High River's new Economic Development Officer has big plans and high hopes for the Town.

Shawna Stonehouse, who just stepped into the position, after spending 17 years in Stratford, Ontario says she's confident Downtown High River will be a vital and vibrant part of the community in no time.

"High River has great 'bones' from an economic developers perspective. You've got a fantastic downtown that's got anchors in it. A lot of small towns don't have their banks or a grocery store downtown anymore. So, how do you build on that? Well, we've got that here. So I think it's going to be relatively easy to get downtown back on track."

Stonehouse says one of the most attractive features for High River right now is it's economic diversity which relies more on agri-business, health sciences and tourism, than oil and gas.