Ryan Williams, President of TWI Surveys Inc, a Delta, BC-based communication research company, spoke about social media tools and tactics which can help a company build its business, at a Delta Chamber of Commerce luncheon on January 21 at the Coast Tsawwassen Inn. He explained how businesses are profiting from adopting new communication tools to deepen their relationships.

Clients of TWI Surveys Inc include The Home Depot of Canada, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Pepsi Co, John Hopkins Medicine, Suncor, Symantec, Vancouver Coastal Health, The Delta Hospital Foundation, The Law Society of B.C, The Justice Institute of British Columbia, and Modern Engineering. Mr. Williams received the prestigious Golden Ruler Award from the Institute of Public Relations in New York, and has won three Gold Quill Awards of Excellence from the International Association of Business Communicators. He is a published author and accomplished speaker at national and international conferences. He holds a Masters Degree in Business Leadership from Trinity Western University.

Event Sponsor:

Delta Employment Skills Program, Delta School District

For a copy of Ryan Williams’s presentation, please use this link: http://www.slideshare.net/willy26/leveraging-your-relationship-to-grow-your-business-dcc-jan-20-10

Some video highlights of the presentation:

A small dry cleaning company in Langley, BC is the example of success with effective contacts for the business through the use of Twitter, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etkyGecUlzc

Reports, large documents can be published for the world to see on Scribd, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7KwHpADdxc

New and competing social media tools keep emerging, but it is the “connectivity” that is the overall outcome and change in ways of doing business through collaboration, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGx4A3Z6VwY

Social media emerged long ago through the world wide web, but newer tools have made it accessible for people world wide, more and more for businesses, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ8mQ2d7X0A

Please bare with us as we complete this process throughout January.

Our sincere apologies and thanks for your patience.

- DeltaChamber.ca

Season’s Greetings
and a
Happy New Year

UPCOMING EVENTS: Luncheon – Social Media: Business Communication Tools We Can Use, Ryan Williams January 20; Luncheon – the food chain business in Delta, panel, February 17; Breakfast – Don Andrews Performance Intelligence: Building a Strategic Roadmap March 2. Annual General Meeting, March 25. Register for events here

Season’s Greetings to all our members from the Delta Chamber staff

Recommendations for change as BC Chamber board shifts to governance model

Based on concerns of chamber members about policy and operations effectiveness, the BC Chamber of Commerce board has been making the transition from an operations model to a governance model, focused less on management and more on policy and direction. The BC Chamber Board’s Transition Team recently presented its recommendations, summarized in a letter from BC Chamber Chair, David Bodnar. >>click here>>

Future economic performance of Western Canada – survey report
Results of the first survey of over 2,000 economists and financial analysts who are closest to the working details of the Western Canadian economy on the future economic performance of the western provinces and the country on Western Economic Expectations by the Alberta-based Canada West Foundation and the Western Centre for Economic Research. www.cwf.ca >>more on survey>>

Holiday closing/opening hours
For Certificate of Origin customers, the Delta Chamber of Commerce office will be closed at noon on Thursday, December 24 until Monday, January 4. Please see the attached notice for alternate service on Wednesday, December 30 near the Vancouver International Airport, Café Runway, 5200 Miller Road, 11:00 am to 12:30 pm, thanks to the Richmond Chamber of Commerce.

Office and Event Volunteers celebrate season with staff
Many volunteers keep the Delta Chamber operating throughout the year. Thank you to those who help with our office, visitor centre and events.

Wilma Roodbergen and Linda Edwards, volunteers, celebrating with Louise Wechselberger at the office Christmas party.	A seasonal social for those who keep the Chamber functioning throughout the year.

The Board of Directors plays the important role of setting policy and direction, and ensuring planned results are achieved for all members of the Delta Chamber of Commerce.

With the help of the Nominating Committee the Board of Directors determines the current mix of skills and experience represented among those standing for election. The Board then recommends candidates who are a good fit in terms of the always changing balance of skills/experience needed on the board to provide leadership. The candidates are presented as a slate for election at the Annual General Meeting, which is scheduled for Thursday, March 25, 2010.

This fast approaching Centennial year could not be a more appropriate time to take the Chamber in new directions which will add value to membership.

Please take the opportunity to nominate candidates for the Board of Directors in 2010/11.

Here is brief summary of what is required to be a member of the Board of Directors:>>click here>>

Here is a form with instructions for submitting the name of a candidate to the Nominating Committee: >>click here>>

(METRO VANCOUVER, B.C.) Employers looking to recruit new employees are invited to register for the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Career Services’ “Sweet Prospects Networking Event” taking place Thursday, October 22, 2009 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kwantlen’s Richmond Campus.

Co-sponsored by the Kwantlen University Alumni Association, the coffee and dessert themed event aims to unite Kwantlen students and alumni with local and international businesses and organizations seeking qualified candidates for current and future employment opportunities.

“Kwantlen Polytechnic University is known for providing students and graduates with practical, up-to-the-minute skills so we are often approached by organizations that are actively recruiting employees,” says Tanya Fuller, Kwantlen career services coordinator. “This fun event will be a great opportunity for employers to interact face-to-face with our many highly skilled and diversely educated students and alumni.”

