From left to right: Dan Rogers, Kelowna Chamber Executive Director; Nicole Davison, British Consul General; Tom Dyas, Kelowna Chamber Board President.
Dear Readers,

We were happy to welcome Nicole Davison, British Consul General to our office. Dan Rogers and Tom Dyas had an engaging discussion on potential investment and trade opportunities between the two regions. (Pictured above)

Last night, we hosted a wonderful evening in celebration of our Top 40 Over 40 Nominees. If you haven't read our Top 40 features in the Daily Courier, you can read all of their features here.

We will formally announce the opening of the Top 40 Under 40 Nominations in the next few weeks... stay tuned!

We are excited to announce that a record number of nominations for our Business Excellence Awards have been received this year! Everyone who has been nominated has been contacted via email and the nomination packages will be emailed out shortly. We are excited to recognize great businesses, leaders and entrepreneurs in our community at our awards ceremony and banquet in the fall.

Warmest Regards,
The Kelowna Chamber Team
Upcoming Events
Luncheon:  Fundamentals for  Startup and Growth Companies
June 28  | 11:30 am - 1:30 pm | Coast Capri Hotel
* *LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER**
Summer Commerce ConneX
Thursday, July 20  | 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm | Vibrant Vine
  HOSTED EVERY 3RD THURSDAY OF THE MONTH
Calling All New Business  Owners 
& Tech Startups! 
Looking to grow your business? Own a technology startup? We will be hosting our final Series Luncheon before summer break next week (June 28) on the Fundamentals for Startup & Growth Companies. There will be discussion on the type of funding available to companies (public or private) and the basic development steps that  Accelerate Okanagan offers its entrepreneurial development programs. 

Learn the difference between private capital and public capital. Find out what the timeline is for Venture Capital Financing, and what it takes to get it set-up, scale up, exit or find success. IPOs, listing rules and a focus on junior listings will be reviewed.
Hear from an experienced roster of speakers:

Anna Serin , Manager of Listings Development for the Canadian Securities Exchange.

Andrew Greer , program strategist at Accelerate Okanagan and Founder of purppl (PURposeful PeoPle), a community enterprise accelerator that helps social entrepreneurs build sustainable business models.  

Raghwa Gopal , CEO of Accelerate Okanagan. He is a serial entrepreneur who has been instrumental in starting, growing and selling numerous businesses over the last 30 years, the latest being Vadim Software.

Join us next week and gain some valuable insight into growing your business!
Join our Photo Contest #EssoRoadtrip
It's Canada's 150th year and there are a lot of events and attractions to take in during this summer of celebration. Get out on the road and explore Canada during this special year, then share your experiences as part of our #EssoRoadtrip. Visit http://www.chamber.ca/events/esso-roadtrip-photo-contest/ for contest details. 

The prizes for this contest are about supporting your local Chamber of Commerce.  Yes, your Chamber, in your community! Already a member or perhaps a future member? Our partner, Esso, is going to contribute $300 towards membership dues for an existing or new member of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce. We will be awarding five winners each month for June, July and August.
The winners will be determined by the online voting. Don't forget to post and especially be sure to vote! 
Members in the News
  • Congrats Kelowna Museum on celebrating their 50th year!
  • Fripp Warehousing unveiled one of the largest murals in British Columbia on Wednesday. Hand-painted by local artist Eric Blais, the mural measures over 200 feet long and 30 feet high. Heather Eichinger, Chamber Membership Account Executive was on location to celebrate with them.
  • A group of brightly-costumed superheroes from Coast Capital Savings went around town, providing small acts of kindness to Okanagan locals in celebration of their grand opening. Amazing!
  • United Way CSO across BC have partnered with BC211 to provide an online service in all regions of the province. bc211.ca is an online information service that is an up-to-date, reliable gateway to community, social, non-clinical health and government services.
  • The Canadian Cancer Society has opened up sponsorship opportunities for their 'Festival of Trees Kelowna' event in the winter. Only ten spots available! Please contact Lori Stevenson for more info.
  • Points West is now offering wireless safety systems that inter-connect; mobile alerts, resident monitoring and nurse-call. These three key elements create a 'virtual safety net' for healthcare workers and people in care.
  • Silver Star Mountain Resort is excited to announce their major investment of a new Doppelmayr gondola from the SilverStar Village to the Summit! Opening July 2018 in celebration of their 60th Anniversary.
CEO TalkBack: Four Principles for Putting People First
There are many competing priorities for a leader's time from customers, products and new innovations, yet organizations that put people first send a clear message. The best organizations and leaders actually spend the majority of their time on people and their development.

The actual practices for putting people first may change, depending on the market conditions and cultural realities. Click below to read four principles that stand the test of time.

The Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of BC & Yukon (formerly the Human Resources Management Association) is pleased to provide monthly HR advice and information to the members of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce. 

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