2015-2016 annual report - kawartha chamber of commerce ... › wp-content › uploads › 2016 ›...

Annual Report2015-2016

Proudly Serving Curve Lake, Douro-Dummer, North Kawartha, Selwyn and Trent Lakes

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1487 Monroe AvenueBradenton , FL 34207

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President's Message

Fellow Chamber Members,

Another year has flown by and February leads us to the Annual General Meeting for the Kawartha

Chamber of Commerce & Tourism and to the end of my term as President.

Partnerships in Growth & Adventure is what we are all about and I would like to take this time to thank

our members, staff, Board Members and committees for their dedication and commitment to our

Chamber.

A key activity we focused on this year was to review our 3 year strategic plan developed for 2013–2016.

We reflected on our accomplishments within that period and our report card showed solid performance in

many areas for which we can be very proud.

We also see there is opportunity to learn and grow from the broad range of feedback we received. In

response to this we established new priorities to support the evolving needs of the membership for the

next 3 years noting there is capacity within our leadership team at the board and staff level to move this

plan forward.

I am confident that the experienced and talented individuals I leave behind will accomplish the task

ahead. Partnerships have been deepened over the past year and we have collaborated with the Greater

Peterborough Chamber of Commerce on key policy issues that affect all businesses and these issues have

been escalated to the Ontario Chamber on behalf of our members. In addition we work together with

other area associations like the Buckhorn District Tourist Association and RT08 where a Board Member

has been involved directly in each of these associations throughout the year.

"Partnerships in Growth & Adventure is what we are all about"

To strengthen business, regionalrecognition and pride of place, by serving

our members and communities.

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President's Message

We have a solid membership base, and our events continue to be well attended. This speaks to a strong staff

and a creative Marketing & Programs Committee who dedicate their efforts to provide value to our

membership. Based on feedback from our surveys we will place further emphasis on professional

development opportunities in 2017 and this is formally added to our strategic priorities.

Sponsorships also play a key role in our success and there are many local businesses that provide ongoing

support and keep us strong. I extend my personal thanks to Gerry Herron of Blue Diamond Window

Cleaning for being our Networking Event Sponsor for the past year and also for being a strong supporter of

the Chamber and our work.

Our BAH events are still a clear winner as they create opportunity for networking face-to-face, and what

could be better than that? Here you meet other members, business owners and can find out more about our

community in general. These are a personal favourite for me and I thank all of those business owners who

have hosted us throughout the year.

If you can’t attend these events you can still benefit from Chamber membership virtually. Our website

redesign is working well for members, visitors and stakeholders with a more responsive and interactive site

now up and running well. Analytics are in place and staff is well positioned to use this data to further benefit

our members and the communities we serve.

In closing, I am proud to have served as your president for two terms and I am grateful for all of the energy

and support that I have received from the Board, staff and committees during that time. Please consider

becoming a volunteer or committee member to make us even stronger.

Sincerely,

Kris Keller,

President

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A Membership to Value

Membership & ProgramsCindy Windover, Windover Plumbing, ChairEmily Ferguson, Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha RegionLynn Woodcroft, Sales Representative, Royal LePage Frank Real EstateTom LaBranche, Village Pet Food & SupplyTracy Logan, Logan Tree Experts

2016-17 Networking Event Sponsor

In 2016, the Chamber hosted various seminars in addition to our regular Business After Hours events. Two

Digital Marketing Seminars, and a Succession Planning Seminar were held. These informative events provide

added value to our membership. Our Strategic Plan Survey showed that our members are interested in more

professional development initiatives, so watch for these opportunities in 2017.

A round table event was held as part of the Small Business Too Big To Ignore initiative where Chamber Members

discussed barriers they face as small business owners.

The Chamber continued to support community events in 2016, with sponsorship and/or planning and

implementation assistance. Local events make the communities we live in vibrant and unique.

