MBiz

3 mbiz | may 2015 MAy 2015 VOl. 7 biz mb manitoba chamberS of commerce mbchamber.mb.ca PresIdent & CeO Chuck davidson dIreCtOr OF POlICy & COMMunICAtIOns Cory Kolt Winnipeg free preSS winnipegfreepress.com PublIsHer bob Cox VICe PresIdent sAles laurie Finley MAnAGer OF nICHe PrOduCts barb borden barb.borden@freepress.mb.ca edItOr Pat st. Germain pstgermain@mail.com WrIters Cory Kolt Wendy King Jennifer McFee david square Pat st. Germain Jim timlick Jon Waldman PHOtOGrAPHy darcy Finley numerous organizations supplied desIGn Jane Chartrand • AGM ............................. 4 • norman ........................ 8 • Parkland .................... 12 • Capital ....................... 14 • Pembina Valley .......... 24 • Central/Midwest ........ 26 • Central/Midwest ........ 28 • Interlake .................... 30 • eastern ...................... 32 • Western ...................... 36 featured thiS month in mbiz: 26 28 30 32 36 o ne of the key elements that sets the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce apart from the 69 local Chambers in the province is our focus on policy development and advocacy. When we launched our new three-year strategic plan in 2014, it was clearly identified as one of the key pillars of our organization to which we would pay particular attention. Since its release, we have continued to be a vocal advocate for the importance of the tourism industry; ensured workforce issues were addressed and have spoken on numerous occasions about the need for Manitoba to have a more competitive business climate. To ensure we have a clear understanding of the challenges and issues facing the business community, we have made it a point to engage with as many Chambers throughout the province as possible. Over the course of the past year we have met with or attended over 50 Chamber events in the province from Churchill to Elkhorn and from Steinbach to Dauphin, and we have made a point of listening to business leaders in those communities. In addition, we have taken concerns from those local Chambers and advocated on their behalf in more than 40 meetings with various federal and provincial ministers, ambassadors and consul generals, local mayors and bureaucrats. With both a federal and provincial election to be held in the next 12 months, we will ensure that the issues most important to the Manitoba business community are addressed in both campaigns. Finally, I want to take this opportunity to thank our board of directors, partners and the Winnipeg Free Press for their continued support of this magazine and commitment to the Chamber network. I would also like to say special thanks to the hard-working, dedicated staff at MCC, whose belief in providing great customer service and value to both our corporate and Chamber members has made this another great year. With an engaged board, a growing Chamber network and a focused staff, I'm confident MCC will continue to increase its profile and stature as the "Voice of Business" in Manitoba. chuck davidson president and ceo manitoba chambers of commerce groWing the chamber netWork capS off buSy Six monthS chuck davidson View online at: winnipegfreepress.com/publications

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