Zac Hartley grew into his entrepreneurial self as a young adult studying at Mount Royal University. Starting in general studies and physical education, he decided to transfer into the business program in his second year. He graduated in 2016 with a business management degree and a minor in innovation and entrepreneurship.
In his graduating year, Hartley started a business converting wine and whisky barrels into smokers. He then pitched his business to LaunchPad, which eventually landed him on season 13 of Dragon’s Den. Over the span of four years, the business succeeded in grossing over $1 million in revenue.
His attention to detail and focus on finance is shown in his political platform that centers around making financial decisions that better represent the city’s needs for future growth. Hartley plans on reevaluating budgets for projects like the Green Line development and the city’s art installation program.
Hartley also hopes to see a change in property tax and taxing foreign companies, as he believes in trying to find more ways to ease the burden on Calgarians and better support our local businesses. He says a healthy and thriving city is one where citizens feel secure and fulfilled by their employment.
“They have access to and from those jobs; meaning good transportation and they have things to do on the weekends and in their downtime,” he says. “So we have something that can entertain the citizens.”
The Calgary Journal asked our city’s mayoral candidates five questions about themselves and their campaigns. Here’s what Hartley told us:
More about Zac Hartley
Instagram: @zaac_
Facebook: HartleyTrading
Youtube: ZacHartley
Campaign website: www.zacformayor.com/