The purpose of the Greater Parkland Regional Chamber of Commerce's monthly newsletter is to keep members and the community informed of what the GPRC has been up to, provide updates on advocacy issues, and let you know of anything interesting happening in our region.
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- September in Photos
- Events Postponed
- Upcoming Virtual Events
- All-Candidates' Forum
- Shop Local Project Funding Update
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GPRC Committee Debriefs
- Climate Change Planning and Spruce Grove Businesses
- Minute with the Chair
- Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
- New Members
- Feature Members - Shop Local Company & The Child Club
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Prior to restrictions coming into effect on September 16, we were able to celebrate a long time member of the community, Tober Hembling & Associates LLP, along with the retirement of Cathy, a pillar in the Chamber community.
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Tober Hembling & Associates 30th Anniversary
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Retirement Celebration for Cathy
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Thank you, Cathy for 14.5 years at the Chamber!
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Cathy & Mayor Stuart Houston
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Cathy & Mayor William Choy
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Chamber Staff, Directors, & Cathy's Family
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As we continue to focus on the health and safety of the people who make this region great, we have decided to postpone all in-person events for the foreseeable future.
The GPRC Executive will review this decision at the end of October and make an announcement regarding in-person events at that time.
Events that are Postponed:
- Acheson Networking Event: new date TBD
- Wabamun Pancake Breakfast: new date TBD in 2022
- Business Awards of Distinction: January 27, 2022 (tentatively)
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Save the Date!
October 18-22
We look forward to offering a few virtual events during the third week of October!
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School Trustee Forum
Parkland School Division:
October 5
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Your Chamber had the privilege of hosting the Federal Election and Municipal Election forums with Parkland School Division's forum next week. We take pride in hosting these events as a non-partisan organization and are confident that we demonstrated a unbiased platform.
These forums were presented virtually, and whilst we understand that this was very disappointing for the candidates and the audience we were adamant that the safety of all was paramount and we did not want the Candidates opportunity to present themselves to be clouded by concerns for public safety. We also understand and appreciate the differing opinions people have of restrictions. We were delighted that our audience figures topped over 200 for each forum and that there is an opportunity to watch again through the Chamber's Facebook page.
We are incredibly fortunate that our democratic process enables us to evaluate our candidates through opportunities like these forums; assisting us all to be able to make an informed decision. The Chamber would like to thank each candidate for participating and for their understanding that they are expected to represent our community’s best interests.
In closing I would like to personally extend thanks to the candidates and to my team for ensuring these forums were hosted professionally and seamlessly. Good luck to all candidates.
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Shop Local Funding Update
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You may remember that the GPRC received $152,100 in federal funding for Shop Local initiatives earlier this summer. As part of being transparent about the dollars, below is an update on how the money is being allocated and spent. As per the project parameters, all money will be spent by December 31, 2021.
Web Application: The RFP for this project was awarded to Panda Rose Consulting Studios Inc. The Web App is due to be live just before Christmas!
ChamberMarket.ca: The GPRC has kept on a summer staff to work on this project. Grace Cowan may be reaching out to your business as we prepare to onboard our first few members, and then once we have ironed out all of the kinks, we will be looking to onboard 250 businesses before the end of December!
Shop Local Saturday's: Filming for this project has begun and the first video is set to be released on Saturday, October 2. There will then be a video released each Saturday until December 18. The videos will be released on the Chamber social media accounts, and posted on our website.
Marketing Moments: In working with Big Sky Media in Spruce Grove, the GPRC has purchased advertising space on the digital sign at the intersection of Highway 16A and Campsite Road. Next week we will be able to open up details to book the space on the sign!
Acheson Networking Event: This networking event for Acheson businesses has been postponed until further notice. We are currently brainstorming ideas that can replace this event while maintaining our goal of networking and collaboration between Acheson businesses.
Wabamun Pancake Breakfast: This community building event has been postponed. You may see the GPRC pounding the pavement in Wabamun this fall to say hi to all of the businesses there, but we still want to host an event for the business community when it is safe to do so.
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Advocacy Committee
The Advocacy Committee has maintained regular scheduled meetings throughout the summer. A key and pressing issue that the advocacy issue is currently reviewing is labour shortages, a stark reality as some businesses try to build their business back up to pre-pandemic levels. Read more about the labour shortage in Alberta...
A motion was put forward and approved at the September Advocacy Committee meeting to include the Chief's within the GPRC boundaries in the committee's twice yearly meetings with elected officials. This was a suggestion raised from the June General meeting.
The Advocacy Committee is Chaired by Board Member, Dan Duckering, with Vice Chair Melissa Johnson.
Kendra Wambold is the staff person assigned to the Advocacy Committee.
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Indigenous Business Committee
The Indigenous Business Committee met earlier this month to discuss Indigenous representation at recent GPRC events including Indigenous People’s Day and the Tri-Expo & MARKETPLACE. This committee continues to work to build relationships with local Chiefs, MNA 4, AKSIS and other local and regional business leaders and Elders. Upcoming emphasis on building Indigenous relationships will be featured during Small Business Week.
The Indigenous Business Committee is Chaired by GPRC Vice Chair, Paulla Adamitz.
Jodie MacPherson is the staff person assigned to the Indigenous Business Committee.
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Membership & Retention Committee
The Membership & Retention Committee was pleased to present the 2022 tiering to our members at a general meeting on September 23rd. More information on the new tiering will be released through an e-Blast and on our website soon.
