As 2023 comes to an end, the Cochrane and District Chamber of Commerce reflects on their busy year, while looking ahead at what comes next for their future.
“It was a remarkable year,” said Executive Director Kelly Carson.
With the COVID-19 pandemic over, this year allowed the Chamber of Commerce to engage with the community without any restrictions. They hope to help grow the tourism sector in the near future.
Participating in the Mayor’s Golf Tournament, the Chamber helped in raising money for the Cochrane and District Humane Society. According to Carson, they raised $86,000, providing a new roof for the organization.
The Chamber of Commerce also helped put together "Cochrane Light Up!," with 15,000 people gathering in the downtown sector. Carson said they served 13,000 hotdogs during the event.
“A group of us got together and put it together in a short period of time,” Carson said. “Pretty proud of that.”
In October, the Chamber put on a secondary Trade Show. Although the event was smaller due to a lack of space, Carson said it was a success and something to grow off of.
And for the first time in the Chamber's history, they held an election for their board.
“Lots of times you can't even find enough people to sit on a board,” Carson said. “We had many people that wanted to sit on our board.”
When asked about how the business community did during the year, Carson said it was, “Hit and miss.”
Carson said a number of factors could have impacted businesses including higher costs and higher interest rates, as well as significant road work throughout the community. Despite this, Carson added Cochrane continues to grow on an annual basis.
“We have 1,200 new residents move here a year,” he said. “There's an opportunity right there just to increase business by the people that are moving into town.”
Carson said a major challenge is not having access to enough retail space within the community. He said additional residential developments should help with the issue.
Addressing the lack of hotel space within the town, Carson said this will become a major focus for the Chamber in the future.
“Hosting big events or even hockey tournaments is a challenge,” Carson said. “We got a few places, but it's not many in a town of 37,000 [people].”
Carson said a new boutique hotel will be built in the new community of Greystone. He said two new hotels will also be built within town limits, helping boost tourism.
Carson said the Town also plans to build a convention centre. He said the chamber hopes to host a tech event, as the sector has grown within the area.
“That tech sector is kind of a hidden gem that we have here in Cochrane,” he said. “When you have that sector like that, it attracts younger crowds and that's huge for a community.”
