The Greater Parkland Regional Chamber moved into its second year with high hopes of more in-person events, member engagement and educational opportunities. It was a year of ups and down for us, as it was for so many of our members with changes to restrictions, as well as our ability to follow through on these anticipated events. Last minute adjustments to the State of the Region Address, the Business Awards of Distinction and the municipal and federal political forums, kept us on our toes the entire year.
The Chamber's first ever Women of Influence celebration was held on International Women’s Day on March 8th. These five women, Sarah Befus, Holly Carmichael, Melanie Currie, Kiely MacLean and Sarah Malenchuk, were featured in a special event emceed by our region’s own Jesse Szymanski. The 2022 Women of Influence will be announced on March 8th, 2022 at a special luncheon event at KC’s Restaurant.
The State of the Region Address was professionally produced and livestreamed throughout the region showcasing the three municipalities with conversations with the mayors, as well as videos and a Q&A session. Our region is unique and each municipality has reason to be proud of making this area one of the best in the country to live, work and play.
In June, we recognized National Indigenous People’s Day with a virtual Indigenous Business Connections event which had over 200 online viewers. This event featured a blessing from local elder Phillip Campiou, presentation from Indigenous Tourism Alberta, round-table discussion with several Indigenous business owners, and welcoming comments from both municipal and provincial leaders.
Both the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament and the Tri-Expo & MARKETPLACE took place in August. The golf tournament sold out and with a fantastic course in Stony Plain in addition to perfect weather, it was a great way to wrap up the summer. Through the generosity of our amazing members, we were also able to raise over $7000 for the Parkland Pregnancy Support Centre.
The Tri-Expo & MARKETPLACE, originally scheduled in the Spring, took place in late August with many vendors and guests from throughout the region. Food trucks, tipis, a car show and live entertainment added to the weekend as a must do for many individuals and families. Look for the next Expo, coming in May 2022.
The Business Awards of Distinction, originally scheduled for October, were postponed and will take place January 27, 2022. The importance of this event being in-person so businesses and businesses owners could be recognized led us to make this difficult decision. We are looking forward to celebrating with you and our award finalists in the New Year. Tickets are on sale now through our
website.
In November, we held our first ever GPRC pancake breakfast for Wabamun business owners. Representatives from the GPRC and Parkland County flipped pancakes and served them up to business owners who came out to see what was new and visit with familiar faces. Thank you to those who shared a part of their day with us. We are always so happy to see you!
December brought us the Steak, Beer & Networking Event with keynote speaker Graham Sherman of Tool Shed Brewing Company. His inspiring words brought the room together in the spirit of collaboration, and the determination of following your dream. We look forward to hosting more events like these in 2022.
Throughout the year, we were invited to many grand openings and milestone celebrations for both members and non-members alike. We congratulate all those who have persevered through this difficult time and look forward to celebrating with you more in the upcoming years!
Our Advocacy Committee worked with many different businesses to bring resolve to issues across the region. We continue to work with elected officials at all three levels of government to bring member concerns to their attention, such as the ongoing labour shortage, clarification and understanding surrounding COVID-19 subsidies and restrictions, and individual concerns which business owners may encounter.
We also look forward to more educational opportunities in our Lunch & Learns, Small Business Week and both in-person and virtual opportunities on a wide variety of topics. If you have an ideas on something you want to know more about, please share it with us.
As we look into 2022, we are pleased to be growing our committees to include the Emerging Leaders Group. This is a group of young entrepreneurs who will help us shape the Chamber of years to come. If you are a young entrepreneur and are interested in learning more about the GPRC and the Emerging Leaders Group, contact us.
The GPRC continued to promote Shop Local and with several events over the year including #FebruaryFrenzy, Pay it Forward, 25 Days of Sales, GPRC Bingo and a generous Canada Shop Local Grant to allow us to create Shop Local Saturday along with several other endeavors. We are pleased to work with our members each and every day to help bring customers in their doors.
Thank you to all our members for their continued support and trust in us. We are your Chamber of Commerce and here to support you in ensuring you are well served, well represented and well heard. Have a safe and happy holiday season.
Greater Parkland Regional Chamber of Commerce
