Horizon Media Canada is expanding its geographic footprint with the opening of a new office in Edmonton.

Negotiations are currently underway for real estate, and Horizon will be appointing a local agency lead with Alberta roots. Once named, the new Alberta lead partner will also join the senior leadership at Horizon Media to grow the agency’s western Canadian business.

The expansion is, in part, in response to new business in the region with a client expected to be announced in the coming weeks. At the same time, it was also looking for places to grow in Canada.

“A lot of agencies don’t have a presence [in Alberta] and I think that COVID forced some downsizing and closures,” says Kevin Kivi, general manager of Horizon Media Canada. “We’re really focused on where there could potentially be some long-term growth. There are a lot of local-based businesses out there and a lot of national businesses that are headquartered not only in Edmonton, but Calgary as well.”

Horizon has begun working on having its first Edmonton team in place for Q1 2022.

Founded in New York in 1989, Horizon expanded into Canada fours year ago with its Toronto office. Although Kivi didn’t foresee the agency growing into a new part of Canada so soon, he says it felt like the right place and time to go west. Kivi says that as an independent agency, Horizon is not beholden to shareholders and free to invest where it sees growth and opportunity.

“To me, that particular part of Canada is rich with opportunity – not only from a talent standpoint but also from a local market client standpoint,” he says. “It’s not cluttered space. It’s a blank canvas. Vancouver and Montreal are relatively cluttered markets as it relates to agencies. Edmonton is pure opportunity at this point in time.”

Featured image by user IQRemix on Flickr.