As the bits and pieces of what used to be the purview of Canmore Business and Tourism are taken apart and examined, those in the community interested in pursuing work with specific economic sectors and providing much needed small business support have proposed creating a Chamber of Commerce for the Bow Valley.
At the time CBT announced it was going to divest itself from providing destination marketing and economic development services for the town this past summer, it had begun an important series of conversation cafés with the intent of creating sector-specific economic development plans.
Those sectors include health and wellness, food manufacturing, the creative sector and higher education and the process undertaken was similar to that used with the food and beverage sector to create the Uncorked food and drink festival.
Without CBT pursuing the conversation cafés any longer, Carmella Consulting owner Stephanie O’Brien and Active Life Physio’s Heather King felt there was value in the process being undertaken and volunteered to continue holding the breakfast economic development sessions.
O’Brien said it has been in those discussions that a vision and action plan has formed around the idea of a chamber to support small businesses valley-wide.
“In those discussions, it was apparent to us that one of the things that needed to be discussed with the group at the conversation café is the whole chamber of commerce piece and what would exist in the absence of Canmore Business and Tourism,” she said. “It became apparent there were gaps that existed and CBT was filling roles a chamber would normally fill.”
O’Brien said the work being explored for a possible chamber of commerce is not to replace what CBT was doing in terms of destination marketing. Instead, she said, the goal is to fill the economic development and support for small business void that has been created because of CBT’s board of directors’ decision to cease operations after its funding model collapsed earlier this year.
The conversation café was originally part of economic development work CBT was undertaking, along with annual business awards, Learn at Lunch events and after hours business networking opportunities.
All those events, said O’Brien, are ones that fit into the mandate of a chamber of commerce. She said a chamber could also be a voice for small and medium sized businesses and work closely with local government to meet the needs of the business community.
A chamber association also provides access for small businesses to benefits plans and programs they would be too small to be part of normally. In fact, O’Brien said numerous local businesses are already accessing a chamber benefits plan through Cochrane and Airdrie chambers.
“Businesses in this town are part of a chamber elsewhere,” she said. “That money they are paying could stay here and work on Canmore issues.”
With more than 1,200 businesses registered in Canmore’s business registry, there are the numbers needed to sustain a chamber in the community.
She said the work pursuing a chamber of commerce has momentum, as a group of business industry representatives have come together out of the conversation cafés to form a working group.
“What we have right now is a small working group that has established a mission, a vision and a process forward,” O’Brien said. “The vision is to create a place where local entrepreneurs can incubate, grow, connect and find support and programs they need to survive and prosper.
“Basically, we want to start a Bow Valley Chamber of Commerce. We want to be inclusive and form partnerships with all other organizations that currently exist in town.”
O’Brien said the goal is to launch the process to establish the chamber formally at the beginning of January.
The next conversation café is on Tuesday (Nov. 8) and O’Brien said economic sector work will continue at that session, along with the conversation around a chamber of commerce as the working group will present the results of its work so far.
She encouraged anyone in the business community interested in either the sector development work or the chamber conversation to register for the breakfast meeting for 7:30-9 a.m. at the Hive Gallery on Main Street.
The signup for the event – which is $25 for the registration – is available through www.eventbrite.ca.
