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[ Photo Credit: Steve McNaul from the Daily Courier ]
From Left to Right: Mayor Colin Basran, Martine Hickman of Business Development Bank of Canada; Peter MacPherson of Farris Law Firm; Tom Dyas, Board President of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce
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Dear Readers,
We have been excited to officially announce that nominations for the
30th Annual Business Excellence Awards are open. With the support of Mayor Colin Basran and our key sponsors: Business Development Bank of Canada and Farris Law Firm, we are looking forward to seeing all nominees. After a review of our annual awards process, categories and ceremony, the Chamber determined that this year's awards
needed to evolve in order to reflect the varied business environment in the Valley. This year's program has been enhanced with the addition of
four new categories
:
- Social Impact Award
- Excellence in Agriculture Award
- Marketing Campaign of the Year
- Arts & Entertainment Achievement Award
These four new awards will round out our six core categories for a total of 10 awards.
- Rising Star Business of the Year
- Small Business of the Year
- Mid-size Business of the Year
- Large Business of the Year
From now until June 8th we encourage the entire community to nominate a business located from Peachland to Oyama, member or non-member.
Warmest Regards,
The Kelowna Chamber Team
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Commerce ConneX @ Tantalus Vineyards
TONIGHT
| 5:00pm - 7:00pm | Tantalus Vineyards
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YPIB: Super Casual Coffee Social
June 7
| 8:00 am - 9:00 am | Pulp Fiction Coffee House
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Luncheon:
Financing Fundamentals for
Startup and Growth Companies
June 28
| 11:30 am - 1:30 pm | Coast Capri Hotel
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Message to Members: Fair Pharmacare
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As a valued member, you may be taking advantage of our Chamber Group Health Insurance Plan for your business through
TD Benefit Solutions. Please be advised of the newest update regarding prescription drugs purchased:
A message from TD Benefits:
Did you know that you may be eligible for additional coverage on your prescriptions?
An Extended Health benefit plan primarily reimburses a percentage of the total cost of your prescription drug purchases. Since benefit plans generally reimburse less than 100% of expenses, most individuals are required to pay the remaining portion of the prescription drug costs. Residents of British Columbia are required to register in the provincial drug program, Fair Pharmacare. It will cover your specified percentage of drug expenses, once you have met your personal family deductible and will cover 100% of the drug expenses after your family maximum is met. By registering with Fair Pharmacare, you increase the value of your benefit plan by keeping claims low and in turn, minimizing any premium increases at renewal.
To register please follow this link:
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Our newest
members were treated to a fun reception, in their honour, generously hosted by Irwin's Safety last week. Irwin's put out an amazing spread, while beverages were provided by Indigenous Winery and Kettle River Brewing Co.
Thanks to Angela, Kyle and the entire Irwin's team for an amazing party!
Promote your business with our New Member Swag Bags
Interested in maximizing your business' exposure to our newest Chamber members? Do you have branded swag or merchandise? Put them to good use and help us welcome our new members by providing goodies for the bags. Our Volunteer Ambassador Team, who deliver the bags, work tirelessly to ensure all of our new members receive a personal and warm welcome. Every new member at the Chamber receives a welcome package and getting involved with our swag bags, is a great way to get your business noticed!
If you would like to contribute some of your promotional knick-knacks to our New Member Welcome Bags, please contact Diana
.
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- Congrats to Wentworth Music, they have been named as a Top 100 Dealer by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM)!
- The Kelowna Canadian Italian Club will be hosting 'I'm Not Just Italian' by Comedian Enrico Rennella on June 17th, from 8-10 pm. Click here to register!
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Congratulations to our members on winning awards at this year's Civic Award Ceremony: Gary Benson, Director of the Uptown Rutland Association, won Fred Macklin Man of the Year;
Kelowna Gospel Mission won Volunteer Organization of the Year;
DIRRT Environmental Solutions (Formerly Spider Agile Technology) won Champion for the Environment Business;
Kendall Gross of Valley First Credit Union won Bob Giordano Memorial;
Costco Wholesale Kelowna won Large Business of the Year; and
Third Space Coffee won Small to Medium Sized Business.
- WestJet, claimed two world records on Wednesday for building and illuminating a kilometre-wide wheel, in the Utah desert, that showed a prize-winning seat numbers on its flight to Las Vegas from Toronto.
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The
Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers Program received the
Program of the Year Award at the B.C. Crime Stoppers Training Conference in recognition for the amount of stolen property recovered ($160,000) and $4.2 million in illegal drugs sized in 2016.
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Business Examiner Column:
If It's May, Then We're Talking Policies
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Did you know that the Kelowna Chamber has a column in the Business Examiner every month? Their monthly publication reaches over 11,000 businesses throughout the region, highlighting important developments, business leaders, local c
ompanies and their accomplishments and offers educational pieces specific to our community.
This month's Chamber article is all about policies as we near the BC Chamber of Commerce AGM on May 25th-27th, in Victoria this year.
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9 Ways to Influence Without Authority
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A key skill, relevant to leaders at all levels, is the ability to positively influence people in such a way that others follow and act willingly. As opposed to complying because of the "authority" factor. Then there are those roles where leaders must "manage" more indirectly. In many cases, as with HR, finance and marketing, where direct report structures differ, this might be the primary way things get done.
After all, whether or not you are in sales directly, you
are selling ideas, opinions and insights daily....
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