Killarney Guide

BY JAY STRUTH

There’s a new GM at the Shamrock Centre and she’s happy to be back where her passion is.

“I started at the Shamrock Centre in 2012, and I was Brian LePoudre’s assistant at the time,” said Liana Smith, the new general manager of the Shamrock Centre. “I worked here from 2012 to 2017, and then I transitioned to the Town Office after that, doing accounting and utility billing there.”

Smith said she loved her time at the Shamrock Centre, and the only reason she left was that the funding was taken away for her position at the time. 

“So when I saw the opportunity to come back, I jumped all over it and I applied for the job,” she said. “This is where my passion is. I’m excited. It’s been a long year and a half with COVID, so I want to get people back in the building, I want kids playing sports, and I know that adults are looking to socialize so I want to maybe get some dances in here, some galas, and just get this place rocking again.”

Prior to moving to Killarney, Smith worked in a fundraising role for STARS Air Ambulance in Calgary. 

“So as an executive assistant there I did major galas and fundraising events, I did budgeting, and I worked with the Petroleum Services Association of Canada on the PSAC Gala,” said Smith of her time with STARS. “So I have quite an extensive background in event planning and fundraising, which is a large part of this job. I’m general manager of this facility, but part of my job is to bring programming and events into the building. Basically I want to get people back into the building after the whole COVID situation.”

Smith also wants to enlarge the role of the recreation assistant, which has been filled aptly by April Archambault in recent weeks.

“I’m hoping to expand the recreation assistant role into some programming and some marketing, but it’s early on so I just need to get in here and see what the facility needs,” added Smith. “I’m also hoping at some point to bring in a maintenance person to run the plant.”

NEW GM HAPPY TO BE BACK IN THE BUILDING – New Shamrock Centre GM Liana Smith is back where her passion is, and she couldn’t be more excited about it.

NEW DUO – Liana Smith (left) started this week in her new role as Shamrock Centre general manager, while April Archambault (right) has been filling in as recreation assistant for a few weeks now. 

JAY STRUTH/KILLARNEY GUIDE