Calgary city officials are handing over a huge sum of money to a local company that is making great strides to help the economy recover from the beating it took over the past few years.

The firm, called ATTAbotics Inc., specializes in automated storage systems designed for moving and retrieving products in warehouses.

The money is coming from the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF), a pool of cash devoted to attracting and building investment in the City of Calgary.

Officials with the company say that they owe a lot to the oil and gas sector and are glad they can be there to support employees who have lost their jobs.

“Most of the people you see at ATTAbotics right now came from the oil and gas industry. We wouldn’t have been possible had there been a really strong oil and gas economy in Calgary. The reason being, to compete as a start-up technology company in this market against oil and gas historically was almost impossible,” says Scott Gravelle with ATTAbotics.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi says it’s an incredible story that depicts a great way that Calgary’s skilled workforce can be used.

“Helping people transition from an oil and gas into using themselves as highly trained scientists and engineers into something new that the world really needs.”

Nenshi says the grant is a ‘surgical investment’ to give the company exactly what they need to spur growth.

“To give them just that little bit of a springboard they need to get to the next level of growth. To really be a global champion and we know that this investment will ensure a game changer that is able to scale up operations right here in Calgary.”

He adds that the economic recovery remains pretty fragile because of the constant up and downs.

“It’s been difficult to see where the economy is going. The last eight weeks have been pretty bleak news and then last week, we got very good unemployment numbers. Certainly, it’s a fragile fits-and-starts economy that we’re in now.”

Nenshi said that the contribution by OCIF isn’t just for jobs in the short-term, but it’s to lay the groundwork for other similar companies to set up in the City of Calgary.

With the funding, ATTAbotics hopes to expand its operations outside of the United States and Canada and add another 150 new jobs.

(With files from Chris Epp)