As the new Chair of the Strathmore Chamber of Commerce, I would like to reflect on our Past President’s very effective tagline: “Its a new chamber – are you part of it?"

There is really only one reason for our Chamber of Commerce to exist: to help our members succeed in business. The more of us working together to promote local business make not only a lighter load for all, but a stronger voice  to the community and our business, municipal, and community partners.

Our Chamber is not a social club – but we have engaging networking events.  Every year the Chamber and its members have receptions, banquets, breakfasts, seminars and other meetings where you and your staff can meet with other business men and women. These are powerful opportunities to learn more about our district, other businesses and issues which affect all of us.

 Our Chamber will not run your business – that is the job of you and your staff.  We will however, offer tools, share experiences, and engage “current topic” speakers to assist you in operating your business smarter. With a membership of 150ish and the strength of our national organization we are able to purchase services and products for you at reduced cost. Examples include life and disability insurance coverage, home and auto insurance, Merchant services for VISA, Mastercard and Interac and discounts on hotels and car rentals.

Our Chamber is not a political organization – but we do advocate forcefully on issues affecting our members; the Strathmore Trans Canada Highway move is a great recent example. Government policies can either benefit or harm business. Over the last few years the Chamber has presented the business case to the Town, Wheatland County,  the Province and the Federal government on many occasions.

Our Chamber is a respected voice and seen as an honest advocate; therefore we have had our opinions sought by governments during the development of policy. We want government to work with business to build a better Canada.

Our Chamber is not an educational institution – but we support several mentoring and teaching initiatives. We are currently capacity building with Bow Valley College in the district  to help identify training and upgrading needs of employees and career seekers in the area.  Every year the Chamber and its partners host seminars, Lunch and Learn forums and other events where members can learn business basics such as leadership training,  marketing, human resources, taxation and the many day to day pieces of administrivia that business owners and managers must master.

Our Chamber is a platform to keep our members abreast of new developments in technology and social changes. By working smarter our members can meet competitive challenges and prosper.

Finally, our Chamber is dedicated to your success but the Chamber needs your help to meet that goal.  We want to share our members’ expertise with you and learn from yours. In short, our Chamber wants us all to prosper.

Warm Regards,

Steve Jeffrey