It was a good year for the Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce (HDCC).The HDCC held their annual general meeting on March 19 at the Pioneer Hotel. During the meeting, both president Jodi Smith and vice-president Andre Krueger were re-elected unanimously for the 2013-2014 term. Three board positions were up during the meeting. Brian Kusch declined to run for another term. In his place Joanne Forer of PAMI will sit on the board. Both Kenda Thimm and Mike Yager renewed their two-year terms with the board. In addition to the election of the board, there were reports presented by the president and the three committees - Public Relations and Promotions, Business Retention and Expansion and Tourist Booth and Campground. Smith explained the Chamber has been focusing on not only serving Humboldt, but also the district. "The one word in the name of our organization, district, really has come to mean something this year," said Smith. "We are no longer an organization focused on the businesses within the city limits of Humboldt - we are an organization representing businesses on a much larger scale in a large region." She explained they have collaborated with the region for projects like the regional planning summits, which have been very successful. "As a region, we are taking the initial steps to create that collective voice to tell the rest of the province and the country we have something unique happening here and we are preparing for it," said Smith. Yager, chair of the public relations and promotions committee, explained a highlight of the committee was the launch of the HDCC's new website, which allowed for enhanced business directories and member benefits. HDCC also acknowledged four businesses with Courtesy Service awards for their staff in 2012 and held its annual Mark of Excellence Awards. In addition to their annual events, HDCC was also involved in the Doctor Recruitment and Retention Committee, as well as hosted a number of workshops and luncheons with interesting topics for their members. Greg Velanoff, chair of the business retention and expansion committee, said the committee was also involved in doctor recruitment and retention. "Success was reached in the fall of 2012 with the Humboldt Clinic reaching their ideal number of physicians to serve the region," said Velanoff. The committee also works closely with the City and in 2012 asked the City to implement a policy that all expenditures over a certain dollar amount be made available for tendering in an easy accessible manner.During the 2012 year, HDCC also released a Business Needs Survey, which was a tool for members to identify opportunities for expansion and investors to understand gaps in services. Velanoff explained after the survey was released, a number of businesses in the district opened to help start to cover the gaps in service. In addition, HDCC formalized a partnership with Junior Achievement Saskatchewan."Preliminary work was done to find interested schools and sponsors," said Velanoff. "The first Junior Achievement programs were delivered to regional schools in (early) 2013." Kevin Plemel, chair of the tourist booth and campground committee, spoke about the Chamber's success in operating both again in 2012. "The campground once again operated at full capacity and we had to turn away many contractors and visitors due to a lack of space," said Plemel. The HDCC invested in electrical upgrades at the campgrounds, and electrified four new sites to accommodate the increased demand. "The campground, mini golf and Visitor Information Centre continue to be strong revenue generators for the HDCC and allow us to promote our city and our businesses to visitors to our community," said Plemel.
