MBiz

A MESSAGE FROM MCC PRESIDENT & CEO CHUCK DAVIDSON NETWORK SUPPORT: DOING OUR BEST IN THE WORST OF TIMES THIS IS A TOUGH LETTER FOR ME TO WRITE. It has been more than nine months since the dawn of the pandemic; a period in the collective experience of global citizens that has been strangely numbing and monumentally stressful. In some ways, it feels as though time has flown by, yet in other ways, it feels like it's standing still. For health-care professionals and other critical services workers, as well as community agencies and charitable organizations, there have been overwhelming demands, and long days darkened by sadness, frustration, and exhaustion. We are deeply thankful to all of you as you continue to fight for Manitobans' health and well-being. For those of us outside the realm of essential work, COVID-19 has also been difficult — different, but still difficult. We move through each day preparing for the worst and hoping for the best, listening intently to government and public health announcements, trying to interpret how best to help, and desperate to figure out how we can make it through this together. Business owners across the province have stepped up in many ways to support their communities. They've implemented health and safety practices to reduce virus transmission risks, they've delivered groceries and other essential goods when we've been told to stay home, and they've shifted operations many times over just to stay in the game. And business will never be the same. At the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, we are working hard to provide advocacy, information, and resources, and we are beyond proud of our province's local Chamber of Commerce leaders and business community members. We've regularly asked them how they're faring, and we are determined to support Manitoba's Chamber network and businesses through to the other side. It has been one year since we published an issue of MBiz Magazine. It just didn't feel right in the spring to be celebrating success and entrepreneurial spirit when children were out of school, businesses were shuttered, the streets were quiet, and we were all trying to make sense of our so-called "new normal." Thankfully, there are some very bright spots and inspiring stories to tell. We hope you enjoy the profiles we've shared in this edition of the magazine. Working on behalf of business, CHUCK DAVIDSON President and CEO Manitoba Chambers of Commerce WINTER 2020, VOL. 17 MANITOBA CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE jointhechamber.ca PRESIDENT & CEO Chuck Davidson DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & POLICY Karen Viveiros WINNIPEG FREE PRESS winnipegfreepress.com PUBLISHER Bob Cox MANAGER OF NICHE PRODUCTS Brandi Johnson brandi.johnson@freepress.mb.ca EDITOR Pat St. Germain pdstgermain@gmail.com WRITERS Jim Bender Trina Rehberg Boyko Carolynne Jansen Sherry Kaniuga Wendy King Judy Owen Pat St. Germain Jim Timlick Karen Viveiros Lindsey Ward PHOTOGRAPHY Darcy Finley Numerous organizations supplied DESIGN Jane Chartrand View online at: winnipegfreepress.com/publications TO ADVERTISE, call 204-697-7389

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