13 Chamber

EventsAttendees600

Community Events SupportedPolarFestAll-Ways Apsley Motorcycle RendezvousLakefield Fairy & Dragon FestivalKawartha Outdoor Adventure WeekendCanada Day in LakefieldLakefield Jazz, Art & Craft FestivalLakefield Sidewalk SaleRock the LocksKawartha Autumn Studio TourRemembrance Day Services in Apsley, Buckhorn,Bridgenorth, Lakefield and WarsawChristmas in the VillageHoliday House Tour

Chamber Event HostsKawartha Lakes ConstructionStony Lake Furniture Co.The Village InnBeachwood Resort & Frederick's RestaurantSelwyn Outreach CentreSix Foot BayGriffin's GreenhousesJewel Just Fine Wines and Crosswind FarmBurleigh Falls InnElmhirst's Resort

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Chamber Events

##People AttendedChamber Events

Lisa Besseling, Stony Lake Furniture Co. (pictured)and Marlon Hazlewood of Hazlewood Imageshosted Chamber Members at January BAH

LDISS is Open! volunteers joined ChamberVolunteers at the Appreciation Breakfast atBeachwood Resort & Frederick's Restaurant in April

The rain ended just in time for Chamber Membersto hit the course at Six Foot Bay for the 'Six N Mix'Golf BAH in May

Chamber Members joined Kawartha LakesConstruction for the annual Christmas Social inDecember

In June, the Griffin Family welcomed ChamberMembers to their gardens at Griffin's Greenhousesas they celebrated their 40th year in business!

Chamber Members learned how to Maximizetheir Digital Presence at the Digital MarketingSeminar Series in March and May

Add a little bit of body text

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17th Annual Awards of Excellence Gala

Citizen of the Year: Karl Moher

Finalists not announced.Young Professional: Adam Noble, Noblegen

Finalists not announced.Outstanding Business Achievement: Nexicom

Finalists: Discovery Dream Homes, Griffin's GreenhousesCommercial Development or Renovation: Blue Pigeon

Resort

Finalists: Lakefield College School, SunblockersCustomer Service Excellence: Clearview Cottage Resort

Finalists: Accurate Accounting & Tax Services, Griffin’sGreenhouses, Logan Tree Experts, Sunblockers, the chocolaterabbitEntrepreneur Innovation: Cottage Country Connection

Finalists: Hard Winter Bread Company, Indian River Reptile ZooNot-For-Profit Excellence: Camp Kawartha

Finalists: Apsley & District Lions Club, Habitat for HumanityPeterborough & Kawartha Region, Lakefield Animal WelfareSociety, Morton Community Healthcare CentreRetailer of the Year: Sunblockers

Celtic Connection, Classy Chassis & Cycles, Discovery DreamHomes, Lakefield PantryTourism/Hospitality: Elmhirst’s Resort

Beachwood Resort & Frederick’s Restaurant, Clearview CottageResort, Stoney Lake Market & Grill

Congratulations Award Recipients!

##

Award SponsorsEnnismore AutomotiveBDCDarling InsuranceNexicomPeterborough Economic DevelopmentCommunity Futures PeterboroughEastview Property ManagementCounty of PeterboroughRBC

Networking Sponsors:Curve Lake First NationsTownship of Douro-DummerTownship of North KawarthaTownship of SelwynMunicipality of Trent Lakes

Wine SponsorsR&J MachineSavage ArmsKawartha Country Wines

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Photography

Hazlewood Images

Auctioneer

Keith Monk Auction Service

Table Decor

Swanky Events

Cindy Windover, Chair, Windover PlumbingEmily St. Pierre, Community VolunteerJennifer Rosborough, Rosborough AccountingRita O'Brien, RBC

Sue Swanky, Swanky EventsTammy Underwood, Hendren Funeral HomesTom LaBranche, Village Pet Food & Supply

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Welcome New MembersAir Bounce Adventures and Party Rentals

Aplsey Backroads

Apsley Home Hardware & Building Centre

Balsam Waterfront Estates

Braaap Shack Powersports

Buckhorn Canoe Company

Bulldog Construction

C.I.B.C.

Camp Fisherman Resort

Canadian Cottage Complete Property Care

Classy Chassis & Cycles

Craig Electrical & Plumbing Inc.

Elmhirst's Resort

Emmatt Digital Solutions Inc.

First Call Property & Equipment Services

Hazlewood Images

Hopper Stone Mason

Jack's Lake Lodge Cottage Rentals

kawarthaNOW.com

Kim Letto, Sales Representative, Century 21

Lakefield Herald

Lakeflower Family Dental

Lakeshore Designs

MAX Communication

New Wolf Industries

Peterborough Native Learning Program

Reiki at the Lake

Shoreline Furniture Co.

