Congratulations is definitely in order for the City of Grand Forks. Many towns and cities talk the talk about being open for business and business-friendly, but Grand Forks can walk the walk.
The city was recently named as a finalist in the province’s 2014 Open for Business Awards. Grand Forks and Nelson were the only communities in the Kootenays to be named.
As Mayor Brian Taylor says, it’s quite an honour to be recognized by a group of your peers.
Some of the recent initiatives from the city that have helped spur economic development include the downtown beautification program, which includes adding hanging baskets and planters, street cleaning, lights, and more to the downtown area; branding, including the new city logo with the tagline “settle down”; and the development showcase, which offers unused city-owned properties for sale.
When you include all the great events that have happened in Grand Forks lately such as the fall fair, the airport fly-in, the Park in the Park car show, GFI, movies in the park, music in the park and so on, it’s clear that Grand Forks is a great place to be.
The kind of recognition the city has received from the province is a clear case that people are paying attention and looking at Grand Forks as a place that is open for business.