CLIENT: Town of Onoway and Lac Ste. Anne County Regional Economic Development Initiative – Partners in Progress
PROJECT: Regional Economic Development Strategy and Project Management
“Keystone Strategies provided the Partners In Progress with a thorough and achievable regional economic development strategy that was built using an innovative stakeholder engagement process. The committee members and elected officials of the region unanimously supported the strategy, confident it reflected the needs of our businesses and residents.
They also worked with the committee in implementing the plan, acting as project managers, keeping us on track with milestones, adjusting to changing circumstances, and providing expertise to help us overcome obstacles.
Frankly, I could always trust their advice, they always had our partnership’s best interests in their minds. The folks at Keystone Strategies are committed to achieving results with their clients, they genuinely care about success, and their extensive background meant they always provided us with sound economic development advice.”
Nick Gelych, Chairperson, Partners in Progress
Councillor, Lac Ste. Anne County
CLIENT: Summer Village of Ross Haven
PROJECT: Provision of CAO Services
“Keystone Strategies provided contract municipal administration services to the Summer Village of Ross Haven. We have quickly come to appreciate their ability to make concise sense of a vast amount of material, providing Council with the timely and relevant information we need to make sound decisions.
Keystone Strategies readily understands their role and fulfills it with professionalism and enthusiasm with our residents’ interests always top of mind.
The approachability and genuine desire of the Keystone Strategies team to engage with our residents, provide an paralleled level of customer service, and find innovative solutions, mean our residents are well-served.
Council appreciates Keystone Strategies’ approach to keeping residents informed, including the design of a new and responsive web site, social media presence, and the timely posting of information where residents are most apt to seek it.
The Council of the Summer Village of Ross Haven would eagerly recommend Keystone Strategies’ services to those wanting support provided with integrity, innovativeness, and responsiveness to changing needs.”
Council of the Summer Village of Ross Haven
CLIENT: 39/20 Alliance
PROJECT: Project Management and Regional Economic Development Strategy
“Keystone Strategies provided the 39/20 Alliance with a regional economic development strategy built extensively on stakeholder engagement that was both measurable and realistically implementable using our existing resources. Their unique approach to engaging our residents and businesses provided multiple opportunities for stakeholders to be heard and ensured the feedback we received reflected the true needs of our people. The team at Keystone Strategies are genuinely interested in the success of their clients, they work hard to ensure their strategies are simple to understand and easy to undertake, and their passion for economic development that is of real benefit to communities is evident in everything they do.”
Terry Balaban, Calmar Town Councillor
Chair, Calmar Economic Development Board
39/20 Alliance Board Chairperson
CLIENT: Opus Stewart Weir
PROJECT: First Nation Community Development Plan
“Keystone Strategies stepped in to assist us in creating a community development plan for our First Nations client. From stakeholder engagement to issue identification, their approach was both innovative and thorough. They were able to draw people out and get them engaged in the process. The recommendations made by Keystone Strategies were clear and measurable resulting in a strategy that our client could use and not just read. Their work was completed on time and within the established budget and our client benefited from their years of hands-on economic development experience.”
Mike O’Sullivan, Engineering Manager (Retired)
Opus Stewart Weir
CLIENT: The City of Edmonton
PROJECT: Economic Development Strategy
“Keystone Strategies served as Project Lead for TWWP [The Way We Prosper], the City of Edmonton Economic Development Strategic Plan from May – Dec. 2012. This included supervision of contract consultants, stakeholder engagement, updates with the Business Advisory Committee, and presentations to community and city groups and facilitation of the Project Team consisting of various civic department leaders. The project was completed on time, on budget and received unanimous support from Edmonton City Council.“
Paul Ross, Executive Director
Economic Sustainability
Sustainable Development
City of Edmonton
“…your leadership was invaluable in bringing this project to a successful conclusion. I also appreciate all the soft skills that I picked up from you over the last eight months – presentation skills, facilitating meetings and getting group consensus…”
Raja Bajwa, Senior Business Consultant
The Way We Prosper
CLIENT: Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Association
PROJECT: Interim Management Services
“The Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Association chose Keystone Strategies to provide interim management services to help the Board of Directors during a period of transition in our organization. Working collectively with the board and key stakeholders Keystone Strategies developed strategic plans and operational plans that helped the organization prioritize its work, better meet its funders’ needs, and promote accountability and transparency.
Keystone Strategies truly thrived in a dynamically changing environment and carried out actions set forth by the Board of Directors in an accountable and efficient manner.
The team at Keystone Strategies was able to process large amounts of information quickly, identify and recommend resolutions for gaps in service delivery, and encourage teamwork among our incumbent staff while simultaneously working with the board in ensuring we had the information we needed to make sound decisions.
The people at Keystone Strategies thrive in high-pressure environments and consistently supported us, the client, in achieving our goals. I found them to be steadfast and serious individuals of high personal standards and personal integrity.”
Emma Pietroleonardo, Past Board Chair
Leduc-Nisku Economic Development
Association Board of Directors
CLIENT: Alberta Municipal Supervisors Association
PROJECT: Strategic Planning Facilitation
“The session was enjoyed and appreciated by all in attendance…The outcome provides direction for the executive and association to move forward in meeting today’s challenges and the future needs of the association. Thank you for your services, in particular your experience and professionalism. We are pleased with the outcome of the session and would recommend your services to others.”
Marshall Morton, President
Alberta Municipal Supervisors Association
CLIENT: Leduc Community Adult Learning Council
PROJECT: Strategic Planning Facilitation
“Richard is an awesome facilitator – he kept us on task in a gentle yet effective manner. I highly recommend him for a visioning process!“
Eugene Miller, Chairperson
Leduc Community Adult Learning Council
CLIENT: Community Learning Council for Wetaskiwin and Area
PROJECT: Strategic Planning Facilitation
“Thank you, Richard, for facilitating the communications discussion. We are quite delighted with the outcome. The entire group enjoyed your facilitation style and were so pleased with the progress we made. Once again, thank you for supporting the Council with your experience and expertise. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
Charleen Schnick, Coordinator
Community Learning Council for Wetaskiwin and Area
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING:
“Larry is enthusiastic and committed to whatever task he starts on. I highly recommend him.”
Cor De Boon, Director, Northern Alberta Business Incubator
“Richard is quick to acquaint himself with changes in an environment, supports the objectives as set forth by a governing board of directors and presents exactly what is asked of him with all of the innovative ideas that are unique to him. Said another way, he pulls together budgets quickly, identifies and resolves gaps, encourages team work and empowers subordinates…and is persistent in his efforts. He excels in high-pressure, high-deadline environments and is a true facilitator of change.”
Emma Pietroleonardo, Past Board Chair, Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Association
“Entrepreneurship can sometimes feel like a hard and lonely road…fortunately, kindness and insight from those that have gone before us can make a difference. Larry Horncastle of Keystone Strategies provides this. He is generous with his time, advice and genuine encouragement and I would recommend any new or seasoned entrepreneurs to reach out to him. ”
Teresa Waser, RX Physiotherapy
“Richard is very knowledgeable and respectful of our opinions and input. [The strategic planning] exercises facilitate great brainstorming and discussion.”
Scott Kwasnecha, Board Member, Leduc Community Adult Learning Council
“[Larry] is a straight-talking, honest and transparent professional.”
Duff Jamison, President of Great West Newspapers