EQUS and Red Deer County are pleased to share that an agreement has been reached that will see EQUS purchase just over seven acres of land in Red Deer County’s Junction 42 development area. This land will eventually be the site of a new office, shop, and yard for EQUS’ Central Area operations team which consists of approximately 40 employees, and will house EQUS’ fleet and service yard for central Alberta.
This new location and facility will allow EQUS to better serve our Central Area members, improve working conditions for our Central Area team, allow room for future growth, increase operational efficiency, and add value back into our community and Service Area.
EQUS’ current Central Area Office in Innisfail has been in need of significant upgrades to address issues with the aging building, and a need for increased yard space for EQUS’ fleet and operational equipment. EQUS’ Central Area Office was originally built in 1984, and housed the Central Alberta REA (CAREA) before it merged with South Alta REA to become EQUS in 2013.
A complete assessment was done in 2021 to determine what the costs would be to renovate the facility to improve working conditions and better meet the needs of EQUS’ operations. The assessment determined that making all the necessary upgrades would be cost-prohibitive. As such, the search began for a piece of land that could house a new office and provide increased yard space to better accommodate operational requirements. The EQUS Board of Directors assessed several options and ultimately determined that the land at Junction 42 would be the most appropriate site for the new facility.
“EQUS is pleased to be entering into this exciting opportunity with Red Deer County. As a member-owned co-operative, everything we do is focused on serving our members and serving our communities. EQUS serves many members in Red Deer County and the surrounding area, and provides distribution services to the Junction 42 development. The location of this future EQUS facility will ensure that our central Alberta team is able to provide timely service to our members, while adding value to our community and our co-operative. We look forward to beginning work on an innovative new facility for our team.” States EQUS CEO, Andy Metzger.
Red Deer County Mayor, Jim Wood expressed his gratitude and remarked that “Red Deer County is honored that EQUS has chosen to build in the Junction 42 area, the centralized location is ideal and will support the numerous members in and surrounding the County, I look forward to welcoming the EQUS team to their new office in the future!”
The Junction 42 Area is located along one of North America’s busiest travel and trade routes along the Queen Elizabeth II Highway; with 290 acres ready for future commercial development, this location provides easy access to major and secondary highways and taking shape to become one of Alberta’s most innovative and future-forward business park developments. EQUS provides distribution services to Junction 42 and the businesses that operate there.
EQUS will begin design work on the new facility in 2022, with plans to complete construction and have EQUS staff working out of the facility by the end of 2023. We look forward to sharing updates with EQUS members as we move through this process.
