The Boundary Country Regional Chamber of Commerce (BCRCC) held its first spring annual general meeting this year.
At Thursday’s meeting, which was held at gallery 2 Art and Heritage Centre, the directors and members present heard from several speakers including Terry Woodruff, new executive director of gallery 2; Alan Cooper, president of the chamber; and Kathy Wright, executive director of the chamber.
Cooper talked about the success of programs such as the Business After Business networking events. He also talked about how the chamber was needing to become self-sufficient, as start-up support from Community Futures tapered off. He also mentioned an exciting new chamber golf tournament coming Oct. 1 at the Christina Lake Golf and Country Club.
Cooper outlined the 2016-17 strategic plan for the chamber which outlines how they want to grow and continue to work and improve community prosperity.
Wright spoke about several programs including the member to member program, which provides discounts for members at participating businesses.
Woodruff talked about taking over as the new executive director of gallery 2 after the departure of Liz Barron as well as all the exciting upcoming shows.
BCRCC, which covers the entire Boundary, had 95 paid memberships for 2015 including 71 from Grand Forks, 10 from Christina Lake, four from Rock Creek, three from Midway, two from Greenwood and the Board of Trade; and five other. In 2016, the chamber has put out 154 invoices for membership.
After the speeches, members voted for the board of directors. Seven members were elected with six incumbents (Sylvia Burch, Alan Cooper, Cathy Korolek, John Fair, Shannon Profili and Ken Anderson) and one newcomer (Stephanie Boltz). Appointed board members are Jeff Fero, Grand Forks Credit Union; Chris Hammett, Grand Forks City Council (non-voting/liason); and Jim Nathorst, Greenwood Board of Trade. Cooper was reelected as board chair, while Burch was reelected as treasurer. Fair was elected as board vice-chair.
“I think the AGM went really well,” Cooper told the Gazette. “I was really pleased with how many people we had out and the fact that we had to have an election. That was great. Often times you’re hunting for board members and encouraging people to come out. This time we had more people running than we had positions.”
Cooper said the reason for rescheduling the AGM from the fall to the spring was to make it fit with the bylaws. “It works far better for us to have the annual general meeting in fall. We thought we would reelect all board members. None of us would have continuing positions. From now all AGMs will be in the fall.”
Cooper said the chamber will be looking for other funding sources as their support from Community Futures expires. “That’s why we’re running a golf tournament in November and are working hard to improve membership and encourage members to purchase chamber of commerce insurance for which we do get a rebate.”
Wright was also very happy with the turnout of 30 members and having 11 names put forward for nine board positions. She is also pleased with how her job has gone so far.
“I had an amazingly supportive board for my first six months on the job and I’m excited to move forward in 2016 with my new board,” she said. “BCRCC encourages business and individuals to get involved in the chamber, renewing connections with old and new business relationships. I’d also like to thank our funding partners and membership for their interest in BCRCC and their continued support.”