Okotokian

“If you had told me while I was doing my business planning that I would encounter a pandemic within four days of opening, you just can’t plan for something like this.”

“What we realized early on is this wasn’t about selling a whole bunch of groceries, it’s about employee and customer service, that became paramount.”

“I think there was a lot more people that stayed local and we had a lot of repeat business from locals that were in the area, as well as all of the tourists that came through. We’ve had a fabulous year with just the sheer volume of people coming through.”

“There are still true craftsmen left out there who still take pride in what we produce."

“A lot of people were frightened when this first hit, not knowing – will somebody get sick, will we have to close our doors, what’s going to happen?”

Stepping up to serve the community

“We’ve built so much on the history of this area. Turner Valley goes back to the early beginnings of Alberta oil in 1914. It just seemed like a neat place to recreate some of that history.”

“We do have a sense of accomplishment knowing our kids are safe, staff are safe.”

Holy Trinity Academy grads are grateful for their school

“Their schedule made it able for me to be out on the rodeo road and also be able to attend classes – they had everything customized. And that school is so special, everyone there is so welcoming..."