In addition to enjoying a buffet of sweet treats, students, alumni and employers will be able to register for Kwantlen’s electronic job posting service and learn about the Kwantlen University Alumni Association Mentorship program. Organizers recommend students and alumni come prepared with resumes.

Kwantlen Career Services provide students with tools, information and assistance to achieve their career goals. For more information or to register visit kwantlen.ca/careers

-30-

For more information about this event or Kwantlen Career Services, contact:
Tanya Fuller
Coordinator, Career Services
Tel: 604.599.3401
tanya.fuller@kwantlen.ca

OR

For more information about Kwantlen, contact:
Audrey Wang
Manager, Communications
Tel: 604.599.2385
audrey.wang@kwantlen.ca

“We are proud to recognize these chambers as examples of effective, well-managed and stable organizations making a difference in communities across the country – keeping ‘the voice of business’ loud and strong” said Perrin Beatty, Canadian Chamber President and CEO.

To achieve accreditation, a chamber must meet minimum standards in critical areas, including areas of governance, operations, membership programming, policy and advocacy and strategic planning.

Accreditation is aimed at continuous operational improvement and standards of local chambers of commerce and an elevation of their profile across the country as effective and well-managed organizations.

“Accreditation is the acknowledgment that member chambers have been successfully evaluated against rigorous national standards of policy, service and performance,” said Graham Starmer, President of the Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada.  Starmer continued “that this brings the number of accredited chambers to 70 in Canada.”

Developed by a team of chamber executives, in conjunction with provincial and territorial chambers and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the accreditation program is operated by an arms-length organization called the Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada (CACC). The CACC is composed of representatives from across the country. The Council meets twice per year to review applications for accreditation.

Accreditation is a means of reinforcing and clarifying to the community at large what activities are pivotal to a chamber’s functions and determines the chamber’s unique value proposition vis-à-vis other organizations in the marketplace.

Chambers of commerce and boards of trade that are successful in achieving the requirements for accreditation are recognized each year at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting.

The chambers of commerce and boards of trade that received accreditation at this year’s AGM in Victoria are:

Delta Chamber of Commerce  (Accreditation “with Distinction”)

Guelph Chamber of Commerce
Smiths Falls & District Chamber of Commerce
St. Catharines & Thorold Chamber of Commerce

La Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Saint-Jérôme
La Chambre de commerce de Haute-Yamaska et region
La Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de St-Félicien and
La Chambre de commerce de Mont-Tremblant

For more information on accreditation, visit the Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada Web site, www.chamberaccreditation.ca

###

Contact:
Jennifer Hagen, Secretary
Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada
(613) 238-4000, x232, jhagen@chamber.ca

or

Graham Starmer, President,
Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada
c/o Manitoba Chambers of Commerce
(204) 948-0100, gstarmer@mbchamber.mb.ca

DELTA, BC (August 31, 2009) Former BC Minister of Agriculture, Delta Municipal Councillor and President of the Delta Chamber of Commerce, John Savage, is being recognized for his lifetime achievement in contributions to farming, business and overall community in Delta and beyond. He will receive the Delta Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Hats Off gala dinner on November 13, 2009.

Mr. Savage, who is President of the Delta Farmers Institute, has also served in the past as head of B.C. Federation of Agriculture, Chair of the Cranberry Association, and as member of the B.C. Vegetable Commission, Delta Agriculture Society, Delta Municipal Agriculture By-Law Committee and the Save Delta Hospital Society.

The Delta Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors approves recipients of this prestigious award, and Board Chair, Greg Muirhead, says: “I can think of no more deserving recipient of this recognition by the business community of Delta than John Savage. He has been, and continues to be, an outstanding leader in his industry of agriculture, in the business community, in Delta and across the province. His influence is felt near and far. The story of his family is tied so closely to the growth and development of this area over more than 120 years. As we prepare to celebrate our 100th Anniversary at the Delta Chamber it seems so appropriate that a leader from one of our founding industries is recognized in this way. We are most fortunate to have John among us in Delta and among us as a Chamber member.”

The Savage family came from Ireland to Delta South in 1886. As the family grew and multiplied, farms throughout Richmond and Delta were established. Their Jersey cattle were amongst the finest herds in Canada. The Delta branch of the Savages progressed from a dairy farm to equipment dealership, a registered Hereford beef herd, plus extensive vegetable production for Royal City Foods, Fraser Valley Foods and Lucerne Foods, a division of Safeway. H.R. Savage and Sons was run by son Robert and helped by son Ken while son John was the Minister of Agriculture from 1986 to 1991. Retirement in early spring of 2006 saw the end of an era for this half of the Savage family.

The Delta Chamber of Commerce is a 400-member association of businesses in Delta acting as the voice of business locally, provincially and nationally, and providing discounted services, learning opportunities and business networking to its members.