While we were disappointed to have to postpone both the Acheson Networking event and Wabamun Pancake breakfast, plans are now underway to celebrate with these businesses in a safe and COVID friendly way.
The Membership & Retention Committee is Chaired by GPRC Chair Elect, Paul Befus.
Jodie MacPherson is the staff person assigned to the Membership & Retention Committee.
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Governance Committee
The Governance Committee reviewed sections of the Board Policy Manual and updated information to be more relevant to the GPRC. We will continue with revisions in our upcoming committee meetings and ensure a proper method of reviewing sections of the document is provided for future Governance Committee members for years to come.
The Governance Committee will review the Terms of Reference for the Emerging Leaders Committee at its October meeting.
The Governance Committee is Chaired by Board Member, Brieanne MacLeod.
Julie Roberts is the staff person assigned to the Governance Committee.
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Finance Committee
GPRC CEO, Sarah Parry, and Treasurer, Landis Vanthuyne, meet regularly to maintain transparency with the Chamber's finances.
"Our financial focus this year has been based on comparisons from last year to evaluate trends and make sound decisions. COVID-19 restrictions have meant that we have had to restrict a number of in-person events affecting our members networking opportunities and our bottom-line. We have however been able to attract some additional funding resulting in an opportunity to develop a number of Shop Local initiatives.
Focus has also been on developing a set of financial reports that can be delivered to my fellow Directors each month capturing accurate, timely and presented in a way that does not require additional back-up reporting. As we move into the final quarter of the year, the Finance Committee is working on next years budget and discussing the alternatives for revenue generation so that we can provide opportunities for our members in a non traditional way.
Finally in closing I would like to thank you for your trust in us and your ongoing support."
Landis Vanthuyne, GPRC Treasurer, Owner All Trailer Repair.
The Financial Committee is Chaired by Treasurer, Landis Vanthuyne.
CEO, Sarah Parry is the staff person assigned to the Financial Committee. Sarah also sits on each committee mentioned above.
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Emerging Leaders Committee
The principle of the Emerging Leaders Committee was approved by the Board in September and the Terms of Reference are with the Governance Committee for approval. We are excited to get this committee underway. Chaired by Kelly Rose and co-chaired by Richard Wong, both GPRC Board members, we have 12 established, young business leaders as part of the leadership team. A networking event is being planned for the New Year, once it is safe to have safe indoor gatherings again.
The Governance Committee is Chaired by Board Member, Kelly John Rose.
Sarah Parry is the staff person assigned to the Emerging Leaders Committee.
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Climate Change Planning and Spruce Grove Businesses
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The City of Spruce Grove is currently in the process of updating its environmental mandate through the development of a 10 year Climate Change Action Plan.
The Climate Change Action Plan will help the City answer two main questions:
- How can the City help prepare the community for predicted changes to local weather patterns?
- How can the City reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and help the community do the same?
The City is hoping to gather input from the business community through an online survey to help shape the recommendations that will be made in the Climate Change Action Plan.
The survey should take roughly 10-15 minutes to complete and will be open for the next month.
Thank you in advance for your time,
Spruce Grove Green Team
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New for 2021, is our Minute with the Chair series! This is a vlog that will be about 60 seconds long, on various topics that we'll release periodically with our Chair, Darcy Torhjelm!
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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
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In 2021, one of our initiatives is to support workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) needs. With the stress of COVID-19 the GPRC recognized that business owners simply do not have the capacity to take on educational series right now.
With that in mind, we have created a video series and will release videos twice a month about Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in the workplace. These short videos will cover the topics which would have been touched on in the educational webinars.
The videos are released on a bi-weekly basis. September's videos are below.
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Creating a Successful DE&I Training & Learning Package
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Crucial First Steps in Creating Your Workplace DE&I Training
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New Members for September
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Feature Member - Shop Local Company
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The Shop Local Company is a member and proud supporter of the Greater Parkland Regional Chamber. We support “local”, choose “local” first, and we advocate the “shop local movement” in the communities of Spruce Grove & Stony Plain.
Our two websites support, promote and engage local businesses. We have many online marketing tools that are hosted on our website platforms. We offer a FREE Business Profile to every local business - just choose the community where your business is located to claim your FREE business profile. Input your business name, hours of operation, contact info and a description of your business. You will also be able to make posts that will syndicate to Facebook from your business profile.
Now proceed to the website for your city and click on “Add Your Business” in the upper right corner of our home page, the image below is what it looks like.
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Follow The Shop Local Company on Social Media
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Feature Member - The Child Club Daycare & OSC
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Academic Through Play. A hands-on approach of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) with language. The Child Club program involves children in a happy, engrossing and growing awareness of their world using a developing curriculum in which each child is an active participant. Social skills such as creative problem-solving, conflict resolution and collaboration are enhanced as our children and teachers work together to design and direct projects that encourage growth in physical, emotional, creative and intellectual domains. Children learn to express themselves verbally, graphically and through writing. By providing a rich, stimulating environment and encouraging interesting STEAM activities, we strive to promote invention of their surroundings through interactive experiences.
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Follow The Child Club on Social Media
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THANK YOU TO OUR PLATINUM SPONSOR
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THANK YOU TO OUR GOLD SPONSOR
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This e-Blast is from: Greater Parkland Regional Chamber of Commerce
Name: Kendra Wambold
Title: Communications & Media Specialist
Company: Greater Parkland Regional Chamber of Commerce
Contact: 780-963-4545
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