Tuesday, January 4, 2011

We're Ready for the New Year

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and are ready for another exciting year to come.  Last year was a great year of growth and change for our community. The Chamber grew as well by over 50 new members as well as the introduction of some new programs and services.

Upcoming this month will be several important meetings and events. The Political Action Committee will meet on Tuesday. This hard working group of individuals, led by Vice President Kevin Lundell, are presently preparing policy resolutions for the upcoming year. The Policy Development Roundtable will be held on Wednesday, January 19th at 11:30 am at the Chamber office and is open to Chamber members. Just call the Chamber office to register and come out for lunch and have input into the policy direction for 2011.

Lakeland College Soiree on Friday, January 7th will celebrate 20 years of Learning at the Lloydminster campus. Congratulations Lakeland College. We are proud to have you as Corporate members and value the contribution you make to the Lloydminster community.

An adhoc Chamber committee led by board member Stephanie Dobson is in the process of reviewing the Business Awards processes and criteria. This committee will continue their work over the next few weeks to ensure that the awards continiue to be relevant and current with our community.

A meeting concerning the next Business Trip to China will be held on January 25th. Last year, Chamber president Wendy Plandowski along with members of the Lloydminster, Leduc, Cold Lake and Lethbridge Chambers spend ten days in Shanghai and Beijing learning more about the culture and the business oppourtunities that are available in China.  If you would like to get more information, please call the Chamber office and register for the meeting at the end of the month.

Also on January 25th, our Alberta MP Leon Benoit will be giving our community and members an opportunity to have input into the federal budget. This consultation will be held at lunch time at the Best Western Wayside Inn. Call the Chamber office for more details.

The Lloydminster Chamber and the Lloydminster Rotary Club will host a noon hour speaker at the regular Rotary meeting on Monday, January 24th. This speaker will explore how companies can get their employees more involved in the company through employee investment programs. Call the Chamber office to register.

The Chamber Board of Directors will be holding a strategic planning session in March, soon after the election of the new board.  This planning session will set the course for the next few years. A member survey will be part of this plan, so watch the Chamber newsletter for your opportunity to give feedback and suggestions.

We will be working with the Saskatchewan Chamber over the next year to try and get some clarification in a variety of existing pieces of employment legistlation. In order for employees and employers to resolve conflicts it will be necessary to streamline and bring clarity to the process.

We are looking forward to the development of the new economic development model for our community. The Chamber will have a seat on this board and we are excited about the possibilities that this new structure will have for our community.

If you have a comment about the Chamber, please set up a google account and let us know your thoughts and ideas.

Pat

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