This article is part of the Bright Leaders of Calgary series, which features prominent corporate leaders and their insights on the local business community and vision for the future.
Home to blue skies and limitless opportunities to build a career and a life, Calgary consistently ranks among the top 10 most livable cities in the world.
As livability remains a priority in the community’s economic action plan, Uplook, organizations across Calgary are intentionally investing in initiatives that create a city where everyone is welcome, safe and able to build a meaningful life.
One local company contributing to Calgary’s focus on the future is RedPoint Media Group, one of the largest independently owned media companies in Alberta.
In February 2023, Käthe Lemon purchased the company with her business partner, Roger Jewett. Today, RedPoint continues to shed light on Calgary stories in award-winning publications, including Avenue magazine, the Made in Alberta Awards, Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 and more.
As the previous Editor-in-Chief at Avenue magazine for 15 years, Lemon has decades of experience telling the stories that make Calgary the best place to live and make a living.
We caught up with Lemon to learn what fuels her ongoing optimism and love for Calgary.
What was it about Calgary that drew you to the city?
I moved to Calgary saying I would give it a year – that was 20 years ago. I stayed because after living in Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Montreal and Halifax, I saw Calgary as the best city to live in.
Calgarians are very friendly, optimistic and welcoming. What I love about living and working in Calgary is the generosity of the people. Calgarians are generous with their time, expertise and enthusiasm for the city. People are very open with their contacts and networks. That’s what makes people feel like they’re a Calgarian right away — they’re invited to be part of growing and building the city.
This is another unique feature of Calgary. Our city is constantly changing for the better — it's a city that is always looking for ways to improve.
How would you describe the Calgary community to a non-Calgarian?
Calgarians are very optimistic about the future, along with being open and collaborative. They want to work with others and believe success is shared, which we really see with [Avenue’s] Top 40 under 40 project.
In many other cities, people believe your success takes away from their opportunities and when someone gets higher than everybody else, they try to cut them down. In Calgary, we celebrate each other.
What opportunities do you see in sharing Calgary's story internationally with talent and companies?
I've recently had opportunities to talk internationally about the ways in which the city of Calgary is changing.
Internationally, people don't know much about the city at all. We're not combating a negative perception — rather, people are eager to hear our story.
What I’ve heard resonate with individuals around the world is how Calgary is consistently among the top ranks of the Economist Intelligence Unit Global Livability Index. Our wastewater system is the best in the world, our public art funding is used as a model for other cities and many are enamored with the overall beauty and nature accessibility here.
How would you describe Calgary’s business community?
One of the big things I see in Calgary’s business community is collaboration. Many companies support smaller organizations and startups in their same industry, and don't necessarily view those companies as competitors, but rather as colleagues.
When my business partner and I bought RedPoint in February of 2023, we were blown away by the outpouring of support from the business community as we figured out the changing media landscape. People were expressing how excited they were this company stayed locally owned in Calgary and were open to helping.
This is why Avenue has a very specific role in highlighting and celebrating the business community — especially B2C businesses like restaurants, boutiques, events and venues. They are a huge part of the local economy and don't always have enough advertising or the ability to promote their work.
What are your favourite Calgary stories to tell?
We are so privileged to get to write and share stories at a time when the city is in such an incredible growth phase, like the development and revitalization of the East Village with the library and Studio Bell. It was such an incredible story, which really highlights how if we can do that – instill vibrancy into our downtown core – we can do so much more as a city.
Calgarians are always willing to champion these huge projects and it’s because of them that we continue to evolve to be the best version of Calgary.
What gives you optimism for Calgary’s future?
One of the biggest things that gives me optimism is how optimistic Calgarians are. People here think the future will be better. With our eyes on the future, I've noticed Calgarians to be grateful for what they have now and before they ask for more.
There's the expression ‘whether you believe you can, or you can't, you’re right’. That's one of the things you see come out of Calgary. People really believe there's possibility here, and that others will help them find that possibility.
About Team Calgary: The Team Calgary corporate partnership program engages our community’s visionary thought leaders to influence Calgary’s economic growth and create long-term prosperity and opportunities for all Calgarians.
Together, we advance the economic strategy, Uplook: An Action Plan For Our Economy, as the path to make Calgary the place where bright minds and big ideas come together with an unmatched spirit to help solve global challenges.