Josh Traptow | Top 40 Under 40 2024

He preserves the stories of Calgary’s past while advocating for social causes in the present.

Photo by Jared Sych. Location: Centennial Place.

Age: 35

Occupation: Chief Executive Officer, Heritage Calgary

As a third-generation Calgarian, Josh Traptow is invested in unearthing and protecting the city’s past. “I grew up listening to the stories of my grandfathers, who grew up in the Depression era, and the boom-and-bust that Calgary saw post-World War II,” he says.

Traptow started his career in the halls of power, when he was hired at 21 as a special assistant to then-Alberta Premier Alison Redford. He moved on to working with the Minister of Agriculture and then for an inner-city councillor in Calgary. His deep appreciation for history and field-tested knowledge of how to make a difference made him the ideal person to take the helm of Heritage Calgary back in 2015.

Heritage Calgary runs as a charitable civic partner of the City of Calgary. As CEO, Traptow stands up for the often-overlooked structures of the city’s built history. Heritage Calgary maintains a public online database of more than 900 heritage resources and sites, advocating for the value of historic buildings when new developments are proposed.

Outside of his work with Heritage Calgary, Traptow volunteers for a range of civic organizations, including the Calgary Stampede, Heritage Park, and the History and Heroes Alberta Foundation. He is most proud of his work with the Women in Need Society (WINS), where he is board chair — the charity runs seven thrift stores and diverted more than 6.3 million pounds of used goods from Calgary landfills in 2023 alone. Traptow also enjoys attending the graduation ceremonies for a WINS skills-training program called Retail Ready, which helps women, many who are newcomers to Calgary, find their footing in the job market as cashiers.

Traptow’s appreciation of the past inspires his sense of civic duty in the present. “Community is at the heart of everything I do,” he says.

Thank yous
“My parents, Paul and Shawna; my brothers, Jarrett and Joel; all of my friends and the folks who have taken me under their wing.”

 

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Learn more about the people and organizations moving Calgary forward with Avenue's Innovation Newsletter.

This article appears in the November 2024 issue of Avenue Calgary.

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