S E R V I N G
2012
M I S S I O N
S I N C E
1 9 0 8
CCNA
mmerce Mission Chamber of Co
BusinessTRACK prosper connect • influence •
Mission manufacturers,
IT get together
By Allan Main
B
uilding clusters of businesses with similar interests and markets is a strategy used in many communities to help strengthen local economies. Bringing together related businesses creates a peer support structure where businesses can share experience and wisdom. The innovation encouraged in sector focused groups can help participating companies improve performance with far less risk than if companies are left to grow their business in
isolation. Initiating a cluster strategy starts with the simple process of bringing all local players together, and letting them define their needs. In Mission this is the motivation behind the formation of a small group, originally starting as the Mission Manufacturers Association, but now evolving to include manufacturers, technology professionals, IT companies, and other value creators — companies located in the Mission area but selling to markets beyond local
consumers. This group held its first meeting in October, and has scheduled the next meeting for Nov. 15. The group is a work in progress, and the November meeting will give partici-
It's important for businesses
pants the opportunity to set priorities and define the key challenges to their business. The expanded umbrella of companies invited to join the group will attract more participants, for more ideas, and more shared knowledge. Membership to the group is open to any Mission company that is a technology or manufacturing business, and is free. The group will set its own priorities to im-
to sit down and develop
prove the business environment, but one of the key benefits of a group like this is peer mentoring, with companies sharing their positive and negative experiences. At the first meeting, areas identified as challenging included human resources, finding local contractors and support services, and a general sense of isolation working in a small community at the fringe of the regional business core. On
a marketing plan.
the positive side Mission has affordable industrial land, and good access to transportation. The first meeting also brought out a few stories of how effective peer support can be — by simply asking the question to other local businesses, answers can come from unexpected sources. The key to growth for many of the companies in this sector is not just more sales — it is also innovation and how to improve products and
sell products to outside markets, which brings money into the local economy. Strengthening this sector is good business for everybody. The Nov. 15 meeting is from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Mission Chamber of Commerce Boardroom, 34033 Lougheed Hwy. This meeting is intended to build some structure and refine the group’s mandate using a roundtable format to encourage participation. Come out and see what this group can do for you. Eventually the group hopes to develop a website as a central point for shared information, including local career opportunities, and the organization may look at building alliances with other similar business associations throughout the Upper Fraser Valley area to provide greater connections, and expand the cluster strategy to similar businesses processes. in other neighbouring The technology and communities. manufacturing sector is For more information, a vital part of the local or to attend this next community, but it is meeting, contact Allan a sector that has only Main at the Community shown modest growth Futures office, 604-826in Mission over the last 6252, or e-mail info@ 10 years. The growth northfraser.org. If you of manufacturing and are unable to attend the technology sectors and November meeting be the related technical sure to get on the email and support services list for future events. is important for the Allen Main is the exour of health growth and ecutive director for community. Not only Community Futures do these companies North Fraser. create good jobs, they
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Wash. state votes to legalize pot BY JEFF NAGEL Black Press
Ceremonies held at Clarke Theatre Remembrance Day gathering starts at 10:15 a.m. at Ecole des Deux-Rives BY JASON ROESSLE Mission Record
Mission Legion members are preparing for this Sunday’s annual Remembrance Day ceremonies, and are inviting everyone to show their respect for those who have fought for our freedoms. Royal Canadian Legion Br. 57 will lead the parade at 10:15 a.m.
Nov. 11 at Ecole des Deux-Rives, marching towards the Clarke Theatre, with local emergency first responders and service groups following behind. The short jaunt precedes the Service of Remembrance, which starts at 10:40 a.m., and wraps up with the playing of Last Post, Silence, Reveille, the Lament and wreath laying at 11 a.m. Following the service at the theatre, more wreaths will be laid at the Legion Cenotaph on Logan Avenue. A social gathering happens afterwards. Karen Kuzek serves as the first vice-president of the Legion, and is encouraging more people to
come forward to join the organization. “You no longer have to be a veteran or related to a veteran to be a member,” said Kuzek, who recently won the Legionnaire of the Year award. Her father was a Second World War vet and she joined four years ago. At the age of 45, Kuzek said she’s the youngest member of an organization that has seen a majority of its membership pass away in the last number of years. “I’m the type of person to get involved, and the next thing you know, I’m on the executive.” The Legion does more than just represent veterans’ interests; thou-
sands of dollars generated by the group are distributed throughout the community to a variety of charities and non-profits. Legion volunteers and Air Cadets were out at a number of public venues Friday and Saturday, collecting donations for the Poppy Fund. Just over $8,700 was raised. All money raised here stays within the community, Kuzek added. New this year, you can donate $5 to the fund by texting POPPY to 20222. For more information on how to join the Legion, call 604-8262331, or visit its Facebook page, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 57 Mission.
B.C. pot reform advocates are celebrating Washington State’s historic vote Tuesday to legalize and tax marijuana, saying it adds momentum to their campaign for change here. Initiative 502 passed with 55 per cent of voters in favour, making Washington the first U.S. state to legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by adults. It’s still unclear if the U.S. federal government will allow the state to license marijuana production and tax its sale in authorized stores. But observers here say the implications are huge for both the existing B.C. bud industry and the intensifying debate on drug policy reform. “American voters are now ahead of Canadian governments on the cannabis file,” said former B.C. Attorney General Geoff Plant, a high-profile reformer with the Stop the Violence coalition. “It helps advance the argument for legalization here in B.C.” Rob Gordon, director of SFU’s school of criminology, says it could spur more legalization drives if “the sky doesn’t fall” in Washington and the state starts reaping a windfall of weed revenue. “The dominoes could start toppling,” he said. Washington estimates it would collect $560 million in the first year from a planned 25 per cent tax on pot. If pot possession and sales are allowed in Washington State, Gordon expects a partial collapse of B.C.’s estimated $7-billion-a-year illegal pot industry as growers relocate their operations south of the border to avoid the need to smuggle. “It’s a huge step forward,” said B.C. marijuana activist Dana Larsen, who heads a drive to force a provincial referendum on decriminalization.
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