A Diamond Valley entrepreneur will be lending her extensive expertise to shaping the region’s economic future.
Jessica Harcombe Fleming was selected as a member of the Intermunicipal Economic Development Committee (IEDC) shared by Turner Valley and Black Diamond on Jan. 4.
The intermunicipal committee’s focus is business retention and attraction in the two towns, with a roster of community members with business acumen, Brown said in a phone interview.
It consists of six committee members and four council members.
“I believe Jessica will be a huge addition bringing the skill set she has to that committee,” said Black Diamond CAO Sharlene Brown.
Chelsea Vogel, chair of the IEDC, similarly extolled Harcombe Fleming in a written statement and has high hopes for working with her.
"I am excited to have Jessica join the committee. She will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team that will greatly benefit the direction that we are heading,” Vogel said. “I am confident she will bring forth a new perspective on projects and goals that will only enhance our growth.”
“This of course will in turn benefit the communities, businesses and potential investors."
The relative newcomer to Black Diamond ,who started a cycling, skateboarding, and outdoor supply business with her husband Colin Fleming in 2019, also holds the title of managing director for the Alberta offices of national communications firm Beattie Tartan.
Harcombe Fleming’s expertise includes years of working for provincial and national tourism and economic development organizations, including Travel Alberta and Indigenous Tourism Alberta.
“In general, I'm really excited to bring my kind of my breadth of expertise both in tourism and economic development,” said Harcombe Fleming, adding that she has worked in destination development and tourism marketing for over 20 years.
Harcombe Fleming moved to Black Diamond with her husband Colin in 2018 in search of the lifestyle the Foothills towns offer.
“We moved here with intention, we moved here to be closer to nature for our family, we moved here to have a quieter pace of life and to become a part of a close knit community,” Harcombe Fleming said.
“As a relatively new resident of the Diamond Valley, I'm really honoured to be able to have an opportunity to play a role in the progress and the next steps of how we build this vibrant and eclectic community here.
“Spending six years working with Travel Alberta, the big focus was on spotlighting the hidden gems, the iconic destinations have always gotten so much play. That was what introduced me to the Foothills as this hidden gem just outside of the city.”
Harcombe Fleming said she wants to create a community that retains its young people.
“Our hope was to move out here and to start to make our mark in the hopes of having this be a place that people want to live for generations," she said. "Not somewhere people live until they're finished high school, and they leave.”
