September July2012 2012 Inside this issue:
CHAMBER CHAMat a glance GM’s Report New Members Small Business Event Reviews Article Calendar of Events Presidents Message Continued
2 3 4 4-5 5 6
Best Meet Boss theNominations New Board 78
a publicaƟon publica�on of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE �������������������� � ������������������������������������ A focus for the road ahead Let me i� begin by saying pleasurein it �here no doubt thatwhat theaincrea�e is to be your President of the Brandon duty free �hopping exemp�on limit� Chambere�eryone of Commerce for the�hen 2012 the caught o� guard 2013 term. As we�a� enter the 130th year �ederal Budget rolled out� �� of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, I con�umer� cheered the bu�ine�� am thrilled to be part of a board of community �a� immediately directors and a membership that has concerned� �ed� acƟve ma�e been and sƟll�hy is onedid of the the most �uch a deci�ion bu�ine�� o�ner� Chambers in the country. a��ed? �he �ed� are promo�ng a fe� thing�� ofroad them beingthere the large Looking one at the ahead, are a number of topics that to carry on �a�ing� incurred theyI want currently �pend and/or bring to the Chamber table. to �ta� the border cro��ing �ta�on�� Something I am very passionate about is �hey are promo�ng that the current dealing local. Many chambers and admini�tra�on and the amount of various organizaƟons abroad have had �ta� can be reduced �hich �ill �a�e diīerent levels of success and ways of tax payer� million� of dollar� promoƟng local shopping-shop local annually� i� they al�o campaigns.�nly Withproblem the recent federal �tand to lo�eannouncement �e�eral million� of government to increase re�enue dollar�duty created from duty the cross border free exempƟons, taxe�� our local businesses need a voice more than ever to promote the diverse
shopping opportuniƟes have rightitin �rime �ini�ter �arperwe al�o made our own backyards. clear that it �a� long o�erdue becau�e �e �ere �nally matching Labor is another priority I would like to the allo�able limit� that �merican� focus on this year, speciĮcally the are allo�ed to ta�e bac� duty free shortage of labor. This includes both �hen from generalbringing labor andgood� skilledbac� labor. This is Canada� �he problem �e rai�e here not only our issue, but a naƟonal one, i� that �ould be �afe to �ay and that� thin� is whyitI see an even greater
importance on culƟvaƟng opportuniƟes that �merican�� aren�t coming in to keep our youth right here at home. I dro�e� for get a�ay �hopping want peopleintoCanada� appreciate what �hat we have �ee�end� ��ually here and see�merican the opportuniƟes for a well dra�� our friend� acro�� rounded lifestyle in our city. We need to the border are thing� li�e �por�ng boast to the world that we are ranked and agricultural e�ent� or for the 6th best city to live in Canada, geta�ay� atMoney a plethora remote according to SenseofMagazines. �ilderne�� lodge� that cater to our More importantly we need to market �ealthy �� neighbor�� �o �ay theycity ourselves as the number one ranked are coming up �u�t i� a of to live in Canada, withtoa �hop populaƟon 50,000-100,000 people. That isCanadian �tretch from reality in mo�t powerful, but we have to sell and brand center��
that achievement and we need to look at ways to improve upon our aperceived Canadian retailer� ha�e fe� thing� weaknesses. Labor does not end with going again�t them� �ari��� �upply youth, but branches out to eīecƟvely management and harmoni�ed use our 50+ demographic with iniƟaƟves regula�on� are �omeproject. of tho�e� like the Third Quarter We �e need �no� the �trengthwith of our to lookthat for opportuniƟes ourdollar ha� been populaƟon hur�ng ourand manufacturing aboriginal of course to indu�try� retail indu�try build uponbut ourour success with our feel� immigrant workforce. I talk withit thi� a� �ell� �he onlyWhen real bene�t� businesses, they keep coming �eem�� i� ma�ing that familyback tripand to saying we need people and�e we a li�le more a�ordable� the ��“people, need skilled people to grow our are happy a� con�umer� but the businesses”. What are we going to do to bu�ine�� bene�t� do not �eem to make people choose Brandon and say, exi�t in thi� en�ironment� "this is the place we want to be." CollecƟvely, we need to put forth ideas, �lthough our border to�n� are the strategically plan and get ourselves one� are for mo�t ri�� �e do ready �ho to baƩle theatfuture of an
��������������� Nate Andrews, ������������������ Chamber President
�no� there are �omeenvironment bu�ine��e� in extremely compeƟƟve for �e�tman feeling the e�ect� a� �ell� human capital. �ou may call thi� the ��a�e Big We mustatconƟnue to act as overseer on �oney �enard�� �yndrome� local taxaƟon. We must talk openly and �eople in our area are hauling do�n candidly with our school board trustees their trailer� and loading up on and city councilors as they look at their dry�all� lumber and other �upplie� budgets each year. Last year was a year becau�e of the huge �a�ing�� �hen that created a great deal of passion and the maximum �me to go get �upplie� we know the budgets will be watched in Brandon i� ��year. minute� or le�� it very closely next We must share �eem� hugethat nui�ance tra�el and lookli�e foraways our localtoboards hundred� mile� toofbuy building can give us of a balance spending and material otherspent. good�We forcannot that quality of and our dollar conƟnue�lthough with abovenot inŇaƟonary ma�er� an op�on for increases. We expect the of boards and many logi��cally� �ome the�e a�id councilors to look at past budgets cro�� border buyer� claim to �eeand make sure past iniƟaƟves enormou� �a�ing� e�en and �ithprograms tra�el are geƫng the measurable results they expen�e� added in� �he bigge�t were intended to. If they are not, they que��on i� �hy our �tore� can’t o�er need to have the courage to change �imilar pricing �hen dollar what isn't working andour foster whati�is. mo�tly on par �ith the �� greenbac� We also realize that on a percentage (Con�nued on page (ConƟnued on pg 6) 6)