An eager man who helps support and build a solid foundation for a community to move forward, Cypress County Councillor Richard Oster accepted the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Award on Jan.  25, 2023.

Over 24 years, more children aged 13 to 15 have signed up to be a part of the Rotary Alberta Entrepreneurship Youth Camp, hosted at Eagles Nest Ranch in partnership between Community Futures Entre-Corp, Rotary Club of Medicine Hat, and other Community Futures in Alberta.

Medicine Hat’s downtown sees new business owners open their doors more each year, from breweries, to bistros, multi-use spaces, and breakfast shops. The heart of the city is becoming more welcoming for locally-owned businesses, and the owners are delighted to have found a home for their passion.

Once a brand and logo is developed, recognizing and marketing to your target audience can bring high sales and social media engagement, as long as it's planned correctly.

Brands are the face of the business — the first impression, and creating a strong and effective brand that speaks to your business’ messaging and values can come easy when connecting with Community Future’s free program, Digital Service Squad (DSS).

Cyber security can easily be implemented into a business, big or small, with the help of Community Futures’ new program, Digital Service Squad.

Taylor Hardekopf, from Community Futures Entre-Corp, and Grace Evans, from Community Futures Chinook, are the Digital Service Squad experts who have noticed the incline in cyber attacks and online hacking over the last few months, especially on social media.

Digital Service Squad is a free asset businesses can utilize through Community Futures, to create or build a digital presence, organize online files, design brands and logos, set up cyber security tools, and so much more.

Throughout the years, business owners have gained an abundance of knowledge and skills to strengthen their business through building an online presence and reaching a larger audience.

To bring ease to these business owners, there are programs and resources available in Alberta for those who look to find new and efficient ways to grow and sustain their business.

A newly designed, innovative platform was launched by APEX Alberta, with partners Community Futures Entre-Corp Business Development, Medicine Hat College, and primary funder Alberta Innovates, on Feb. 1, 2022.

The Community Innovation Connector is a virtual space that allows business owners, entrepreneurs and students to easily access and interact with entrepreneurship programs, advisors, and support, all on one platform.