The new Battlefords Chamber of Commerce president Terry Caldwell had plenty on his mind after being sworn in Tuesday night of last week.
Instead of giving the usual inaugural speech at the President’s Banquet playing up Chamber accomplishments and activities for the coming year, Caldwell’s address focused on a larger and far more sober topic: North Battleford’s reputation for crime.
He noted the litany of problems it caused such as reduction in tourists, difficulty in retaining professionals and skilled workers, a reduction in real estate values, and loss of employment opportunities. Caldwell also pointed to the effects of gun violence, theft, property damage, and a growing drug epidemic in the community.
“I believe after much discussion with peers in my community, that crime, and the reputation it brings, is the number one issue for businesses in the Battlefords,” Caldwell told the audience.
It was a decidedly downbeat beginning to Caldwell’s tenure as President, taking over from outgoing President Warren Williams.
For his part, Caldwell pledged turning around the reputation of a community battered by crime problems, and resulting bad press about it, would be the main priority of his term in 2018.
His plans, which are proposals at this point, involve including the business community in a hybrid marketing campaign that would not only promote the city but also create alliances with other community agencies to help get to the root of the problems.
Ideas include involving business in bolstering Citizens on Patrol, and in creating an offshoot of the Battlefords Boys and Girls Club that would target and engage teens. Caldwell also is proposing an action plan to change people’s mindset about North Battleford and turn around the city’s reputation that way.
“The Chamber does have some definite responsibilities there,” Caldwell said in speaking to the News-Optimist.
“We’ve never had a thing to jump into, and now this is it. It has become the number one thing for businesses and businesses have told us that, so now we have to actually do something about it. And it’s taken us a while to come up with a good plan to be able to help other agencies with what they’re doing along with some other ideas that only businesses really do.”
For Caldwell, it is a personal mission. Right at the start of his address, he spoke of how he conquered his own addictions to drugs and alcohol 20 years earlier, and alluded to his own long struggle during that time to repair the damage done to his family, friends and reputation. “The latter of which was the very hardest,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell had spent some time in business in Alberta before returning to his home community, where he is involved in various ventures including Carpet Superstores/Empress Furniture and Porta Bella Restaurant in the city. He made it known he is a big believer in the Battlefords as a place to live and do business
“We try to invest in the Battlefords whenever we can,” said Caldwell. “We take all of our profits and we do re-invest in North Battleford as much as we possibly can.”
An overriding theme of the President’s Banquet was to encourage people to, as Caldwell put it, “reach inside and really believe in North Battleford and really push it forward. We have a lot going for us that’s very positive.”
That was underscored by the presentation of Billy Coles, president and CEO of BCP Construction and CCR Hospitality, whose speech played up the theme of “why do I believe in North Battleford.”
Coles challenged the business people in the audience to go a step further to move the community forward.
“How are all of us, believing in North Battleford, going to keep the best and -- this is going to be hard to hear -- change the worst in our city?” Coles said.
Coles answered that question by making the point that it was not enough to simply believe in North Battleford. “We need to take ownership of everything we do,” he said.
