Laser Focused Growth
Naked Laser, like others, faced uncertainty, possible closure, and restrictions throughout the pandemic. Luckily, local business resources supported the company and even helped it expand.
Four years ago, Emily Thias opened Naked Laser to be her own boss and to gain flexibility in her schedule while raising her family of six. The aesthetics company makes their clients feel comfortable and confident in their skin by providing skin treatments, hair removal, spray tans, and lash lifts.
“It is a lot of fun, when you find your passion, and especially in a community like Grande Prairie, that supports it” said Emily.
When Naked Laser faced challenges from the pandemic, Emily accessed many services offered by the Business Resiliency Taskforce (BRT), a collaborative response to the pandemic from the City of Grande Prairie, County of Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce, and Grande Prairie Community Futures.
Read the full story here:
https://www.cityofgp.com/economic-development/key-sectors/retail-services/laser-focused-growth |
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What makes your business
innovative or unique?
How did your business come to be?
Tell us your story by emailing ecdevinfo@cityofgp.com.
To be considered, businesses must be within Grande Prairie city limits, and have a business license. Please note: Not all submitted stories will be published.
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Northern Petrochemical Company
We are thrilled to hear the announcement from Northern Petrochemical Company on their plans to invest $2.5 billion in a blue ammonia and blue methanol production facility in the Grande Prairie region. The facility will be the first of its kind in Canada, and will create 4,000 jobs over the three-year construction period and 400 full-time permanent jobs. Construction is set to begin in the summer of 2023 and complete by fall of 2026.
Congratulations to the MD of Greenview on this exciting development for the Greenview Industrial Gateway!
Read more here.
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Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Set To Open Dec. 4
The Grande Prairie Regional Hospital (GPRH) will open Dec. 4, 2021. The modern facility will employ 1500 people and solidify Grande Prairie as a healthcare hub for Northwestern Alberta.
Take a look inside the GPRH by reading this article.
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Business Licence Grace Period Coming To An End Dec. 1
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Get your business licence before the grace period ends on December 1 to avoid penalties.
A six-month grace period has been in effect since May 1, eliminating penalties for businesses operating without a business licence to allow businesses time to adjust to the new requirements, application processes, and guidelines.
For more information please visit our Business Licensing page.
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The average residential sale price on homes sold in the city in October was $325,253, a 10% increase from October 2020. The year-to-date average sale price this year is $316,822, consistent with the same period last year. Unit sales were up 16% in October with 119 sales in 2021, compared to 103 in 2020. Year-to-date, unit sales are up 28% with 1220 in 2021, compared to 954 in 2020. Year-to-date unit sales are also up 2% over 2019.
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Grande Prairie saw 7 single-family and 5 multi-family housing starts in October, compared to 12 single-family and 9 multi-family starts for the same period in 2020. Year-to-date, housing starts within the city were up 14.9% with 108 starts in 2021, compared to 94 in 2020.
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Regionally, there were 185 single-family and 37 multi-family starts year-to-date of 2021, compared to 106 single-family and 35 multi-family starts for the same period in 2020.
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61 building permits worth over $9.3 million were issued in October 2021, compared to 57 permits worth over $29.6 million in October 2020, a 7% increase in volume and 68% decrease in value. The increase in volume is largely attributed to an increase in new home builds, institutional alterations and commercial alterations, including a base building for ARC Resources for over $2.8 million.
Year-to-date, 557 building permits worth over $76 million in 2021 have been issued compared to 591 permits worth over $69 million for the same period in 2020 - a 5% decrease in permit volume and 9% increase in construction value.
NEW: The City’s Open Data Portal now includes building permit data. Click on the links below for interactive data showing permit details mapped out across the city.
2021 Data | 2020 Data
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The region's unemployment rate stayed the same at 7.1% in September and October. Provincially, the unemployment rate saw a decrease from 8.4% in September to 7.7% in October.
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616 Drilling Licenses have been issued in the Grande Prairie region so far this year, compared to 314 in 2020, an increase of 96%. Of the licenses issued to date, 237 are for oil, 370 for gas and 9 for other industry-related wells, compared to 101 oil, 206 gas and 7 for other industry for the same period in 2020.
Completions are up 82%, with 635 completions to date in 2021 compared to 369 for the same period in 2020.
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972 overdimensional vehicles passed through the city in October 2021, up from the 572 vehicles recorded for October 2020. To date, the city has seen a 20% increase in overdimensional vehicle traffic compared to 2020.
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October 2021 settled at $96.35/MWh, representing a 57% increase from October 2020’s settle of $61.26/MWh and a 2% increase from last month’s settle of $94.45/MWh.
The average price between the on-peak and off-peak for October differed by $23.04/MWh, resulting in on-peak and off-peak prices of $104.03/MWh and $80.99/MWh, respectively. October forwards traded between $85.75 and $98.75 per MWh.
For more details, check out TC Energy's Power Market.
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The Grande Prairie Airport saw 15,004 passengers pass through its doors in August 2021, compared to 7,914 in 2020, a 90% increase.
The average hotel occupancy rate in Grande Prairie was 49.1% for September 2021, while the provincial average was 48.9%. Grande Prairie's occupancy rate was consistent with cities of similar size in Alberta, with Edson leading the province at 85.9% in September.
For additional information on the travel and tourism industry check out the Alberta Tourism Market Monitor.
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Branding 101 - Logo, Visual Identity & Brand Insights
Hosted and Presented by: nine10
Tuesday, November 30, 12:00PM-1:00PM
Register here
Audience Identification
Hosted by: Business Link
Thursday, December 2, 11:00AM-12:00PM
Register here
Staying on Top of Small Business Income Taxes
Hosted by: ATB Entrepreneur Centre
Thursday, December 9, 2:00PM-3:00PM
Register here
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