Outgoing President Rudy Smith (right) passes the gavel to incoming Chamber President Blair Dunn at the Chamber's Annual President's Dinner.

WELCOME PRESIDENT BLAIR DUNN

On January 27th, the Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce welcomed a new leader to the helm of the organization. Blair Dunn of Grant Thornton was installed as the 2010 Chamber President. President Dunn will spend the year focusing on the following policy priorities with the Chamber Board of Directors:

1. To impress upon local, provincial and federal officials the importance to the economy to continue with a stimulus program for 2010 to limit the impact of the global recession and to restore consumer and business confidence;

2. To focus our support on organizations like SRDC and departments within the Provincial and Federal Governments in their attempts to bring additional jobs to the Greater Summerside area;

3. Continue to focus on business competitive strategies within the federal and provincial budgets including tax harmonization (to reduce the cost of capital, promote investment and improve productivity), lower corporate tax rates, and bring in programs to provide incentives for businesses to do research and innovate;

4. To impress upon local, provincial and federal officials the need to develop a comprehensive strategy to ensure that the energy rates for PEI businesses remain competitive;

5. To impress upon local, provincial and federal officials the need to develop a comprehensive immigration strategy that effectively focuses on new investments and jobs to meet our skilled resource needs over the coming years; and

6. To develop a more comprehensive governance model to guide the Chamber’s operations into the future.



YOUR 2010 BOARD OF DIRECTORS:


PRESIDENT: Blair Dunn, Grant Thornton

PRES-ELECT: Gordon MacFarlane, City of Summerside

1st VICE PRESIDENT: Brian Thompson, Vector Atlantic

2nd V. PRES: Pat McSweeney, BFM Chartered Accountants

TREASURER: Chris DesRoche, Grant Thornton

SECRETARY: Sandra Hickey, Consolidated Credit Union

PAST PRES: Rudy Smith, PEI Mutual Insurance Company


DIRECTORS

Maureen Chappell, Scotiabank

Jeffery Cormier, McInnes Cooper

Tara Brown, TD Canada Trust

Ron Holley, CBDC

Todd Clark, Bell Aliant

Marie Ford, Sign Station

Dan MacDonald, Green Diamond Equipment Ltd.


Thank you to retiring directors:

Wilfred Arsenault

John Brennan

Paul Montgomery

Lisa vanDuinkerken

YOUR CHAMBER IN ACTION…

Chamber Representatives met with Hon. Wes Sheridan, Provincial Treasurer, in January and presented an overview of the Summerside business climate, as well as issues, challenges and solutions affecting Chamber members.
Hon. Sheridan was an attentive listener in regard to the feedback that was provided to him by the Chamber. Our organization looks forward to working with Provincial officials on an ongoing basis to sustain and improve business in our community.



MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Lunch and Learn
Tuesday, February 9
12 noon - 1 pm
Topic: FearLESS. SellMORE.
Presenter: Sherry Pelkey of Get Real! Results
Explore the first step in getting the real results you and your customer can live with. We will look at the good, bad and ugly of fear and see how being your real self when working with your current and potential customer/clients can lead to a more productive sales process and less stress! This session will help you discover that you won’t lose, whatever the outcome.
(Storm Date: Wednesday, February 10)
Chamber Boardroom, Suite 11, 263 Harbour Drive, Summerside
Bring your lunch and we will provide the coffee.
Due to limited seating, registration is required:
Contact Joan at the Chamber Office
(902) 436-9651 or Email info@chamber.summerside.ca

ProfitLearn Workshop:
Succession Planning for Your Small Business
February 9 & 10
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Brothers Two Restaurant,
618 Water Street East, Summerside
Trainer: Terry Soloman, MRSB Accountants
Cost: $75.00 plus GST
To Register: Contact Joan at the Chamber Office
(902) 436-9651 or Email info@chamber.summerside.ca

Business Mixer
Hosted by the Western School Board
Thursday, February 11
5:00 - 6:30 pm
Three Oaks Senior High
No additional exhibitors for this mixer.

