Typically, although prior to adoption of the metric system in Canada, a popular measurement used to gauge performance was that of the 0-60 m.p.h equation.
Well, the Bow Valley Chamber of Commerce (BVCC) hasn’t quite cracked that metric yet, but, having gone from zero to 55 members on board in six weeks, things appear to be going relatively smoothly for the newly-created business organization.
We’ll assume that, as with much that happens in the Bow Valley, such as people purchasing tickets to events or donating charities, much may happen at the last minute. The local chamber has set a goal of 200 members by April and 500 by end of year.
One of two regional chambers in the province (along with Leduc and area), BVCC has now joined 124 chambers in Alberta in representing and advocating for local business interests.
With the demise of Canmore Business and Tourism, along with its mandate from the Town for economic development, joining BVCC makes sense on a number of fronts.
In particular, as BVCC’s geographic region includes Lake Louise to almost Cochrane, there are many small businesses which don’t fall into the typical tourism-based category the Bow Valley is known for.
These businesses – which fall outside the accommodation or food and beverage sectors, or Canmore’s business revitalization zone (BRZ) – would likely benefit most from joining BVCC.
In fact, a quick glance at the BVCC business directory suggests that it is mostly these non-tourism businesses that are getting on board.
As it is, there are valley businesses which have joined chambers such as that in Bragg Creek to take advantage of insurance and health plans.
In Canmore, the tourism/accommodation industry is under a new CBT umbrella organization run by accommodation providers, while in Banff, the Banff Lake Louise Hotel Motel Association does the same. Banff Lake Louise Tourism handles that side of business, so there does see plenty of room for the Bow Valley Chamber of Commerce to make a difference.
Hopefully, not many businesses in our communities will be content to take a ‘wait and see’ attitude toward joining the chamber. In the case of a chamber of commerce, there is strength in numbers and, as Canmore Mayor John Borrowman has already stated, a strong, united chamber is one that would be consulted by our municipal governments on business-related situations.
A nod to change makers
While Banff YWCA’s Change Makers event is days away, we’re going to go ahead and thank the award winners for their efforts (page 20).
Keri Martens, Jan Townsend and Mary Buckingham certainly count among those who have made changes in our valley and are deserving of notice for their efforts.
Here in the Outlook newsroom, we’re constantly impressed by many citizens who go above and beyond and the three mentioned above certainly fall into that category.
With change makers like Martens, Townsend and Buckingham in our midst it’s hard to tell just how far changes they make, create, initiate, etc. will reach.
Making change, we believe, is like the dropping of a pebble into a pond; the outer limits of where the ripples will reach may be incalculable.
