The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership (SLEP) is getting further recognition on a national scale.
For the third straight year, the organization has been named as one of the Top 20 Canadian Economic Development Groups by Site Selection Magazine.
The magazine said recent projects like Forge Hydrocarbons, LCY Biosciences, and Woodland Biofuels contributed to the high ranking.
SLEP CEO Stephen Thompson said companies take notice of areas that are included in the rankings.
He said maintaining a collaborative approach will be critical in keeping Sarnia-Lambton on the list for years to come.
"We've got such solid partners in all of our area municipalities and the City of Sarnia, the research park, Lambton College, all working very closely to promote our area and to help companies come here to innovate, expand and create jobs. There's a continued effort to build awareness and to help companies with a business case to be here and to expand here and be successful here."
Thompson said there have been many other great investments in Sarnia-Lambton, including $5 million in upgrades to Lambton Mall, the Bayside Mall redevelopment, new downtown high rises, and the new Sarnia casino.
Site Selection Magazine said Sarnia-Lambton's $17 million oversize load corridor project, connecting fabricators to the Port of Sarnia, is a very important one moving forward.
The 27-kilometre project involves widening curbs, raising and burying utility lines, placing traffic signals on movable swivels, and creating a dock at the end of Exmouth Street.
The magazine said our region has also seen an increase recently in population.
According to U-Haul, Sarnia was Canada's 15th ranked city in terms of growth in 2019, as tracked by net one-way U-Haul truck trips to the area.
