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Dear Readers,
Happy New Year! Before we bid farewell to 2015 and look onward and upward to the new year ahead, we must pay our respects; for 2015 was our most successful year, ever.
To that we owe thanks to our sponsors, partners, supporters, affiliates, volunteers and most importantly - our members!
Never in our history have we had more members, and more members joining. And, do they ever display a high degree of commitment to business excellence and community support! Every weekly meeting we hear the report of new members and comment on the diversity of businesses joining the Chamber. This helps us to grow and work together to create business solutions.
More compelling proof that this has been our best year ever? Recognition from our colleagues, across the province, and across the country. Our Chamber networks are absolutely buzzing with questions, solutions, webinars, and the occasional award: notably in our case, BC Chamber of the Year. What an honour! And, the highest nominee count ever for our prestigious Business Excellence Awards, given out in October.
Looking ahead, the Chamber is examining its branding. We realize that in this communications saturated world, we require a continuity of message, of look, and mission in everything we do. We're hyper-critical of our own communications, so we are ensuring that what we look like to our audience, and how we are perceived has a strength and consistency that will reflect our very best face to our internal and external audiences.
In the second quarter, we'll host an exciting excursion to Haida Gwaii as well as the province-wide BC Chamber annual convention and reception for attendees right here in Kelowna. If our hosting the national Chamber convention 18 months ago is anything to go by (yes, delegates are still talking about the party we threw for them), the provincial celebration will be another landmark.
A strong membership; a strong board; a supportive and knowledgeable staff - if the term 'count your blessings' is appropriate at this time of year, then, yes, we are doing that. We are now facing 2016 with excitement, learning, involvement, and advocacy. Here's to shared success, inspiration and a prosperous 2016.
The Kelowna Chamber Team
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Call for Chamber Board Directors
8 positions available for the coming term
Nominations for the 2016-2017 Kelowna Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors are currently being sought.
In a volunteer capacity, members of the Board of Directors of the Kelowna Chamber provide a leadership role in determining the long-term direction and policy decisions of the Chamber. They provide expertise to maintain a high standard of advocacy, services, programs and opportunities delivered by the Kelowna Chamber.
Eight Director positions are available for the coming term. Five incumbent Directors are seeking election; additionally there are 3 vacant positions.
2016-2017 Incumbent Directors:
-Nikki Csek,
Csek Creative
incumbent .5 term
-Martine Hickman,
BDC
incumbent 1 term
-Jeff Robinson,
Rush Ihas Hardwick
incumbent 1 term
-Carmen Sparg,
Total Interiors
incumbent 2 terms
-Shelagh Turner,
Canadian Mental Health
incumbent .5 term
To be eligible to sit on the Board of Directors, members must be able to commit to a two-year term on the Board and must be a member in good standing for at least 30 days prior to the date of the close of nominations. Applicants require the written endorsement of two other Kelowna Chamber members. If you are interested in serving on the board, please
click here
for
the application form.
Applications must be received at the Kelowna Chamber office by 4:00 pm on Monday, February 8, 2016 at which point nominations will close. If additional applications are received exceeding the number of eligible positions, a ballot will be e-mailed to all voting members following the close of nominations for an electronic vote. For further information, contact Caroline Grover, CEO at 250-469-7356 or email
[email protected]
.
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Membership Renewal Charity Draw Results
And the winner is...
In December we encouraged our members to renew their membership before 2016, and those that did were entered into a draw for a $500 donation to the charity of their choice.
This week we conducted the random draw and we are pleased to announce that winner of the contest is FH&P Lawyers!
Supporters of the Kelowna Chamber for 15 years, FH&P have chosen to make their donation to the
Kelowna General Hospital Foundation's new Perinatal Unit, set to open this spring.
The new unit, located on the 4th floor of the
Interior Heart and Surgical Centre will replace the hospital's existing labour and delivery unit, postpartum and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the Strathcona Building. It will feature:
- expanded patient and clinical space
- central neonatal monitoring
- new surgical suite for caesarean section deliveries
- single-patient post-partum rooms
- an upgraded neonatal intensive care unit
- Since this new unit will be under the same roof as the hospital's new operating rooms, physicians can provide urgent caesarean section deliveries, vastly improving patient care in critical situations.
We thank everyone for their renewals and continued support of the Kelowna Chamber. We look forward to serving you in 2016!
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Membership Benefits Update
New Benefits and more
With the new year we have two new benefits that we are eager to share with our members. Before we do though, we would like to advise those of you who are using our "Coupons" feature, that it is time to re-post your deals. Deals auto-expired on December 31st, so to continue or begin offering a special deal to those browsing our website, please go to kelownachamber.org/coupons for more detail.
Now for the news; The first benefit is for traditional media advertising and exposure.
The
Cap
ital News is offering Kelowna
Chamber
members Business Builder
Packages at
50% off. The packages are meant to do exactly what they say, build your business. They i
nclude 8 or 9 print ads, a digital ad, plus a professional business profile as an
additional print feature prepared by their editorial staff.
The second benefit we can share with you is in pre-launch mode, so we can only give you an idea. It is an exciting new online service for Job seekers and Employers. It takes the work out of job/employee searching by finding qualified matches. Watch for the announcement soon!
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When registering for events PLEASE only press the "Submit" button once - even if you get a "Timeout" message. If you don't get the confirmation email, then please call us to confirm your registration. We are working on a resolution to this issue.
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AM Business Smarts:
Work Wiser: Emotional Resilience for Improved Performance
A perfect seminar to kick of 2016, Executive Coach Bill Schuilenberg will teach you how to build resiliency to live stronger and work wiser.
Tuesday January 19th
8:00 to 9:00 a.m.
Kelowna Chamber
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Business After Hours:
Back - by popular demand!
This is one opportunity you do not want to miss.
$
20 gets you: transportation to & from, afternoon lift ticket, ski or snowboard equipment rentals, a lesson if you wish AND an apres ski networking event at Big White Resort's newest lodge!
Thursday January 21st
11:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Big White Ski Resort
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Chamber Luncheon
featuring
Dr. Martha Piper, President and Vice Chancellor of UBC will grace our stage with her welcoming and collaborative approach on her pursuit to make a lasting difference during UBC's centennial year.
Thursday January 28th
11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Location TBA
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*NEW DATE & LOCATION*
Chamber Luncheon
Calvin Helin, named one of Canada's most powerful business people for 2016, will share the benefits of his vision and mission with us.
Thursday February 4th
11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Hotel Eldorado
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Chamber Luncheon:
Annual State of the City
Join us for a 3-course lunch at the Capri where our provincial & federal representatives will share their priorities for 2016.
Thursday February 11th
11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Coast Capri Hotel
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Check out ALL Chamber & Community Event Listings:
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Click on each to learn more
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