The St. Paul & District Chamber of Commerce received a nod of approval in May when it was announced as the Chamber of the Year for chambers with membership under 150.
The award was announced at the Alberta Chambers AGM in Grande Prairie, May 26. Although the St. Paul chamber wasn't in attendance at the meeting, it was nonetheless great to hear the announcement.
St. Paul's executive director Linda Sallstrom says she found out St. Paul had received the award via social media. She explains that organizations have to submit an application to be considered for the award, which acts as a way for groups to "toot their own horn" a bit.
Sallstrom says the St. Paul cahmber's membership has been hovering around the 150 mark for quite some time now, and her ultimate goal is to grow the organization beyond that, fall into the next category, and maybe even win the award again.
She says the St. Paul chamber has been focusing more on advocacy, and forming a lot of partnerships to ensure services aren't being duplicated, while also creating new opportunities. For example, the St. Paul and Bonnyville chambers are working together to look at labour market needs.
One thing that St. Paul chamber president Brent Sandmeyer believes made St. Paul stand out is its involvement in reconciliation efforts. And while Sallstrom points to the current board as being a driving force behind its successes, Sandmeyer points to Sallstrom for being a crucial piece of the organization.
"I really feel that we have a cohesive board and a vibrant board," says Sallstrom.
A second project that the chamber has in the works is a partnership with Blue Quills University. A session called Cultural Awareness for Business is set to take place on June 12 and 13. The goal of the event is to create a "better understanding of the historical impacts that continue to affect everyone in Canada today," according to the event's Facebook page.
The session aims to "enhance employer readiness around issues that influence current and future employees, strengthening organizational efforts aimed at engaging a diverse workforce and society."
The chamber's board has been trying to make sure anything it pursues is for the betterment of business in St. Paul, says Sandmeyer. He adds that a continued positive working relationship with both the Town of St. Paul and County of St. Paul on issues that affect business is also important to the chamber's success.
The chamber was also successful in achieving a CARES grant (Community and Regional Economic Support) for make St. Paul a "conference-ready community," says Sallstrom.
Overall, the chamber's goal is simple - to be responsive to the membership and the needs of the community.
