I would like to thank all the current board members of the Leamington Chamber of Commerce and all the past volunteers who have helped to make this Chamber a strong and active participant of the community.  I would also like to thank all the people who have graciously agreed to volunteer their time and sit on the board of this chamber for the upcoming term.  I know that time is a luxury that we do not have a lot of and taking the time out of your busy schedules to make this chamber strong is a commitment I know you all do not take lightly.   To the staff of the chamber, my admiration for the time and dedication you each have invested into your careers and the willingness to work hard to show our members that we value their input into our association.  Finally, a big thank you to Justin and to all of the past chairs of this chamber, for providing the leadership for the ongoing growth and development of this office.  I hope I can be worthy of filling these shoes for the upcoming term.

The members of our Chamber have given us a great responsibility.  They have agreed to put their hard earned money into our care so that we can help to provide the tools, benefits and expertise to assist them in the operation of their businesses.  It is not up to the business owners to discover how the chamber can help them.  It is up to the Chamber to provide to them the valuable tools and programs we have to educate and promote the business community. We need to become a prominent advocate of the business community.  The need to partner with our fellow business people and bring forward ideas for changes and economic development has never been stronger.  By being the mechanism whereas businesses can use us to promote each other and foster stronger business relations within the community, we can truly show the value added benefit that the local Chamber brings to the community.   I have been told that the chamber should be the voice for the small business owner.  Well I don’t personally agree.  My opinion is that we should be the instrument that amplifies and helps to carry that voice.  Who better to express and explain the needs, dreams and ideas of the local businesses than the actual business person?  Business people do not need someone to talk for them, what they need is someone willing to listen.  They desire to find out new and creative ways to increase the value of their business and the quality of their personal lives.  They wish to find a way to market their services within their community and they desire to find a means to accomplish this.  We need to bring more value to our members.  We need to be the support for the members to assist them in educational and informational topics that will assist in making our members stronger business people.

 I don’t need to tell you that these are challenging times.  Every person who owns, manages or works in a business is aware that the business world is changing at a fast pace.  We read about it in the newspaper and hear about it in the news on the radio and television. Businesses have had to reexamine their operations and make changes to adapt in the new competitive world we live in.  No one is immune to the economic factors that have impacted not just our region but most communities inNorth America.  We at the Chamber are not immune to these conditions either. We as an organization must reexamine our business model periodically and ensure that we are offering maximum value to our members.  We have begun several initiatives within our office in this endeavor. 

First we have begun a strategic planning process that will identify the core business mission to our members and the community.  The planning process will be involved and will touch on everything from how we advocate, communicate and provide value added services to our due paying members.  We know we cannot be all things to everyone and by identifying our core purpose, we can ensure that we are truly effective in delivering on the promises made to our members. The next initiative is a study of our internal work processes and our general operational model.  This study will encompass all aspects of the roles and responsibilities of the staff and board of the chamber. The committee will examine the existing workflows and make recommendations to areas of improvement. The purpose of this study is not to disrupt or dismantle the existing infrastructure, but to ensure that we are obtaining maximum efficiency in our day to day operation.  By ensuring that our staff has the proper tools and skill sets, we will be able to continue to increase the number of programs to our membership.  Third, a planning committee has been formed and is currently working on the financial performance of our office.  Even though we are a non profit entity, we must ensure that our members are obtaining the maximum value for their fees.  As with all businesses, we must keep our expenses in line and budget responsibly for the present and the future.

Lastly, we cannot do this alone.  Strong will and desire only go so far. We also need to collaborate and partner with other organizations and communities who share in the same beliefs as we do.  We need to work with our community partners such as the BIA, the Rotary, the Municipal offices of the Town of Leamington and Kingsville just to mention a few.  We need to find a way to combine our various resources and work together for the business and personal community as a whole.  We need to reach out to the other committees in our region such as the Windsor Essex Development Commission and the newly formed Windsor Essex Tourism committee to ensure that our communities are heard and involved in the entire planning process and our specific needs are addressed.  We also need to reach out to the other Chamber offices in Amherstburg and Windsor and forge a stronger working alliance so that we are using the strengths of each office to help promote our entire region of Windsor & Essex County.  By working in partnership and leveraging the strengths of our community partners, we can continue to make this Chamber a strong business presence in the Leamington and Kingsville communities.