A Black Diamond woman with her finger on the pulse of her community is now part of the team responsible for planning events and boosting tourism in town.
Quinn Page-Smith, Black Diamond’s new economic development and events manager, is in charge of promoting community events and improving economic development and tourism.
She grew up on a ranch south of Turner Valley, attended Oilfields High School and after living in Calgary for 12 years returned with her family six years ago.
“There is so much potential for so many different things to happen when it comes to economic development,” she said. “I’ve lived here and because I’ve called this place home and because I’m rooted here I’m excited to be in this role. It means a lot to me personally.”
Page-Smith replaces former economic development and events manager David Petrovich, who accepted a similar position in Cochrane in September.
“Everybody here has been really great, really supportive,” she said. “David Petrovich did a great job and he laid a lot of really amazing groundwork.
“I’m getting a feel for what’s been done and who’s involved. I guess I will figure out where I fit into that and where I will keep the ball rolling.”
Page-Smith has a background in business development, large scale funding and event planning, as well as various part-time and volunteer positions with such initiatives as the Diamond Valley Boys and Girls Club, Sheep River Library Board and Turner Valley pedestrian safety committee and parks and recreation committee.
“The position came up and I felt like it really fit in with my background,” she said. “There’s an essence of relationship building through all of those things that I’ve done. It’s an opportunity to dig a little bit deeper into the pulse of the community.”
She is already in the midst of planning one of the town’s biggest events— Light Up Black Diamond, which will take place Dec. 5.
“We’ve always attended those events so it’s so neat to be a part of these where I get to play a hand in planning them,” she said.
Page-Smith plans to work with local merchants to ensure they are thriving in the community.
“Certainly one of my main focuses starting off, keeping in mind that I’m on day nine of the job right now, is to get out there and introduce myself and get to know people a little bit better and get to know where there might be opportunities for me to support them and look at trying to get some more traffic out in our community,” she said.
Page-Smith will also come up with ideas to promote Black Diamond Among the projects she’s excited about is further enhancing the Cool Little Towns initiative, a website that promotes attractions and activities in Nanton, High River, Okotoks, Bragg Creek, Turner Valley and Black Diamond.
“That whole initiative is solely focused on tourism and marketing of all of our cool little towns,” she said. “That’s an initiative that offers us the opportunity to play off of each other’s strengths.”
Page-Smith said it’s important for the Town to have someone dedicated to supporting existing businesses, while attracting new businesses to the community.
“There is also a focus on tourism so it’s ensuring that we are giving people who come to visit our town a valuable experience that makes them want to come back, looking at maybe some new opportunities and different experiences for different target markets,” she said.
Town chief administrative officer Joanne Irwin said it’s important for the Town to have a staff member dedicated to economic development, who is available to businesses as a resource and to attract new businesses to town.
“Local businesses can obtain information on things like joint advertising opportunities, funding resources or whatever other information they might need,” she said. “New businesses will have a person to call to obtain whatever information they need as well.”
Irwin said she will also be planning major events, which brings people into the community and into businesses.
“As far as economic development goes, one of the facets that contributes to the quality of life is a really important piece of that,” she said. “Successful businesses provide a wider variety of jobs, provide citizens with a local place to shop, enjoy the culture and having all of that in the community for easy access for our residents is what makes Black Diamond a great place to work, live and play.”
