LAC LA BICHE - The Lac La Biche and District Chamber of Commerce is forging ahead with a full roster of executive members, taking the organization towards its 100-year anniversary.
At last week's annual general meeting — despite an annual recap that included challenges at last year's AGM to fill seats on the executive level of the business-assistance organization — a new board was acclaimed in the first round of nominations.
All on board
Held virtually, using the Zoom software, 19 participants took in the meeting, several of them members of the previous board who decided to continue their role. Taking over from Gail Broadbent as last year's president will be Dave Phillips. Hazel Costa will continue in the treasurer's role. Newcomers Chelsea Pretty, a realtor and media salesperson from the Bonnyville area was acclaimed as the secretary and Dallas Kappel, the owner of a tree service company in Lac La Biche, is the new vice-president. Staying on as directors from last year are municipal representative Lorin Tkachuk, David Schultz and Tammy Tarrabain. Outgoing president Broadbent will also sit as a director along with new recruit Maureen Penn, the head Librarian at Lac La Biche County's Stuart MacPherson Public LIbrary.
Rebounding from what outgoing president Broadbent described as "a do-or-die" year, the new board will have to get through some internal obstacles in the coming months before tackling larger issues like the effects of the global pandemic and the decline on the energy industry. Despite some financial issues that resulted in the organization seeking federal assistance funding to operate, Broadbent said the tireless efforts over the last year of executive director Karen Collins has helped the organization to "evolve over teh last year."
Using a variety of social media campaigns to raise support and awareness, Broadbent said the board is steering in the right direction. Active partnerships with associations, organizations and businesses continues to be a priority going forward.
Collins says the Christmas in July online auction raised $4,000 for the organization and an upcoming cookbook to celebrate the centennial year since the Lac La Biche Board of Trade was first created in 1921 is hoped to be another awareness and funds-raiser. The group is also planning a new campaign to help the COVID-cancelled Winter Festival of Trees continue with its fundraising raffle by calling on businesses to host decorated trees in their own stores to attract business and raffle funds. While plans for that campaign are still getting some finishing touches, Broadbent says it is part of a strong push in the right direction for the Chamber. Leaving the president's seat after two terms, Broadbent says things are looking good.
"I feel very proud and feel that the Chamber is on the right track ... to grow in the next year," she said
Ken Kobly was encouraged by those words. The current president of the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, representing 126 organizations like the one in the Lac La Biche region, and an estimated 25,000 Alberta businesses, Kobly was a guest speaker at last Monday's meeting.
Working with business and organziatons through the last year of economic upheaval and health-related obstacles — or as he calls it "crisis management" has been a big part of recent operations in Chamber organizations across Alberta. One of his first orders of business during the local meeting was to thank the board for continuing to work for the betterment of the local economies and being "instrumental in the survival" of local business.
Touching on the need to remain non-partisan, but still work collaboratively with all levels of government, keeping up-to-date with local members through surveys and regular contact, connecting with learning centres for work-integrated learning programs, and encouraging diversity in the markets, Kobly said the local Chamber has to work on many fronts.
Through new technology and diversification, Kobly feels the economy will have more opportunities to grow. Calling the oil and gas industry a "roller coaster," he said other options for better and balanced sustainability need to be found for the future.
"I don't want to see my son at this table in the years to come questioning why we didn't diversify," he told the local group, with some agreeing and one new member even suggestng a scenario where communities could "pretty much move away from oil and gas."
Going forward
With much of the business community affected by the significant reductions in the energy sector and the continuing struggles created by the respiratory virus pandemic, as well as localized issues like community-wide flooding in June and an on-going state of emergency in the agricultural sector, Collins hopes the new board will continue to move forward and learn from the challenges of the last year.
"We have been working very closely with businesses during COVID — and when it came to the floods, we worked closely with te County," she said, explaining that while the unusual challenges have made some procedures "a little bit off," the mandate of the board to help local business continues to grow and draw attention.
"We've signed up 16 new members this year" — despite the challenges, she said.
Once the new board has had a chance to meet formally, planning for several upcoming projects will take shape, including plans for the 2021 centennial of the original Lac La Biche Board of Trade. The event, suggests Collins could includ a sort of homecoming for past residents and business owners.