Stonehouse Holistics

STREXER

Style Your Nest

Sunspace of Lakefield

Telesave Telecom Ltd.

The Bee's Knees Encaustics

The Cozy Home

TresBello

Wee Butt 'N' Ben

Woodview General Store

Workforce Development Board

Henry, Anne & Peter, Elmhirst's ResortKim & Amber, Apsley Home

Hardware & Building Centre

Tonya, STREXER; Lynn, Reiki on the Lake; Ron,

Woodview General Store; and Dick, Buckhorn

Canoe Company

(December 2015-November 2016)

New Members39

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Public Policy

LDSS Closure

After much dedicated work in the previous year, the LDISS School Closure came to a

disappointing conclusion in 2016. On March 29th, the Kawartha Pine Ridge Board of

Trustees passed a motion to close Lakefield District Secondary School. LDSS consolidated

with Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School at the TAS site in September 2016.

Over 5600 hours were collectively contributed to the cause.

A group of concerned citizens, including Chamber staff, Directors and members came together to form

the "LDISS is Open!" Committee. In nine months they contributed over 5600 hours collectively to the cause.

Thank you to all Chamber members who participated in some manner.

Small Business Too Big To Ignore

The Kawartha Chamber and the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, in

partnership with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, launched Small Business Too Big

To Ignore. This campaign highlighted the important contributions of small businesses to

our communities and investigated the top barriers to small business growth.

A round table discussion was held where Chamber members spoke to the barriers they face as small business

owners. A survey was also circulated. Results were compiled and taken to the Ontario Government, by the OCC.

Canadian Chamber of Commerce - Over 450 Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade, representing

200,000 businesses of all sizes, sectors and regions, making the CCC the primary and vital connection between

business and the federal government.

Ontario Chamber of Commerce - Represents Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade in over 135

communities across Ontario. Supporting economic growth in Ontario by defending business priorities at Queen’s

Park on behalf of 60,000 diverse members.

Emerging Stronger 2016

Small Business Too Big To Ignore

Push Broadband Strategy into High Speed

LOCAL

PROVINCIAL

Keep Ontario Working

Closing the Tourism Gap

In partnership with the OCC, the Kawartha Chamber released the following reports in 2016:

FEDERAL

The Kawartha Chamber circulates the CCC's bi-weekly publication, 5 Minutes for Business, and various surveys

with membership keeping them informed on federal issues.

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A Destination with Appeal

Marketing New Members

Tonya Kraan, STREXER, ChairChris Wilson, Let's Get DigitalEva Fisher, kawarthaNOW.comJhane Brasier, MAX CommunicationKaren Copson, Camp KawarthaMichael Gatschene, BDCMichelle O'Neill, MAX Communication

By joining the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, you get members-only perks including exclusiveadvertising and online promotion giving you a whole lot of exposure for yourself and your business ororganization.

There are many reasons for joining a Chamber, we suspect that the majority of you are members to increaseyour credibility and visibility – especially online. That is why in 2016, we focused almost all of our attention on abrand new MOBILE RESPONSIVE WEBSITE.

It was quite an undertaking for Chamber staff who ensured we stayed on time and budget. The Committeeestablished a number of priorities for what the new website should include and achieved each and every one ofthem. In addition to being mobile-responsive, the main focus of the new site was to appeal to the customers andclients of our members.

We’ve enhanced our ability to report on website visitors. Since the launch in late June, we have had over 10,000unique visitors - a lot of potential customers and clients for our members!

A high percentage of website visitors are from outside of our service area - tourists, day trippers, or seasonalresidents looking for information on businesses and events in our area.

WEBSITE CONTEST - To celebrate the launch of the new site, the Chamber held a scavenger-hunt style contestwith a grand prize of a $1000 Chamber gift certificate! Peter Gallow was the contest winner and choseLakeshore Designs for his $1000 prize.

10,000Over

Unique VisitorsJuly-Nov

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A Destination with Appeal

New Members

Our committee has adopted a new Communication Strategy for 2017. Marketing continues to evolve andchange, providing exciting new opportunities to deliver member value.

