ESTEVAN — The Estevan Chamber of Commerce recapped what was another eventful year during its annual general meeting on March 29 at the Western Star Hotel.
In her annual State of the Chamber address, executive director Jackie Wall noted the chamber has been around since 1904, so the directors and staff want to see the chamber continue to succeed.
The chamber will be undergoing a strategic and operational review this year. The community has experienced changes in the past few years, and Wall said the chamber needs to look at how it can serve its members and operate to the best of its ability.
"We are entirely self-funded," said Wall. "We do have a grant from the RM of Estevan that basically covers our rent, but beyond that, it is through the memberships, our events and the chamber's plan that we get our funding."
The support of the members is part of the reason she received an award last year for Executive of the Year from the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Canada for chambers with fewer than 500 members.
Wall said the chamber is also looking forward to bringing back the Estevan Business Excellence Awards on Oct. 20. A modified version of EBEX was held in 2021, when COVID-19 restrictions were still in place. The last time the chamber was able to hold a full, in-person awards night was in 2019.
Financial statements released during the meeting showed the chamber had $177,438 in revenues last year, down from the $307,040 they had in 2021. The decline can be attributed to three reasons.
They did not have any revenues from government assistance, which accounted for $69,611 in 2021, or the Estevan Business Excellence Awards, which brought in $11,155. Also, project revenue fell from $89,566 in 2021 to 36,657 last year.
Membership revenues grew from $77,806 in 2021 to $84,483 in 2022. Wall noted the chamber's membership is at its strongest level in eight years at 326, and that Estevan has one of the highest membership rates per capita, as well as one of the strongest retention rates in the country.
The chamber had $207,636 in expenses last year, compared with $227,013 the previous year. Net loss for 2022 was $36,107.
Board members for 2023 were installed. Sheena Onrait with the Southeast College will be the president. Denise Taylor of TravelOnly is the vice-president, Linda Mack from RE/Max Blue Chip Realty will be the treasurer and David Hammermeister with MNP will be the past president.
Other board members are Twyla Bauman (Western Star), Tania Hlohovsky Andrist (Southeast College), Michael Pelletier (Southeast Newcomer Services), Aleksandra Szlapacka (Virtus Group), Ashley Gallaway (Wil-Tech Industries), Cory Casemore (Case by Case Benefits), John Williams (Glazed Catering) and Melanie Tribiger (Sun Country Hearing).
Elected directors will hold office for a term of two years following their election, or until successors in office are duly elected. No director will serve more than four consecutive two-year terms. After the eight-year limit, the director must retire from the board for two years before putting forth a nomination to return.
Curtis Adair with MNP was the guest speaker. Adair talked about cyber security and what MNP can do for businesses. He noted there is a federal grant available for up to $15,000. MNP charges $18,000 for the basics.
