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Message from the President
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Economic development, tourism and member services are the three key areas the Summerland Chamber of Commerce focuses its efforts on. While each of these mandates presents a unique set of challenges to fulfill, they are linked in many ways.
On the economic front, the Summerland Chamber receives input and recommendations on a regular basis. That information is invaluable and helps inform our strategic planning. As Chamber president, I plan to share some of those insights as a new member of the Mayor's Task Force on the local economy. Summerland Mayor Peter Waterman says the goal of the task force is to "consult with community stakeholders and identify potential strategies to assist in achieving the vision."
Members of the task force represent various business sectors including technology, tourism, downtown business, agri-business, manufacturing, the arts, seniors and youth. It is expected that recommendations from the task force will be forwarded to Summerland council for review.
One local recommendation that is currently being put into action is a local economic stimulus campaign. Ideas around encouraging local shopping have circulated for some time and were repeated by business owners during October and April business walks as well as a recent strategic planning breakfast held with council.
The Chamber initiated this campaign last year with the video 'Our Connected Community' to show residents how their local shopping dollars supported the whole community. This year, with the completion of the new Chamber website and business directory, we were able to launch the Discover Home campaign in March.
The multi-media initiative is aimed at Summerland residents through video and social media, and supported by print and collateral. The goals of the Discover Home campaign are to put Summerland businesses first in residents' minds when considering purchasing goods and services and increasing the visibility of Summerland businesses. The campaign is also designed to communicate how easy it is to find the products and services you need here at home.
You can watch the Discover Home videos and learn more about the campaign by visiting the Summerland Chamber of Commerce website.
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| Message from the Executive Director |
In the past 15 months, significant strides have been made in our South Okanagan cycling infrastructure. In order to more effectively market this to tourists, Penticton, Summerland and Naramata have joined together and have received funding support from our municipalities and from Destination BC for a new spring bike festival called Chain of Events. This is a May and early June regional festival highlighting all the various events that are available for bike enthusiasts to participate in and is being promoted in the lower mainland and Alberta.
The goals of the festival are to: position the region as the 1st spring cycling destination for the Pacific Northwest, provide a shoulder season tourism lift for accommodators and hospitality providers, support and draw attention to our existing and expanding regional bike infrastructure, contribute to the growth of bike related businesses such as bike shops, tour and workshop providers and support services such as physio, chiro and other health practitioners, etc., and to introduce future residents to our beautiful area.
Two Summerland events that are featured are 'Tea at the Top' on Mother's Day, sponsored by Trail of the Okanagans and showcasing the Fur Brigade Trail, and the new bike race event as part of the Giants Head Grind on the May long weekend.
In 2017 the communities hope to launch a signature event that takes riders on a horseshoe shaped tour between the 3 communities and will involve a water element.
Please visit www.okchainofevents.com to see the full regional list and learn about all the events. Then go and enjoy spring cycling in the Okanagan!
Christine Petkau
Executive Director
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South Okanagan works to create welcoming communities
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South Okanagan develops Labour Action Plan
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The South Okanagan Labour Market Research and Action Plan Report came about because of the findings from several recent South Okanagan labour market studies that indicate a profound shift is underway in the region.
studies each identify that recruitment and retention, particularly in the professional, technical and
trades occupations, are becoming a costly and a time consuming challenge for employers. This
situation is hampering business growth and stalling the development of a higher wage, sustainable
economy.
All elements of this work were informed by a steering committee of local stakeholders from across South Okanagan municipalities. The objective of this project is to provide a realistic, tangible, action plan that can be implemented through a collaborative approach of local stakeholders and partners. For a summary of the findings click here.
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Tell your story and win $100,000
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Small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy and they can always use help in overcoming challenges and achieving their goals. The best entrepreneurs thrive on these challenges, seeing them as the stepping stones on the path to growth. So, tell us the biggest challenge your business faces today and how a $100,000 grant would help you conquer it and help you grow.
TELUS' panel of business experts will review the entries, and if the most compelling is yours, you'll win a $100,000 business grant from Telus. Plus, your company will be profiled in the pages of the Report on Business and on theglobeandmail.com
and throughout social media. Now in its sixth exciting year, the $100,000 Small Business Challenge contest also offers other valuable prizing and recognition within the ROB platforms of the Globe to runners-up, best start-ups, regional winners and honourable mentions.
Imagine how $100,000 and recognition within The Globe and Mail can propel your business forward. Find out more here
for inspiration and tips about what it takes to win. Don't miss out - enter now. It's easy.
Deadline for submissions is May 31, 2016.
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Purolator provides discounts for Chamber members
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Whether your shipment is time sensitive or less critical, Purolator's suite of solutions can fit all budgets and help you exceed your customer's expectations. As one of Canada's leading package solutions providers, Purolator has been delivering to more and more places and businesses from coast to coast for over 50 years.
Take advantage of your privileged membership with the BC Chamber of Commerce and leverage discounts starting at 25% when you ship with Purolator. To start shipping, please click
here to learn more and set up your account today.
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Reading Room and more
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BC Rural Dividend aims to build capacity in communities - Applications for the first year of funding under the BC Rural Dividend will be accepted until May 31, 2016. The three-year $75-million Rural Dividend will help rural communities with populations under 25,000 diversify and strengthen their economies. Local governments, not-for-profit organizations and First Nations are all eligible to apply. Read more.
BC Tech Co-op Grants - The BC Tech Co-op Grants Program has been expanded to make it even easier for B.C. companies to hire a co-op student. The program has been extended to larger companies and more industries, for longer terms. Deadlines for Summer 2016 work terms from May to September is now July 1.
More details
here
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$7M available under the Canada-BC Job Grant for employee training
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Government will provide two-thirds of the total training cost for an employee up to $10k per person to offset the cost of training. Read more.
BC Tourism Industry continues to grow -
The latest international visitor numbers from February show that tourism is up 15.3% during the first two months of 2016 with 71,007 more visitors to the province over the same period last year. For more details
visit here.
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New members
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A warm welcome to our newest members.
New Businesses
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| Valley Wide Business After Business |
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Member Benefit Group Insurance Plan
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