SHONDELL SABAD, SENIOR STRATEGIC ADVISOR AT AEG

I have never placed much weight on awards. Not because recognition isn’t nice, but because it rarely captures the full story.

Still, as we approach year-end, it’s worth pausing to take stock of what’s been built.

Recently, AEG member and our Marketing & Communications Director, Cathie Saroka, was recognized by WTAL for her leadership in the construction industry, an industry still largely dominated by men. It’s a meaningful acknowledgment. But what truly deserves recognition is not the award itself, it is the journey behind it.

Cathie owns and operates an architectural glass manufacturing company in Calgary that she has led for 40 years. Four decades of navigating cycles, managing risk, creating jobs, mentoring teams, and showing up day after day when there were no headlines, no applause, and no guarantees.

That story is not unique.

It is representative of thousands of Alberta entrepreneurs and SMEs, many of them AEG members, who quietly build companies, communities, and economic resilience while public attention gravitates toward politicians, bureaucrats, and government announcements.

At AEG, we know the truth: Governments do not build economies. Entrepreneurs do.

As we close out the year, let’s take a moment to recognize the real heroes of Alberta’s economy, the business owners, risk-takers, and community builders who keep showing up, often without recognition, and always with resolve.

To all AEG members: award winner or not, you are seen, you are valued, and you are the foundation of Alberta’s prosperity.