engineers. Continue Reading