SUMMERLAND – As part of business retention and expansion support for our members, South Okanagan Chambers have been planning a series of Business Solutions Forums.
The need for these forums arise from previous collective work with our business members that have identified that common issues exist in the business community. These common issues include, but aren’t limited to: cost of living, housing costs and availability, seasonality of much of the available work, shortages in skilled labor, succession planning and business skill building, community reticence to growth, workers with spouses who can’t find employment, etc.
The goal of the proposed business solutions forum is to create the opportunity for businesses struggling with common issues to share existing creative solutions with each other; both to learn from one another and to explore potential collaborative solutions in a neutral environment.
In addition to the Chamber Executive Directors from Penticton, South Okanagan and Summerland, the planning group has included economic development representative from Penticton, Summerland and Osoyoos, economic development staff from the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skill Training (JTST) and representatives from Okanagan College School of Business.
Through the fall communities will be organizing and conducting business walks and individual business interviews in order to gather information. In the early winter of 2016, the forums will be conducted with the goal of determining solutions that can be implemented. Findings will also be shared with other regions. Hopefully these forums will provide tangible solutions for our business members and culminate in a stronger more competitive regional business environment.
– Christine Petkau is Executive Director of the Summerland Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at cpetkau@summerlandchamber.com.