Meyers Norris Penny (MNP) officially opened in Ponoka on Wednesday, February 26th, located at 5012-48th Avenue. The business celebrated with a light lunch and ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

The tax and business firm are well-known nationally, but it was their community engagement with the Canada Winter Games that made Ponoka Mayor Rick Bonnett initially interested in becoming a home for the business. 

“It’s great to see MNP come into town. We started this as a co-sponsor with the Winter Games last year where we really started aggressively asking. They were part of the torch-bearing relay across Canada so we really went after a lot of the sponsors…,” Bonnett added, “It only took a year, but we will continue to work on it and make it a much more profitable expansion.”

For MNP, the decision to conduct business within Ponoka was simply based on existing business in the area. 

“We looked at our client base and we already have a lot of existing clients in this area and we just feel like it’s a good opportunity to grow a little bit more and to help people with their businesses,” said Angela Law, Business Partner for MNP. 

Bonnett said the town targeted many businesses through the Canada Winter Games and is excited to welcome the first business as a result of the national event. The mayor has been actively seeking new businesses to pursue opportunities in Ponoka which has proven to be a little tough in our tough economic times.

“I was just out in Whistler at the ISC conference which is International Shopping Centres. It was actually interesting because you can see the retailers when they see someone with an Alberta nametag—they just about turnaround and run,” said Bonnett. 

However, Bonnett is confident about a turnaround for Central Alberta in the near future. 

“We’re making the turn. The developers out there were very positive about coming into Alberta and expanding because they see Alberta as low as it’s probably going to be. We’ve got a lot of growth potential and a lot of things happening. We’ll see hopefully some significant growth hopefully in Central Alberta,” explained Bonnett. 

Even in the early days, MNP has already received healthy business and a warm welcome from the town of Ponoka. 

“A lot of the banks came over and said ‘hi’ and the existing clients that we know. It’s just good for awareness for people to know that we’re now in Ponoka,” said Law adding, “I’ve had a client meeting of existing clients every single day that have been in Ponoka. It’s way more convenient for them it’s been great for them to be able to stop local and not have to drive.”

From Ponoka MNP:

MNP, Canada’s fifth-largest national accounting and business consulting firm, is pleased to announce that it has expanded its presence in Central Alberta with the opening of an office in Ponoka, Alberta.

“MNP is excited to build on its growing presence and commitment to Ponoka and Central Alberta,” said Doug Stroh, MNP's Regional Managing Partner of Central Alberta. “We were looking to establish a presence in Ponoka to better serve our current Central Alberta clients, demonstrate our commitment to the agriculture marketplace and provide well-established and personalized business advice to the region.”  

Founded in 1958, MNP has grown to more than 80 offices across Canada, delivering a wide range of services and specialized expertise in every sector and area of business. In addition to tax and accounting expertise, MNP delivers advisory services, including consulting, enterprise risk, corporate finance, valuation, and litigation support, succession planning, insolvency and restructuring, investigative and forensic accounting, technology solutions and cybersecurity, cross-border taxation and much more.

“As we continue to grow our firm to serve the needs of this region, an office in Ponoka provides MNP the ability to provide current and prospective clients with access to more specialized services to support them as they evolve and their needs become more complex," said Stroh.

The MNP office in Ponoka is located at 5012 48 Avenue, Ponoka, Alberta.

About MNP: 

MNP is a leading national accounting, tax, and business consulting firm in Canada. We proudly serve and respond to the needs of our clients in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Through partner-led engagements, we provide a collaborative, cost-effective approach to doing business and personalized strategies to help organizations succeed across the country and around the world.

For additional information, please contact:

Lee Ann Waines

Regional Marketing Manager

403.356.1349

LeeAnn.Waines@mnp.cawww.mnp.ca