PRINCE GEORGE – You know those moments in life when you really hit your stride and feel like you are doing what you’re meant to do? Our Chamber team is in that ‘zone’ this month.
October is Small Business Month and it is a time when we enthusiastically celebrate and serve our members in an extra special way. The majority of our members are small businesses, which isn’t surprising since 98 per cent of all businesses in BC are considered small businesses (fewer than 50 employees) and employ over 1 million British Columbians.
For a group of people who risk so much, put their hearts into their work, and who receive very few accolades, it becomes even more important to find ways to say thank you to the small business owners who lend so much local support and add character to our city.
How is the Prince George Chamber celebrating our local businesses? October is the busiest month of our calendar year, made even busier this year with the federal election activities going on. On all our social media channels, you’ll see us giving shouts out to many of our members. We hope to bring attention to exceptional members by highlighting their work, special award recipients, and the efforts they make to enhance our local shopping and service experiences.
As networking is one of the biggest reasons that businesses join the chamber, we are also hosting a Business After 5 event on October 20 with the Scotiabank where members can join us for refreshments, door prizes and, most importantly, an opportunity to make business connections with others.
Four days later, is our biggest event of the year, the Business Excellence Awards, which is a ‘Godfather’ theme this year. We are encouraging guests to don their best 1920s inspired attire to come join the business ‘families’ of Prince George at the Civic Centre. Our experience over the years is that by making this celebration highly entertaining, we not only increase the profile of exceptional local businesses but we show the lighter side of business.
Finally, with the federal election happening this month, we have taken it upon ourselves to incite the business community to get in touch with their local political candidates and educate themselves on the platforms presented. It is particularly important for local business people to consider how business interests will be served by the various parties. But none of this matters unless we vote! Chamber activities focus on action and one of the best ways business people can make things happen in their community is to vote on October 19th.
For more information and registration for all these events and more, please visit our website at www.pgchamber.bc.ca and follow us on Twitter (@pgchamber1) and Facebook for regular updates. Happy Small Business month!
– Christie Ray is the CEO of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at christie.ray@pgchamber.bc.ca.
