After months of planning, the reorganized Mapleton Chamber of Commerce held its annual general meeting and membership drive.
The Nov. 29 meeting at the Drayton Festival Theatre focused on a vision for the future and included the election of officers.
Mapleton resident Greg Durocher opened the meeting and officiated the election of the board. The newly-elected Chamber of Commerce executive consists of: president Amber Tuck; treasurer Cathy Burton; secretary Dale Franklin; vice-presidents Jenn Landman, Wayne Mick and Donna Hirtle; and directors Jocelyn Martin, Dave Taylor, Beth Anne Rumph and Jeff Duimering.
Memberships were accepted from 25 businesses in Mapleton Township.
Guest speaker for the evening event was Johnston Group vice president of chamber relations Dave Angus of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The former president and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, Angus has been involved with that chamber for a number of years.
The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1873, six months before the City of Winnipeg was formed.
Through the chamber, Angus and his parents were able to build relationships, secure suppliers and seek out practical advice for their family-run business.
As a volunteer with the chamber, Angus played a vital role in the navigation process during the purchase of a house to facilitate the chamber, by working with city staff and councillors and seeing the project through to completion.
The chamber also advocated for and provided recommendations to government bodies.
“Every individual can make a difference,” Angus said. “Mobile signs, used as a way to get the message out by business owners, were banned in the city of Winnipeg.
“Mobile sign companies found that during the process of discussions with the city, they needed the chamber’s help. The ban was lifted and the mobile sign companies joined the chamber.”
The chamber is a platform for different ideas. Angus said action is needed to bring those ideas to fruition or they can flitter away. He said business owners need to come together with a respectful attitude when around the table discussing the community and the businesses within it.
“The chamber does not sit in the stands. The group is about finding solutions while on the field in the huddle, mixing things up,” Angus said. “The chamber as an international network has no other international brand as powerful as it is. The organization is highly respected and ready to be leveraged.”
With group insurance not affordable to most businesses, chamber groups partnered with an organization to find a solution to this problem. Group insurance is now a recruitment tool and a source of revenue for the chamber.
The chambers of commerce do not compete with each other, but respectfully support one another as part of a fraternity that connects chambers together.
“I am excited and optimistic about the Mapleton chamber,” Angus said. “Greg Durocher has a lot to offer, use him.”
In a question period that followed, Durocher stressed that “localness” is the key and encouraged the chamber to connect with other urban/rural chambers in the area. There are 350 chambers of commerce in Ontario. He also suggested working together to build a positive working relationship with local government.
“Deal with local issues in a caring, understanding way, as it’s the only way to make change,” Durocher said. “It is important to have a strong business community. There will be members that rarely attend meetings and events, but will participate in the benefits the chamber has to offer.”
Durocher added, “Things are always happening at the chamber. You never know if the person you meet at a chamber meeting may be the person to buy out your business when you retire or they may be the next star employee that you hire.”
Angus said, “Surveys of the chamber have revealed that most members join for networking. Make sure members connect, get together, have fun and talk.”
Angus suggested the best way to gather is at breakfasts and lunches. Use these meetings as a mechanism to get input and insight into what’s important to businesses, to formulate policy and to communicate, he suggested.
