Ryan Moe has officially taken over as the 2014 president of the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce.
Moe was formally handed the gavel by outgoing Chamber president Sharon Mohagen at the President's Banquet at the Tropical Inn Thursday night.
There, Moe was sworn in by Mayor Ian Hamilton, along with first vice-president Brendon Boothman and second vice-president Jay Bottomley.
Moe, manager with G and C Asphalt Ltd. in North Battleford, looks forward to what he expects will be an active year leading the organization in the Battlefords.
"It's a Chamber that's built on really working well with the community and all the businesses in it, partners, the aboriginal groups and everybody else."
He looks forward to aligning the Chamber with community partners to help and influence business to come to the Battlefords and to expand and grow. Like some other recent Chamber presidents, he pointed to the robust economy and the need to build on that growth, particularly with the recent announcement of the Husky Energy thermal projects to be built in Edam and Vawn.
"We've got an awesome time in the Battlefords economically and it's on all of our heads to take advantage of that."
In his remarks to the audience in the ballroom at the Tropical Inn - which included several Chamber directors, local dignitaries, as well as the keynote speaker Steve McLellan, CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber - Moe pointed to his former home of Grande Prairie as an example of the good and bad that can come with big oil.
"The beauty about Saskatchewan," said Moe, "is that everybody's just careful enough to not want the scary part, but they're all strong and ready to go for the good part. So I think all this coming to us right now, it couldn't be better for any of us."
Moe ascended to the presidency with unusual rapidity. Just a year ago he was second vice-president, but he moved up to become first vice-president a year early following the departure of Rory Anderson from the board for personal reasons.
"I've been involved for two years now, so it seems like a whirlwind to get here today," said Moe.
He paid tribute to Leah Milton - a former Battlefords Chamber president who has just retired from the board of directors. Moe, who has only been in the area for four years, credited Milton with sitting down with him for 20 minutes and selling him on the Chamber shortly after he arrived in the Battlefords.
For outgoing president Sharon Mohagen, it's the end of an active year in which she presided over the Chamber's lobbying for changes to the Traffic Bylaw, as well as hosting of the Saskatchewan Chamber's provincial conference and the first annual Battlefords Best Business Showcase and Trade Fair at the NationsWEST Field House. While doing all that, Mohagen also took a prominent role on the city's centennial committee.
Among her last acts as president was penning a letter received at city council this past week on the Official Community Plan. Mohagen urged individual Chamber members to make their thoughts known on that document as well.
"It has been a journey - a journey of frustration, a journey of learning and a journey of accomplishments," said Mohagen in her farewell remarks Thursday night.
"I know that President Ryan will be an amazing president, and he will lead the Chamber into a future of new opportunities. Ryan, I wish you the best on your journey."
