The work and membership of the Bonnyville and District Chamber of Commerce is continuing to grow.
On Wednesday, March 28, the local chamber of commerce celebrated a successful 2017, and started their work on the upcoming year.
“Our chamber has grown to 265 members, and we represent 5,110 jobs in our district… we continue to push forward, and we really encourage local business, beautification, and local spending,” said chamber president Robyn Ducharme.
As proof of their success, Ducharme listed the numerous events the chamber hosted last year, including the Oil and Gas Show, Business of the Year Awards, Business Support Network, the Chilli Cookoff, and the Canada Day Parade, among others.
With the help of the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce, they were able to land a Chamber Partnership Grant through Alberta Labour and the Government of Canada. The funding helped the Bonnyville chamber offer EARN events and courses locally.
When it comes to looking ahead, Ducharme was excited to announce they would be taking over managing the Vezeau Beach Campground.
“We think it’s an excellent opportunity. We’re right there… We’re actually going to be launching an online booking system for the campground, and us being there will allow us to easily communicate with campground users,” she expressed.
For this year’s AGM, the chamber brought in Ken Chapman of GO Productivity as their guest speaker.
The non-profit organization works with small and medium-sized businesses on productivity and training.
This isn’t the first time Chapman has been in Bonnyville. In fact, the chamber has brought him in as a guest speaker in the past.
Chapman has been involved with numerous issues throughout the province, published seven books, hosted his own television show, and is currently blogging.
The Queen’s Gold Medal recipient was humbled to be invited back to the area.
He started his presentation by discussing GO Productivity’s current efforts.
“Part of what we’ve been doing in terms of awareness of continuous learning is working with Alberta Labour and Canadian government running workshops. We’re tracking circumstances around nine emerging technologies, also known as disruptive technologies… these are things that will either change your life for the better or bite your butt. It’s really your choice,” he explained. “You can’t escape it, because these things are all on the Internet, and you will have access to them and get caught up in them.”
As time goes on, things change, and our methods of getting the job done also adjust, Chapman said.
For example, in the early years of mankind, humans would simply chase their food. That escalated to what is known as the buffalo run, where humans would chase herds over the cliff and harvest them at the bottom. Eventually it led to domestication and the creation of communities.
This, Chapman noted, is a prime example of technological change.
As time went on, mankind’s methods shifted, and so did the overall focus. That is the same for the world’s current state.
Chapman referred to it as the Industrial Revolution 4.0 with the creation of the Internet. But even now, 20 years later, the progress still isn’t over.
“Where we are now is chaos, which has a bad reputation. Chaos can be a good thing,” Chapman said, adding disorder can mean opportunity.
Game changers are headed our way. He used the Internet, personal tracking devices, automated cars, robots, drones, 3D printing, and banking systems as prime examples of future changes.
Chapman said these devices make your life a lot easier, but privacy is less of a reality.
“All of this is happening, I don’t know where it’s going, but we need to be ready for it,” he added.
In order to continue to adapt, businesses and employees need to be ready for change and continuous learning.
He believes the skills people have will not be enough. Critical thinking, decision making, and high-performing collaborative teams are the future of industry.
“It’s going to be an exciting and scary new world,” Chapman expressed.