These are a few of the priorities the Marketing Committee will focus on in 2017:

GUEST BLOGGING - We’ve decided to add even more online exposure to Standard and Select members bygiving “Guest Blogger” status to those who want to write content that would appeal to a wide audience. Watchfor details on this opportunity or if you are a Standard or Select member and interested in Guest Blogging,contact Chamber staff.

NEWSLETTER - Our newsletter subscribers are mostly businesses. We currently have almost 700 subscribers.The marketing committee will explore the possibility of creating a newsletter to appeal to permanentresidents/summer residents/day trippers/tourists.

WEALTH OF CHOICE BROCHURE - This is by far, the most requested item at the Chamber office and by manyof our retail/tourism members. We’re refreshing the map content that was printed two years ago. It will be readyin the spring – call the office to request copies.

SERVICE-BASED BUSINESS PROMOTION - While a high percentage of our member businesses have a direct orindirect connection to tourism we also have a sizable number of service-based businesses with minimal or noconnection to area visitors. The Marketing Committee will explore opportunities to promote non-tourismmembers beyond our website.

From building & launching a brand new website, to adopting a 2017 communications strategy, the staff andvolunteer support over the past year has been incredible. Without the Committee members, we would not beable to fulfill our mission: “to strengthen business, regional recognition and pride of place, by serving our members andcommunities”.

On behalf of all Chamber members who are benefiting from the increased visibility & credibility as a result ofbeing a member, this is a special thank you to all committee members. The Chair is grateful for yourcontributions.

SOCIAL - If you haven’t seen our SOCIAL page, you have to check it out: www.kawarthachamber.ca/social. Itpulls photos and content from our Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter and Facebook accounts.

New Members2,300Over

Social MediaFollowers

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An Organization with Capacity

Human ResourcesLorri Rork, Community Care, ChairRoberta Herod, Herod Financial ServicesTonya Kraan, STREXERKathy Newton, Past Chair

2016 Achievements

Jasmine Sager returned from Maternity Leave to resume her role as Membership Coordinator.Erica Milne moved to the role of Events Coordinator. In addition to this position, Erica joined theServiceOntario office.During the summer months, the Chamber welcomed two students, Rebecca Hubble and Tom Robertson,to provide information to tourists, help with Community Events, and assist with social media and varioustasks in the Chamber Business Office.

Completed Committee Terms of ReferenceUpdated General Manager Position DescriptionUpdated Board Member Position Descriptions:President, Past President, Committee Chair andCommittee MemberReviewed staff salary rate and developed staffrecognition program

2017 GoalsUpdate Employee & Volunteer HandbooksReview HR Policies & ProceduresUpdate Compensation StructureDevelop Process to Manage Workplace ConflictsDevelop Volunteer Management Strategy & Lead(To include recruitment, orientation, andinvolvement.)

Human resources, infrastructure, and physical resources are in place to support a successful, growing organization.

Staff Update

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2016-17 Board of DirectorsPresident: Kris Keller, RBCFirst Vice President: Cindy Windover, Windover PlumbingSecond Vice President: Tonya Kraan, STREXERTreasurer: Kevan Herod, Herod Financial ServicesDirectors at Large:Brian Harrington, Clearview Cottage ResortBryan Kingdon, ISL InsuranceChris Wilson, Let's Get DigitalDiane Caldwell, Young's Point Personal Training ServicesGarry Douglas, Kawartha Lakes Construction, North Kawartha DesignJohn Penny, JC Penny Accounting & Tax ServicesKathy Newton, Eastview Property ManagementTom LaBranche, Village Pet Food & SupplyTom Podd. Ennismore Automotive RepairTracy Logan, Logan Tree Experts

StaffGeneral Manager: Sherry [email protected] Coordinator: Jasmine [email protected] Coordinator: Stacey [email protected] Coordinator: Erica [email protected] Supervisor: Deb [email protected] Assistant Supervisor: Krista LaidleyServiceOntario Clerks: Carla Hunt, Deb Yandt, Erica Milne, Jenn Kidd

Business Office12 Queen StreetLakefield, ON K0L 2H0Phone: 705-652-6963Fax: 705-652-9140

ServiceOntario133 Water StreetLakefield, ON K0L 2H0Phone: 705-652-3141Fax: 705-652-0134

KawarthaChamber.ca

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