John Peller, Canadian Chamber Chair
written by Dave Cage
Stoney Creek Chamber of Commerce members attended a networking lunch at the Renaissance Banquet and Special Events Centre, where Canadian Chamber of Commerce board of directors' Chair and President and CEO of Andrew Peller Limited, John Peller spoke about issues facing small business owners in Ontario.
more...Breakfast with Aron Gampel - April 17th
written by Dave Cage
On Thursday morning, April 17th, Aron Gampel, Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist for Scotiabank, addressed members and guests of the Stoney Creek Chamber of Commerce at Chandelier Place in Stoney Creek.
Mr Gampel was speaking on the general state of the economy and said the US economy is contracting and going through a particularly difficult time. Due to the fact the Canadian and US economies are tied together in the manufacturing sector, the US downturn is having a negative effect on Ontario. Overall Canadians are relatively confident and the Canadian economy as a whole is continuing to grow, and attract new jobs, but at a slower rate than some of the developing counties in the world. For example, in the first three months of the year there was a net increase of 126,000 new jobs in Canada, compared to a net loss of 300,000 jobs in the US.
more...Marvin Ryder Luncheon - November 24th
written by Dave Cage
Marvin Ryder spoke to Stoney Creek Chamber Members at a luncheon held at The Grand Olympia, sponsored by NeoGraphics.
Marvin explained that recessions come and go. The wise businessperson plans for the longer term trends. The next 25 years holds many opportunities for Stoney Creek and its business community. Like the period following World War II, this is a dramatic period of immigration with a changing community profile. “Winners” will be those companies who offer market niches, products and services with a sustainable competitive advantage. The challenge and critical success of the Stoney Creek business community will be adapting to a modified City population over the next 25 years.
more...Mayors Annual Luncheon, October 8th
written by Dave Cage
"To be the best place in Canada to raise a child, promote innovation, engage citizens, and provide diverse economic opportunities."
This statement forms the basis of the Corporate Strategic Plan, approved by Council, in June of 2008.
These 20 thoughtfully selected words summarize in a single sentence the potential for the Next Hamilton.
Under Mayor Fred Eisenberger’s leadership, Councilors, dedicated city staff of departments such as Economic Development, along with business and community leaders have come together and set out to make this vision a reality.
The vision along with a program called Next Hamilton: Your City and Your Future describe the focus of Mayor Fred’s Administration. His approach involves the 4 C’s (Collaboration, Cooperation, Consensus, and Confidence) and its aim is to create a Hamilton that is Clean, Green, and Prosperous.
To quote Mayor Fred, “Hamilton has a strong foundation upon which to build our city's future, a future I like to call the NEXT Hamilton.”
Written by Branka Vidovic, NeoGraphics
Top Ten Ways to Build a Strong Brand
written by Dave Cage
Once again, we had great attendance at our breakfast seminar on March 5th at the Express Restaurant. The event was sponsored by Pillar Retirement Group and featured Dr. Ajay Sirsi, Professor of Marketing, Schulich School of Business, York University.
Dr. Sirsi took the audience through his Top 10 Ways to Build a Strong Brand which he explained by using examples of successful brands Nike, Harley Davidson, BMW and others.
In summary, his Top 10 list included;
1. The brand understands customers’ needs.
2. The brand knows people buy expectations, not things.
3. The brand understands what business it is in.
4. The brand is properly positioned.
5. The brand goes way beyond building brand awareness.
6. The brand focuses on the total customer experience.
7. The brand controls the customer experience.
8. The brand stays relevant.
9. The brand stays consistent.
10. The brand builds a community.
more...Peter Hall, VP and Chief Economist, EDC
written by Dave Cage
Hamilton has yet to experience the full destructive power of the current economic crisis, says a noted economist.
“It’s bad,” said Peter Hall, vice president and chief economist of Export Development Canada. “There is still bad news ahead of us. I don’t know if (Hamilton) can dodge the bullet.”
Mr. Hall spoke to a joint Stoney Creek and Hamilton Chambers of Commerce lunch event at Stoney Creek’s Grand Olympia Hospitality and Convention Centre a day before Statistics Canada revealed further dire economic news.
Canada had shed about 127,000 jobs in January, with Hamilton’s unemployment rate jumping to 8 per cent. A year ago the unemployment rate for the city was 5.6 per cent. Hamilton shares the fifth highest unemployment rate among major Canadian cities.
Mr. Hall said the North American economies have experienced the collapsed of the housing marketing, and financial institutions have gone bankrupted or on the verge of insolvency.
But the third wave of this economic tsunami, he called it, has yet to hit both economies – massive job losses, which he said are inevitable.
“This is not hyperbole,” he said. “These are unprecedent times. It is not entirely inappropriate to refer to the Great Depression.”
People, he said, should brace themselves for further economic impacts, especially higher unemployment figures. Last week residents received a taste of how difficult the economic crisis will be to solve.
“We have not seen the unemployment curve yet,” he said. “It’s still bad news ahead of us. That will translate into poor performances in the financial markets.”
He said as more people lose their jobs, there will be more defaults on debt, which will send banks and other financial institutions into a spiral of further balance sheet losses.
