One of the areas which is of high benefit to clients is the area of government relations and stewardship. Government relations involves assessing the alignment of the project or program purpose against specific department priorities and goals. It also involves developing an understanding of the key stakeholders on a specific issue and preparing a strategy for linking into business plans.

Alberta Association of Colleges and Technical Institutes AACTI, 2005

We assisted AACTI in a provincial strategic planning and research project to develop a plan to implement a defined applied research plan on a provincial system approach. Under recent Alberta regulation changes (2004), colleges can now actively pursuer applied research for Alberta benefit. The project developed a new multi-year plan based on several specific program areas.

Olds College Capital Campaign Plan, 2004

We were requested to assess the readiness and capacity of the Olds College to undertake 5 new programs which required significant capital investments. The 10 month project included an internal review, development of specific case statements and market research including with government. We critically reviewed the proposals and concluded with a stewardship (fundraising) plan for a new campaign. A launch of the over $35m capital campaign was made in June 2005.

Growing Alberta, 2005

Growing Alberta is a non-profit company which provides awareness and education on agri-food issues to consumers. The highly successful company has two main products, Harvest Gala and Food For Thought magazine. The project entailed market research on industry and government alignment and a business planning process for a new focus and approach. See www.growingalberta.com