###

CONTACTS:
Greg Muirhead, Chair
Delta Chamber of Commerce
604-351-2920

DELTA, BC (August 17, 2009) The Delta Chamber of Commerce evaluated itself, and then was evaluated, against rigorous national standards of policy, service, and performance and has achieved Accreditation with Distinction from the Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada (CACC). The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the Council, will formally recognize the Delta Chamber at its annual general meeting in Victoria October 3-5.

The rigorous accreditation process itself provides an opportunity to document and streamline internal chamber and board functions and to clarify practices for directors, staff and members. The accreditation seal on stationery, web sites, promotional literature, signage and elsewhere is a chamber’s commitment to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s unique value proposition as “the voice of business” in communities across Canada.

To date only six out of 130 chambers and boards of trade in BC, including BC Chamber of Commerce and the Vancouver Board of Trade, are CACC accredited, only 12 in Western Canada and only 62 out of 350 chambers of commerce and boards of trade across Canada.

The letter announcing Delta Chamber’s success in achieving Accreditation included the comment, “…you join a group of elite chambers of commerce in Canada who are demonstrating to the business community within which you operate that your chamber is run in a strategic and professional way and that your operations reflect standards of business excellence.”

By achieving the national standard of CACC Accreditation a chamber of commerce assures its members, the community it serves and chambers in networks across the province and the country that there is a strategic focus on core chamber activities, uniform practices and policies that align with those across the chamber network, dependable governance procedures, a distinctive brand identity when compared to other business organizations and a stronger “voice of business” in the local community as well as an increased role in national and international policy advocacy.

Delta Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Peter Roaf, says: “Accreditation covers five areas: Policy and Advocacy, Membership Programs and Services, Organization and Administration, Governance and Strategic Planning. We had to meet the standards in the large chamber category and completing the last two areas gives us the ‘Distinction’ designation. We are grateful to the Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce for, first of all, providing us with the opportunity to assess ourselves against the national standards to see how we are performing by way of continual quality improvement. Now the Council has provided a third party assessment by chamber experts at the national level and that has proven successful. The process has pointed out various areas where we could be doing a better job for our members and we are working on those now. Of course, we listen to our members regularly through surveys and that gives us important direction too.”

“As Peter says, it’s all about our members and doing the best job possible for them,” says Delta Chamber of Commerce Chair, Greg Muirhead. “The board, committees, staff, office volunteers and members all should be proud of this national level recognition. But it’s not just those here today who should take a bow, there are the many hundreds of people who have built the Chamber and served the business community over the past almost 100 years here in Delta. So thank you to those who have gone before. It is up to us today to keep trying to do a better job for our members, the local business community and all of Delta through economic development. We can always do a better job.”

The Delta Chamber of Commerce is a 400-member association of businesses in Delta which acts as the voice of business locally, and with other chambers provincially and nationally, and which provides its members with discounted services, learning opportunities and business networking.

For a copy of the news release >>click here>>

CONTACTS:
Greg Muirhead
President
Delta Chamber of Commerce
604-351-2920

and

Peter Roaf
Executive Director
Delta Chamber of Commerce
604-946-4232

Delta Chamber encouraged but concerned by HST

The BC Chamber of Commerce, representing chambers/boards of trade in the province, started to recommend 20 years ago that the two levels of government blend the current provincial sales tax with the federal GST or Goods and Services Tax. The BC Chamber resolution to harmonize the two tax systems has been before the provincial government since 2002.

“After all this time, the Delta Chamber of Commerce is encouraged that some action has finally been taken to improve the competitive position of BC,” says Delta Chamber of Commerce Chair Greg Muirhead.. “But there is still far too little information from the government about the program and we are concerned about the negative impact on many businesses, whether they are our members or not. So while we support in principle the provincial government’s harmonization of the two sales taxes, we are far from endorsing the program. We need to study the program in full and consult with our members before we can reach a decision of endorsement.”

One small business advantage of the HST is the elimination of a major burden of time and service expenses required to process the payment of provincial sales taxes, achieving savings which could be passed on to the customer. On the other hand, many of those businesses, in the clothing, restaurant, housing and tourism industries among others could face expenses likely higher than those savings because they will now have to pay the provincial portion of the HST when they have not been paying a provincial sales tax to date.

“What is the final impact on the consumer in each industry and how might consumer reaction harm businesses in those industries are the kinds of questions we are asking. Even we, the chambers of commerce and boards trade, as not-for-profits, are not sure whether we are exempt, along with municipalities and charities. We are still waiting for more details from the provincial government.

“We in the provincial chamber network have been asking for this harmonization to happen for many years, and we are encouraged by reports from the Atlantic provinces where HST in recent years has lowered business costs overall, but we would like to hear much more from the provincial government about how this program is going to be implemented and whether there might be any mitigating aspects to it. So we do not endorse the HST program at this time.”

The Delta Chamber of Commerce is a 400-member association of businesses in Delta acting as the voice of business locally, provincially and nationally, and providing discounted services, learning opportunities and business networking to its members.

###

CONTACT:
Greg Muirhead, Chair
Delta Chamber of Commerce
604-351-2920