Ontario lost about 71,000 jobs in January, more than the rest of the country combined, and now has an 8 per cent unemployment rate. Among those jobs lost were 36,000 in the manufacturing sector. Since 2005 there have been 272,600 manufacturing jobs gone in the province.
Mr. Hall, speaking to reporters after his presentation to about 120 people, said the federal and provincial infrastructure funding will be “critical” to holding off the effects of the economic downturn. But even with the stimulus packages offered by the American and Canadian governments, Mr. Hall is still forecasting limited growth in 2009. It won’t be until the middle of 2010 when the economies will start to revive, he said. Mr. Hall predicts the housing industry will be the first to turn around.
more...
Annual General Meeting
written by Dave Cage
The Stoney Creek Chamber held their Annual General Meeting on September 16th at the nearly opened Nash Jackson House in Battlefield Park.
Members and guests enjoyed refreshments, ice cream from our local Stoney Creek Dairy and tours of Battlefied Museum House, Monument and the Nash Jackson House.
Our President, Brad Perco, C. A., of Brownlow Partners, presented on update on Chamber activities, introduced the Board and Staff and thanked the Members for their ongoing support.
The Finacial update was presented by Treasurer, Robert Hynes, Manager of RBC Royal Bank. Robert indicated that the Chamber experienced another successful year in both Membership increase and financial viability.
The event was sponsored by Brownlow Partners, Dan Lawrie Insurance, and RBC Royal Bank.
more...How to do Business with the Government
written by Dave Cage
Area small businesses were informed at a recent seminar, hosted by the Stoney Creek Chamber of Commerce, by both levels of Government on their respective procurement processes and how they can get more involved with doing business with government.
Attendees discovered that getting properly informed allows them to get more appropriately involved in doing business with Government. There was good discussion and positive feedback during the session.
For more information on how to do business with the Government, go to www.contractscanada.gc.ca
Is Your Marketing Working For You?
written by Dave Cage
Over 50 members and guests attended our breakfast seminar on November 18th at the Old Powerhouse. The event was sponsored by McHugh Mowat Whitmore Ionico MacPherson LLP and Neographics. The event featured George Torok, keynote speaker, author and radio show host. (www.Torok.com)
George took the audience through many of the strategies outlined in his book, “Secrets of Power Marketing”. One concept that resonated with me was his ‘criteria for marketing’.
§ Grab attention
§ Demonstrate value
§ Build relationships
George challenged us by asking, “Which of the three do you do better than your competitors?”
As a Chamber we strive to do all three.
§ The fire in the kitchen that morning certainly “grabbed attention’!
§ We added value by subsidizing your book purchase.
§ We will continue to build relationships with our members through events such as this in the future.
Thank you for your support. See you at the next event!
Audie McCarthy,
2nd VP – Stoney Creek Chamber of Commerce
more...Ontario Budget 2009
written by Dave Cage
Great Day for Golf!
written by Dave Cage
It was a perfect day for our June 4th Annual Golf Tournament. The beautiful weather helped to make a traditionally fun day for our Members even better. We all enjoyed the sunshine great food and time we spent together.
Our thanks to Stoney Creek Furniture for sponsoring this event each year.
We also thank the friendly and helpful staff of Southbrook Golf and Country Club for always making us feel welcomed.
For those of you who couldn't join us this year, not to worry, we'll do our best to order up a perfect day for next year too.
more...Congratulations Citizen of the Year Recipients for 2008
written by Dave Cage
The Grand Event was a great success with over 170 people in attendance to honour Stoney Creek's finest.
Congratulations again to our receipents and thank you to our Sponsors!
Citizen of the Year
Tony Holubeshen
Sponsored by Donald V. Brown Funeral Home
Jr. Citizen of the Year
Lisa Bifano
Sponsored by Stoney Creek News
& Lions Club of Stoney Creek
Corporate Citizen
Assante Wealth Management
Patrica Legato
Sponsored by Taylor Steel Inc.
Legacy Award
Village Restaurant
Sponsored by Brownlow Partners
Chartered Accountants
Outstanding Business
TMF The Meat Factory
Sponsored by DJB & Company Chartered Accountants
Special thanks to the staff of Galileo's Garden in Stoney Creek for providing a perfect venue and excellent food!
2007 Citizen of the Year
written by Dave Cage
Congratulations to our 2007 Citizen of the Year Recipients Elizabeth (Liz) Laing - 2007 Citizen of the Year,
Sponsored by RBC Royal Bank
Chelsey Overell - 2007 Junior Citizen of the Year, Sponsored by Stoney Creek News
Mountaineer Movers Limited - 2007 Corporate Citizen of the Year, Sponsored by Taylor Steel Inc.
Staalduinen Floral Limited - Legacy Award, Sponsored by Shoppers Drug Mart, Hwy 8 @ Worsley
Kushies Baby - Outstanding Business, Sponsored by DJB Chartered Accountants, Stoney Creek Office
The Grand Event to honour our 2007 award winners was held on May 15th at Galileo's Garden with over 170 people in attendance
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