hang your shingle 
Next Upcoming Events
- Employee Retention Feb 8, 2012
CARMA Office #9 4646 Riverside DriveWHAT THIS SESSION WILL COVER: - Explore the top strategies of high retention organizations - Consider the changing values of next generation employees that attract them to organizations or cause...Book Seats - OTC (Offshore Technology Conference)May 3, 2012
Houston TexasFounded in 1969, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is the world’s foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production, and...Book Seats - PECOM - Petroleum Exhibition & Conference of MexicoJun 14, 2012
Villahermosa, MexicoThe Petroleum Exhibition and Conference of Mexico (PECOM) is a premier exhibition for oil and gas industry. The event will attract more than 5,000 visitors from Mexico and its neighboring country...Book Seats
Latest News Releases
Posted: 1 week ago | 0 CommentsPipeline Rejection Angers Manufacturing Groups
U.S. manufacturing groups ripped President Obama's decision Jan. 18 to reject a construction permit for the Keystone XL pipeline as a major setback to the nation's energy security.
"The decision to say no to a project that would create 20,000 manufacturing and construction jobs - with an additional 118,000 indirect jobs -- defies logic when the U.S. is suffering from high unemployment and a struggling economy," said National Association of Manufacturers President Jay Timmons in a prepared statement. "For America's future, it's always better to choose sound policy over politics. Instead, the administration followed the political winds and rejected a clear way to create jobs."
Posted: 1 week ago | 0 CommentsDaily Economic Comment - Manufacturing Rides the $100 Oil Highway
Across North America, a nascent recovery in manufacturing is raising some hopes fo the general economy returning to health. Factory floors and refineries in Alberta were doing more than their part to boost shipments towards the end of last year.
Posted: 3 weeks ago | 0 CommentsDaily Economic Comment - Canadian Businesses Less Optimistic
Economists track a lot of numbers - stock market movements, capital flows, and currency exchange rates - to get a sense of what the economy is doing. But much insight can be gained simply by going out and asking companies what they’re experiencing. And according to one survey Canadian firms are less optimistic.
In the most recent Business Outlook Survey (BOS) of the Bank of Canada, released this morning, companies are reporting lower expectations for sales growth in the next 12 months. It is the first time since the beginning of 2009 that more companies expect the rate of sales growth to fall rather than rise. (the BOS is a survey of about 100 firms across the country, and was conducted between Nov. 14th and Dec 14th, 2011)
Posted: 3 weeks ago | 0 CommentsDaily Economic Comment - Alberta Businesses Look to the Bright Side
As 2011 drew to a close, the Canadian economy appeared vulnerable to a myriad of global concerns, But according to a survey of members by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, small and medium-sized enterprises are becoming somewhat more optimistic- a trend that is particularly evident in Alberta.
In December, the index of business optimism in this province stood at 73.6 - the highest in the country, and just ahead of second-place Saskatchewan (72.2). Nationally, the index has improved over the past few months, and stands at 65.0.
The CFIB's Business Outlook Survey in conducted monthly form a sample of 900 independent business participants across the country. The survey produces an index value between 0 and 100. Values above 50 indicate that business owners expecting their company's performance to be stronger in the next year outnumber those expecting weaker performance.
The nation-leading optimizing in Alberta is, perhaps, not a surprise. Growth in the province has outpaced most of the rest of North America, despite the growing worries in Europe and elsewhere. Strong expanding labor market have contributed to a healthy economy. As a result, Alberta's independent business owners are in a relatively buoyant mood going into 2012.
Posted: 3 weeks ago | 0 CommentsCARMA session to talk foreign workers
By The Associated Press
Published: January 04, 2012 7:33 PM
Too few young workers entering the labour market; too many older workers leaving it — the consequence could be a labour crunch that will threaten many companies’ ability to compete.
A solution might exist outside Canada in the form of foreign workers. And advice about how to tap into this source of human capital will be provided next Wednesday in Red Deer.
The Central Alberta Rural Manufacturers Cluster, a partnership between the Central Alberta Rural Manufacturers Association (CARMA) and Community Futures, is sponsoring an information session on planning for, selecting and securing foreign workers.
