By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Conception Bay Area Chamber of Commerce (CBAC) said membership growth will be a top priority for the coming year, citing it as a cornerstone of ongoing sustainability from both an operational and fiscal perspective.
The organization saw membership grow to 218 at year end - accounting for around $28,000 in revenue - but incoming chair Danny Reid outlined ambitious plans to grow that number to 300 in the coming year.
“The bigger we are, the stronger we are, and the louder we are and the more we can do speaking on your behalf. We want you and we need you and we want your input to find out what you want, so that we can help you achieve what you want,” Reid said to around 40 businesspeople assembled for the organization’s annual general meeting April 29 at Shenanigans.
“We're thankful for having all of you engaged and here with us tonight, but please help us understand how we can engage more and gain more membership,” said Reid.
Reid said there are plans to conduct a membership survey as part of that engagement process. The membership push comes as the organization comes out of what Reid called a transition period that he credits past-chair Thomas Williamson for working hard to navigate.
Reid believes his day job as business development officer at the Community Business Development Corporation can also prove a beneficial resource for members.
“Every day I work with entrepreneurs, so this really made a lot of sense. Hopefully I can help people within terms of helping you navigate the business finance world. That's something I'm involved with, for almost 20 years now,” he said.
The CBAC held 20 events this past year, including three major events for International Women's Day, the golf tournament and Christmas in the Harbour, all of which resulted in a net $11,000 of event revenue thanks to sponsorships. He credited the work of Kara Roberts for helping to facilitate that activity and says the board is looking to add one more major event to the calendar, though that is still in development.
“So those are all fantastic ways that we stay connected with you, and we engage with you and we learn what the business community wants and needs from us,” Reid said.
CBAC saw a net profit of a little less than $14,000 last year, reported Reid, adding that it is a strong number for a relatively small organization. The CBAC board also welcomed two new members at its AGM in Treena Nippard and Laura Nurse.
Roberts said members and non-members are all invited to CBAC’s summer kick-off social June 18 from 3 - 5 p.m. at the Manuels River Interpretation Centre Discovery Room.