Islander Day
Monday, February 15
Statutory (paid) holiday
http://www.gov.pe.ca/infopei/index.php3?number=13174〈=E

Lunch and Learn:
Tuesday, March 9
12 noon - 1 pm
Topic: "Organizing your office...a survival guide to managing your records"
Presented by Juliana MacEwen,
Document Management Specialist
Precision Document Management 
(Storm Date: Wednesday, February 10)
Chamber Boardroom, Suite 11, 263 Harbour Drive, Summerside
Bring your lunch and we will provide the coffee.
Due to limited seating, registration is required:
Contact Joan at the Chamber Office

Showcase 2010
Sat, April 24 & Sun, April 25
Summerside Marine Terminal Building 
Booth space is filling up – don’t miss out!
Contact Showcase Coordinator Monica at the Chamber Office today!



MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

Greta Pike is General Manager at the
Loyalist Lakeview Resort.

Myrtle Jenkins-Smith is the new CEO at Tourism Charlottetown and the PEI Convention Partnership and Mark Carr-Rollitt is the new Director of Operations.

Weeks Auto Body is now known as
Fix Auto Central PEI.

The Prince County Hospital Foundation surpassed its 2009 fundraising goal, raising $1,133,939 during last year's Vital Signs annual equipment campaign. 

Do you have news you’d like to share?
Email info@chamber.summerside.ca so that we can share it with the membership!



WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!

Atlantic Floor and More

Eastern Health & Safety

Get Real! Results

Parkhill Place

PEI Council of People with Disabilities

Red Shores at Summerside Raceway

Sew Pretty

Team Taxi

The Birds and the Bees




DID YOU KNOW...?

The Chamber has a comprehensive group insurance plan that may be right for you! Contact Donald Harris of Central Benefit Consultants to learn more about this service:
(902) 436-5556 or dch@pei.sympatico.ca

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL NETWORKING

The Chamber’s monthly Business Mixers for 2010 will start up this month. Networking events aren’t the ONLY benefit of membership, but it is certainly to your advantage to maximize your Chamber membership through networking opportunities.

This year we challenge you to increase your attendance at Chamber functions such as business mixers, educational sessions and membership meetings. Here are some tips!

Source: 88 Positive Networking Tips by the authors of Work the Pond!  
Darcy Rezac, Judy Thomson & Gayle Hallgren-Rezac.
www.workthepond.com

The secret of positive networking is ‘discovering what you can do for someone else’. It’s about opening a relationship, not closing a sale. When you network this way, it takes all the pressure off - guaranteed.

Experienced networkers say ‘Nice to see you’ or ‘Great to see you’. They know it works better than ‘Nice to meet you’. The latter greeting is problematic when that person may respond, ‘We’ve met before.’

The minimum number of cards to carry at all times is seven. Most business or association functions have tables set for eight – you will have a card for everyone at your table. But bring more. Remember, you can never have too many cards, only too few. If you forget your cards?
Go back and get them – they are that important.

Positive Networking starts with a smile. You smile at someone and they smile back. A smile opens the door to friendly communication. It’s your best networking asset.

Travel in pairs just like the FBI. They know the importance of good back-up. When you travel in pairs, you have a sense of support and security.

Set a goal of seven new contacts per week. At the end of three years you will have a network of more than 1,000 contacts - and their networks.

Positive Networking is about meeting people and building your network. At events,
avoid talking only to people you know.
This may require you stepping outside of comfort zone.

A room's entrance is the best place to meet people or start a group. Avoid the back of the room - networking Siberia. It's a cold and lonely place. Come early and then, from this prime location, greet people as they arrive. Renew acquaintances and make new ones.

See you at our next networking event!

Best of luck to hometown Olympian Heather Moyse! Heather is a community minded athlete and  wonderful ambassador for Summerside. Businesses are encouraged to decorate their storefronts, put messages on their marquee signs, and show their pride.

GO Heather GO!


Thank you for profiling our members daily: